Disney Vault

:Not to be confused with the Walt Disney Archives.
The "Disney Vault" was the term used by Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment for its policy of putting home video releases of Walt Disney Animation Studios' animated features on moratorium. Each Disney film is available for purchase for a limited time, after which it is put "in the vault" and not made available for several years until its re-release.
==History==
The practice is the modern version of Disney's practice of re-releasing its animated films in theaters every ten years, which began with the reissues of 1937's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. During the 1980s and 1990s, when the home video market was dominated by VHS systems, Disney films would be reissued every ten years (a time gap equal to that of their theatrical reissues). With the transition to DVD technology, the moratorium period was continued. Television commercials for Disney home video releases will alert customers that certain films will be placed on moratorium soon, urging them to purchase these films before they "go back into the 'Disney Vault'", in the words often spoken by Mark Elliott. Some direct-to-video Disney films, among them Bambi II, have also been released with a pre-established window of availability.
Fantasia is released as a separate "Special Edition" along with its sequel every ten years as a "momentous" occasion. Keeping with the initial intention to release the original film for ten years as an 'event'. Despite this, like in Alice, the film has been announced at one point as a Diamond/Platinum release. It has been "officially" put in the Vault in 2011 but was available on Netflix until January 5, 2018.
Alice in Wonderland and Dumbo were among the first films to be released on home video. Keeping the "tradition" of their success on television and therefore its seldom theatrical releases; they were among the first Disney films to be released on TV (chosen because Dumbo's short length made it palatable, and Alice because it was initially a disappointment). Disney has kept a "tradition" of keeping them out of the vault, despite the fact that they are very successful and critically acclaimed, equivocal to that of films in the Disney Vault. However, at the end of the 2000's they were both announced to be released on Platinum/Diamond edition. Nonetheless, they were only released on a Special Edition. Today they are currently available on digital and occasionally on certain streaming devices but are incredibly hard to find in stores.
Aladdin was put into the vault and unavailable on DVD for a long time before its 2015 Blu-ray release. However it has been aired on television and was available on some "on demand" devices during this time.
Because Disney is notorious for changing their scheduled releases and because the films are as successful as the others, the possibility of them being released in the Vault cycle is very likely; the fact that they were officially announced and changed at the last minute is also proof that this might happen again. Therefore all three are still considered part of the "Vault" for safe assumption.
==Controls==
The Walt Disney Company itself states that this process is done to both control their market and to allow Disney films to be fresh for new generations of young children. A side effect of the moratorium process is the fact that videos and DVDs of Disney films placed on moratorium become collectables, sold in stores and at auction websites such as eBay for sums in excess of their original suggested retail price. The practice also has made the Disney films a prime target for counterfeit DVD manufacturers.
==Producers==
Disney's live-action films, Pixar films, DisneyToon Studios films, and films released by Disney's other film divisions/labels (Touchstone Pictures, Hollywood Pictures, Miramax Films, Dimension Films) are not held to this rule, generally only being discontinued when a newer edition is released (or in the cases of Doug's 1st Movie or Recess: School's Out, when the show the film is based on is cancelled).
However, Toy Story and Toy Story 2 (which are from Pixar) were once in the "Disney Vault" until 2005 where newer editions were released for those particular films, a 10th anniversary edition for Toy Story and a special edition for Toy Story 2. Certain Disney animated sequels are part of this rule, though not all the time. Despite this, The Disney Vault does not apply to any of the Pixar films.
==Films==
The following films are currently considered subject to the rules of the Disney Vault.
===Main features===
*Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
*Pinocchio (1940)
*Fantasia (1940)
*Dumbo (1941)
*Bambi (1942)
*Cinderella (1950)
*Alice in Wonderland (1951)
*Peter Pan (1953)
*Lady and the Tramp (1955)
*Sleeping Beauty (1959)
*One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
*The Jungle Book (1967)
*The Little Mermaid (1989)
*Beauty and the Beast (1991)
*Aladdin (1992)
*The Lion King (1994)
===Sequels===
These are movies that Disney releases as a commercial tie in to their respective major vault release (though are not given the standards of a Vault release, as most are not critically acclaimed and none make the amount of money that their respective vault releases make). As of 2017, if the main film returns to the vault, the sequels stay in general release.
*The Return of Jafar (1994)
*Aladdin and the King of Thieves (1996)
*Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas (1997)
*Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World (1998)
*The Lion King II: Simba's Pride (1998)
*Fantasia 2000 (1999)
*The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea (2000)
*Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure (2001)
*Return to Never Land (2002)
*Cinderella II: Dreams Come True (2002)
*101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure (2003)
*The Jungle Book 2 (2003)
*The Lion King 1½ (2004)
*Bambi II (2006)
*Cinderella III: A Twist in Time (2007)
*The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning (2008)
===DVD releases===
====United States====
=====Platinum Editions=====
In October of 2001, with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney started releasing these films on DVD in Platinum Edition sets. This continued until 2005, when the release rate was increased to two films per year, in 2006, three films per year, in 2007, four films per year, and finally in 2008, twenty films per year. The range, then containing Aladdin instead of Fantasia was completed in March 2009 when Pinocchio was released. This, and the previous release of Sleeping Beauty, were also released on Blu-ray.
=====Diamond Editions=====
In October of 2009, again beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney relaunched the range for Blu-ray under the banner Diamond Edition. These releases will be released alongside Special Edition DVD sets. The Diamond Edition line was completed in October 2015, when Aladdin was released.
