If streaming on Disney+ isn’t your thing, you can find many of your old favorites on Blu-ray exclusively at the Disney Movie Club and Get 4 Movies for $1 with a Disney Movie Club Membership now!
I have always liked the concept of “instant gratification,” and it’s a concept that works for just about any sort of retail therapy. Nothing compares to browsing and picking up objects, finding a treasure, and leaving with it that day, be it clothes, shoes, toys, collectibles, or movie discs. Many are shifting shopping habits to online venues with dwindling support for physical media at brick-and-mortar stores.
In the past six months, my local Best Buy cut their movie selection by 90%, Target by 50%, and Walmart by 33%; it certainly sends a signal loud and clear that it might be time to shop elsewhere for titles that are not new releases. Customer feedback to these stores’ corporate offices will likely go unanswered, their decisions have already been made, and it is doubtful anything will change that. You still have smaller boutique shops that may suit your needs, but many of us are not lucky enough to live close to one.
How does Disney Movie Club work?
With all the online shopping choices available, why join the Disney Movie Club (DMC) today? What sets it apart from other merchants? The club is a membership, so it requires a purchase commitment, but it is relatively easy to complete. The initial out-of-the-box introductory offer is that you Get 4 Movies for $1 with a Disney Movie Club Membership, 4K, Blu-ray, or DVD, with free shipping. The standard offer requires the purchase of an additional five films at the regular price (usually at around $19.95 per title) over two years.
As a bonus, you can opt to purchase your first commitment title at a reduced price with that first introductory order. After the initial order, shipping costs $3.95 for the first title and $1.49 for each additional item. About every four weeks, you get a physical mailer in your mailbox or an email with the current featured title with a response by date. It will automatically be sent and billed to your account if you do not respond. If you don’t want that title, you can mail it back for a refund.
How much do Blu-rays at Disney Movie Club cost?
Let’s touch on price first because that is the most critical factor to some. New releases almost always have the same price (within a couple of bucks) as other online or physical shops. What’s different here is when you buy a regular title, it counts as one unit towards your membership commitment. There is almost always an option to purchase additional titles at reduced prices. Sometimes you even get new releases a week or two earlier than the expected street date. There is no limit to the number of additional titles you can buy at the reduced price; they just do not count towards the final membership commitment.
If you factor in the initial order of five titles (4 for $1, plus the first commitment title at a reduced price) and the bare minimum costs of the four titles to fulfill your membership obligation, you still come ahead financially. Once you’ve completed the membership commitment, you gain VIP Member status. VIP members get offers throughout the year, and some don’t require a regularly priced purchase. In the past, one such offer was 50% off all TV Series; no additional purchase was required. This is how I completed my Once Upon a Time collection. As a bonus, featured titles usually include a lithograph or charm trinket, and the additional title discount can go as high as 60% off the list price.
Disney Movie Club isn’t just for new releases. There are Club exclusive titles too!
Disney Movie Club exclusives are the biggest reason I have maintained my membership over the years. DMC offers movies with exclusive slipcovers on them, and some titles are only available from DMC’s store. Like Warner Archive Collection releases, these are smaller, less popular movies and shows made in smaller batches of discs. These titles also usually have minimal extras, what we consider barebones releases. Still, the only other way to see these shows in HD is on Disney+, and sadly, usually at a lower quality.
Classic favorites exclusive to Disney Movie Club
Disney is best known for its animated titles. Some exclusive highlights of the Disney Movie Club you might not know are on Blu-ray.
Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure: The Complete Series
Valiant
Pooh’s Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher Robin
Melody Time
Black Cauldron
Disney is best known for its animated output, but how about a live-action family comedy to brighten the day?
Freaky Friday (1976) and (2003)
Jungle 2 Jungle
Holes
George of the Jungle
Do you remember as a kid sitting down to the Wonderful World of Disney broadcast on ABC TV or going to the theater in the eighties? Here are some true classics you can’t find in stores on Blu-ray.
Something Wicked This Way Comes
The Black Hole
Treasure Island
Flight of the Navigator
Escape to Witch Mountain / Return from Witch Mountain
Do you love exclusive packaging? Or do you need to own every release of a favorite title? Here’s a sample of a couple of the exclusive slipcovers available from DMC.
New releases often arrive with exclusive DMC slipcovers, so check them out before you run off to Best Buy or check out Amazon.
Club exclusives initially were not significantly different from your regular store releases, just editions of movies that included a digital code. At the same time, the same movie bought from Best Buy or Amazon did not have it, then they evolved into a random classic Disney movie. Rapunzel’s Tangled Adventure: The Complete Series on Blu-ray marks the first “modern” TV series release from DMC. Chip ‘n Dale: Rescue Rangers – The Complete Series was initially announced as DMC’s second animated series Blu-ray release, but that one has now been updated to be a standard release available everywhere.
Don’t expect to see Song of the South this century as a DMC exclusive. I would lean towards never, but there is still a vast trove of movies and TV shows within the Disney vault that could potentially make it to Blu-ray. I still remember an obscure series titled The Wuzzles from the eighties that will probably never see the light of day, but I have them on SVHS and the stuffed animals themselves. There are so many others that are begging the be put on Blu-ray. From Duck Tales to Darkwing Duck to the Aladdin TV Series, Talespin, Gargoyles, Timon & Pumbaa, Disney Junior titles like Lion Guard, Doc McStuffins, Sofia the First, and Elena of Avalor – there’s some great stuff that would make excellent additions to the collection.
The bottom line is whether you’re looking for the lowest prices or club exclusives, DMC is sure to satisfy both desires. Be aware, though, if you look around, you might find a promo code that entitles you to an even better deal for your initial order. If you are a member and refer a friend, there’s a deal for that too. A few months ago, the 20th Century Fox library was added to DMC’s catalog, drastically increasing their selection of titles. Disney might be trying to prop up their Disney+ service, but as long as there is a market for discs, there’s little doubt they will continue to produce them, and DMC may be the best – or only – a place to buy them.
Click the Get 4 Movies for $1 with a Disney Movie Club Membership banner to be directed to DMC.
