I have come to trust Warner Brother in most aspects of the dvd process. I can only imagine that holding the Special Edition was for this restoration to take place in a cost effective timing.

That deluxe edition looks great. Been waiting for concrete info on this. Another snapper to retire.

Fixed.

Unless Robbie is programmed to do some actual housework, I'll probably be satisfied with the basic edition - but great news that this is finally arriving!

Press Release from Warner

The Quintessential 1950s Sci-Fi Movie …


FORBIDDEN PLANET

50TH ANNIVERSARY 2-DISC SPECIAL EDITION and ULTIMATE COLLECTORS EDITION

From Warner Home Video November 14


Newly Restored and Remastered Film, in Widescreen and
Dolby Digital® 5.1, Has Six Hours of Bonus Features Including
Two Follow-Up Robby the Robot Films, Lost Footage, Additional Scenes, Three New Documentaries and More


Ultimate Collectors Edition in Unique Metal Alloy Collector’s Case

Contains Collectible Robby The Robot Action Figure,

Reproduction Lobby Cards Portfolio and Mail-In Movie Poster Offer


Burbank, CA (July 21, 2006) - Forbidden Planet, considered by many the most influential science fiction film ever made until the Star Wars era, goes into DVD orbit November 14 when Warner Home Video releases Forbidden Planet 50th Anniversary 2-Disc Special Edition and Forbidden Planet Ultimate Collectors Edition. The film, in a new widescreen version, has been digitally transferred from fully restored new film and audio elements. The remarkable electronic soundtrack has been remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1.® The 2 Disc Special Edition will be available at $26.99 SRP; the Ultimate Collector’s Edition for $59.92 SRP.

A pioneering work whose ideas and style influenced countless cinematic space voyages that followed -- Star Wars, Star Trek, Lost in Space, 2001: A Space Odyssey, among others -- Forbidden Planet is based on Shakespeare’s The Tempest and stars Walter Pidgeon, Anne Francis, Leslie Nielsen, Warren Stevens, Earl Holliman and Richard Anderson. It also marks the motion picture debut of Robby the Robot. Fred McLeod Wilcox directed the Cyril Hume screenplay.

More than four hours of special features in the 2-Disc Special Edition include commentary, additional scenes, two follow-up vehicles starring Robby the Robot plus three documentaries. Also of special note is the lost footage, which features preliminary takes of various special effects including the space ship and interior and exteriors. Very few people knew of the existence of footage, which, since the ‘50s, had bounced around to various stock houses and vaults, simply marked as “The Saucer Footage.” Star Wars special effects artist Dennis Muran, who had learned of the footage in the ‘70s, brought it to the attention of WHV which finally tracked it down in New York City.

The Ultimate Collectors Edition keepsake case includes the 2-Disc Special Edition as well as a collectible Robby the Robot replica with moveable limbs, Forbidden Planet and The Invisible Boy reproduction lobby cards portfolio, as well as a Forbidden Planet original theatrical poster mail-in offer.



Synopsis

Commander Adams (Leslie Nielsen) and his crew set out to investigate the

disappearance of a colony of scientists on the planet Altair-4. After landing, they discover only two survivors, Dr. Edward Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his exquisite daughter Altaira (Anne Francis).

The Morbiuses live a surprisingly prosperous lifestyle, attended to by Robby the Robot, a super-butler who performs many amazing feats. But lurking in the background is an invisible force -- which may or may not have been responsible for the disappearances of those scientists – and about which only Morbius knows the truth. But Morbius is not about to share his secret (or his daughter!) with anyone else.


DVD Special Features:

· Additional scenes

· Lost footage

· Excerpts from The MGM Parade TV Series

· Two follow-up vehicles starring Robby the Robot:
o 1958 MGM feature film The Invisible Boy
o The Thin Man MGM TV series episode Robot Client
· Three documentaries:
o TCM original Watch the Skies!: Science Fiction, the 1950s and Us
o All-new Amazing! Exploring the Far Reaches of Forbidden Planet (featuring new appearances by Leslie Neilsen, Anne Francis, Earl Holliman, Warren Stevens and more)
o Robby the Robot: Engineering a Sci-Fi Icon
· New digital transfer from restored picture and audio elements

· Soundtrack remastered in Dolby Digital 5.1

· Science-fiction movie trailer gallery

· Languages: English & Français

· Subtitles: English, Français & Español (feature film only)


Note: All enhanced content listed above is subject to change.


Forbidden Planet 50th Anniversary Two-Disc Special Edition

Street Date: November 14, 2006

$26.99 SRP

Running Time: 98 minutes

Rated G



Forbidden Planet Ultimate Collector’s Edition

$59.92 SRP

so, we get two movies including the invisible boy...plus the Watch the Skies Documentary is great

The UE looks awsome! Hopefully, I'll be able to import it for a decent price. VERY nice set there :banana: .

I think I just wet myself. I'm all over the Ultimate Collector's Edition. I grew up watching "Forbidden Planet" on the old "Science Fiction Theater" that ran Saturday nights on an independent TV station out of Indianapolis.

The LD of "The Invisible Boy" is a beautiful print, so let's hope that it will be given a little clean up!

Let's also hope that all the footage from the Criterion Edition is included!

What would be really great is if they include the "Twilight Zone" episode.

One last note, if "The Invisible Boy" is one of the follow-up robot films...WHAT OTHER FILM WAS "ROBBY" IN, other than TV shows, commercials, or cameos???

