“… before it goes back into the Disney vault.”

As kids we heard those threatening words at the end of commercials for the latest and greatest Disney movie hitting VHS or DVD. It created a sense of urgency and, in Disney words, helped them control the market.

Today we’re learning that WB is going to set up a Harry Potter vault, and I think it’s a very bad idea.

According to the studio, production of Potter DVDs will cease on December 29th. That’s four days after Christmas and less than two months after Deathly Hallows – Part 2 goes on sale. What this means is that several weeks later, availability of new copies will become small and you’ll have to resort to eBay and other online retailers who are selling used, old copies.

Warner Brothers is making a big mistake. They’re forgetting that aspects of the franchise like Pottermore, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Studio Tour, and sheer word-of-mouth will keep new generations looking for copies of the films every day.

Then there will come a time when they “reopen the vault” and publish the DVDs with new covers and probably new features. That’s when longterm Potter fans will be upset because they’ll know they’re missing out on special features.

While I understand WB’s desire to hype up re-releases, I think it’s cruel to rob potential new fans of availability for the sake of promoting new editions of the films that they’ll probably call “deluxe,” “crystal,” “diamond,” or any other exciting-sounding adjective.

Let’s keep the great films on shelves where they belong and pump up advertising campaigns when new editions are ready.