Jul 2010 Some of the most popular movies ever released on DVD are those from Disney. There cannot be many children who have not seen one and with nearly all of them having been released on DVD, some of them more than once, children can have access to a large library of these films. With the advent of Blu-Ray discs many of these films are being re-released in high definition. A DVD for children from Disney often makes an ideal gift as the worry of them already owning it is negated by the fact that with every re-release they include new additional features as extras.

The advent of these special features has given the video release industry extra revenue and ability that it didn’t have before. Whereas once movies were released on VHS video there was little ability to put extra features onto them. They usually featured trailers for forthcoming movies before showing the actual film, but that was about it. Now with the use of menus giving the ability to navigate around the various features on the disc the extra content is instantly available. In addition, a DVD for children will often be released as a special edition, again to increase revenue but with additional material on the disc.

These additional features on a DVD for children can include deleted scenes. A director may need to make cuts if he does not think that the scene suits the movie, if it is unnecessary and does nothing to add to the storyline, or if the movie running time is too long and needs to be shortened. These DVDs can also include alternative endings, sometimes the writer writes two or more endings to the film and the director will choose which one to use, whichever one he thinks suits the film best.

A DVD for children will normally include an audio commentary. Perhaps more for adults than the children this gives the actors, writer and/or director the opportunity to comment on the movie as it progresses giving the viewer additional insight into the movie making process. Also included are several trailers for the movie.

DVD releases are staggered throughout the year and the time between the movie being released at the cinema and the release date for the DVD are getting ever closer. These dates are decided by the movie studio and will be carefully timed in order to maximise sales. For example, a movie with a Christmas theme will be released at the cinema or on DVD in the run up to the festive period. As a movie studio will hardly ever release these a year apart they need to decide whether it is going to be a theatrical or a DVD release during that period, this will depend on the movie.

A DVD for children that is about to be released will be accompanied by a very carefully put together marketing campaign that will involve advertising during children’s TV programming and product placement in magazines and popular fast food restaurants etc.

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