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Walt Disney Pictures
Written and compiled by Matt Williams, Dan DeCosta, and Matt Anscher
Logo captures by Eric S. and others.
Editions by Bob Fish, V of Doom, and mr3urious
Background: Originally established in 1923 as animation studio, this company didn't produce movies until 1937, and never used a proper logo until 1985, instead using an in-credit caption on most of its films. From 1983, the company was described as "Walt Disney Pictures" when it established its own movie arm, and the Buena Vista text was modified to "Distributed by BUENA VISTA PICTURES DISTRIBUTION" and moved to the end credits. Disney retired the Buena Vista brand in 2007.
1st Logo
(1937-1967)
Logo: This is not really a logo, only a title disclaimer. At the start of the film, we see the words "Walt Disney Presents". At the end of the film, we see "The End. A Walt Disney Production".
FX: None. It's an in-credit disclaimer.
Music/Sounds: Usually the opening/closing theme of the movie.
Availability: Still saved on classic Disney shorts and movies of the time, such as Dumbo and Lady and the Tramp among others.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(1967-1985)
Logo: Same as above. At the start of the film, we see the words "Walt Disney Productions Presents". At the end of the film, we see "The End. Walt Disney Productions".
Variant: From 1982 to 1985, the studio's theatrical product under the Disney name (except for the two shorts released in 1983, Winnie-the-Pooh and a Day for Eeyore and Mickey's Christmas Carol) had simply "Walt Disney Productions" at the end of the credits. No "the end", as the practice of using these two words at the closing of films had pretty much ceased by now.
FX: None. It's an in-credit disclaimer.
Music/Sounds: None. In other cases, the opening/closing theme of the movie.
Availability: Still saved on films and shorts of the time, such as Robin Hood and The Fox and the Hound among others.
Scare Factor: None.
3rd Logo
(1983-1995)
Nicknames: "The Text", "Title Card"
Logo: Again, just text reading "WALT DISNEY PICTURES", but applied differently depending on the movie.Return to Oz features the "Walt Disney" script logo, and is the first to do so.Never Cry Wolf has the text in a box.
FX: None, this is once again a still logo.
Music/Sounds: The beginning of the movie's theme.
Availability: Again, on Disney flicks from the era, most that features this logo is live-action. Sometimes preceded by the 1985-2006 logo. The logo however, came back in 1990
Scare Factor: Low; it's harmless.
4th Logo
(1985-2006)
Nicknames: "The Castle", "Magic Kingdom", "Disney", "Sleeping Beauty Castle"
Logo: On a blue gradient backdrop, a shower of light descends from the top of the screen, forming a stylized, segmented Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty Castle. The segments seem to be spaced farther apart by the time the light reaches the bottom. Through the main gate of the castle, a white ball of light forms, then extends out to form the words "WALT DiSNEY" in the familiar corporate "Disney" logo font. The word "PICTURES" fades in underneath, and a white circular line is drawn over the castle to the tip of the "W".
Variants:
FX: The "glowing castle", the "flash", the drawing of the line
Cheesy Factor: The "flash" and reveal of the castle are rather outdated.
Music/Sounds: A rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" finishing off with a flute/recorder at the very end. Some movies, like The Parent Trap (1998) and The Princess Diaries, have a different theme.
Availability: Seen on many Disney movies of the era.
Scare Factor: None to low.
5th Logo (Pixar Variant)
(1995-2007)
Nicknames: "The Pixar Castle", "Pixar Kingdom"
Logo: On a blue BG, the camera flies out underneath a 3D CGI castle, with flags flapping on the top. When the logo zooms out, the logo proceeds as normal, but the "Walt Disney" text is more three-dimensional.
FX: Very nice CGI from Pixar!
Music/Sounds: A bombastic/majestic fanfare composed by Randy Newman. Pixar films directed by Brad Bird so far (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) had that film's respective cue music. On Cars, the fanfare was re-orchestrated to put a little more of the logo in at the same duration of the logo's closing re-appearance. If no music is being used at the end of the movie during the closing re-appearance of the logo, we hear flapping flags and a chime noise as the line is drawn.
Availability: Seen on all Disney/Pixar productions from Toy Story to Ratatouille. All Pixar films onwards including "WALL-E" use the 6th logo.
Scare Factor: None; this is a great logo.
6th Logo
(2006-)
Nicknames: "The CGI Castle", "CGI Magic Kingdom", "CGI Disney Castle", "Cinderella Castle", "Ultra Majestic Castle"
Logo: On a night sky background, we see a star a la Pinocchio. Then, some cloudsappear a la Mary Poppins. And finally, a pirate ship a la Peter Pan. We then see the castle, done in CGI, while different fireworks are appearing. A circular line is drawn over the castle (in the same vein as the previous logo), then a castle enters many dots from the bottom of the screen to reveal "WALT DiSNEY", in the post-1979 Disney script logo font, albeit slightly revised. "PICTURES" fades in, with the circular line is staying visible on the logo.
Variants:
FX: The camera pans down to reveal the castle. This logo has beautiful, mind-blowing, CGI animation done, ironically, not by Disney, but by Weta Digital.
Music/Sounds: An orchestration of "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Mark Mancina, different from the 4th logo.
Availability: Common on new Disney movies. Premiered on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Scare Factor: None to minimal.
Logo captures by Eric S. and others.
Editions by Bob Fish, V of Doom, and mr3urious
Background: Originally established in 1923 as animation studio, this company didn't produce movies until 1937, and never used a proper logo until 1985, instead using an in-credit caption on most of its films. From 1983, the company was described as "Walt Disney Pictures" when it established its own movie arm, and the Buena Vista text was modified to "Distributed by BUENA VISTA PICTURES DISTRIBUTION" and moved to the end credits. Disney retired the Buena Vista brand in 2007.
