JWMMWSLC Tropes: Walt Disney Pictures

Background

Walt Disney Pictures (branded and credited as simply Disney since 2011) is the main film production arm of The Walt Disney Studios, a division of The Walt Disney Company. It was originally founded on April 1, 1983 as the live-action film division of Walt Disney Productions; however, after that company was reorganized as the larger Walt Disney Company in 1986, it became its primary film division. In addition to producing and releasing live-action films through the Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures banner, the studio releases all animated films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios (as well as the former DisneyToon Studios until that studio's closure in 2018).

Walt Disney Pictures did not have a proper on-screen logo until 1985.

Contents

1st Logo (placeholder logo) (October 7, 1983)	2nd Logo (June 21, 1985-December 12, 2006)	3rd Logo (Return to Snowy River ending custom variant) (April 15, 1988)	4th Logo (June 21, 1991-December 25, 1998)


5th Logo (Pixar custom variant) (November 22, 1995-June 29, 2007)	6th Logo (May 19, 2000-April 14, 2006)	7th Logo (July 7, 2006-December 9, 2022)	8th Logo (November 23, 2022-)

1st Logo (placeholder logo) (October 7, 1983)

Visuals: Just the text "WALT DISNEY PICTURES" (set in the typeface Celtic, later known as University Roman) in a teal rectangular box with white and blue outlines around it.
Technique: A still printed cel.
Audio: None.
Availability Notes: This was a placeholder logo only known to appear on one film, Never Cry Wolf, which was the first film released under the Walt Disney Pictures banner. It is also rumored to have appeared on pre-release/test screenings of Splash (the first film released under the Touchstone Films banner), but this remains unconfirmed.

2nd Logo (June 21, 1985-December 12, 2006)

Images Videos
1985-1989 1990-2006
Flat version

Scope version

4K scope version

Rare version seen on a UK Oliver & Company promo
Flat version (filmed)

Scope version (filmed)

Open matte version (filmed)

Fullscreen version (filmed, black and white)

Flat version (videotaped)

Scope version (videotaped)

DisneyToon Studios version (2002-2006)

