They are full of missed opportunities.
The whole idea of the "vault" was to create excitement for when things would come back out again. It was done at a time before home video, when their classic films could be seen in theaters again. I still remember being able to go in the early 80s and see Cinderella and Snow White in theaters.
Before the internet and large e-tailers, the idea of the "vault" changed for home video. Prices on videotapes would skyrocket after the tapes were no longer readily available, and people would pay astronomical amounts for their cartoons.
At the time, it seemed like a smart move to them. Unfortunately, they've fallen behind. Way behind.
These days, when something is released, it's on dvd. And even when they send it back to the "vault" it is readily available via ebay, half.com, Amazon, and literally hundreds of other places on the net. Retailers know about the Disney game and stock up ahead of time. The "vault" no longer means anything.
They could be making so much more money by simply having everything remain available.
They are also missing the boat in a big way with their television shows. Instead of releasing shows to dvd in season sets, they have a handful of shows they release and then it's themed episodes. You can't go into the store and buy Lilo and Stitch: season one, or Phil of the Future season two. But you can get a "best of" Phil, or a "crossover" dvd with That's So Raven and Suite Life.
This is the same company that puts out Lost and Desperate Housewives. They know how to make money (and anyone who has ever visited a Disney Store can tell you this), but their dvds ... just don't make sense.
Another thing they do that really annoys me is putting the word Disney into the stuff they release. "Disney dvd" "Disney blu ray" "Disney file" etc. No, it's dvd, blue ray, and movie download.
I also - and I could be alone in this, I dunno - think the people who work for Disney now do not understand what made Disney films work in the past. Instead of creating original masterpieces, they create soulless sequels for their direct-to-dvd assembly line. Did the world need two sequels to Little Mermaid, or three sequels to Cinderella? The answer is
No!