History KeepCirculatingTheTapes / Rescued

* ''Film/HeavyMetal'' was theatrically released in 1981, but only got to VHS after 15 years - with a DVD one year later - due to copyright issues (the film has much, much licensed music). The WebOriginal/AgonyBooth [[http://www.agonybooth.com/recaps/Heavy_Metal_1981.aspx recap]] even says the movie got much of its CultClassic status for its rarity than for actual quality.

* The 1927 classic, ''Wings'' was announced for release in 2011 on DVD and Blu-Ray by Paramount. Before this announcement, it had been the only film that has won best picture at the Oscars that hadn't been released on DVD.

* ''{{Recess}}'' is now availible on iTunes in Germany. (An iTunes release in the U.S. is unknown, but ''RecessSchoolsOut'' is availible)

* ''FlexMentallo'' was originally introduced in an issue of ''DoomPatrol'' as a parody of the well-known "Insult That Made a Man out of Mac" bodybuilding ads by Charles Atlas. Later on, in 1996, he got a mini-series of his own, written by his creator GrantMorrison and drawn by Frank Quitely. Some time after the mini-series came out someone informed the Charles Atlas company about Flex, and they promptly sued DC (the publisher of ''Doom Patrol'' and ''Flex Mentallo'') for trademark infringement. Since Flex, as an obvious parody, was legally considered to be a case of FairUse, the lawsuit was [[http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9500E2DC1430F932A0575BC0A9669C8B63 settled in favour of DC]]. However, even though the creative team of Morrison and Quitely has later on released some critically praised and popular series (''AllStarSuperman'' being the best known of them), DC has never collected the ''Flex Mentallo'' mini. The origin story of Flex (where the Charles Atlas connection is much more obvious than in the mini-series) was actually collected in a 2006 ''Doom Patrol'' trade paperback, so clearly there is no legal obstacle for DC to reprint comics featuring Flex Mentallo, but as of 2010 there are no news of the mini being collected.
** '''Update''': the miniseries is finally [[http://vertigo.blog.dccomics.com/2011/01/04/flex-mentallo-is-back/ getting collected]] in hardcover form in fall 2011. Only 15 years after it originally came out.

* The English-language version of ''TheMysteriousCitiesOfGold'' was believed to have been lost after the dubbing studio went bankrupt. However, DVD editions of the entire collection were finally released in 2008, and the whole show is currently streamed on Netflix instant.

** And Shandling's follow-up, ''TheLarrySandersShow'', had all its seasons released in Fall 2010 after its post-Season 1 run was in release limbo.

* The 2003/2007 StrawberryShortcake series appeared to be in limbo when the series was dropped off Kewlopolis before the 2007 season 4 episodes could air, and rights for the series went from Playmates to Hasbro (and the animation rights went from DiC to Moonscoop). DVD releases of the series became slow and erratic, and many fans initially believed in 2009 that the releases would grind to a halt and the last 8 episodes would not see the light of day upon hearing the news back then. However, stopping of releases is one thing that did not happen, [[AndTheFandomRejoiced and the last DVD has been announced to be out in March 2012]].

* ShoutFactory has started to release ''{{Madeline}}'' on DVD, in random compilations. All the episodes (though none of the specials or the direct-to-video movie) can be found on Hulu.

* ''* ''Film/{{Static}}'', the first feature-length film by ''OneHourPhoto'' writer/director Mark Romanek, saw its theatrical debut in 1985. Was not made available on DVD despite a fairly strong cult following; and the existence of VHS and Laserdisc versions; both becoming increasingly difficult to find in good condition. WordOfGod was that, while Romanek didn't view it as an OldShame, he considered it an inferior sophomore effort (if he acknowledged it at all), and therefore not worth re-releasing. Romanek eventually relented, and it was officially released on DVD by Telavista in 2007.

* ''{{Static}}'', the first feature-length film by ''OneHourPhoto'' writer/director Mark Romanek saw its theatrical debut in 1985. Was not made available on DVD despite a fairly strong cult following; and the existence of VHS and Laserdisc versions; both becoming increasingly difficult to find in good condition. WordOfGod was that, while Romanek didn't view it as an OldShame, he considered it an inferior sophomore effort (if he acknowledged it at all), and therefore not worth re-releasing. Romanek eventually relented, and it was officially released on DVD by Telavista in 2007.

* For a long time {{Sir Terry Pratchett}}'s first novel, ''TheCarpetPeople'', was out of print and almost impossible to find second hand due to a tiny original print run. However, eventually his publishers got so fed up of having to tell people there was no demand for it that it was reissued. Technically, it was reissued as a new [[DirectorsCut Author's Cut]], since Pratchett wanted to fix a lot about the novel. So you can read the special edition, but good luck finding the original.