Swedish variant

Visuals: On a blue background, a shower of white light descends from the top of the screen, forming a stylized, segmented drawing of a castle; the segments appear to be spaced increasingly further apart as the light descends. Through the main gate of the castle, a white light appears and grows brighter before morphing into the words "Walt Disney", in its familiar corporate font, followed by the blue text "PICTURES" (set in ITC Lubalin Graph) fading in underneath. Another ray of light then draws an arc over the castle, which is hidden only by its highest tower. Three main variants of this exist:
June 21, 1985-November 17, 1989: The castle has a light blue/white gradient, and the arc is drawn all the way to the bottom left of the castle, behind the "W" in "Walt Disney". Also, there is a brief pause after the initial glow before the shower of light descends, and the light from the castle gate appears immediately after the castle has been fully formed.
Some versions of this variant show the castle with a lavender/white gradient. However, some prints of The Black Cauldron show the castle in pure white.
March 21, 1990-April 14, 2006: The castle is now sky blue, and the arc now ends just above the "W" in "Walt Disney".
In the original filmed version of this variant, the "Walt Disney" script appears slightly transparent, whereas in the videotaped version (introduced in 1994), it is solid white. Also, the light reflection on the castle when the arc is drawn is different.
February 15, 2002-December 12, 2006: Same as the 1990 variant, but a seventh flag is added to the rightmost tower of the castle (presumably to match the print logo of the time), which also has a more teal-ish color. This variant is seen exclusively on films produced by DisneyToon Studios or Disney Television Animation.
Alternate Descriptive Video Description: On a blue background, a glowing pinpoint of light arcs over the outline of a castle with spires and flags. Words appear in a flash. Walt Disney Pictures.
Trivia:
The castle in this logo is specifically based on the Sleeping Beauty Castle at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California; in fact, it was originally part of the logo that was used to promote the park's 30th anniversary in 1985. A 1993 New York Times article credits Roy Alexander as the man who dug up the logo from the archives for use on films. Prior to this, design firms attempted to provide Disney with designs that were "too elaborate".[1]
The 2002 variant was used as part of the logo for Disney Television Animation from 2003 to 2013.
This logo was revived in 2021 as part of a merchandising line for ShopDisney, based on its original incarnation.
Variants:
The size of different elements in the logo may vary.
A variation exists in which the animation is in a lower frame rate until the light fades out after forming the segments. A more refined version of this variant debuted in 1991.
On the 1992 short film Bonkers: Petal to the Metal based on the Bonkers television series, the 1990 variant's frames were skipped during the castle's flashing animation, leading the logo to last shorter than normal.[2]
When classic Disney shorts were re-released in the 1990s, the text "A FULLY RESTORED ORIGINAL/ANIMATED CLASSIC" (in the same font used for "PICTURES") is shown before the logo. On The Old Mill, the text reads "A FULLY RESTORED ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING ANIMATED CLASSIC", with a drawing of an Oscar statue to the left and a copyright for the AMPAS on the bottom.
A variant exists in which the flash that forms the "Walt Disney" text is somewhat slower and shaped like an oval. Also, the arc above the castle is slightly larger than usual. This can be found on 101 Dalmatians (1996), the widescreen version of Lady and the Tramp (1998 WDMC release), Endurance, and the 2004 release of Mary Poppins, plastering the Buena Vista logo.
A short version also exists, which is seen on early Touchstone Home Video releases.
The original 1986 and 1988 theatrical prints of The Great Mouse Detective[3] and Oliver & Company use the 1985 variant of the logo, while the films' respective 1992 and 1996 VHS releases use the 1990 and 1991 variants, while the 1994 variant was used for 2010/2012 DVD and Blu-ray for The Great Mouse Detective. However, the original 1985 variant from Oliver & Company is still intact on the France VHS and Widescreen Laserdisc releases from April 1997 and a United Kingdom Theater Recorded Bootleg VHS. [4][5]
An even shorter version also exists, which starts after the text is formed. This can be seen on mid-2000s releases of some classic films, plastering the RKO and Buena Vista logos. This is also silently seen on post-2006 prints of Lady and the Tramp and the 2007 print of The Jungle Book before the Buena Vista logo.
A possible variant exists in which the "Walt Disney" text has a drop shadow; it is unclear whether this is a result of film deterioration or distortion, or if this was indeed an actual variant.
A variation of the logo as a still image can be found at the end of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and on 1990s re-releases of some 1940s-1950s Disney cartoons, plastering the 1953 Buena Vista logo.
On a few 2003-2006 animated films and The Shaggy Dog (as a variant), "PICTURES" appears with the script instead of fading in after.
On the Disney+ print of the 1940 adaptation of Swiss Family Robinson, the 1990 version of this logo is in black and white.
