http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7768
Now, before you get excited, I want to mention this:Warner Bros will release The Smurfs Season 1, Volume 1 on December 4. The 2 disc set will include the first 19 cartoons (345 mins), newly remastered, along with "The Smurfs' Springtime Special" and "Smurfs: The Music Video."
The trailer on the Popeye DVD released this week mentions that the set would include "all 26 episodes from season 1", and shows four discs, but the information we got today says otherwise: 19 cartoons and two discs on a "Season 1, Volume 1" set.
As you can see from the graphic below, the suggested retail price is $26.99. We expect to have a press release very soon. Smurf you later!
1. Notice the artwork says "Season One - Volume One". The Smurfs half-hour episodes sometimes had two stories. So the "19 episodes" wording is misleading. It's only 13 episodes, which is half of the 26-episode season (and the 345 minutes quoted on the package verifies that). I have never understood why people want to split episodes in half. If you cut a CSI episode in half and labeled it Part 1 and Part 2 (half hour each), people would raise bloody hell, especially if you put it out of order.
2. The Smurfs trailer on the Popeye DVD uses broadcast masters. You'll notice some of the clips have a cyan or blue tint and/or a brightness problem. The Australian volume releases came from film scans, judging from the high quality and lack of visual flaws. This does not look good for the USA release.
3. The Smurfs Complete S1 was first announced (unofficially?) in 2004 for a USA release in Q4 2005. It was even available for pre-order on a few sites in Q1 2005 (Amazon.com was one of them). Like any number of false-start DVD releases, it just disappeared one day, many months before release, and most people forgot it was ever announced. Could it happen again?