* For the longest time, only half of ''SamuraiPizzaCats'' was available on a hard-to-find DVD box set. This box set has a good 26 episodes (most series only run that long), but the second season had some of the funniest episodes of the series. There was also almost no merchandise in the US. Cue frustrated fanbase. Until Discotek announced the license of both the dub and original version. Cue happy fanbase. (Even moreso after since the below Power Rangers announcement came the same day.)

** Interestingly, Disney seems a little more willing to sell comprehensive [=DVDs=] of Marvel cartoons than for cartoons they made themselves. The 1967 AnimatedAdaptation of ''{{Spider-Man}}'' had a complete series DVD in 2004 (which went out of print a few years later) to cash in on ''[[{{Film/Spider-Man}} Spider-Man 2]]'', and ''The Marvel Action Hour'' also has DVD boxsets. (The ''{{Series/Fantastic Four}}'' segments became available shortly after the release of [[{{Film/Fantastic Four}} the 2005 movie]], while ''{{WesternAnimation/Iron Man}}'' came around the same time as ''[[{{Film/Iron Man}} Iron Man 2]]''.)

* Most of the Nicktoons, again. For the longest time, the only Nickelodeon originals with full DVD sets were ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (CashCowFranchise extreme), ''TheRenAndStimpyShow'' (John K. got the rights back), ''InvaderZim'' (titanic fan demand, though it was released by MediaBlasters, who usually deal in anime), and ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. In 2010, [=DVDs=] of ''{{Doug}}'' (minus two episodes), ''WesternAnimation/AaahhRealMonsters'', and ''WesternAnimation/HeyArnold'' have hit Amazon, and season 1 of ''WesternAnimation/RockosModernLife'' was be released in June 2011.

* In February 2011, The Paley Center for Media in New York, NY announced that [[http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704709304576124373773290508.html it had received a verified copy]] of the CBS broadcast of [[UsefulNotes/AmericanFootball Super Bowl I]], donated to the Center in exchange for having it restored and archived. It was thought that there were no existing copies of either the CBS or NBC broadcast[[hottip:*:At the time, CBS had the NFL broadcast rights and NBC had the AFL rights.]]. The owner reportedly offered the tape directly to the NFL: they first tried to assert it's exclusive copyright to claim the tape, then offered $30,000 for the tape (most experts say the tape is worth at least $1 million). It's assumed it is only a matter of time before the tape (which is missing a chunck of the third quarter and the entire halftime) is broadcast publicly.

* ''ParkerLewisCantLose'' took it's sweet time to move onto DVD, mostly due to music licensing issues,but it's out now.

* In December 1987, {{Prince}} ask Warner Brothers, his record label at the time, to scrap the release of ''The Black Album'', a week before it's release date. However, by this time over 500k were pressed on vinyl and preview copies had gone out. Most copies were destroyed, with the few remaining being the source for "'''the most bootlegged album of all time'''". In 1991, Warner planned a greatest hits package which would have included the album as a bonus disc. However, it was scrapped when Prince delivered ''Diamonds and Pearls'' to the company. Finally in 1994, during [[TheTropeFormerlyKnownAsX Prince's]] feuded with the same label, the album was given legitimately released. Prince was payed around $1 million for its released. Ironically, it's now out of print.

* ThatDudeInTheSuede's award-winning [[FanVid AMV]] '''The Advent Children Picture Show''' (''FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren'' And ''[[RockyHorrorPictureShow Don't Dream It, Be It]]'') was originally uploaded to YouTube, and was taken down by SquareEnix, with no file to download out of it's [[http://www.animemusicvideos.org/members/members_videoinfo.php?v=143105 Anime Music Videos page]]. Suede showed a clip as an inbetweener on his Top 11 Anime Villains list. It was finally rereleased, used as {{Padding}} on his review of FinalFantasyVIIAdventChildren to make the video reach a full half hour. It's the only way of watching this AMV.

* In North America, the only place you can view ''KappaMikey'''s two full seasons, besides on it's practically non-existent presence on TV, is on iTunes. For some reason, Australia is the only country that legally distributes a full season DVD.

** Interestingly, Disney seems a little more willing to sell comprehensive [=DVDs=] of Marvel cartoons than for cartoons they made themselves. The 1967 AnimatedAdaptation of ''{{Spider-Man}}'' had a complete series DVD in 2004 (which went out of print a few years later) to cash in on ''[[{{Film/Spider-Man}} Spider-Man 2]]'', and ''The Marvel Action Hour'' also has DVD boxsets. (The ''{{Series/Fantastic Four}}'' segments became available shortly after the release of [[{{Film/Fantastic Four}} the 2005 movie]], while ''{{Series/Iron Man}}'' came around the same time as ''[[{{Film/Iron Man}} Iron Man 2]]''.)

