On 02 Aug 96, Tim Sevitz wrote to John Giannini:
 TS>     Do you have any sugestions on were I could find some of the videos
 TS> like The Little Mermaid, Lady and the Tramp, Peter Pan, 101 Dalmations,
 TS> and The Jungle Book? They don't need to be sealed or anything like that!
 TS> I have seen some but I don't really want to pay that price! :) Oh-Well,
 TS> just call me cheap! Should I try a flea market? video store? were did
 TS> you get yours from? That is a great collection you have!!   Thanks for
 TS> the Info!! :)
Ah, you saw that list I put up....
To tell the truth, I got mine when they originally came out.  Pinocchio was 
Disney's first MAJOR animated release, and it was done in '85.  (Robin Hood 
and other minor films were already out, but Pinicchio was the first of their 
"big" movies to come out).  At the time, and for several years afterward, I 
was manager of a large local independent video store.  I noticed, as time 
went on, and Pinocchio became less and less available, that people still came 
into the store wanting the movie.  By 1988, all new copies of the tape were 
long gone, and I thought to myself "I shoulda bought 10!"  Well, from that 
point on, I started doing that.  Every time Disney put out a new release, I'd 
by a dozen.  The first movie I did this with was Sleeping Beauty.  That title 
came out in '86, and by the time I started to realize 2 years later i should 
be investing in these tapes, Sleeping Beauty was all but gone.  I got very 
lucky in finding some 5 copies that were still new though, at another video 
store in my area, and I snagged them right up.
There is an ongoing pattern with Disney tapes, which unfortunately, Disney 
propogates itself.  By putting movies on moritorium, Disney hopes to create a 
market where they can re-release a tape years down the road, and because it 
hasn't been around, that predestines it to sell.  Disney feels there is a new 
generation of kids every 7 years and a new generation of parents every 7 
years too, so the theory is that if they put out a title every 7 years or so 
they'll have a new - and waiting - audience for any particular title.  This 
logic does work.  Every time Disney releases a classic, it sells like 
hotcakes to a whole new group of people who weren't parents the last time the 
tape was out!  But the moritorium logic also has it's dark side.  By 
deliberately making the tapes scarce or unavailable, Disney creates a climate 
whereby the tapes that haven't been out in awhile become very "hot", and as 
with everything else with supply and demand, when an item is hot and everyone 
wants it, the price goes up.  So ultimately, Buena Vista itself is 
responsible for the fact that today, copies of Little Mermaid go for $200.00 
and up!
I personally feel that Disney would make the same money on a video title if 
they left it out continuously, than if they do this 7-year thing.  They might 
even make more.  Having tapes out continuously would mean that Disney 
wouldn't have to settle for revenues on tapes "in spurts" as it does now, and 
the public would probably like it better too.  The 7 year thing does work for 
THEATRICAL RELEASES - but video is a different animal and Disney, even after 
20 years of the video revelution, still has not realized that.  The company 
still wants to treat it's video division like it's theatrical division - but 
that only pisses off the public, and gives collectors and investors an 
opportunity to "cash in" on Disney-made-scarce titles.  Ah well, what can you 
do.
Anyhow, if Kevin Daly comes through for me, I'd be delighted to send you a 
copy of Mermaid for 20 bucks.  If he comes through!
--- GoldED 2.50
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