‘Snow White’ Has Always Been in Demand : Disney’s animated release is expected to rival ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ in number of cassettes shipped.

How badly do fans want Disney’s “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” on home video?

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Tania Steele, vice president of publicity and marketing for Buena Vista Home Video--which releases Disney tapes--offers this gauge.

“Last year my office alone got 15,000 letters about it,” she reported. “It’s consistently been the most demanded of all the animated features.”

The company announced earlier this week that “Snow White” is finally coming to video this year. Though she declined to make any specific predictions, Steele said the number of cassettes shipped will rival those of “Aladdin” and “Beauty and the Beast,” which would put the figure at more than 20 million.

The details of the release, such as a date and price, won’t be announced until April, but the movie should be out in early fall, to position it to do big business in the Christmas gift market. The price probably will be in the $20-$25 range but, with expected discounts, should be available in the $13-$17 range.

Various promotion tie-ins are likely too, Steele said. They will be announced in the next few months.

Deluxe packages of “Snow White” will also be available. “They’ll include pieces of footage and various extras that would be of great interest to collectors,” Steele explained.

Disney got as much box-office mileage as possible out of the movie. Last summer’s theatrical re-release, the first time it had been in theaters since 1986, telegraphed this home-video debut. Normally Disney will dust off an ancient animated feature and put it in theaters a year or so before its home-video release, which reacquaints audiences with it.

And “Snow White” underwent such a costly, extensive audio-visual upgrade before last year’s movie-house bow that observers felt Disney was also sprucing it up for home-video release.

This is the last blockbuster in the Disney vault that has never been on video. “Song of the South” and “The Aristocats” are still there but neither is in a league with “Snow White.”

But through a shrewd marketing ploy, Disney re-creates a long-range demand for its animated features. Routinely, Disney will only ship copies of an animated feature for about seven months after its home-video release. In the ensuing years, the number of available copies dwindles, and a new crop of children are born who have never seen the movie. So, years later, Disney can re-market the feature to a whole new audience.

There’s an expanding-market factor too. “Pinocchio” and “Sleeping Beauty” were released in the mid-1980s, when the home-video market was much smaller. So a typical release totaled less than a million copies, a fraction of today’s totals. For example, Steele reported, Disney shipped about 600,000 copies of “Pinocchio” in 1985 vs. 12 million in 1993.

The difference is not only that more homes have VCRs, but also that the home-video sales market has sharply expanded to include the major discount-store chains, which have grabbed a huge share of it.

As always, the announcement of the home-video release of a Disney animated classic will no doubt anger the laser-disc industry. Typically, the laser-disc release comes many months after home-video--to foil pirates--and Stelle said that will be the case here too. Laser-discs make such good home-video copies that putting the laser on the market at the same time as the cassette would increase piracy and cut into home-video profits.

“The laser market will get a title the same time as home video when there’s some kind of copy protection on laser,” Steele said.

What’s New

“Strictly Ballroom” (Touchstone). With the possible exception of “Saturday Night Fever,” this movie conveys the sheer joy of dancing better than any film since the 1950s. Dubbed the dance-floor “Rocky,” it’s about a ballroom dancer (Paul Mercurio) trying to win the championship with a meek new partner (Tara Morice) and some bold new steps. Forget the comic-book plot and focus on the dazzling dancing.

“For Love or Money” (MCA/Universal). The wheeling-dealing concierge (Michael J. Fox) of a fancy New York hotel yearns to open his own hotel, seeking the help of a shady financier (Anthony Higgins). Problem: The concierge is in love with the financier’s mistress (Gabrielle Anwar). This often mushy romantic comedy is only fair entertainment. How much longer can Fox play these variations of his old “Family Ties” character?

“Boxing Helena” (Orion). Soft-core porn with a grisly twist. A warped surgeon (Julian Sands) is such a control nut that he deforms the object of his obsession, Helena (Sherilyn Fenn), turning her into an amputee and his captive. Director Jennifer Lynch seems to have inherited a passion for weirdness from her father--director David--but, based on this silly movie, not much of his talent. Too unsavory for most tastes.

“Calendar Girl” (Columbia TriStar). Jason Priestly, star of TV’s “Beverly Hills, 90210,” plays one of a trio of teens who head for Hollywood in 1962 to get a date with Marilyn Monroe. Bad movie full of ho-hum humor. Mainly for Priestly fanatics who can’t get enough of him on TV and will watch him in anything.

“Fortress” (LIVE). Set in the future, this sci-fi thriller is about a jailbreak from an underground computerized prison. The heroes are a couple (Christopher Lambert and Loryn Locklin) who are jailed for excessive breeding--an intriguing premise. Director Stuart Gordon, noted for “Re-Animator,” packs it with homage to other horror/sci-fi flicks. Often exciting and amusing despite a vapid performance by Lambert.

“Amongst Friends” (New Line). Set in suburbia, director Rob Weiss’ first film, featuring a cast of unknowns, is an unconvincing cross between Martin Scorsese’s “Mean Streets” and “GoodFellas.” Though he shows promise, Weiss clearly has been watching too many Scorsese movies. It’s about three idle, middle-class, Long Island teen-agers who turn into drug dealers. Characters and subplots don’t hold your interest.

“Son-in-Law” (Hollywood). Pauly Shore plays a fish-out-of-water, urban college student who ventures to a Midwestern farm on Thanksgiving vacation, trying to worm his way into the hearts of his girlfriend’s parents. Even if you find Shore’s obnoxious whining amusing, you may find yourself grimacing through all the forced, juvenile jokes.

“Son of the Pink Panther” (MGM/UA). Italian comedian Roberto Benigni portrays the son of clumsy Inspector Clouseau, who was brilliantly played by the late Peter Sellers. In this one, the son bungles his way through the hunt for the kidnapers of an Arabian princess. Incoherent and chock-full of lame gags, it’s nowhere near the quality of the Sellers movies.

Upcoming

Just announced: Columbia TriStar’s “Mr. Jones,” starring Richard Gere, due April 20.

Also: “Demolition Man,” “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Good Son” and “Striking Distance” (Wednesday); “The Fox and the Hound” (March 4); “Manhattan Murder Mystery,” “Judgment Night,” “King of the Hill” and “So I Married an Axe Murderer” (March 9); “The Fugitive” (March 10); “Undercover Blues,” “Gettysburg” and “Bopha!” (March 16); “What’s Love Got to Do With It” and “Fatal Instinct” (March 23); “The Joy Luck Club” and “Father Hood” (March 30); “The Age of Innocence,” “Fearless” and “A Bronx Tale” (April 6); “Malice” (April 13); “Another Stakeout” and “The Saint of Fort Washington” (April 20); “The Remains of the Day” (May 4).