* In mid-2009, Mirage Studios released the "[[Comicbook/TeenageMutantNinjaTurtles TMNT Collected Book Vol. 1]]": a large TPB with the first 15 issues of the original comics. The book quickly sold out and necessitated a second printing. Later that year, the entire ''Turtles'' franchise was sold to Viacom and the second printing never happened. [[http://www.idwpublishing.com/news/article/1677/ In early 2011]], Viacom granted IDW Publishing the ''TMNT'' comic license, which includes the reprinting of the Mirage comics for the summer that year.

* ''{{Family Matters}}'' qualified for this for almost a decade until they finally released the first season on DVD. There have been no mention of the other eight seasons, so everyone's hoping that those will be made as soon as possible.

* The 1980 animated feature adaption of ''{{Gnomes}}'' languished in copyright limbo after the production company wound up. However, CCV of Norway announced that a DVD release would come in December 2011.

* ''TacticsOgre: Let Us Cling Together'': The SNES version of this classic game never made it to the west due to it releasing around the same time the Playstation came into existence, and the PS1 re-release (which did get localized) was super-rare even at lauch. 16 years later, SquareEnix releases an enhanced remake of the game, overjoying fans and enraging speculators the world over.

* In Australia, MadmanEntertainment successfully licenced the ''DigimonAdventure'' dub and put out a pair of boxsets constituting the series' complete run. No word on whether they'll follow up on any of the other ''{{Digimon}}'' series currently lacking full dub releases, nor on any such thing for the rest of the world.

* ''KimPossible'' had a couple of episode [=DVDs=], but for years, Disney didn't seem to see the value in season box sets. DVD sets of the first two seasons finally became available in October 2010, but only through the Disney Movie Club.

* ''SWATKats'': Despite many people asking for it, a DVD set had yet to happen for over a decade. The Warner Archive started selling complete series [=DVDs=] on December 14, 2010.
* ''CodeLyoko'' only got Season 1 and five episodes of Season 2 to DVD before Funimation quietly dropped the title. It was thought that the rest of the series would never see an official release [[NoExportForYou unless one lived in France]] until Taffy Entertainment began distributing the seasons on iTunes in November 2010, with XANA Awakens available free, and the first six episodes available free on [[http://www.youtube.com/user/TaffykidsUS their YouTube account]]. As of January 2011, all four seasons have been released.

* Most of the Nicktoons, again. For the longest time, the only Nickelodeon originals with full DVD sets were ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants'' (CashCowFranchise extreme), ''TheRenAndStimpyShow'' (John K. got the rights back), ''InvaderZim'' (titanic fan demand, though it was released by MediaBlasters, who usually deal in anime), and ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''. In 2010, [=DVDs=] of ''{{Doug}}'' (minus two episodes), ''AaahhRealMonsters'', and ''HeyArnold'' have hit Amazon, and season 1 of ''RockosModernLife'' was be released in June 2011.

** And they'll be released for retail chains starting 2011, with ''TheWildThornberrys'' and ''RockosModernLife'' being the first. And it's not just the Nicktoons, but the old sitcoms as well. ''HeyArnold'', ''AaahhRealMonsters'', ''TheAngryBeavers'', ''HeyDude'', and ''{{Catdog}}'' were announced. This may be the time ''KaBlam'' may see the light of day on home media.

* ''GoofTroop'' and ''QuackPack'' have had a few individual episodes released on DVD, but never entire seasons.

* One of the most {{Egregious}} examples of this trope was ''AlvinAndTheChipmunks'', considering musical numbers were their entire shtick. But, with the success of the recent [[Film/AlvinAndTheChipmunks movies]], some compilations of the show have been released.

* The 1980 animated feature adaption of ''Gnomes'' languished in copyright limbo after the production company wound up. However, CCV of Norway announced that a DVD release would come in December 2011.

* ''{{Tron}}'' lapsed into this after its 20th anniversary DVD release went out-of print several years ago. In 2010, when the sequel ''TronLegacy'' hit theaters, the film was reaching prices of up to $215 on Amazon, and even Netflix was having availability problems (the lack of re-release at such a propicious time [[http://herocomplex.latimes.com/2010/11/10/tron-dvd-is-hard-to-find/ was questioned]], [[http://blog.moviefone.com/2010/11/16/tron-dvd/ raised]] [[http://io9.com/#!5690466/is-disney-deliberately-keeping-tron-out-of-print-on-dvd theories]], [[http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/19/new-strategy-for-tron-dvd/ and boosted piracy]]). But at least it got a re-release, on both DVD and Blu-Ray, when ''Legacy'' hit shelves in 2011.

* Seasons 1-3 of ''{{X-Men Evolution}}'' have had DVD releases, but the fourth hasn't. iTunes has somewhat rectified this.