Wow.. this reminds me of that "Widescreen = Censorship" thread.

Here's WB's press release;

20 years of mayhem, mishap and mismanagement celebrated at the...
Police Academy!

Landmark Comedy of Law and Disorder Debuts as 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD April 13

Six Sequels and Seven Title Giftset Also Get DVD Debuts
from Warner Home Video

Burbank, Calif., December 29, 2003 - Police Academy -- the astoundingly silly, yet hugely popular "tasteless" comedy classic -- cops all the fun with a 20th Anniversary Special Edition DVD release on April 13 from Warner Home Video. Considered one of the defining films of '80s comedy, the unforgettable flatfoot farce launched a movie franchise which spanned a full decade, grossed more than $240 million domestically and sold nearly two and a half million videos. Highlights of the Special Edition bonus features include commentaries, a squad reunion documentary and more. It will be available for $19.97 SRP.

The ultimate in motion picture law "enfarcement" follows a motley group of police academy recruits as they bumble their way through training. The six sequels -- Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment, Police Academy 3: Back in Training, Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol, Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach, Police Academy 6: City Under Siege and Police Academy: Mission to Moscow -- continue to track the misfits as they start their careers in various situations with very funny consequences.

Each of the six sequels will be available for $14.97 SRP. For hard-core laughter, a Police Academy Giftset, featuring all seven titles, will be offered as well. It will sell for $59.92 SRP.

More on Police Academy Titles

Police Academy 20th Anniversary Special Edition - Building on a nightsticks-and-slapstick tradition going back to the Keystone Cops, Police Academy follows a class of recruits as they bumble their way through training. Now the popular debut film calls for backup, adding 20th anniversary DVD extras. Stars Steve Guttenberg. Kim Cattrall, G.W. Bailey, Bubba Smith, Michael Winslow and George Gaynes are ready to uphold law and disorder and make the world a funnier place.

Available for the first time in widescreen, other special features include:
All-new digital transfer
Commentary by Steve Guttenberg, Michael Winslow, Leslie Easterbrook, G.W. Bailey, director Hugh Wilson and producer Paul Maslansky
Behind Academy Doors: Secret Files Revealed - all-new reunion documentary
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment - An anti-social mastermind and his leathered band of pranksters are on the prowl, spray-painting the town red and emptying the pockets of anyone sharing the sidewalk. The newly graduated Police Academy cadets tangle with these pinheaded punkers to save the day. The original cast returns to face Bobcat Goldthwait in the tailor-made role of the Ozzy Osbourne-like gang leader.

Special features include:
Accidental Heroes: The Best Of - all-new making-of featurette
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy 3: Back in Training - A budget crisis has decreed that only one of the state's two cop schools can survive, so the race is on to see which academy can avoid the ax by turning out the superior force. The cadets return and "carry on with a lot of good, low humor" (Vincent Canby, The New York Times).

Special features include:
All Washed Up: Floating Memories - all-new making-of featurette
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol - The original cadets sign up for more misadventure as Cmdt. Lassard (George Gaynes) decides to toughen up neighborhood watch groups by training them to be Citizens on Patrol, or COPs. The film features rising stars Sharon Stone as a reporter who strikes sparks with Mahoney (Steve Guttenberg) and David Spade as a loopy skateboarder.

Special features include:
Remembering a Lofty Investigation - all-new making-of featurette
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach - The Police Academy team are in Miami for a convention honoring beloved Cmdt. Lassard. But they soon realize that crime doesn't take a vacation, even if they do, as Lassard is kidnapped and the team must save him.

Special features include:
Mistaken Identity: Case Reopened - all-new making-of featurette
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege - A crime spree called Operation Chaos is plaguing the city and the Police Academy alumni are called in to save the city, but Cmdt. Lassard is suspected when it becomes clear that a police department information leak is keeping the bad guys one step ahead.

Special features include:
Unholy Alliance: A Retrospective - all-new making-of featurette
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow - The Police Academy squad goes global as they take on the Godfather of the Russian mob (Ron Perlman), whose computer program plays like a video game but can actually steal money and goods planet-wide without a trace.

Special features include:
Underneath the Mission - all-new making-of featurette
Theatrical trailer

Police Academy 20th Anniversary Special Edition
STREET DATE: April 13
$19.97 SRP DVD
Rating: R
Run Time: 96 minutes
The film is presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving the aspect ration of its original theatrical exhibition and the DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

All 6 sequels will sell for $14.97 SRP

Police Academy 2: Their First Assignment
Rating: PG-13
Run Time: 87 minutes
The film is presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition and the DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Police Academy 3: Back in Training
Rating: PG
Run Time: 83 minutes
The film is presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition and the DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Police Academy 4: Citizens on Patrol
Rating: PG
Run Time: 88 minutes
The film has been modified from its original version and formatted to fit home screens. The DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach
Rating: PG
Run Time: 90 minutes
The film has been modified from its original version and formatted to fit home screens. The DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French (dubbed in Québécois) languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Police Academy 6: City Under Siege
Rating: PG
Run Time: 84 minutes
The film is presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition and the DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French (dubbed in Québécois) languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Police Academy: Mission to Moscow
Rating: PG
Run Time: 83 minutes
The film is presented in a "matted" widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition and the DVD includes Dolby Digital sound. It will also include English and French (dubbed in Québécois) languages and subtitles in English, French and Spanish.

