Disney's second animated masterpiece, Pinocchio, has just dropped on Blu-ray. The 70-year-old story gets the full state-of-the-art treatment with an impressive Platinum Edition release. And that's got us thinking about other Disney classics – both old and new – that have yet to see the light of day on BD.
We appreciate how carefully the Mouse House has handled their movie library over the years, but there are a number of titles that we just can't wait to see get the high-definition treatment. And while we understand that it takes some time to really create a Blu-ray release that truly does justice to these magical films (like Pinocchio), we want them now!
So read on for our list of 25 Disney Blu-rays that can't come soon enough. You'll find old-school classics, as well as more recent masterpieces. But if you don't find your favorite on our list, be sure to comment at the bottom of the page and let us know what we've missed!
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Original Release Date: June 21, 1996
What better opportunity to show off the quality of detail and sharpness that can be achieved in Blu-ray than the historic vistas of 15th century Paris, faithfully represented in Disney's adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic novel The Hunchback of Notre Dame. This may not have been the most successful film produced during the Disney animation renaissance of the 1990s, but it was certainly one of the most ambitious in scope and sweeping in scale.
At the time of its release in 1996, Hunchback was well received by movie critics (though not so much by Hugo scholars). From the same team of directors who brought us Beauty and the Beast (Gary Trousdale and Kirk Wise), the film strays from the novel's dark tone, while still maintaining the themes of isolation, the dangers of prejudice and the value of a selfless heart. The titular hunchback, Quasimodo, gets a Disney-fied makeover from a hideous, almost inhuman creature to lovable, if physically deformed, anti-hero. His singing, dancing pals (because every Disney film has to have them, right?) are a trio of stone gargoyles, who may or may not be figments of his imagination.
From the top of the bell tower at the famous cathedral that gives the film its title, Quasi looms over the city of Paris, and those magnificent landscapes will undoubtedly be the highlight of the Blu-ray presentation when the studio finally sees fit to put one out. The bright, colorful Festival of Fools sequence is also one to look forward to. The songs, written by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz, would also come across well in a high-def 5.1 or 7.1 channel surround sound. There's only been one DVD release of the film so far, so it's due for a double-dip at some point, and it would only make sense that the next reissue should be on Blu.
What truly makes a great Blu-ray disc? We pondered this very...
