New Disney Blu-ray/Home Media Predictions

Yep, it's that time again... Now we know that Fun & Fancy Free, The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Bedknobs and Broomsticks, Hercules, Tarzan and Mickey, Donald and Goofy: The Three Musketeers will hit Blu-ray on August 12th...

Here we go again!

Blue titles are CONFIRMED titles...

Muppets Most Wanted - June 24, 2014 - REAL DATE: August 12, 2014 (announced 5/16/14)
- Still sticking with this prediction. Heck, it didn't do so well at the box office so I'm surprised the release date hasn't been mentioned yet. It's most likely going to come out some time next month, if not then July...

Captain America: The Winter Soldier - July 22, 2014 - REAL DATE: September 9, 2014 (announced 5/30/2014)
- This one has always been tricky for me to predict. Typically, the May Marvel movies get a late September release. This has been a thing since Iron Man came out in 2008, but with this film being an April release, will they release it in August instead? Well, I think they'll release it before that... Guardians of the Galaxy opens August 1st, and maybe Marvel might want to release this film before that opens... Maybe include an exclusive sneak peek, or have a movie ticket coupon come with the Blu-ray. (Similar to the Pixar Blu-rays that came out months before the year's new Pixar film opened.

Fun & Fancy Free / The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad 2-Movie Collection - August 12, 2014
The Adventures of Ichabod & Mr. Toad - August 12, 2014
Bedknobs and Broomsticks - August 12, 2014
Hercules - August 12, 2014
Tarzan - August 12, 2014
Mickey, Donald & Goofy: The Three Musketeers - August 12, 2014

Sleeping Beauty Diamond Edition - October 7, 2014
Maleficent - October 7, 2014 - REAL DATE: November 4, 2014 (announced 8/2/2014)
Saludos Amigos / The Three Caballeros 2-Movie Collection - October 14, 2014
Make Mine Music / Melody Time - October 14, 2014 
The Black Cauldron - October 14, 2014

Still sticking with October predictions as well... I can't see Disney waiting too long to belt out the rest of the package features, since they have been so trigger-happy with releases these days. (Just look at last year, and this coming August.) The Black Cauldron, again, is long overdue and a Halloween release is perfect for this film. I can see Maleficent being released the same day as Sleeping Beauty, probably going for the Halloween angle.

Ratatouille 3D - November 4, 2014
WALL-E 3D - November 4, 2014
Frozen 3D - November 4, 2014

My earlier predictions had The Incredibles sitting right alongside Ratatouille for the 3D Blu-ray treatment, not WALL-E, but I'm thinking that Disney might hold off on putting out the 3D version of that film... Why's that? Well, with the confirmation of an Incredibles 2 coming, Disney might want to re-release Pixar's film the year before the next one comes out. Superheroes are big at the moment, and if they vault the current Blu-ray now, and then when it comes back around 2017/2018, the re-release could actually do well.

I think the 3D re-releases of Beauty and the Beast, Monsters, Inc. and Finding Nemo couldn't make Lion King 3D numbers because they were either A) available on home media at the time or B) they went in the vault not too long before the re-releases. The Lion King hit the vault in 2005, the re-release appeared in 2011, that was more than enough time. Monsters, Inc., which hit Blu-ray in 2009, vaulted in sometime in 2012 - mere months before the late 2012 re-release. Finding Nemo's DVD vaulted in 2010, two years before the release. Everyone and their brother owns Finding Nemo or has seen it on television, since Starz shows it like all the time.

Long story short, Disney shot the re-release plan in the foot. That being said, they could try again and give The Incredibles a re-release to hype up the second one, whenever it comes out. (I'm thinking 2018 at the moment.) Right now, they'd have to vault the current Blu-ray, they still have time.

Anyways, Ratatouille 3D is being released in Europe this summer so a North American release is probably right around the corner. WALL-E 3D is also long overdue, so I can see those two hitting this fall.

Frozen 3D is also indeed coming, as all signs point to it happening some time this fall. Wait for it, wait for it...

