Buena Vista Home Entertainment/Summary

Background: Buena Vista Home Entertainment (formerly "Buena Vista Home Video") was created in 1984 to release non-Disney-related videos not covered by the other Disney units, such as concerts, documentaries, Jay Ward (Rocky & Bullwinkle) and Bagdasarian (Alvin and the Chipmunks) cartoons, and from 1998-2014, Studio Ghibli releases. It became the incorporated name for Walt Disney Home Video in 1987. Also, they covered the Jim Henson Video brand starting in 1990 after his Muppet Video brand and its US distributor, CBS/FOX's Playhouse Video, were shut down. Disney semi-retired the brand in 2007. However, the name is still being used since it is Disney's inc. name, and it is still being used in some countries such as French SG releases.

===1st Logo (1984-1989)=== Logo: On a white  background, we see the static image of blue  text reading: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Extremely rare. Seen on early Hopalong Cassidy tapes such as Silent Conflict and The Marauder and tapes in the 50s Theatre collection. These tapes were packaged in the same white clamshells as tapes from Walt Disney Home Video.

===2nd Logo (International Variant) (1989-Late 1990s)=== Nickname: "Buena Vista Castle II"

Logo: On a lavender gradient background, we see Walt Disney Pictures' Sleeping Beauty Castle forming backwards (as opposed to normal). The arc is drawn over the castle (in reverse), and the words "Buena Vista Home Video" zoom in from the castle, one by one. The logo then shifts to the top of the screen to make room for the scrolling copyright warning.

Variants:
 * Starting in the late '90s, the background is a sky blue gradient and instead of reading "Buena Vista Home Video", it reads" Buena Vista Home Entertainment" in a slightly different serif font.
 * One variant exists in which the logo is in black on a white background, with copyright information below. So far, it's only known appearance is on the 1999 Australian VHS of Monica's Trip to the Moon.

FX/SFX: Simple animation.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Seen on international non-Disney and non-Touchstone tapes of the time.

===3rd Logo (1990-1998; August 27th, 2002; July 20th, 2017)=== Nicknames: "The Castle", "Magic Kingdom", "Buena Vista Castle"

Logo: On a black background, we see a blue  stylized, segmented Sleeping Beauty Castle (from the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo) with a circular line drawn over the castle. The text: BUENA VISTA HOME VIDEO

is seen below in blue. The logo "shines".

Variants:
 * A "cartoon" version was used on some cartoon releases. On a swirly blue  background, we see a dark blue  castle without the line, and on the castle is "B UENA   <span style="color:rgb(255,165,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">V <span style="color:rgb(238,0,255);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">ISTA  <span style="color:rgb(255,162,0);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">Home Video ". There is one flag waving.
 * A variant also exists with "ENTERTAINMENT" replacing "VIDEO."
 * One variant had "HOME VIDEO" deleted.
 * On a faux infomercial for the DVD and Blu-ray releases of Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2, this logo was used in the form of a videotaped variant.

FX/SFX: The logo "shining".

Music/Sounds: A 5-note synth horn/chime theme.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * A silent version exists.
 * On the Timon and Pumbaa VHSs (and possibly the international DVD versions), the closing theme ends over it, plastering the Walt Disney Television logo.
 * The logo makes a surprise appearance during the previews at the end of the original 1992 VHS of Father of the Bride and at the start of of the 1992 VHS of A Classic Christmas From the Ed Sullivan Show. An unknown, deep-voiced announcer is heard saying "Now, from Buena Vista Home Video." over the logo.
 * On the infomercial variant, it has a two-note tone in two different pitches with a long chorial note. During the shining, the male announcer says "The following is a paid advertisement from Walt Disney Home Entertainment."
 * A high-pitched variant exists.
 * On one unknown tape with the "cartoon" variant, the theme starts on the second note.
 * The logo appears during the end credits to the non-US-released Disney's Sing Along Songs: Let's Go To Euro Disneyland!.

Availability: Even though it was used for almost 8 years, this logo is pretty difficult to find. It is seen on Buena Vista Home Video releases of the time, including tapes of Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle, the original VHS releases of Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes, 1994 reprints of the Five Mile Creek collection, and Andrew Solt-directed compilations like the first 2 volumes of Elvis: The Great Performances. Some of the last tapes this logo appeared on was the 1998 VHS releases of Mummies Alive!: The Legend Begins and the miniseries The Irish in America: Long Journey Home. Oddly enough, it appears on the 1994 VHS of Holiday Greetings From the Ed Sullivan Show despite having Disney branding on the tape labels, and at the end of 1997 VHS compilations of Disney's Doug and Quack Pack following the credits of the combined episodes. It also makes a surprise DVD appearance before the opening previews of the ''Schoolhouse Rock! Special 30th Anniversary Edition'' DVD set, which was released in August 2002. The "HOME ENTERTAINMENT," silent, and high-pitched variants are all extremely rare and can be found, in two different combinations, on PAL VHS releases of the Legend of Tarzan TV series (silent) (title unknown) and Joaquín Cortés: In Celebration of Gypsy Passion (high-pitched).

4th Logo (1991-1992)
Logo: On a black background, we see the <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">blue  text: <p style="text-align:center;"><span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">BUENA VISTA <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:14px;font-weight:normal;">HOME VIDEO in the same style as the first & the previous logos. The text "shines" twice.

Variant: One French variant of this logo has the word "<span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">presente " in a cheesy <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">blue /<span style="font-weight:normal;color:rgb(232,232,232);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;">white  font.

FX/SFX: The shining.

Music/Sounds: A synthesizer tune consisting of a whoosh and an echo-ey staccato synth chord. Sometimes silent.