=====Signature Collection=====
In February of 2016, again beginning with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Disney relaunched the range for Blu-ray, Digital HD and Disney Movies Anywhere under the banner Signature Collection. The last two movies to be released in the Signature line on Blu-ray and DVD were 101 Dalmatians and Sleeping Beauty in September 2019, while Beauty and the Beast is the last film to be in 4K Ultra HD in March 2020 (the first three being The Lion King in 2018, The Little Mermaid, and Aladdin in 2019) in that line.
====United Kingdom====
==Gallery==
===Disney Vault Princesses===
Bellel Regal -Wallpaper- copy.jpg|Belle in the Disney Vault Princesses
Cinderella -Spring Wallpaper- copy.jpg|Cinderella in the Disney Vault Princesses
Princess Aurora -Wallpaper- copy.jpg|Aurora in the Disney Vault Princesses
Princess Giselle Wallpaper copy.jpg|Giselle in the Disney Vault Princesses
Snow White Autum -Wallpaper- copy.jpg|Snow White in the Disney Vault Princesses
Jasmine -Wallpaper- copy.jpg|Jasmine in the Disney Vault Princesses
Tiana Fairy Tale Dreams- 1280x800.jpg|Tiana in the Disney Vault Princesses
Ariel Regal -Wallpaper- copy.jpg|Ariel in the Disney Vault Princesses
===Disney Vault Villains===
Scar- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Scar in the Disney Vault Villains
Jafar- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Jafar in the Disney Vault Villains
Lady_Tremaine_Wallpaper_copy.jpg|Lady Tremaine in the Disney Vault Villains
Ursula_Wicked-_1280x800.jpg|Ursula in the Disney Vault Villains
Wicked_Queen-_1280x800_copy.jpg|The Evil Queen in the Disney Vault Villains
Maleficent- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Maleficent in the Disney Vault Villains
Queen Narissa Wallpaper copy.jpg|Queen Narissa in the Disney Vault Villains
Queen Of Hearts.jpg|Queen of Hearts in the Disney Vault Villains
Pete Wallpaper copy.jpg|Pete in the Disney Vault Villains
Cruella- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Cruella De Vil in the Disney Vault Villains
Frollo_Wallpaper_copy.jpg|Judge Claude Frollo in the Disney Vault Villains
Captain Hook magic.jpg|Captain Hook in the Disney Vault Villains
Big Bad Wolf Wallpaper copy.jpg|Big Bad Wolf in the Disney Vault Villains
Hades Grudge- 1280x800.jpg|Hades in the Disney Vault Villains
Chesire Cat- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Cheshire Cat in the Disney Vault Villains
Wicked Witch- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Queen Grimhilde's Witch Form in the Disney Vault Villains
Si & Am Wallpaper copy.jpg|Si and Am in the Disney Vault Villains
Disney Villains Fire Wallpaper copy.jpg|Madam Mim, Prince John, Madame Medusa, Gaston, King of Hearts, The Horned King, Professor Ratigan also in the Disney Vault Villains in the altogether wallpaper alongside already featured Lady Tremaine, Ursula, The Witch, The Queen, Queen Narissa, Captain Hook, Maleficent, Queen Of Hearts, Big Bad Wolf, Judge Claude Frollo, Cruella De Vil, and Jafar
Villains Dark Night Wallpaper copy.jpg|Shere Khan, Iago, Flotsam and Jetsam, Diablo, and Chernabog also featured in the Disney Vault Villains in the altogether dark night villain gathering
Yzma -Coloring Page.jpg|Yzma in the Disney Vault Villains as a coloring page sketch kept within the Disney Vault
===Disney Vault Fairies===
Fall Tink- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Tinker Bell in the Disney Vault Fairies
Fawn Fall- 1280x800.jpg|Fawn in the Disney Vault Fairies
Iradessa Fall- 1280x800.jpg|Iridessa in the Disney Vault Fairies
Rosetta Pretty- 1280x800.jpg|Rosetta in the Disney Vault Fairies
===Disney Vault Characters===
The Princess and the Frog 1280x800.jpg|The Princess and the Frog Characters in the Disney Vault
Lilo & Stitch I- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Lilo & Stitch Characters in the Disney Vault Characters
The Aristocats - Wallpaper.jpg|The Aristocats in the Disney Vault Characters
The Sword In The Stone- 1280x800 copy.jpg|The Sword in the Stone in the Disney Vault Characters
Oliver- 1280x800.jpg|Oliver & Company in the Disney Vault Characters
Pinocchio- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Pinocchio in the Disney Vault Characters
101 Dalmatians- 1280x800.jpg|One Hundred and One Dalmatians in the Disney Vault Characters
Snow White Diamond Edition III.jpg|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs in the Disney Vault Characters
Sleeping Beauty- 1280x800 copy.jpg|Sleeping Beauty in the Disney Vault Characters
===Mickey and Friends===
Minnies Gift- 1280x800.jpg|Minnie's Gift in the Disney Vault Mickey & Friends
Mickey's Birthday 1280x800.jpg|Mickey's Birthday in the Disney Vault Mickey & Friends
Mickey Paint- 1280x800.jpg|Mickey's Paint in the Disney Vault Mickey & Friends
==See also==
*Walt Disney Platinum Editions - Disney's first "Disney Vault" DVD line
*Walt Disney Diamond Editions - Disney's second "Disney Vault" DVD line
*Walt Disney Signature Collection - Disney's third and final "Disney Vault" DVD line
*Disney Special/Anniversary Editions
==References==
==External links==
*DVDizzy - List of movies in the Disney Vault
Category:Disney videos and DVDs
Category:Home Video