Disney Pulls Strings for ‘Pinocchio’ Blu-ray Sidebars

Hollywood is hoping to provide one more reason for avid movie buffs to buy Blu-ray titles soon.

While Americans have been infamously intolerant of movie subtitles for decades, much to the anguish of overseas moviemakers, we’re not particularly fond of sidebars, either. That added intolerance is being put to the test these days with the various aspect ratio configurations prompted by the digital transition. But now Walt Disney Studios thinks they may have struck on something in time for the release of its hand-drawn animated classic “Pinocchio.” Disney is providing changing sidebar designs thematic of the movie on the Blu-ray Disc version of the film’s release this week (March 10).

The plain old standard DVD edition will carry the traditional back sidebars.

Disney, therefore, can keep the original aspect ratio of the motion picture without pan-and-scan, cropping or distorting it to a wider configuration. Disney is calling its technique “Disney View” and it plans to repeat the process next fall with the Blu-ray release of another classic, “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.”

For “Pinocchio,” a total of 16 sets of Disney View sidebars will grace the Blu-ray release.

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