Boy, I wish I had better news for you folks. But — in regard to this whole what-actually-happened-with-Wave-3-of-those-“Disney-Treasures”-DVDs situation which we discussed at length here at JimHillMedia.com last Thursday and Friday — I haven’t been able to find one person at Buena Vista Home Entertainment who’s willing to go on the record about this super sensitive issue.
What I HAVE been able to find out so far is this:
BVHE reportedly really WAS having some problems with the vendor that produces all of those tin cases that the “Disney Treasures” DVDs are housed in. Which was why INITIALLY the release of Wave 3 of these highly collectible recording was pushed back from December 2nd til May of next year.
But then — back in November — Michael Eisner reportedly was furious with Roy Disney. So much so that he supposedly barred the Chairman of Disney Feature Animation from attending three screenings of work-in-progress versions of new animated features that studio was working on. In addition to allegedly ordering that Roy’s name be stricken from the outside of the “Disney Treasures” packaging.
Which brings us to today. And — given the uproar that last week’s JHM stories about the Wave 3 discs caused — no one at Buena Vista Home Entertainment wants to talk (on the record, that is) about what is actually going on with these “Disney Treasures” DVDs.
So what’s the problem now? I’ll let Dee Vee Dee (A BVHE staffer who agreed to be interviewed for this article provided that I didn’t reveal her real name) explain:
You have to understand, Jim, that the crew at Buena Vista Home Entertainment is caught between a rock and a hard place right now. You see, no one knows right now how this Roy and Michael thing is eventually going to pan out. In three months time, we could have a brand new CEO in charge of the Walt Disney Company. Someone who owes his high paying new job to Roy Disney. Someone who’s not going to look all that favorable on the BVHE staffer who removes Roy’s name from the outside packaging of these four “Disney Treasures” DVDs.
Then — on the other hand — Roy and Stanley’s efforts to oust Eisner could end up failing. And Michael isn’t going to be all that thrilled with us if — when Wave 3 of the “Disney Treasures” DVDs finally hits store shelves next Spring — if the name of his arch-nemesis is still on that wrap-around banner.
That’s why — whenever anyone asks us about any of this sh*t — we just going to stall for as long as possible. I can tell you for certain, Jim, that no one at Buena Vista Home Entertainment is going to answer your questions about Wave 3. Not this week. Not this month. Not next month. We’re just going to stall ’til we see which way this fight between Michael and Roy shakes out.
And then — once that’s resolved — you might get an answer from us. Maybe.
So there you go, folks. The answer to all questions concerning Wave 3 of the “Disney Treasures” DVDs and where Roy Disney’s resignation fits into all this is … there isn’t an official answer yet. If what Dee Vee Dee just told me is true, we’re going to have to wait a few months ’til the people working at BVHE feel secure enough in their positions to finally talk about this. And then we’ll get a definitive answer. Maybe.
So let me offer my apologies for those of you JHM readers who were hoping for a more detailed response. An article where I’d state definitively whether it was the vendor problem and/or Michael being mad at Roy that forced Buena Vista Home Entertainment to push back the release of Wave 3 of those “Disney Treasures” DVDs ’til next May. But — based on the conversations that I’ve had with these folks over the past three days — I can tell you that there are a lot of very frightened people working at BHVE right now. People who are afraid that — if they say or do the wrong thing right about now — it could eventually cost them their job.
And — given that the question of who ultimately is going to wind up in charge of the Walt Disney Company is still very much up in the air right about now — the smartest thing to do for these folks is (at least for the foreseeable future) to just say nothing at all.
So — for now — this is as close as I can get to an answer, folks. I promise that — in the weeks ahead — I’ll continue to press for more information about what actually happened here. (I.E. Which came first: The vendor problem or Eisner’s order to remove Roy from the “Disney Treasures” packaging.) And when I know, you’ll know, okay?
Your thoughts?