Availability: Rare. It's very difficult to find in North America; some tapes that used it were Alvin and the Chipmunks: Rockin' with the Chipmunks (though some copies instead use the "Cartoon" version of the previous logo) and the 1992 VHS releases of The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show. The logo appeared more often on international releases, including the UK rental releases of The Maid and other Europudding films distributed by The Movie Group, and the 1992 UK VHS of Earth*Star Voyager.

===5th Logo (September 1, 1998; April 30-October 29, 2002; November 22, 2005)=== Logo: On a <span style="color:rgb(0,221,255);font-family:Arial,Verdana,Helvetica,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">sea blue  CGI background, a <span style="color:rgb(171,171,171);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">silver  stylized "<span style=" font-family: Times; Arial, sans;">V " zooms out from a right angle, which turns out to be part of the text "Buena Vista Home Video". The text settles on the background and "shines".

FX/SFX: The text turning.

Music/Sounds: A remix of the tune used in the second logo that begins with a chime.

Availability: Has rare written all over it. The logo makes its only intentional appearance on the original 1998 VHS release of Kiki's Delivery Service. It made surprise appearances on the 2002 DVDs of Spider-Man: The Ultimate Villain Showdown, Spider-Man: The Return of the Green Goblin, and David Blaine: Fearless, despite the next logo appearing on their VHS counterparts, and on the 2005 DVD set of Home Improvement: The Complete Third Season. It's likely that this would've appeared on the scrapped 1999 release of Castle in the Sky.

===6th Logo (1998-December 6, 2005)=== Nicknames: "The Restored Castle", "Magic Kingdom 1998", "3-D Castle", "Buena Vista Kingdom", "Buena Vista Castle III"

Logo: On a black/<span style="color:rgb(68,15,191);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:normal;">dark blue  gradient background, we see a <span style="color:rgb(0,0,255);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:400;">blue  3-D segmented Sleeping Beauty Castle at an angle shining, and emitting rays of light. The castle zooms out and turns to face us. As this happens, the text "<span style=" font-family: Times; Arial, sans;">Buena Vista Home Video " (or "<span style=" font-family: Times; Arial, sans;">Home Entertainment " around 2002) appears in <span style="color:rgb(191,191,191);font-family:Arial,sans-serif;font-size:16px;font-weight:400;">silver  aligned with the castle, and thus also zooms out. An arch zooms out and places itself over the castle and the text stops at the bottom of the screen. The words shine.

Variant: There is a still variant.

FX/SFX: The castle shining and turning, the text and arch zooming out, and the words shining.

Music/Sounds: A choir/orchestral theme.

Availability: Common. It appears on non-Disney or non-Touchstone videos from the parent company such as the 1998 VHS print of The Bear, Inspector Gadget: Gadget's Greatest Gadgets, The Duke, the 2003 UK version of Pokemon 4Ever, some Power Rangers releases and the US release of Bionicle: Mask of Light (the UK version uses the Miramax Home Entertainment logo). It was used in tandem with the 8th logo until 2006. This logo can also be seen twice on the 2002 VHS releases of Power Rangers Time Force: Dawn of Destiny, Power Rangers Time Force: The End of Time, Power Rangers Wild Force: Ancients Awaken, and Digimon: The Birth of Gulimon, bookending the previews.

===7th Logo (1998)=== Logo: Same as the Buena Vista International Television logo, except the arc is thicker and the text reads "Buena Vista Home Entertainment."

FX/SFX: The arc drawing.

Music/Sounds: The start of the promo.

Availability: Extremely rare. This logo was created specifically for a home video promo for the Gene Autry Collection, which can be found on the 1998 VHS release of Back in the Saddle.

8th Logo (2002-2009)
Logo: On a /black gradient background, the words "<span style=" font-family: Times; Arial, sans;">Buena Vista Home Entertainment " (in the same font as the 6th logo) zoom out while emitting rays of light, before stopping in the middle of the screen.

Variants:
 * In 2003, a 1.78:1 widescreen variant was introduced.
 * A re-animated variant was found on the Blu-ray of Lost: The Complete Third Season. Here, the logo fades out.

FX/SFX: The text zooming out and shining.

Music/Sounds: Same as the 6th logo.

Music/Sounds Variant: On disc 2 of Home Improvement: The Complete Eighth and Final Season, the theme is out of sync with the logo (this does not apply for the other three discs in the set).

Availability: Was seen on non-Disney and non-Touchstone releases post-2002, such as seasons 1-6 of Scrubs, the first three seasons of Lost and The Muppet Show, and Marvel animated shows. Used in tandem with the 6th logo until 2005. On VHS, it pops up much less often, but it can be found on the US VHS releases of The Music Man (the DVD uses the Walt Disney Home Entertainment logo), Bionicle: Mask of Light - The Movie (the DVD uses the Miramax Home Entertainment logo), tapes of Power Rangers from the Ninja Storm through S.P.D. seasons, and The Gospel of John, and the Australian VHS of Daredevil vs. Spider-Man (the U.S. release uses the 6th logo). The 2003 R2 DVD & VHS releases of Kiki's Delivery Service and Castle in the Sky also use this logo. Later re-releases replace this logo with the logo of whatever company is distributing Studio Ghibli movies (such as Optimum Releasing in the UK). The print logo continues to appear on newer French Studio Ghibli releases, but it is unknown if the same can be said for the logo proper.

===In-Credit Opening Logo (1999-2008)===

Logo: Just an in-credit notice seen after the Studio Ghibli logo with other companies listed down and a small copyright date. The text is ether in Japanese or English.

FX/SFX: The fade in.

Music/Sounds: None, or the opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Seen after the Studio Ghibli logo at the beginning on all their films starting with My Neighbors the Yamadas and ending with Ponyo. Films released after that use "Walt Disney Japan" instead.