UPDATED JUNE 21 | Disney's Buena Vista Home Entertainment will release Toy Story 2 on VHS and DVD on Oct. 17 along with the first DVD edition of the original Toy Story.
Although the studio has yet to finalize an announcement for what is anticipated to be the biggest video of the year, Web sites began posting detailed information about the releases on Monday and have been taking orders all week.
Buena Vista would not comment or confirm any of the information. It's believed that sell sheets with information for retailers to start preparing for the release went out before the studio had finalized all the details of the elaborate supplemental material being prepared for the two titles.
Knowledgeable sources confirmed most of the details.
The VHS edition of Toy Story 2, which has grossed $246 million at U.S. theaters, will be priced at $26.99. Overall sales of Toy Story 2 could rival those of Star Wars--Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, which did not have the benefit of DVD sales. The video is expected to be the top-selling video of the holiday season and most likely the entire year.
About 21.5 million VHS copies of the original Toy Story were sold on its initial release in 1996, with another 2 million VHS copies of a rereleased VHS edition sold this year. Although few expect Toy Story 2 to surpass Toy Story in VHS sales, Toy Story 2 generated about $50 million more at the domestic boxoffice than its predecessor, which should help it challenge the 17 million units of Phantom Menace that Fox is said to have shipped.
But it's the DVD version of Toy Story 2 and its predecessor that are generating most of the attention. And coming just a week after the release of two other monster hits from Universal--Jurassic Park and The Lost World--Jurassic Park--the four movies are expected to lead the way to the biggest sales period for DVDs by far.
Disney is packaging both Toy Story movies in a two-pack DVD set for $39.99 or in a three-disc "Ultimate Toy Box" set for $69.99.
The lower-priced set will offer widescreen versions of both movies and an optional full-frame version of Toy Story 2. Like A Bug's Life, the computer-animated movies will be transferred directly from computer to DVD, not from the film itself. The 1988 Academy Award-winning short Tin Toy will be included on the Toy Story DVD, and the 1986 Oscar-nominated animated short Luxo Jr. will be included on TS2. An early trailer for the upcoming theatrical release Monsters, Inc. will also be included on the TS2 DVD.
In addition to all that material, the Toy Story DVD in the Ultimate Toy Box set will include a making-of program and an audio commentary by the filmmakers that were part of the special laserdisc edition of the movie that was released several years ago.
The Ultimate Toy Box version of Toy Story 2 will feature a newly recorded audio commentary by the filmmakers and isolated sound effects and film score.
The third disc will include an introduction by the filmmakers to some material from the Toy Story laserdisc and some new material on the history of both movies from concept to film. It will also feature music videos, original song demos and early computer tests.
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