A disclaimer on the back of the box reads: "FOR SALE ONLY. Not intended for rental."
VHS images courtesy of The Wonderful Wolrd of Movies. Used with permission.
Apparently, after the video's release, legal issues arose when Richard Bowne (Prince Charming) filed a lawsuit against Disney over royalty payments to the cast. As a result, the show hasn't been reissued since. The original VHS cassettes have become rarities and command a high price. DVDs of the show were never officially produced, though a few bootlegs can be found online.
In 1987, six years after the VHS release, the performance was broadcasted on the Disney Channel. Short sample clips from the video have been seen on youtube from time to time.
Is it true that the video release is shorter than the HBO broadcast version? That's what IMDb says, and that's about in character for Disney considering the checkered history of some of its film musicals.
ReplyDeleteIt wouldn't be too surprising to learn that the live performance was edited down a little to fit a 90 minute time slot for television, and then released on DVD this way. But if the DVD was edited down even more from the HBO special, this would be a little strange. Will have to do a little more research on this.
DeleteI remember seeing some of this on HBO as a kid! The most interesting thing about it was that the King, Snow's dad, was actually a character...there's no mention of him whatsoever in the original movie. I remember a scene at the party in the beginning where he's dancing with his daughter and the Queen looks on with jealousy...a very interesting little element.
ReplyDeleteIn many of the early Disney storybooks, Snow White's mother is included at the start of the tale but not her father. It's interesting that they added him in this performance. Thanks for sharing your remembrance of the show Jennifer.
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