On the 1996 UK VHS release of Pocahontas, the entire logo is still while the arc above the castle glows. This was considered to be a rare bumper, for the sneak peek of The Hunchback of Notre Dame after the film, because the "Stay Tuned" bumper is absented on the aforementioned UK VHS release of the film.
On a Swedish TV spot for The Lion King, the text "Biopremiär" appears below the logo.
Closing Variant: Either the full animation plays, or the logo fades in when the "Walt Disney" text is formed.
Technique: Traditional ink-and-paint animation for the filmed variants (1985 and 1990) and digital ink-and-paint animation for the videotaped variants (1994 and 2002). It remains unknown if this logo was animated in-house at Disney, or whether the digital ink-and-paint variants were produced on Sun 3, Silicon Graphics IRIS 31XX or DEC MicroVAX II computers (all three of which were preferred terminals for CAPS (Computer Animation Production System), according to this patent).
Audio: A rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" (originally from Pinocchio), which opens with a synthesized chorus and a quiet brass rendition of the song's first bar, with chimes evoking pixie dust. This is followed by an uprising flute and a reversed cymbal, then a full orchestral finish of the song's first bar, ending with a five-note synthesizer sting. This version was arranged by John Debney.
Audio Variants:
The original version of the fanfare was used from 1985 to 1990, and was enhanced or re-recorded in 1990.
There exist some re-orchestrated variants of the fanfare:
A version exists with the choir mixed in for the short variant. Some late 1980s theatrical trailers have a voiceover saying, "From the name that means magic in entertainment."
The theme is re-orchestrated in a dramatically different key on 1994's White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf. This version was also arranged by John Debney.
Some films use a more dramatic re-orchestration.
The short Runaway Brain has it sounding more like the 1987 Walt Disney Television theme and the White Fang 2 variant.
Sometimes, the logo is silent or has the opening/ending theme of the film. However, the silent logo from The Journey of Natty Gann has been given a sound fanfare version on the film's 2002 DVD release by Walt Disney Home Entertainment, as reasons for the fanfare inclusion is unknown.[6]
On some 1980s trailers, an entirely different, epic-sounding fanfare is heard.
Some films have the music off-sync with the logo's animation.
On some films, the opening score incorporates the first few bars of "When You Wish Upon a Star" when the logo appears.
On 1990s re-releases of some Disney animated shorts, the logo is silent until the end, when the 1950s Buena Vista music is heard.
On one print of Old Yeller, the film's custom Buena Vista fanfare is heard over the end of the logo due to a plastering error.
On the 1993 Dutch VHS and 2003 US DVD release of The Rescuers, a thunderclap is heard at the end of the logo. This is because the film originally had the Buena Vista logo at the start, but the logo is silent on the 1999 VHS release of the film.
On the 2002 Brazilian VHS release of Sleeping Beauty, the first part of the logo is silent. The second half of the logo, along with the film's variation of the Buena Vista logo, had the normal music play, most likely due to an editing error.
On the 1996 UK VHS release of Pocahontas, the normal audio is replaced by John Sachs saying, "Keep watching after the Pocahontas feature for an exclusive preview of Disney's 34th animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
On foreign dubs of The Black Cauldron produced after 1997 or 1998, the 1990 re-recording fanfare is used; other dubs, mostly from their original theatrical release (such as the Latin American Spanish and Dutch dubs), use the original 1985 mix.
On the 1999 Indonesian VCD release of Operation Dumbo Drop, the theme from the 1994 Disney Videos logo is heard, possibly due to an editing mistake.
On a 1995 ARD airing of White Fang, the 1986 WDHV theme plays. The music serendipitously appears to track with the animation, even though its presence was due to a plastering error.
At the end of Honey, I Blew Up the Kid, the sound of Adam laughing is briefly heard over the logo.
At the end of 101 Dalmatians (1996), the sound of Cruella laughing is heard over the logo.
At the end of Inspector Gadget 2, a splattering sound, with a laser and bouncing sound effect are heard when the logo forms.
On the 1997 French VHS of Oliver & Company, the 1985 logo appears at the end of the French language end credits less than a minute sooner than the US version, due to its SECAM/PAL format and French theatrical print, making the film last less than a few minutes shorter. Plus, as the orchestral reprise of "Once Upon a Time in New York City" ended abruptly in about 30 seconds before it would normally end in the US release.
On the 2003 Chile VHS of The Sword in the Stone, the 1985 variant plasters over the Buena Vista logo.[7]
On the 1996 U.S. Spanish VHS of 101 Dalmatians (1961 version), the 1985 variant appears replacing the Buena Vista logo and it was out-of-sync, unlike the U.S. English version from the 1992 VHS that previously used the 1990 variant.[8]
Availability Notes: It has appeared on most films produced under the Walt Disney Pictures banner from Return to Oz to The Fox and the Hound 2. It started to get plastered by the 7th logo in recent years, but is still easy to find on home media and is kept intact on most films on Disney+.
Legacy: It is regarded as of the most iconic logos in history due to its longevity and presence on many of Disney's classic films.
Availability

