Walt Disney Pictures/Summary

Logo descriptions by Matt Williams, WileE2005, rjsmith09 and Matt Anscher

Logo captures by Eric S. and others

Editions by Bob Fish, V of Doom, mr3urious, Nathan B., Optimus Prime 2000, userjt, universalxdisney172, shnick1985, HiddenResearcher, McDonald's1 and indycar

Video captures courtesy of Nightwing726, heyblondin, IntroHD, ConoleZ, MaxGoesFourth, and James S. Campbell, III

In Memory of Walt Disney (1901-1966)

Background : Originally established in 1923 as animation studio "Walt Disney Productions" (renamed "The Walt Disney Company" in 1986), Walt Disney Productions produced its first animated film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, but never used a proper logo until 1985. Instead it used an in-credit text on most of its films. In 1983, the company was described as "Walt Disney Pictures" with the establishment 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 aside from its home video distribution arm. Also, Disney owned Studio Ghibli films do not carry any of the Walt Disney Pictures logos, instead using the text "WALT DISNEY STUDIOS (HOME ENTERTAINMENT) PRESENTS."

===1st Logo (December 21, 1937-June 21, 1985)=== Nickname: "In-text credits"

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".

Variants :
 * On Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (the first film to use this logo), the text reads "A Walt Disney FEATURE Production". The end title has the RKO Radio Pictures logo in the background with the words "A WALT DISNEY FEATURE Production IN TECHNICOLOR". Until 2009, post-RKO reissue prints used the usual "The End, A Walt Disney Production" notice.
 * 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.
 * On Popeye and Dragonslayer, the text reads as "Paramount Pictures Corporation and Walt Disney Productions present", as both films were distributed in America by Paramount and internationally by Disney.
 * On some films, the movie's title is seen on the end title. Some examples include Make Mine Music, Fun & Fancy Free, Melody Time, and Treasure Island.
 * On Treasure Island and One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, notices for filming locations are added.
 * Sometimes, only "The End" is seen. Some examples are The Three Caballeros and Make Mine Music.
 * Song of the South does not have the "A Walt Disney Production" text at the end title.
 * Even after Walt Disney's death in 1966, "A Walt Disney Production" continued to be used until 1970 (the last to use it was The Aristocats). Strangely, it was seen on Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore.
 * Even after Walt Disney's death in 1966, "Walt Disney Presents" continued to be used until 1968 (the last to use it was Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day). Strangely, it was seen on One of Our Dinosaurs is Missing, Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (the latter two which were technically in production while Walt Disney was still alive, as he originally envisioned the first three featurettes as a feature-length film).
 * "The End" was absent on Dad, Can I Borrow the Car.
 * Some films, like The Reluctant Dragon and Dumbo, have the end title containing "Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.".
 * In foreign countries, presents is replaced by that country's translation (such as "Presenta" on Italian prints).
 * Starting with Lady and the Tramp the end title fades in, single line individually over the last shot of the film.
 * On The Jungle Book 1997 30th Anniversary Edition, the end title is colored white instead of the original yellow, possibly due to a coloring restoration error. This was however, fixed on the 40th Anniversary edition of the film.

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 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Dumbo, and Lady and the Tramp, among others.

Scare Factor : None.

===2nd Logo (March 23, 1973)===

Nickname : "50 Happy Years"

Logo : On a red  background with black moving dots, a blue  version of Disney's 50th anniversary logo; a big "50" with Mickey Mouse ears on the "0" with the word "HAPPY" above it and "YEARS" below, appear and eventually change the background into a blue  background with images of Disney cartoon characters outlined in green. The "50" logo zooms out followed by "HAPPY" zooming out above it and "YEARS" doing the same below. Tinker Bell appears, flies around and waves her wand, changing the screen to black. The Buena Vista logo would follow.

FX/SFX : The first part is typical 70s effects.

Music/Sounds: The first two bars of "When You Wish Upon a Star". An announcer (Dick Wesson) says "And now, a 50th anniversary presentation from Walt Disney Productions!".

Availability : Extinct. Appeared before the Buena Vista logo on Disney releases in 1973. Was spotted on an old cable TV print of Charley and the Angel. Also appeared briefly (twice) on The Wonderful World of Disney episode "50 Happy Years".

Scare Factor : None.