One, one last note, the card I got today at Comicon, it says "DVD" debut, nothing about HD DVD or BD.

from the bits

(LATE UPDATE - 8/3/06 - 12:15 PM PDT)

We've checked with Warner and have learned that The Lake House HD-DVD will be a DVD/HD-DVD Combo format release, which explains why it's priced $5 more than the Blu-ray version. We should have guessed this, but it was pretty late last night when we were putting the post together, so it slipped by us. Thanks to those of you who pointed that out as the likely suspect.

By the way, while we're talking Warner, we've gotten a LOT of complaints about that cover art for the Forbidden Planet DVD we posted last night...

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...t50thsedvd.jpg http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...net50thdvd.jpg
That's it on the left. As many readers have correctly pointed out, those uniform colors are have been digitally tweaked to make the cover art "pop" more visually. Both the red and green uniforms should be a blue-gray color, as they are in the film itself. Personally, I'd much prefer the studio just stick with the poster image on the right, which is the cover for the tin Ultimate Collector's Edition case, rather than the Photoshop cut and paste job on the left. Ugh. Anyway... speaking of the Ultimate Collector's Edition, here's a look at what you'll get in the tin case...
http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...nettinopen.jpg
Looks like a very cool little package to me. Now if they'd just announce the high-def versions...

Yeah, I'm all over that tin.

Robby has a long film resume. Ones I can remember are "War of the Robots" episode of Lost in Space. His head was used as the helmut of an anti-aging machine in the Man From U.N.C.L.E. episode "The Bridge of Lions Affair". There's many more. Saw a list once somewhere. That cover art on the left is one of the poster variations I believe. I've seen it many times before.

Robby actually has his own IMDB page:
http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1119475/

follow up from the bits

Finally this morning, as a follow-up to that bit about the Forbidden Planet DVD cover art we posted yesterday... it seems that Warner was attempting to recreate the look of the original Italian release poster for the film, which DID feature altered color uniforms. I'd rather they just use the artwork itself, but that's me. Here's a comparison (thanks to Bits reader John B. for spotting that)...

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...t50thsedvd.jpg http://www.thedigitalbits.com/articl...lianposter.jpg

This new edition looks cool, but I am bummed that one fabulous extra is apparently not included. Years ago, Fred Clarke, the editor of "Cinefantastique" magazine, invited me to a private screening of the 16mm workprint. (This is the print that was sent to the Barrons before they began work on their "electronic tonalities.")

It is amazing to watch! No effects (when Leslie Nielsen tosses the apple into Morbius' trash zapper, it just hits the back with a metallic thud and rolls onto the floor), and only on-set sound. It is fascinating to watch the raw footage, especially when Robby first appears - he makes a tremendous amount of noise! Just before he enters, you hear some kind of factory offscreen, and as he walks on set the volume builds until almost all the sound is obscured by his "chunga-chunga-chunga." The actors are literally yelling their dialogue over this din in order to hear each other, and the effect is hysterical! I had no idea that any scene with Robby is completely looped - watch the film again and see if you can notice it.

The workprint contains numerous other goodies and is a real treat - I'm so bummed they didn't include it, as I know it existed in the 80s and I'm sure is still around somewhere....

Mark

Ugh. As soon as I took the annoyingly small Robby figure out of the packaging of the annoyingly large tin box, the little antenna that sticks out of his head horizontally broke off. :( Gonna have to get some super glue to fix it.

I was floored that the tin cost $60 at Best Buy, with no release day discount. Way too expensive, considering you can get it pretty much anywhere online for $40.

I usually hesitate to buy tins online since they often arrive dented, but with such a price difference I passed on it and came home and ordered it from DDD for $32 after using the 20% code.

I can live with a small dent to save 30 bucks.

Disapointed with the quality of the tin. The tiny little robot is packaged in an enormous cardboard contraption with a clear plastic window, and frankly, the tiny little robot doesn't warrant that kind of space. Without it, the tin would be half the size, and as it is, it's the size of a lunchbox.

The DVD itself is magnificent, with great bonus features. It's best just to go with the regular, non-tinned version.

Any differences in the Tin DVD, besides the Cover art and the DVD, HD-DVD version's?

Bummer...thats one reason I'm leaving Rob alone and shall not be removing him anytime soon. I have the dvd case filed in the library and the Tin is on display above the dvd section of the library.

BTW...this tin set rocks!! Awesome and worth every penny.:thumbsup:

Any photos of the actual set yet? I'd like to see how Robby comes packed in the box.

I can't take pics but I can describe it to you as best as possible.

The tin itself has 3-d effect that makes Robby the Robot and the words Forbidden Planet pop out.Upon opening, the sleeve that holds the digipack and the sleeve holding the lobby cards can be seen.
Remove that and the Robby the Robot "action figure" is held in a cardboard holder that looks like outerspace. Robby sits in the center held in a plastic "box" with a plastic bag around the entire box.
Where Robby sits in takes up about 3/4 of the entire tin.

But the regular version come in a keepcase with artwork that sucks, whereas the tin edition has a sweet digipak with awesome artwork.

Yep, you're right. I assumed the untinned DVD would look like the foldout thing that came in the tin. But I saw the regular version at Target, and it is indeed lame. My bad.

Still, I can't help but feel like something weird is happening with DVD packaging lately. The quality of this set, and then the miserable packaging of the Directors Cut of King Kong...I might be paranoid, but we may be seeing the beginning of a shift of packaging quality all around.

And not to be a total complainer, but even the Forbidden Planet lobby cards were sort of flimsy, on a lightweight, recycled stock of paper.

The Canadian release uses the U.S. digipak artwork on the keepcase version, but unfortunately also has bilingual packaging. :(

https://www.thecnl.com/products/DVE119182.jpg