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Logo descriptions by Matt Williams, Dan DeCosta, and Matt Anscher
Logo captures by Eric S. and others
Editions by Bob Fish, V of Doom, mr3urious, Nathan B. and Optimus Prime 2000
Videos by heyblondin, monarchofvideos, AADudley and LDEJRuff
In Memory of Walt Disney (1901-1966)
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 text on most of its films. In 1983, the company was described as "Walt Disney Pictures" with the establisment of 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. However, the Buena Vista brand probably retained as a home video company. Also, Disney-era Studio Ghibli films didn't have the Walt Disney Pictures logo, instead using the text "WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PRESENTS" on there.
1st Logo
(1937-1985)
Logo: This is not really a logo, only an in-credit text. At the start of the film, we see the words "Walt Disney Presents" or "Walt Disney Productions Presents". At the end of the film, we see "The End. A Walt Disney Production" or "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/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Usually the opening and closing themes of the movie.
Availability: Still saved on classic Disney shorts and movies of the era, such as Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood, The Fox and the Hound, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Aristocats among others.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(1983-1997)
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/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The beginning of the movie's theme.
Availability: Again, on some 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. Also seen on Mighty Joe Young.
Scare Factor: Low; it's harmless.
3rd Logo
(1985- )
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/SFX: 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. During the formation of the castle and "Walt Disney" text, sound effects evoking pixie dust are heard. Some movies, like The Parent Trap and The Princess Diaries, have a different theme. At the end of D3: The Mighty Ducks, it uses a flash sound and then a laser sound.
Availability: Everybody's seen this at least once. The first movie to use this was The Black Cauldron, and this logo has been put in front of almost every subsequent Disney film until this logo's retirement on current releases in 2006; however, it's currently used on newer prints of classic films, such as One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Aristocats, among others.
Scare Factor: None to low.
4th Logo (Pixar Variant)
(1995-2007)
Nicknames: "The Pixar Castle", "Pixar Kingdom", "Sleeping Beauty Castle 3D"
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/SFX: 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) have 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. At the end of the film, we hear flapping flags and a chime sound as the line is drawn.
Availability: Seen on all Disney/Pixar productions from Toy Story to Ratatouille. All Pixar films onwards starting with WALL-E use the next logo.
Scare Factor: None; this is a great logo.
5th 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 clouds appear 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 the 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, while the circular line is nearly staying visible on the logo.
Variants:
FX/SFX: 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 3rd logo. Also, firecracker sound effects are heard when the fireworks go off.
Availability: Common on new Disney movies. First seen 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, mr3urious, Nathan B. and Optimus Prime 2000
Videos by heyblondin, monarchofvideos, AADudley and LDEJRuff
In Memory of Walt Disney (1901-1966)
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 text on most of its films. In 1983, the company was described as "Walt Disney Pictures" with the establisment of 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. However, the Buena Vista brand probably retained as a home video company. Also, Disney-era Studio Ghibli films didn't have the Walt Disney Pictures logo, instead using the text "WALT DISNEY STUDIOS PRESENTS" on there.
1st Logo
(1937-1985)
Logo: This is not really a logo, only an in-credit text. At the start of the film, we see the words "Walt Disney Presents" or "Walt Disney Productions Presents". At the end of the film, we see "The End. A Walt Disney Production" or "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/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: Usually the opening and closing themes of the movie.
Availability: Still saved on classic Disney shorts and movies of the era, such as Dumbo, Lady and the Tramp, Robin Hood, The Fox and the Hound, One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Aristocats among others.
Scare Factor: None.
2nd Logo
(1983-1997)
Nicknames: "The Text", "Title Card"
Music/Sounds: The beginning of the movie's theme.
Availability: Again, on some 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. Also seen on Mighty Joe Young.
Scare Factor: Low; it's harmless.
3rd Logo
(1985- )
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 a lavender/white gradient, and the background is 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.
- On the 2003 DVD release of The Rescuers, a thunderclap is heard under the logo. This is because the movie originally started with a Buena Vista logo with the same thunderclap, and Disney replaced it with the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo for the 1989 re-release and preserved the original thunderclap. However, on the 1999 VHS release of The Rescuers, the logo is silent.
- At the end of every film, this logo has no music (a majestic fanfare was used on this logo before a promo in 1985 and D3: The Mighty Ducks uses a flash sound, then a laser sound), 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.
- When classic Disney shorts were rereleased in the 90s, the text "A FULLY RESTORED ORIGINAL CLASSIC", in the font used for "PICTURES", is shown before the logo.
FX/SFX: 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. During the formation of the castle and "Walt Disney" text, sound effects evoking pixie dust are heard. Some movies, like The Parent Trap and The Princess Diaries, have a different theme. At the end of D3: The Mighty Ducks, it uses a flash sound and then a laser sound.
Availability: Everybody's seen this at least once. The first movie to use this was The Black Cauldron, and this logo has been put in front of almost every subsequent Disney film until this logo's retirement on current releases in 2006; however, it's currently used on newer prints of classic films, such as One Hundred and One Dalmatians and The Aristocats, among others.
Scare Factor: None to low.
4th Logo (Pixar Variant)
(1995-2007)
Nicknames: "The Pixar Castle", "Pixar Kingdom", "Sleeping Beauty Castle 3D"
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/SFX: 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) have 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. At the end of the film, we hear flapping flags and a chime sound as the line is drawn.
Availability: Seen on all Disney/Pixar productions from Toy Story to Ratatouille. All Pixar films onwards starting with WALL-E use the next logo.
Scare Factor: None; this is a great logo.
5th 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 clouds appear 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 the 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, while the circular line is nearly 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. Another variant is where the Walt Disney text is there while the curve is drawn.
FX/SFX: 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 3rd logo. Also, firecracker sound effects are heard when the fireworks go off.
Availability: Common on new Disney movies. First seen on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest.
Scare Factor: None to minimal.
