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Insights from home entertainment industry experts. Home Media blogs give you the inside scoop on entertainment news, DVD and Blu-ray Disc releases, and the happenings at key studios and entertainment retailers. TK's Take analyzes and comments on home entertainment industry news and trends, Agent DVD Insider talks comic adaptations, and IndieFile delivers independent film news.

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October 06, 2009
Taking Advantage of the 'G.I. Joe' Movie

DVD releases of two “G.I. Joe” animated properties are being timed for retail release around the same time the live-action movie G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra heads to DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

Paramount Home Entertainment Nov. 3 releases G.I. Joe: Resolute, the same day as Rise of Cobra. Resolute is a harder-edged version of the 1980s cartoon, featuring many of the same characters. It was designed as a series of animated Web shorts that later were shown on Adult Swim. The $19.99 DVD includes all the webisodes edited into a movie, plus a “Now You Know” teaser promo, interviews with filmmakers, storyboards and “Joe Files.”

Nov. 10, Shout! Factory releases to retail its G.I. Joe: A Real American Hero — The Complete Series at $179.99. The set previously was available exclusively online through Shout! Factory’s Web site. The awesome 17-DVD set includes all 95 episodes from the original 1980s cartoon, plus original PSAs, toy commercials and several retrospectives. The set does not include the animated movie from 1987, but does include an empty DVD tray that can hold the out-of-print Rhino release of the movie, or a future version that may be released by Shout! Factory.

Shout! Factory has already released the first of three volumes of the first season of the 1980s "G.I. Joe" cartoon, as well as a single-DVD version of just the pilot miniseries.

Oct. 20, Shout! Factory releases its "Transformers" animated series boxed set to retail, the same day the live-action movie Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen hits DVD and Blu-ray Disc.

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September 28, 2009
Fans Demand ‘Scarecrow and Mrs. King’ DVD

Last week we ran a list of the top 10 TV shows not yet on DVD, which I got from our friends at TVShowsOnDVD.com. No. 6 on the list was “Scarecrow and Mrs. King.”

The 1983-87 series starred Bruce Boxleitner and Kate Jackson as a spy and a housewife who fall in love and embark on fantastic adventures (forgive me if my summary is at all imprecise).

The article included a quote from the founder of that site, Gord Lacey, who cited a “perceived lack of interest” as one reason the show is not yet on DVD.

Well, since the story hit our Web site last Friday, I have been deluged with e-mails from fans of the show looking to counter the notion that there is no interest in a DVD release.

First, I’d like to thank readers of scarecrowandmrskingforum.yuku.com for their impassioned responses. Second, I’d like to assure everyone that Lacey was not saying there isn’t a fan base for the show. Clearly there is, judging by all the e-mails I received, the comments posted below the original story, and the fact that it was on the list to begin with.

No, I think the point is that there is clearly a fan interest, but that the studio, in this case Warner Home Video, might not understand the level of interest. Lacey told me he once saw Boxleitner at Comic-Con pleading with a Warner executive to release the show. If Tron can’t get it done, there must be some other rights issue or musical hold-up.

Still, I think the fans can rest assured that their message has been received, and perhaps Warner or a third-party licensee will get the issues worked out and finally put this series on DVD. My inbox can’t handle anything less.
 

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September 08, 2009
Award-Winning ‘Sopranos’ Set Gets New Look

HBO Home Entertainment is doing everything it can to keep “The Sopranos” fresh in people’s minds. And why not? It was one of the cable network’s most successful shows.

The limited-edition complete-series boxed set just earned the title of the DVD Critics Awards’ top DVD of the year, as well as best multidisc collection.

Nov. 17 (order date Oct. 13), HBO is releasing a slimmer version of the complete-series DVD set at $299.95. The new packaging seems to have more economical accordion sleeves as opposed to the bulky coffee-table style of the collector’s edition. Personally I think the collector’s edition is a bit more elegant, but at $100 less, the new configuration should help the show find its way into many more homes.

HBO also is putting the first season of the show on Blu-ray Disc Nov. 24 (order date Oct. 20) at $69.98. Since some of the later seasons are already on DVD, the studio is getting around to completing the set. At this rate, don’t be surprised to see a complete-series Blu-ray set by next Christmas.

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August 27, 2009
Head’s Up: ‘Futurama’ Set Due Oct. 13

“Futurama” fans rejoice. Not only is your favorite show coming back on the air, but a complete collection of all the episodes is coming to stores Oct. 13 (prebook Sept. 2).

(I guess it won’t be “complete” once the new episodes hit on Comedy Central next year, but that’s just how this game is played, isn’t it?).

The 19-DVD Futurama: The Complete Collection — 1999-2009 includes all 72 episodes that aired on Fox, plus the four made-for-disc movies commissioned by Comedy Central once the cabler picked up the broadcast rights.

The set was previewed at the 2009 San Diego Comic-Con International in July, when 500 copies were available for online purchase. The discs come in packaging that resembles Bender’s head. He’s the show’s main robot character, for those who don’t know. Pretty sweet.

The set is being offered at $199.98.

According to 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, only 25,000 copies of the new set are being produced. It looks like the box contains all the discs that are already available, so many collectors who already picked up the seasons sets and the movies won’t miss out, unless they really want the new packaging.  However, it looks like Fox will make available limited numbers of empty Bender heads for collectors who already have everything. More details on this aspect to come.

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August 26, 2009
No ‘Sarah Jane’ on TV? Wait for the DVD

While Britain’s rabid “Doctor Who” fanbase may have spilled over a bit into America, that doesn’t always mean network programmers share the enthusiasm.

When Sci Fi Channel (now Syfy) had the rights to broadcast “Doctor Who,” it also showed the first season of the kid-friendly spinoff “The Sarah Jane Adventures,” about one of the Doctor’s former traveling companions.

But another “Doctor Who” spinoff, the more mature “Torchwood,” was shown here on BBC America, so the writing was probably on the wall for the other two series. Sure enough, the recent “Doctor Who” one shot specials aired here on BBC America, and “Sarah Jane Adventures,” which has already completed a second season in Britain and is preparing for a third, has all but vanished from American TV sets.

In the past this would be a cause for a surge of letter writing from the fans, as the means of distribution were limited. But in the DVD era, it’s not a problem. The Sarah Jane Adventures: The Complete Second Season will be released Nov. 10 (prebook Oct. 6) by BBC Video as a three-DVD set for $39.98).

Considering all the direct-to-video tie-ins we are seeing with TV shows these days, it seems this type of release strategy should only become more prevalent.
 

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