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) ===

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,  T he 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).

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 (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) ===

Logo : Again, just text reading "WALT DISNEY PICTURES", but applied differently depending on the movie.

Variants:
 * Return to Oz features the "WALT DiSNEY" script logo, and is the first to do so.
 * Never Cry Wolf has the text in a blue rectangular box with a white outline around it.
 * Squanto: A Warrior's Tale has the word "Presents" fades below the logo.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : The beginning of the movie's theme. On A Far Off Place and The Three Musketeers, it's silent.

Availability : Again, on some Disney movies from the era; most films that feature this logo are live-action (an example is Return to Oz). Sometimes preceded or plastered by the 1985 logo. The logo, however, came back in 1990 on trailers. Also seen on The Rocketeer, A Far Off Place, The Three Musketeers, Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (only at the beginning of the film; the next logo appears at the end of the film), Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and Mighty Joe Young (although the next logo appears on the trailers and TV spots for said film). Also seen on trailers for White Fang, Shipwrecked, Newsies, Hocus Pocus, Cool Runnings, Iron Will, Angels in the Outfield, Jungle 2 Jungle, and Rocketman, as well as the teaser trailer for George of the Jungle (though the actual films use the next logo instead).

Scare Factor: None to low.

=== 4th Logo (June 21, 1985-December 12, 2006) ===

Nicknames : "Metallic Orange Disney Castle", "The Flashlight", "Disney Castle III"

Logo : On a black background, we see the orange text "WALT DiSNEY PICTURES" wiping in from left to right. Then we see an orange light shining on the logo,illuminating it with a trail effect that rises from the top of the letters "E" and "Y" in "DiSNEY", making its way around to reveal the castle in metallic orange. The entire logo wipes away as soon as the light trail effect illuminates away.

Variants :
 * On trailers, the logo appears to be in a bronze-like color.
 * The closing variation of this logo is complete and still.

FX/SFX : The text wiping in, the light effect, the logo wiping out. The effects used are rather unique for their time.

Music/Sounds : None, at many times.

Music/Sounds Variants :
 * Sometimes, it has the opening theme playing over.
 * At the beginning of Holes, the logo begins silent, but when the light starts shiining on the arc, the sound of a fire being lit is heard. After that the quiet, music-less main song starts playing that goes over the 2003 Weldin Media logo. At the end of that film, it is silent on the still logo.

Availability : Seen on live action films such as 102 Dalmatians, Holes, Glory Road, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and Disney's The Kid. Also on the CGI film Dinosaur (which was the first film to use this logo), the traditionally-animated Brother Bear, The Wild (whose beginning was this logo's final appearance), and the 2002 IMAX re-release of The Lion King. It was also seen at the end of Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, despite the fact that there were no opening logos at the beginning.

Scare Factor: Minimal.

=== 8th Logo (July 7, 2006- ) ===

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 (including the 2015 feature Cinderella) and mainly on 3D releases (Debuted on Meet the Robinsons),, 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 "WALT DiSNEY" 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 : Availability : Common. It was first seen on Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (although on a trailer for the movie, the 7th logo is shown instead). Current on recent Disney films such as Beverly Hills Chihuahua, as well as newer DTV titles such as Tinkerbell, and Space Buddies. 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 on Blu-ray (and some DVDs), along with prints of their films on Freeform, Disney Channel, and networks that air Disney movies from time to time. 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 apart at the end.
 * 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 is plastering 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, the first half of the closing stinger plays over the normal logo (Oddly for the closing logo), the music carries to the Pixar Animation Studios logo.

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 8, 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).