The Black Hole [1979] (1 disc)

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• To film the special effects, Disney originally wanted to rent the Dykstraflex camera system (the first computer-controlled camera) from Industrial Light & Magic. However, the price and rental terms were unacceptable so Disney went to its acclaimed engineering division to come up with its own version. What resulted was Disney's A.C.E.S. (Automated Camera Effects System), which was radically superior to the Dykstraflex system; the Mattescan system, which enabled the camera to move on a matte painting (that was previously impossible); and a computer-controlled modeling stand. At the time, this put Disney technologically ahead of ILM.
• Dr. Reinhardt's ship is called the "U.S.S. Cygnus." The first black hole was discovered in the constellation Cygnus.
• At the time of its release, the movie featured the longest computer graphics sequence that had ever appeared in a film. Disney would soon puts its expertise in CGI work in their release TRON.
• Disney regarded the quality of the special effects to be so crucial that it called ^[?] Peter Ellenshaw out of a 10-year retirement to work on the film.
• Almost all of the dialog in the film was re-recorded by the cast during post-production looping (ADR) -- with the exception of only a couple of lines.
• A fixture in Disney's special effects department for more than 40 years, ^[?] Eustace Lycett (then head of the Photographic Effects Department) retired after completing the composite work on this film.
• Robert Forster was slightly hurt on the head during the storm in the greenhouse.
• Tom McLoughlin (STAR) also coordinated for the mimes who play the sentinels and the humanoids. His wife doubled Yvette Mimieux for stunts.
• Reinhardt's robot was already called Maximilian before Maximilian Schell was chosen for the role of Reinhardt. Reinhardt would end the film merged with the robot, thus being ironically trapped in "Maximilian's Shell".
• This was regarded as the last big special effect production to be made under the "old studio system." All of the elaborate special effects were created within the Disney studio and not farmed out to outside special effects companies.