Don't be late, 'Alice in Wonderland' debuts on DVD, Blu-ray on June 1

Posted Friday, April 16, 2010 at 12:33 PM Central

by John Couture

Considering the most quotable part of Alice in Wonderland deals with being "late" for a "very important date," it's only natural that those words would ring doubly true for its DVD and Blu-ray release.

Disney announced that Alice in Wonderland would be available on a Disney 3-Disc Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + DVD + Digital Copy), 1-Disc Blu-ray and 1-Disc DVD on June 1, 2010. What's remarkable is that this date is a mere 88 days from its theatrical release date of March 5, 2010.

While there is no true industry standard, the average time between theatrical release and home entertainment release runs about four months, so this window of less than three months is a pioneering move. One that Disney took flak about from theatrical exhibitors who were concerned that the shortened window would hurt the film's theatrical gross, and ultimately their profits.

All Alice in Wonderland did was set a record for the highest opening weekend gross for a non-theatrical title on its to almost $320 million and counting. So, I think it's safe to say that the experiment didn't hurt its box office receipts.

It appears that the special features will only be included on the Blu-ray versions of the movie. From the press release:

The Blu-ray Disc versions of the film include nine bonus features that take viewers deeper into the famous “Rabbit Hole” - exploring more of the world of Wonderland, its iconic characters and the making of the film. Features include the making of the Futterwacken Dance, a look inside the world of the Mad Hatter and Johnny Depp’s transformation, Tim Burton’s vision for the movie and its characters, the visual effects of growing and shrinking of Alice, costume designs, music, stunts and more.