3rd Logo (Return to Snowy River ending custom variant) (April 15, 1988)

Image Video
Visuals: On a black/navy blue gradient background, the regular "Walt Disney" script, in a textured baby blue hue, writes itself onscreen (a la the 1986 Walt Disney Home Video logo). The word "PICTURES" (set in Goudy Extra Bold) fades in below the script, with each of the letters spaced out. A ray of light appears below the script and extends to form a line between the script and text, with a small break at the "y" in "Walt Disney".
Technique: Cel animation.
Audio: None.
Availability: Only seen at the end of US prints of Return to Snowy River (originally released in Australia as The Man from Snowy River II), which uses the previous logo at the beginning. Also seen on a TV spot for the film.

4th Logo (June 21, 1991-December 25, 1998)

Normal version

Variant with "Presents", seen on Squanto: A Warrior's Tale

Orange version, seen at the beginning of The Rocketeer

White version, seen at the end of The Rocketeer
Visuals: Just the blue text "WALT DISNEY PICTURES" (set in ITC Usherwood) on a black background, with "WALT DISNEY" on the top row and "PICTURES" on the bottom, justified to fit the first line of text.
Variants:
On The Rocketeer (the first film to use this logo), the text is unjustified and appears in orange at the beginning of the film and in white at the end.
On Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, the text appears in green.
On Squanto: A Warrior's Tale, the word "Presents" fades in below the logo.
Technique: A still printed image.
Audio: The opening theme of the film or none.
Availability

5th Logo (Pixar custom variant) (November 22, 1995-June 29, 2007)

Images Videos
Flat version

Scope version

Open matte version

Workprint variant

Slightly stretched variant, taken from the Malaysian VCD of The Incredibles

Filmed version, seen on original prints of Toy Story

Visuals: On a blue background, the camera flies out through the gate of a silver CGI castle with light blue tops and yellow flags. When the camera zooms out to its regular position, the logo animates in the same manner of the 2nd logo, but the "Walt Disney" text appears sculpted, and the light that draws the arc over the castle is slower and drops what seems to be pixie dust.
Alternate Descriptive Video Description:
On a blue background, our view pulls back through the center gate of a castle with spires and flags. Words appear in a flash, Walt Disney Pictures. A glowing pinpoint of light arcs over the castle.
On a blue background, a glowing pinpoint of light arcs over a three-dimensional castle with spires and flags. Words appear in a flash, Walt Disney Pictures.
Variants:
On original prints of Toy Story, the logo is open matte and it zooms out at the end, fading into the cloud wallpaper of Andy's room to start the movie. Prints before 2000 have the logo blue-tinted and filmed due to being taken from a telecine transfer.
The post-2009 prints replace this logo with the Pixar Animation Studios logo (which itself comes after the 2006 Disney logo), which fades to reveal Andy's room once the animation finishes and freezes for a few seconds.
Sometimes, the logo is shortened to when the arc is formed over the castle.
On the Malaysian VCD release of The Incredibles, the logo is slightly stretched horizontally, along with the Pixar logo.
Closing Variant: The full animation as transcribed above, albeit onscreen for a few more seconds.
Technique: CGI by Pixar themselves. As with other works they did at the time, this was animated on a Silicon Graphics Indigo2 Extreme workstation and rendered on a farm of Sun SPARCstation 20 units.
Audio: A bombastic fanfare composed by Randy Newman, based on "Andy's Birthday" (titled "Opening" on The Legacy Collection complete score album) from the Toy Story soundtrack. Sometimes, the reverberation from the ending trails into the Pixar logo.
Audio Variants:
On original prints of Toy Story, a more bombastic version of the fanfare is used, and after the arc is drawn over the castle, only the rest of the notes to the third to last note of the fanfare play, with the last two notes played on a trumpet, segueing into the opening theme.
It was even included on both the original soundtrack of the film (as the track "Andy's Birthday") and on The Legacy Collection complete score album (as the track "Opening").
Post-2009 prints kept the two trumpet notes from the logo's score that segues into the opening scene, following the Pixar logo.
An early workprint version of A Bug's Life uses the music from the 2nd logo.
On Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles, and Ratatouille, the opening theme of the movie is used instead.
On original prints of Cars, the fanfare is re-orchestrated due to the opening logo being at the same duration of the logo's closing re-appearance, with an extra note added.
On the closing variant, the sound of the flags waving and of pixie dust as the arc is drawn are audible. Sometimes, the ending theme of the film is used instead.
On all UK and Australian DVDs of films, the audio for this logo and the rest of the film sounds slightly high-pitched, due to the PAL speedup.
Legacy: This logo is considered a favorite of many, especially Pixar fans.
Availability