1st Logo
(1937-1967)
Logo: This is not really a logo, only a title disclaimer. At the start of the film, we see the words "Walt Disney Presents". At the end of the film, we see "The End. A Walt Disney Production".
FX: None. It's an in-credit disclaimer.
Music/Sounds: Usually the opening/closing theme of the movie.
Availability: Still saved on classic Disney shorts and movies of the time, such as Dumbo and Lady and the Tramp among others.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(1967-1985)
Logo: Same as above. At the start of the film, we see the words "Walt Disney Productions Presents". At the end of the film, we see "The End. Walt Disney Productions".
Variant: From 1982 to 1985, the studio's theatrical product under the Disney name (except for the two shorts released in 1983, Winnie-the-Pooh and a Day for Eeyore and Mickey's Christmas Carol) had simply "Walt Disney Productions" at the end of the credits. No "the end", as the practice of using these two words at the closing of films had pretty much ceased by now.
FX: None. It's an in-credit disclaimer.
Music/Sounds: None. In other cases, the opening/closing theme of the movie.
Availability: Still saved on films and shorts of the time, such as Robin Hood and The Fox and the Hound among others.
Scare Factor: None.
3rd Logo
(1983-1995)
Nicknames: "The Text", "Title Card"
Music/Sounds: The beginning of the movie's theme.
Availability: Again, on Disney flicks from the era, most that features this logo is live-action. Sometimes preceded by the 1985-2006 logo. The logo however, came back in 1990
Scare Factor: Low; it's harmless.
4th Logo
(1985-2006)
Nicknames: "The Castle", "Magic Kingdom", "Disney", "Sleeping Beauty Castle"
Logo: On a blue gradient backdrop, a shower of light descends from the top of the screen, forming a stylized, segmented Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty Castle. The segments seem to be spaced farther apart by the time the light reaches the bottom. Through the main gate of the castle, a white ball of light forms, then extends out to form the words "WALT DiSNEY" in the familiar corporate "Disney" logo font. The word "PICTURES" fades in underneath, and a white circular line is drawn over the castle to the tip of the "W".
Variants:
- In the first variation, the castle is light purple.
- On some live-action movies, the Disney castle is metallic orange on a black background. A light shines on the logo, and a spark illuminates it even more. This variant is sometimes nicknamed The Flashlight.
- In The Rescuers Down Under, the audio of the logo is off-sync.
- At the end of every film, this logo has no music (usually, a majestic fanfare was used on this logo before a promo in 1985), and sometimes the castle is already formed.
- There is a variation of this logo where the animation is slower and not as smooth, and the "shower of light" is not as apparent (it looks more like somebody sliding a sheet of blue paper down to form the castle logo). Also, prior to 1990, the semi-circular line is drawn all the way to the bottom left.
FX: The "glowing castle", the "flash", the drawing of the line
Cheesy Factor: The "flash" and reveal of the castle are rather outdated.
Music/Sounds: A rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" finishing off with a flute/recorder at the very end. Some movies, like The Parent Trap (1998) and The Princess Diaries, have a different theme.
Availability: Seen on many Disney movies of the era.
Scare Factor: None to low.
5th Logo (Pixar Variant)
(1995-2007)
Nicknames: "The Pixar Castle", "Pixar Kingdom"
Logo: On a blue BG, the camera flies out underneath a 3D CGI castle, with flags flapping on the top. When the logo zooms out, the logo proceeds as normal, but the "Walt Disney" text is more three-dimensional.
FX: Very nice CGI from Pixar!
Music/Sounds: A bombastic/majestic fanfare composed by Randy Newman. Pixar films directed by Brad Bird so far (The Incredibles, Ratatouille) had that film's respective cue music. On Cars, the fanfare was re-orchestrated to put a little more of the logo in at the same duration of the logo's closing re-appearance. If no music is being used at the end of the movie during the closing re-appearance of the logo, we hear flapping flags and a chime noise as the line is drawn.
Availability: Seen on all Disney/Pixar productions from Toy Story to Ratatouille. All Pixar films onwards including "WALL-E" use the 6th logo.
Scare Factor: None; this is a great logo.
6th Logo
(2006-)
Nicknames: "The CGI Castle", "CGI Magic Kingdom", "CGI Disney Castle", "Cinderella Castle", "Ultra Majestic Castle"
Logo: On a night sky background, we see a star a la Pinocchio. Then, some cloudsappear a la Mary Poppins. And finally, a pirate ship a la Peter Pan. We then see the castle, done in CGI, while different fireworks are appearing. A circular line is drawn over the castle (in the same vein as the previous logo), then a castle enters many dots from the bottom of the screen to reveal "WALT DiSNEY", in the post-1979 Disney script logo font, albeit slightly revised. "PICTURES" fades in, with the circular line is staying visible on the logo.
Variants:
- The short version of the CGI castle was seen at the end of some movies.
- On Disney Digital 3-D releases, the "Walt Disney" text zooms in more to create the 3-D illusion when wearing 3-D glasses.
- On some trailers, all we see is the castle and "Disney" in its well-known script.
FX: The camera pans down to reveal the castle. This logo has beautiful, mind-blowing, CGI animation done, ironically, not by Disney, but by Weta Digital.
Music/Sounds: An orchestration of "When You Wish Upon a Star" by Mark Mancina, different from the 4th logo.
Availability: Common on new Disney movies. Premiered on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Scare Factor: None to minimal.
Latest page update: made by WizardDuck
, Sunday, 1:37 AM EDT
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Edited by WizardDuck
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Edited by WizardDuck
4 words added
1 word deleted
view changes
- complete history)
Keyword tags:
Walt Disney Company
Walt Disney Pictures
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