LOS ANGELES: Walt Disney is dispatching Pinocchio, Snow White and a team of other characters into its effort to accelerate consumer adoption of next-generation DVD technology.

Disney, like other media companies, is counting on high-definition Blu-ray discs - and companion technology that connects them to the Internet - to reinvigorate its highly profitable home entertainment business. But so far, Blu-ray players are selling more slowly than expected, apparently because people are not convinced they need a better DVD experience.

So Disney is sending in the troops. The company will release five "platinum" titles from its library in the Blu-ray format over the next two years, hoping that classic animated movies will spur wider interest.

The films are "Pinocchio," "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Fantasia 2000" and "Beauty and the Beast." The company had previously announced plans to introduce one such title, "Sleeping Beauty."

All the DVDs will include unusual features geared toward a generation that embraces interactivity and social networking.

This is fantastic news sales will explode when these movies come out, I just hope they bring out aladdin and Lion king on blu ray. These movies will look amazing on blu ray.

Release dates:

Pinocchio - March 2009

Snow white - Fall 2009

Fantasia, Fantasia 2000 - Spring 2010

Beauty and the beast - Oct 2010

Lion king - Fall 2010

What do you make of Disney's policy to release their classics every 7 years?

The article is a bit old, but I thought I would share this brilliant news!

http://www.iht.com/articles/2008/08/27/business/disney.php

You love Disney? Disney username and Disney article is the first thing you've ever posted. anyway how come you have 0 post count? Do you have to post a reply before the post counter starts going up on this site?

Disney has always been a new-medium whore ...

Of course they were going to bring out many of their Classic movies to Blu-Ray before putting them into the "vault" for a few more years when they will release the super-enhanced-mega-special edition of the same movies.

Hello Mr. 0 posts.

Anyway, I say it's pathetic. How good can an old Disney movie possibly look in 1080?

I think Disney's vault strategy is pretty stupid and encourages piracy. If I wanna buy a Disney classic but it's not available I'm going to get it from a torrent.

About the Blu-Ray stuff... I'm not sure old Disney movies are the best products to show off what the format is capable of. I mean those movies were made so long ago that the quality would have to be upgraded to make any difference from DVD to Blu-Ray.

You should watch sleeping beauty on blu ray truly outstanding! loll

On the recently re-released Sleeping Beauty thats also on Blu-ray, they had a cast to reenact the whole movie and they redrew it all over or something. I can see them doing that with other movies but not sure about reenacting the Lion King lol

I also don't understand the point of paying $5-10 more to get cartoons on Blu Ray (unless it's a 1 Blu Ray or 5 dvd compilation affair)

 You should really be careful, because it looks like a PR attempt for Disney, which is not allowed.

Anyway, these are hardly the big guns. Bring on Lion King, Alladin, Robin Hood, Bambi and Jungle Book and we're talking.

The vault-strategy is pretty good at milking their fanbase which compensates for the higher piracy rates.

Besides that, the market has shifted to adjust to the situation anyways ... initially movies weren't available when they were in the vault, then sclapers started buying copies when movies were released and selling them for (massive) profit, and now most stores that plan on selling copies of movies long-term overstock Disney movies and sell them at a higher price when they are not (officially) available.