6th Logo (May 19, 2000-April 14, 2006)

Images Videos
Original version

Trailer version

Closing version

Visuals: On a black background, an orange light wipes over the company name (in the same design as the 2nd and 5th logos) from left to right. Then a brighter orange light soars over the text, revealing the castle from the 2nd logo in metallic orange in the process. The entire logo wipes away as soon as the light trail fades away.
Alternate Descriptive Video Description: Golden light illuminates a logo. Walt Disney Pictures. A glowing pinpoint arcs over the outline of a castle with spires and flags.
Variants:
On trailers, the castle is in a more bronze color, and the text is brighter.
On films such as The Pacifier, the logo is filmed.
Closing Variants:
The logo appears already formed and as a still image.
Sometimes, the full animation is used.
Technique: CGI.
Audio: None or the opening/closing theme of the movie.
Audio Variant: On The Pacifier, a marching band plays a suspenseful rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star". This version was also arranged by John Debney.
Legacy: This logo earned the unofficial nickname "Flashlight", and is fondly remembered by those who grew up with older-skewing Disney films of the time.

7th Logo (July 7, 2006-June 15, 2018)

Scope version
Widescreen version
Open matte version

Visuals: First a night sky is shown, with a star somewhere in the distance and the clouds on the bottom. The camera begins to pan down through the clouds, revealing a valley with a winding river being navigated by a yacht, a train running down a railroad track and some buildings nearby. The camera passes a flag with the Disney coat of arms to reveal a new castle, now redone in CGI, as fireworks are seen around the setting. The camera pans around the castle before stopping at a comfortable position, with the castle in full view and two walls lined up on opposite sides with a winding river in front. The fireworks fade away, and a small light appears from the left side of the castle, flying towards the bottom right side. It then draws a line over the castle, leaving behind pixie dust. "WALT DiSNEY", in its distinctive (albeit somewhat altered) script font, alongside "P I C T U R E S" (or starting in 2011, just "DiSNEY"), fades in front of the castle.

Alternate Descriptive Video Descriptions:

In a logo, stars twinkle in the sky. Our view drifts down through clouds to a river that winds past hillsides. A train crosses a bridge. As a flag waves on the top of a castle's tallest spire, a bright display of fireworks explodes in the sky. A glowing pinpoint of light arcs over the castle, leaving a trail of sparkling dust. Words appear, Walt Disney Pictures.
In a logo, stars twinkle in the sky. Our view drifts down through clouds to a river that winds past hillsides. A train crosses a bridge. As a flag waves on the top of a castle's tallest spire, a bright display of fireworks explodes in the sky. A glowing pinpoint of light arcs over the castle, leaving a trail of sparkling dust. Words appear, Disney.
From a starry sky, a wide view descends to a magnificent castle with a vibrant display of fireworks. Disney.

