Barbra Sings on Disney's Snow White DVD October 9
Posted/Updated: 27 July 2003 19:27
Barbra Streisand recorded a new vocal rendition of "Some Day My Prince Will Come" with a 100-piece orchestra at Sony Pictures Studios on the evening of March 19. While not currently slated for an upcoming Streisand album project, the new musical performance is designated solely for Walt Disney's Platinum Collection deluxe 2-disc DVD edition of the 1937 animated classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Already selling one million copies largely due to pre-orders, Disney's Snow White DVD was released on October 9, 2001 (2 discs, $29.95 list), with the VHS to follow in November. Barbra is among many top names, including Angela Lansbury, contributing special material to the DVD. Barbra's regular executive producer for her albums, Jay Landers, supervised the recording session and executive produced, as he has recently joined Disney as a senior VP. Barbra and arranger-conductor William Ross co-produced. The song with animated film montage is included as a bonus feature on Disc 1. View a 35-second clip from the montage and hear Barbra's song on the newly enhanced Disney Snow White Web site now. Read my review below.
According to Disney's latest information, "The Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs DVD will be the ultimate way to experience this landmark film. This amazing treasure trove will represent the industry's first truly immersive DVD experience and includes bonus features, behind-the-scenes programs, production features, audio commentaries and much more, providing the most complete package ever assembled for this animated classic. Truly, the DVD release of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs marks a new, historic milestone in entertainment history." Roy Disney and the Magic Mirror will host the DVD presentation. Sounds like the company is enthusiastic about the upcoming DVD, to say the least. On July 31 Disney released a 30-minute satellite-only broadcast to promote the DVD in which CEO Michael Eisner introduced the animated film montage and Barbra's song, as he does on the disc itself. Some entertainment news programs have aired excerpts.
Of course, for almost seven years now, Streisand fans have enjoyed her sublime live version of "Some Day My Prince Will Come," which was recorded in Las Vegas, Jan. 1, 1994 and is included on 1994's The Concert CD.
Here are further details regarding Disney's Platinum Collection Snow White DVD set:
Disc One: Fully restored film in original full frame aspect ratio, new Dolby Digital 5.1 audio mix (both English and French), original English mono, THX-certified, making-of documentary, audio commentary featuring interview excerpts of Walt Disney, all-new Barbra Streisand recording of "Some Day My Prince Will Come," "Dopey's Wild Mine Ride" interactive game, sing-along with Heigh-Ho, the original Silly Symphony animated short The Goddess of Spring, VIP Tours of Disc 1 and Disc 2, and DVD-ROM extras.
Disc Two: Walt Disney biographical timeline, Snow White production timeline, Brothers Grimm original version of Snow White, storyboard-to-film comparisons of 4 scenes, interactive galleries of layouts, backgrounds and other artwork, camera test footage, character design galleries, character voice talent, abandoned concepts, 5 deleted scenes and sequences (including the song "Music in Your Soup"), original opening and end credits, film footage and radio broadcast audio from the LA premiere, theatrical trailers, the "Disney Through the Decades" timeline (showcasing milestones in the studio's history), poster art, production photos, merchandise photos, the original press book, the vintage B&W short subjects A Trip Through Walt Disney Studios and How Disney Cartoons Are Made, and numerous supplemental audio tracks including Lux Radio Theater broadcasts, radio commercials, the deleted song "You're Never Too Old to Be Young," and original recording sessions.
"Some Day My Prince Will Come" (Review)
Or is it "Someday..."? Semantics aside, it's the music that matters, and Barbra Streisand's first new studio recording since 1999 is pure gold. You may not be able to pay attention to the film montage on screen while listening to Barbra the first few times. Her wonderfully sentimental rendition of the classic Disney film song by Churchill & Morey, performed by everyone from Chet Atkins to Miles Davis, sports a bright, contemporary orchestral arrangement. Barbra's sweet voice sounds like she's gliding through a meadow with romantic hopes and dreams, at times wistful and at times optimistic. Prince Charming may even feel the goosebumps when Barbra sings the line, Someone who'll thrill me FOREVER. Additional rarely heard lyrics augment the brief movie song and provide a great 4-minute scene for Barbra. Her plaintive longing at the conclusion - Oh please make my dreams come true - is ever so tender, simply gorgeous. - MJI, 10/14/01