Mickey's Once Upon a Christmas / Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas 2-Movie Collection - November 11, 2014 - REAL DATE: November 4, 2014 (announced 8/5/2014)
Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed in at the House and Mouse - November 11, 2014
- Again, Disney is content with releasing TV and direct-to-video fodder like this to Blu-ray. Last holiday season, they did it with A Very Merry Pooh Year and this year, Springtime for Roo and The Jungle Book 2. I can expect them to release these three specials/DTV films next holiday season.

Planes: Fire & Rescue - November 18, 2014
- Unlike the first Planes, this is a mid-July release. Because of that, I can see this hitting Blu-ray sometime before Thanksgiving. Planes hit Blu-ray in December of last year...

Guardians of the Galaxy - November 25, 2014
- Just in time for Thanksgiving, but yes, since it's an August release, I can see it coming out around this time.

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea - December 9, 2014

It turns 60, and Disney needs to get the ball rolling when it comes to their live action classics. Mary Poppins got a mid-December release (though it was of course released during that time to promote Saving Mr. Banks), so this could too.

Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day - January 13, 2015

Small-scale October release, out-of-the-way January Blu-ray release.

Aladdin Diamond Edition - February 10, 2015

The demand is high for it, plus they wouldn't have One Hundred and One Dalmatians come out first because this film's Blu-ray release would be further distanced from Aladdin Broadway play. This should be the 2015 Diamond Edition, no two ways about it. I'm surprised that the Blu-rays for The Little Mermaid and The Jungle Book ignored the tradition of listing the next 2 Diamonds on the leaflet inside. Mermaid's Blu-ray only announced The Jungle Book, Jungle Book's Blu only announced Sleeping Beauty… We have to wait till fall to find out, I guess.

(Unless some info gets leaked, which it most likely will.)

Big Hero 6 - March 3, 2015
Self-explanatory.
 

A Goofy Movie / An Extremely Goofy Movie 2-Movie Collection - March 10, 2015

The Return of Jafar / Aladdin and the King of Thieves 2-Movie Collection - March 10, 2015

A Goofy Movie turns 10 in early 2015, plus it has a following. Disney would be unwise to not release it. Aladdin's 2 and 3? This release will coincide with the Aladdin Diamond Edition, of course. The sequels always arrive a month after the original's Diamonds.

Into The Woods - April 28, 2015

Also self-explanatory.

Cinderella (2015) - June 16, 2015

- Kenneth Branagh's live-action Cinderella, which is hitting theaters March 13, 2015.

Avengers: Age of Ultron - September 22, 2015

Marvel films released in May always come out in late September.
 

One Hundred and One Dalmatians Diamond Edition - October 6, 2015

Tomorrowland - October 20, 2015

Inside Out - November 3, 2015

A Bug's Life 3D - November 3, 2015

- In this scenario, A Bug's Life is the last Pixar title that doesn't have a 3D Blu-ray release. What better way to release it than with the year's new Pixar film?

Ant-Man - November 10, 2015

Getting it out before the holidays, plus the film is a July release.

101 Dalmatians / 102 Dalmatians 2-Movie Collection - November 17, 2015

101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure - November 17, 2015

- I wouldn't be surprised if Disney released the two live action films to cash in on the Blu-ray debut of the original classic. As for the sequel, this is a given since Diamond Edition films' DTV sequels always come out a month after the original (i.e. Cinderella in Oct. 2012, Cinderella II & III combo pack in Nov. 2012)…
 

Pinocchio - February 9, 2016

The remaining Diamond title. 2015 would be it's 75th Anniversary though, but Disney tends to slap dates onto films, even in the wrong year. (Pinocchio's 70th Anniversary Edition came out in 2009, 69 years after it debuted in theaters!)

The Jungle Book (2015) - February 23, 2016

- Set for release in October 2015 (the cast is a little bigger now, it's going full steam ahead soon), this should be a February release since it's a tentpole and not a small scale film a la Alexander and the Terrible Extremely-Long-Titled Movie.