Trivia:

This logo was commissioned by then-Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook and then-studio marketing president Oren Aviv.
The logo contains elements from various Disney films: a starry background (either the opening shot of Pinocchio or the Second Star to the Right from Peter Pan), a cloudbank (possibly Mary Poppins), and a train track (Dumbo).
The arc that appears over the castle is an homage to instances of Tinker Bell from Peter Pan flying over the castle and sprinkling fairy dust, such as the introduction sequences of Walt Disney Presents (1958) and The Wonderful World of Disney (1961).
The castle amalgamates the Cinderella Castle and the Sleeping Beauty Castle.
The coat of arms on the castle flag is of Walt Disney's family crest.
The yacht is said to be the Pyewacket, owned by Roy E. Disney. This was reportedly an addition by Mike Gabriel to signify the fact that, like Walt, Roy had also made a significant impact on the company; he always had everyone's back, or at least the back of the castle.
- While this is the most common and likely claim to the identity of the ship, the website for yU+co circa 2011 called it Captain Hook's pirate ship (also known as the Jolly Roger), in reference to Peter Pan (his name was misspelled as "Captain Cook" until 2013).[1]
On August 13, 2019, Disney posted a compilation video of the 2nd, 4th, 5th and 6th logos and its variants across 45 different films, from The Black Cauldron (1985) to The Lion King (2019), which can be shown on the company's YouTube channel here.

Variants:

On 3D releases, the text zooms in more to create a three-dimensional illusion. This variant was also used on eight regular format films (at least one of which was not actually released in 3D): Mars Needs Moms, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, both Planes films, Cinderella (2015), Aladdin (2019), Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and the Disney+ film Noelle.
Another variant has the text already formed while the curved line is drawn; this is mostly seen on trailers, as well as at the beginning of the current prints of Monsters, Inc to plaster over the similarly brief example of the fourth logo.
An open matte version exists in both fullscreen and widescreen formats.
A 4:3 variant was seen on the 2008 DVD of 101 Dalmatians in open matte format (current home media prints since the 2010s and the Disney+ print omits it), and the Disney+ print of Honey, We Shrunk Ourselves! in standard format, plastering the Walt Disney Home Video logo.
On the iPad app Disney Animated, the app's logo was shown in the start before it pans down to the city background. At the end, it pans up as scenes from Disney films and shorts are being shown as pieces of paper, which forms the app's main menu. It was also shown at the end of the app's first chapter, "Art in Motion", transitioning to a photo of the Roy E. Disney Animation Building at night.
On TV airings of Cars, an ABC print of Toy Story 3, a Freeform print of Finding Dory, and Cartoon Network prints of Alice Through the Looking Glass, the logo starts with the flag being revealed.
Sometimes, the "DiSNEY" version of the logo has the text off-center.
On 3D prints of Ratatouille, the logo starts when the pixie dust is first seen. This was to help time the opening logos correctly as the opening score, while the 2D prints use the 4th logo.
On the 2007 Chinese film The Secret of The Magic Gourd, the logo is filmed and the audio is off-sync.
On Indian films, the logo is brighter, with the sky in a lighter blue color, the clouds in a pinkish color, and the castle in a slight tint of green.
For later 2021 Chinese releases of Disney films, and to commemorate Shanghai Disneyland's fifth anniversary, the castle was replaced by Shanghai Disneyland's Enchanted Storybook Castle (seen in the logo variant from the 2020 live-action remake of Mulan), the flag's icon was replaced by the park's fifth anniversary logo, and the "DiSNEY" text is golden. While the arc is drawn, the Chinese text for "Year of Magical Surprise" (奇妙连连惊喜一整年) appears on the top of castle, in orange. There are also some minor changes, with motion blur omitted from the castle and the textures of the grass and the water reflections.
On ABC airings of Moana, another shortened variant exists that starts when the castle is almost at the final angle.
A sped-up portion of this logo, starting at the camera rotating the castle and with the logo moving upwards in static, then transitioning to its movie counterpart before the arc is drawn, was shown on Disney's brand page on the Disney+ website. A frame of the logo with the text shifted upwards to fit the page's style is shown afterwards.
This was also used on the intro of The Wonderful World of Disney from 2007 to 2022, albeit without the text.
- The May 2007 version has the castle shown at the end of the intro, transitioning from the homepage of the new Disney website via Tinker Bell tapping her wand and flying away. At the end, with the program's logo shown on the top of the screen, Tinker Bell flies in and taps her wand, then flies away.
- The December 2007 version has the castle shown at the start and end of the intro, with the latter part using the "Disney" text enlarged in the middle of the screen to fit the program's logo, with the usual fanfare and firework sounds from the logo played in the background, albeit with the first seven notes played two times, along with archival audio of Walt Disney saying "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse." At the start, Tinker Bell flies to the castle gate as the camera follows her. At the end, Tinker Bell flies in, taps her wand then flies away.
- The 2015 and 2020 versions had the castle shown at the end of the intro. The music for both versions is "Heaven's Triumph" by Q-Factory's Robert Etoll.
  - The 2015 version starts from the fireworks bursting in the air. As the castle is reaching its position, The Wonderful World of Disney logo is shown.
  - The 2020 version starts from the camera reaching its position. As it does, The Wonderful World of Disneylogo fades in. As the arc is almost drawn, the "Presented by Disney+" tagline (with the animated Disney+ logo) fades in.
On the Disney100 sizzle reel, as shown here, the sky background is used with the prototype Disney100 logo (the Disney wordmark with a prototype "100" drawing) and its tagline fading in as the "100" shines.
A frame of the logo (with the fireworks before the arc is drawn) was shown in a door-shaped mirror in the Disney100 teaser site in Japan up unto February 13, 2023.

