I have fond memories of Winter 2004. It’s when I discovered DigiView Productions, a company that likely made its mark by redistributing films in the public domain. Remember those eighty-eight cent DVDs at Wal-mart that came in the slim jewel case? Yeah, that’s them! Let me tell you…DigiView Productions was not only a great bargain, but it actually kept me in tune with my college education!

You see, I was slated to gradute from college in the Summer of 2003. Back then my focus was Computer Animation, and I had done exceptionally well. It was in the final Portfolio class when the art professors became unsually “artsy,” and I found myself in a heated battle instead of a cap and gown. To make a long story short, I was forced to retreat. My plan was to save some money, regroup mentally, and seize my education that following Winter Quarter. But as we all know, things don’t always go as planned.

Instead, I discovered DigiView Productionsthat winter. I was strolling through Wal-Mart one night, when fate would have my girlfriend alarm me of the 65th Anniversary of the Fleischers’ Gulliver’s Travels—at the very low price of 88 cents! Classic Animation, I tell you! The price was so good that I snagged three other titles that same night! I imagine this is how DigiView made their money. In a three year span, I spent a lot of money on their DVDs, and in return, gained a great library (and wealth of knowledge) on the history of film and animation.

So like everyone else, I wanted to know what happened to Digiview Productions! After an abrupt, two year hiatus from retail, I think its safe to conclude that they’re gone and never coming back. Their website at www.digiviewus.com has been dead for some time, too.

I did a bit of research and discovered that they had been hit with a law suit back in 2008, around the same time Wal-Mart began pulling their DVDs. The lawsuit came from none other than industry-giant Warner Bros., who were claiming that Digiview Productions had infringed on TWO of their US patents. And I always thought they would get busted for copyright infringement first!

You can read a snippet of the lawsuit by clicking here:
DigiView Productions Lawsuit at Law360.com

Oh well…so long, DigiView Productions! I was definitely a fan, but also knew they weren’t going to last. If you have any additional information on DigiView Productions, feel free to post your comments here!

Tags: business, classic animation, DVDs