Region 4 Winners and Losers

    Assume the position, Australia, because we've been given the rough end of the stick...again.

     In my open letter to Buena Vista Home Entertainment in my review of The Parent Trap, I spelled out the annoying shortcomings of many of the live action back catalogue titles from Disney here in Region 4. The major titles seem to get decent treatment, but when it comes to some of the older film, especially those with limited appeal, we seem to get a raw deal. This is a major marketing error on Buena Vista's part as the main audience for many of these films is not 12 year olds, but those who were 12 years old when the films were first released. People like me. Yet people like me want extras to enhance the viewing of the film. This is a trip down memory lane and if we are going down that path, we would like some markers along the way. Our Region 1 cousins get it, with a disc that has a cast and crew commentary and a host of extras, but when it comes to our package, it's the film only. This is a major disappointment as those interested in the film want the extras. What are they? Have a look at what we miss here in Region 4:

• Audio Commentary from Ike Eisenmann, Kim Richards and Director John Hough
• "Pluto's Dream House" Mickey Mouse and Pluto short - approx. 8 minutes
• "Making the Escape" featurette - approx. 26 minutes
• "Conversations with John Hough" interview - approx. 6 minutes
• "Disney Sci-Fi" montage - approx. 3 minutes
• "Lost Treasures" visual effects featurette - approx. 11 minutes
• "1975 Disney Studio Album" montage - approx. 3 minutes
• Trailer for The Lion King, The Haunted Mansion, Stitch! The Movie and Sleeping Beauty
• THX certified transfer with THX Optimizer

     The Region 1 disc misses out on the following:

• French and German Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mixes
• French, German, Dutch and Portuguese subtitles

     Disappointing. We deserve better.