Closing Variants:

Just the final seconds of the logo, where the line draws over the castle and the text fades in. This was also used as an opening logo on current prints of Monsters, Inc., replacing the 1995 Pixar-exclusive logo, albeit with the text already shown, just like in the trailer version.
On animated films starting with Finding Dory (except Onward, Ralph Breaks the Internet, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (the first film had no logo), and Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again), the full animation is used as a closing logo, very possibly to make the international dubbing credits sync with the music.
On current prints of Aladdin (1992), Hercules, and Brother Bear (despite the previous logo being used at the beginning of the third title), the tail-end of the logo plays, in order to match the length of the previous logo.
In some cases, no closing logo appears at all.

Technique: CGI by WētāFX and yU+co, animated using Pixar's Renderman and Nuke software. The main staff responsible for the rendering were Cyrese Parrish and Cameron Smith. The 3D typography was done by John Stable and John Bias. Producer Baker Bloodworth and director Mike Gabriel were also part of the team responsible for this logo, which took nearly a year to complete.

Audio: A piano/string piece that builds into an orchestral/choir rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star", which ends on a long, bombastic note. Firework sound effects are also heard when the fireworks are seen onscreen. This was composed and arranged by Mark Mancina, co-arranged and orchestrated by David Metzger, and overseen by then-Walt Disney Music president Chris Montan.

Audio Variants:

An alternate version of the fanfare exists, which is subtly different and has louder, clearer sound effects.
On most movies after the logo's initial years, the film's opening theme is used instead, with no sound effects whatsoever. Some of these have the firework sounds as part of the opening theme, and sometimes the logo is completely silent. Additionally, different sound effects are sometimes used with the opening theme for some films.
Some films have the sound effects (particularly those of the fireworks) being different.
The closing variant is either silent, has music from any given soundtrack, or uses the ending theme of the film. When there are sounds, there is the sound of fairy dust over the logo.
A high pitched variant exists, which is heard on PAL prints of films and the main hub section of Disney Movies VR, respectively.
- On the latter, different firework sounds are used, even after the music ends.
On the sound-effects only audio track of Meet the Robinsons, only the sound of bursts can be heard.

Availability: This was used in tandem with the 2nd logo until December 12, 2006, and with the 4th logo until June 29, 2007.

