Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures/Summary

Background : The Buena Vista distribution company was established in 1953 after Walt Disney broke off his distribution deal with RKO Radio Pictures, using a logo in some form until about 1984. It is named after the street on which the Disney Studios reside. In 2007, the company was renamed and rebranded as "Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures". The company distributes films from Disney's Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios and Touchstone Pictures labels.

=1st Logo= (November 10, 1953-June 22, 1971)

Logo : On a blue/black gradient background, we see the text "DISTRIBUTED BY Buena Vista FILM DISTRIBUTION CO., INC." in pale blue, with "Buena Vista" in a weird signature-like logo font, and the other words in a font that looks like carved wood.

Variants :
 * In 1960, starting with Toby Tyler, or Ten Weeks with a Circus, the word "FILM" was removed.
 * There is a variation where the text reads "Buena Vista FILM DISTRIBUTION CO., INC. Presents" (with "Presents" in the same signature font). This was seen on the featurette Alaskan Sled Dog; a custom variant appeared in Nature's Strangest Creatures.
 * A black and white version of the logo exists.
 * On Stage Sturck, the text is displayed over the RKO logo.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : Either a customized fanfare composed just for the movie, the beginning of the film's score, or silence.

Music/Sounds Variants : However, there are a few re-occuring themes that go with this logo.
 * On reissues of cartoon shorts, as well as Son of Flubber, a horn stinger, composed by George Bruns, is heard.
 * On several films, such as Darby O'Gill and the Little People, Mysteries of the Deep, In Search of the Castaways, and a few cartoon reissues, an ominous-sounding melody, composed by Oliver Wallace, is heard. The music's pitch varies.
 * On a few late-50s/early 60s featurettes, such as Noah's Ark, Goliath II and Gala Day at Disneyland, a majestic horn fanfare, composed by George Bruns, is heard.
 * On Nikki, Wild Dog of the North, Big Red and The Legend of Lobo, a majestic string/brass fanfare, composed by Oliver Wallace, is heard. On the two latter movies, the fanfare is re-orchestrated.
 * On The Absent-Minded Professor, Emil and the Detectives and Run, Appaloosa, Run, a suspenseful theme, composed by George Bruns was heard.
 * On Winnie the Pooh and the Honey Tree, an ascending stinger, composed by Buddy Baker, was heard (which was reused for the next logo).

Availability : This logo was cut on most video releases between 1985 and 1991 (with some exceptions, including the 1986 video release of Sleeping Beauty and the 1989 video release of Mary Poppins), but is now preserved on most Disney features from this era, and sometimes also replaces the still RKO logo used on earlier Disney films (such as Pinocchio, Cinderella, Peter Pan, Bambi, Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Treasure Island, Saludos Amigos, Melody Time, So Dear to my Heart and Song of the South). The only place where this is accidentally plastered over is on Old Yeller, which has its custom Buena Vista music playing over the end of the Walt Disney Pictures logo.

Editor's Note : None.

=2nd Logo= (December 1, 1966-July 10, 1981)

Logo : On a blue/white gradient background, we see the same text from the previous logo, except the letters to a turquoise color. Also, the font for the "DISTRIBUTED BY" and "DISTRIBUTION CO., INC." text would change into a more normal font.

Variant : The black and white variant of the logo exists. It is only seen on two Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1932 which were "Touchdown Mickey" and "Mickey's Good Deed", both reissued in 1974.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : Same as the previous logo.

Music/Sounds Variants :
 * On the Winnie the Pooh films (except Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore), an ascending stinger, composed by Buddy Baker, was heard. It was re-orchestrated on Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day.
 * On The Rescuers, we hear a thunderclap over the logo.

Availability : Like before, this logo was cut on most video releases between 1985 and 1991. The Rescuers version has also been restored on the 2011 DVD and Blu-ray releases of the film. It made its debut on Follow Me Boys! and it was last seen on The Fox and the Hound.

Editor's Note : None.

=3rd Logo= (June 9, 1978-April 1979)

Logo : Over a set of red, yellow, and orange stripes on a blue background, we see the text reading in a Helvetica font "BuenaVista" over a outlined rectangle. The "B" and "V" are outlined. Above it is "A" and below the rectangle is the word "RELEASE", which were also in a Helvetica font. This logo follows a special logo commemorating Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday.

Variant : On the Italian releases of Peter Pan (1979 reissue) and Hot Lead and Cold Feet, the text is not there, leaving us with just the color bars (the logo Cinema International Corporation, which distributed DIsney's films in Italy at the time, would follow). On the original 1980 video release of the latter, the logo is plastered with the 1979 Buena Vista logo.

FX/SFX : The wiping.

Music/Sounds : Same as the previous logos.

Availability : Only used as a logo celebrating Mickey Mouse's 50th birthday in 1978. While the "Color Bars" variant is not present on the Anchor Bay releases of The Cat from Outer Space, the 2004 Disney release has it intact. Most prints of its movies update it to the previous or next logos.

Editor's Note : None.