===3rd Logo (October 7, 1983-December 25, 1998)=== Nickname: "Boring blue text"

Nicknames : "CGI Magic Kingdom", "The Ultra Majestic Cinderella Castle"

Logo : We fade into a view of a night sky, with a star somewhere on the screen and the clouds on the bottom. We then start flying down through the clouds with the camera. We then pan with the camera down to a very clear view of a river, with a boat sailing in it, a train running down the railroad track on the viaduct, and several buildings nearby. We then fly with the camera past a flag with the Disney coat of arms, and pan down as we see some fireworks going off, only to find the castle completely redone in CGI. The fireworks are almost finished when we almost reach a comfortable position in front of the castle. When the fireworks finish, a very small glowing pinpoint appears way closer to the castle and then moves to the right side. The dot then draws a line over the castle as we are slightly panning, and it is almost finished when we are in a comfortable position in front of the castle. When the dot is finished drawing the line, several magic sparkles appearing in front of the main gate of the castle, forming "WALT DiSNEY", in its well-known script, When it does, "P I C T U R E S", fades in below the script as the sparkles and the line slowly fade away.

Variants :
 * A closing variant which starts off with the line being drawn over the castle by the dot is seen at the end of many films.
 * On some features and mainly on 3D releases (Debuted on the 3D re-release of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas), the "WALT DiSNEY" (or, in later years, "DiSNEY") text zooms in as it fades in and stops at the usual place.
 * One variation only shows the word "DiSNEY" in its well-known script. This is used on newer films from the studio, starting with The Muppets, released on November 23, 2011. This would later replace the previous standard variant (which featured the entire company name "WALT DiSNEY PICTURES"), as newer films from the studio used this variant of the logo or featured variations of it. This change was made to fit into mobile phones and other devices similar to the iPod.
 * Another variant is where the text is there while the curved line is drawn.

FX/SFX : CGI animation done by Weta Digital in New Zealand.

Music/Sounds : An orchestration of "When You Wish Upon a Star" composed by Mark Mancina, completely different from the 4th logo. Also, firecracker sound effects are heard when the fireworks go off.

Music/Sounds Variants :
 * On many features, it has the opening theme playing over it, sometimes with different sounds.
 * The post-November 2011 version is subtly different, with louder and clearer sound effects.
 * At the end of the Cine-Explore version of Finding Nemo on the 2012 Blu-Ray of the said film, the flags are fluttering in the Stereoscopic 3D credits, and the sound of the arc drawing is heard. This plasters the existing closing logo, due to the commentary.
 * On the 2010 Blu-Ray/DVD commentary of Toy Story 2, the normal music is heard, but when the commentary starts the music transformed into the movie's logo music.
 * The closing variant is silent on some films, while on other films the sound of fairy dust is heard over the closing variant.
 * At the end of Finding Dory and Cars 3, the first half of the closing stinger plays over it, as the music carries to the Pixar Animation Studios logo.
 * At the end of Moana, the 3/3rd of the closing stinger (Which is carried from the Walt Disney Animation Studios in-credit and shortened logos) ends over it.

Availability : Very common. It was first seen on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (although on a trailer for the movie, the previous logo is shown instead). Current on recent Disney films and newer DTV titles. It also can be seen on Pixar productions starting with WALL-E. This also plasters over the 4th and 6th logos on re-releases of Disney animated classics and some remastered prints of Disney movies. The normal version initially made its final appearance on the DTV feature Treasure Buddies, released on January 31, 2012, though it later made a surprise appearance at the end of the theatrical release of The Lone Ranger, released on July 3, 2013 (through its variation; Home Media releases uses "DiSNEY" instead). It even appears at the beginning of the American release of The BFG (2016), but the closing logo doesn't expect to apear at the end. The logo does not appear on any media that they merely distributed such as the films from Marvel Studios and Lucasfilm Ltd.. Seen also on some Indian films produced by this company like Khoobsurat. This also appears preceding the Studio Ghibli logo on the 2010 DVD releases of their output, such as Ponyo, and is even surprisingly retained on the UK release of the movie, even though Optimum Releasing distributed the film there.

Scare Factor : None.

Copyright Stamps
Here is some information about the copyright stamps on the Disney films:
 * 1930-1931: Copyright © by Walter E. Disney
 * 1931-1940: Copyright © by Walt Disney Productions, Ltd.
 * 1940-September 17, 1985: Copyright © by Walt Disney Productions
 * July 2, 1986-March 29, 1996: Copyright © by The Walt Disney Company
 * April 12, 1996-present: Copyright © by Disney Enterprises, Inc.
 * November 25, 1998-present: Copyright © by Disney Enterprises, Inc./Pixar Animation Studios (on Pixar films).