General information

Seen on most Disney films from 2006 until 2018, starting with Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (trailers for the film use the previous logo) and ending with the 2018 screener VHS release of The Incredibles 2 (as a variant).
Also seen on Pixar films from WALL-E to The Incredibles 2. It was also seen on some TV spots and 3D prints of Ratatouille (even though the film itself and 2D prints used the 4th logo as that logo's final appearance).
The version with the full company name was last used theatrically on Winnie the Pooh (2011) and on the DTV film Treasure Buddies (2012); however, it later appeared at the end of theatrical prints of The Lone Ranger (2013).
Even though the 2011 variant was actually first used for the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment logo back in 2007, it would later replace the original variant (with the full company name) starting with The Muppets, and all movies following it. The change was also made ostensibly to fit into mobile phones and other devices, like the iPod.
This was used on the Disney page of the Disney+ app until December 22, 2023, as well as the profile pic on Walt Disney Studios' social media accounts.

Individual appearances and plasters

It also started to appear on current prints of classic Disney films and shorts, as well as pre-2008 Pixar films (with the exceptions of A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille(2D prints only)) in the late 2000s (however, many others like those aforementioned films still use their old logos). It even plasters the Touchstone Pictures logo on post-2006 prints of The Nightmare Before Christmas (the company is still listed in the closing credits).
Also seen on some Indian films produced by the company, with the UTV Motion Pictures logo appearing on select international releases until 2017.
It also appears before the Studio Ghibli logo on 2010 DVD releases of their output, and is even surprisingly retained at the end of both UK and Australian DVD releases of Ponyo, even though Optimum Releasing (now StudioCanal) and Madman Entertainment released the film in those respective countries.
It also appeared on the demo VHS release of Cinderella III: A Twist in Time, marking the only known instance of the logo on an official VHS release in the USA excluding D-VHS releases.
It also appears on a few Disney games since the closure of Disney Interactive Studios in 2016, including Disney Infinity 1.0(as a variant); otherwise the print Disney wordmark is used. It also appears on LEGO games published by Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment and based on Disney properties, such as LEGO Star Wars: The Force Awakens, LEGO The Incredibles (as a variant), and LEGO Star Wars: The Skywalker Saga. This logo did not appear on Cars 3: Driven to Win, which uses the Disney Consumer Products logo instead.
The logo usually appeared in ABC shows and specials, such as Dancing with the Stars and American Idol during Disney Night, which occurred once each season, with a variant created for these shows, respectively. For example, in Season 24 of Dancing with the Stars, the logo without the Disney text was shown on the video walls in the stage, and the logo precedes the BBC Worldwide Productions logo. Furthermore, the same skybox was used in Mickey's 90th Spectacular(albeit using a variant at the start of the show) during the show's finale.
The castle was also shown in the Disney section of the main hub of Disney Movies VR (albeit with the music in PAL pitch), with different firework sounds playing in the background, even after the music stops. Different fireworks are also shown in the background.
The 4:3 open-matte variant is seen on foreign VHS and VCD releases, as well as 4:3 international airings of Pixar films from WALL-E to Cars 2.

Legacy: This is considered an iconic logo among Disney fans and is a favorite of many; however, it has gained infamy among some for its continual plastering of Disney's previous logos. Outside the logo community, it's regarded by some as a metaphor for the company's size.

Copyright Stamps

Here is some information about the copyright stamps on the Disney films:

References

External Links

Final Note

Walt Disney Pictures still exists, but according to a comment on SpaceCheese's YouTube video Top 10 Worst Logo Plasters, current prints of 80% of Walt Disney Pictures films have the Walt Disney Pictures logos plastered with a Paramount logo from the same year when Paramount Pictures was renamed to Paramount Family Entertainment in 2018 because the #1 worst logo plaster, which was the 1987 Paramount Home Video logo with the 1995 MGM Lion roar from the 1956 Merrie Melodies short The High and the Flighty also applied to all of the three-strip technicolor Paramount Pictures logos.

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Tuesday, June 4, 2024

Walt Disney Pictures