=4th Logo= (June 27, 1979-December 14, 1984)

Logo : Over a blue/medium sea green gradient background, we see the text design from the first two logos, only "Buena Vista" is more blocky, and the text "DISTRIBUTED BY" and "DISTRIBUTION CO, INC." was in green.

Variant : On Frankenweenie [where it is last used], it was in grayscaled on a black background, to fit the monochrome of the short.

FX/SFX : None.

Music/Sounds : Same as the previous logos.

Availability : Seen on most Buena Vista-distributed product of the era, such as feature films and shorts. It made its debut on The Apple Dumpling Gang Rides Again.

Editor's Note : None.

=5th Logo= (1959, December 21, 1979- )

Logo : Basically, an in-credit text reading:
 * 1959: "Distributed by BUENA VISTA FILM DISTRIBUTION CO., INC."
 * 1979-1987: "Distributed by BUENA VISTA Distribution Co., Inc.".
 * 1987-1996: "Distributed by BUENA VISTA PICTURES DISTRIBUTION, INC."
 * 1996-2007: "Distributed by BUENA VISTA PICTURES DISTRIBUTION"
 * 2007-present: "Distributed by WALT DISNEY STUDIOS MOTION PICTURES"

Variants :
 * On The Emperor's New Groove, the text just says "Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures".
 * On the custom variant for The Last Flight of Noah's Ark, the Buena Vista text fades out and is replaced by the text "From Walt Disney Productions".
 * On Zorro the Avenger (a feature-length compilation of episodes of the Zorro TV show), there is a custom variant with the text "A BUENA VISTA PRESENTATION" is superimposed over the opening shot.

FX/SFX : Either scrolling up (like the rest of the closing credits), or none.

Music/Sounds : None, or the opening/ending theme.

Availability : Common. This is the last thing you see in the credits in every Walt Disney Pictures, Touchstone Pictures, and Hollywood Pictures movie from 1983 onwards. Video and DVD prints of The Great Mouse Detective carried the later version until 2010, when the original credits (including the original version of this logo) were restored. The original text made its final appearance on Tin Men, and the revised text first appeared on Ernest Goes to Camp. On 2011-present prints of The Lion King, it was replaced with "Distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures.", Don't expect this to appear on Miramax Films] titles from around 1993 to 2010; on 20th Century Studios titles from 2020 onward; and on any film that is produced by 20th Century Animation. Starting in 2012, the logo began to be seen on DreamWorks Pictures films (which are released under the Touchstone banner), starting with I Am Number Four and Marvel Studios films, starting with Marvel's The Avengers.​​​​​​ From 1979 to 1983, the text appears at the start of such films like The Black Hole, Tron and Something Wicked This Way Comes. Ever since Never Cry Wolf, the text is placed at the end. It made an earlier appearance back in 1959 at the end of The Big Fisherman. The text was completely omitted on Doug's 1st Movie and Chip 'n Dale, Rescue Rangers (2022), due to being originated as direct-to-video releases.

Editor's Note : None.

=6th Logo= (August 7, 1981)

Nicknames : "The Sparkles", "Zooms"

Logo : On a black background, a blurry object zooms out. When it fully sharpens, it is revealed to be the text "DISTRIBUTED BY BUENA VISTA DISTRIBUTION CO., INC." (in azure), with "BUENA VISTA" in a taller, bolder font. The words sparkle, and then fade out to be replaced by "WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS" (in white). The words then blur up again and zoom in towards us.

FX/SFX : The zooming, the "sparkles".

Music/Sounds : "Pings" timed to go with the sparkling of the words, "whoosh" noises that sound during the zooms, and a thud noise just before the "WALT DISNEY PRODUCTIONS" logo zooms in.

Availability : An oddity; only seen on Condorman.

=7th Logo= (July 1-December 23, 1987)

Logo : On a grainy blue background, the words "Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution" are seen in a Times New Roman font, arranged in a stacked position in the center of the screen.

Variant : On Good Morning, Vietnam, the words are positioned at the bottom of the screen and the word "Inc." is added to the end.

FX/SFX:  None; just the logo either cutting or fading in and out.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Rare. Seen on a few Touchstone films, such as Adventures in Babysitting, Stakeout, Can't Buy Me Love and Good Morning, Vietnam.

=8th Logo= (June 15, 1990)

Logo : On a black background, a blue triangle rotates along the side of the screen until it's split into two triangles, all while a blue diamond grows below them, and they're positioned vertically. The end result is that top half of the screen is blue and the bottom half black, with a black triangle on the top half forming a stylized "A" and a blue triangle on the bottom half forming a "V". On the top half, the black letters "BUEN" slide in left from behind the "A", while the "V" slides left to reveal the blue letters "ISTA". After the "BUENA VISTA" text is revealed, the black words "DISTRIBUTED BY" and "PICTURES" wipe in on the top half, while the blue words "DISTRIBUTION CO., INC." wipe in on the bottom half. Finally, both "A"s in "BUENA VISTA" receive proper strikes through them.

FX/SFX : The triangles/diamonds rotating and forming, and the words sliding and revealing themselves.

Music/Sounds : None.

Availability : Only seen on the Roger Rabbit short Roller Coaster Rabbit.