Seven-Title Police Academy Giftset
$59.92 SRP

NO SALE, WB... Way to go, jerks!

I was going to buy the boxed set, but now I refuse to even buy the individual release of Part 1!!!

Crap... Why can't these studios get it right???

They've got to be kidding. Who decided on this? The movies are MUST BUY - the Fullscreen DVDs are MUST SKIP!


Please - Warner - Sort it out!

If they dont change those two into WS then I am only getting the first movie by itself... Why would they all be WS except for two of them?! It doesnt make any sense!!

Full Screens are sinful.

Exactly my thinking. With all the others widescreen, why would they release two as full screen??

I'll definitely still get the first, 2 and 3 are a bit more up in the air if I'm going to get them separately. If they were all in WS, I'd be all over the boxset.

I agree, especially when they go out of their way to say that the first one will be "available for the first time in widescreen", and that four of the others are "presented in a 'matted' widescreen format preserving the aspect ratio of its original theatrical exhibition". Why not do the same for all of them? At the very least, they could have made them WS and FS. Oh well, I just saved ~$40.

Rob

Maybe a little petition ala Willy Wonka will get Warner to change this.

CLICK ON PIC TO ENLARGE

Even with those 2 being fullscreen, the best buy is still the box set, especially if you plan on buying 3 or 4 of them anyway! Retail if bought seperate is $109.65 or retail for all in set is $59.95, which I'm beginning to think is a misprint. That just doesn't sound right.

Thanks for posting the Cover art. Looks good to me!

Here is a link to the DDD pre-order:

http://www.deepdiscountdvd.com/dvd.cfm?itemID=WBD033470

$43.19 shipped is the lowest I've seen.

Although the FF is unacceptable, since it is Police Acadmey (and we're not talking about cimematic excellence or anything), I will definately indulge in this extremely low priced set.

Looking forward to it!

--LVM

Exactly!! I think people are a little too fascinated with the idea of widescreen more than anything else. Anyway, 4 is where the series started to drop in quality.. when I get the set I'm not sure I'll even punish myself with 5, 6, or 7. I can deal with 1 movie I want open matte, I'm not going to let something so small hold me back from enjoying a movie.

Screw Warner!! I'm done with these ass clowns. I'm glad I didn't preorder this set.

Buying full frame only DVDs will only encourage studios to release more of them.

Although not buying a boxed set of cult classics will encourage studios to not release cult classics.

Take what you can get gentlemen.

Exactly. If they give an inch, we can't take a mile. To reiterate, we are talking about steller releases like Mission to Moscow, remember.

--LVM

Wow, I was soo excited about this till I see the Full SCreens, we will have to see but for that price, I might still have to get it and just watch the others in the BedRoom 32" Wega

The solution is simple – Buy the individual DVDs that are widescreen, pass on the box set then write a letter to Warner explaining why.

That works too - I didn't know there would be seperate releases of the other films.

I don't even plan on buying this set, and I realize that some people might have been clamoring for widescreen releases of all 7 films, but I have a feeling this is the best that's going to happen for these movies.

This is exactly the problem, people buy whatever is handed to them! If no one bought this set because of the 2 FS versions, they would quickly fix this problem.

Money = results!

Give them no money, we get results.

The idea of widescreen??? what exactly is the idea of widescreen.

*grabs front-row seat*

I can't wait to hear this one.

WB is getting a sale of the first one from me. And that might be it. I'm disgusted by their stupidity.

I was only thinking of getting the first 3 anyways... but this pretty much cements that decision.

Strange why they would do 4 & 5 in FF. Someone at WB needs to be strip-searched and have a cavity-check done.

I have emailed my concerns to them, and mentioned there were quite a few of us who were not happy about this. Probably will do nothing, but I tried.

Give them $43 bucks and change, and I'll get SEVEN movies.

You realize, to do this, you would spend $50 at DDD for two less movies then the boxed set.

That makes sense.

If anything, one should buy the boxed set and sell the other two, so no pointless money is wasted.

Writing a letter works if you want to make yourself feel better. It is not like they are going to know what you bought on the individual base. People are going to buy it because it is a good deal, period.

For the Police Acadmey 4 & 5, a grassroots campaign is a little much.

I have already pre-ordered it, and looking forward to it.