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Walt Disney Pictures (branded and credited as simply Disney since 2011) is the main film production arm of The Walt Disney Company, based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. 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 ...
- Variations
These are the logo variations used throughout the years by...
- Log in
Walt Disney Pictures (branded and credited as simply Disney...
- Variations
- Overview
- Background
- 1st Logo (October 7, 1983-December 25, 1998)
- 2nd Logo (June 21, 1985-December 12, 2006)
- 3rd Logo (April 15, 1988)
- 4th Logo (Pixar Variant) (November 19, 1995-June 29, 2007)
- 5th Logo (May 19, 2000-April 14, 2006)
- 6th Logo (June 24, 2006-December 15, 2022; September 29, 2023)
- 7th Logo (September 9, 2022-)
- Copyright Stamps
In memory of Walt Disney (1901-1966)
Walt Disney Pictures is an American film production studio owned by The Walt Disney Company. The studio is the flagship producer of live-action feature films and is based at the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank, California. Animated films produced by Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar Animation Studios are also released under the studio banner. Originally reorganized from Walt Disney Productions (now "The Walt Disney Company") as the live-action division of Disney, today it is one of Hollywood's major film studios.
When Walt Disney passed away in December 1966, his brother Roy O. Disney took over Walt Disney Productions and oversaw the release of films such as The Jungle Book, The Happiest Millionaire and Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Roy died from a stroke in 1971, shortly after the opening of Walt Disney World. Walt's son-in-law Ron Miller began running the studio with the help of Walt and Roy's associates Card Walker and Donn Tatum. This era of leadership at Disney is widely associated with a series of ambitious live action flops such as The Black Hole and Tron, though most of these films have since gained a cult following. Despite Disney's live action struggles, the animation unit continued to have success with films such as Robin Hood. During his tenure, Miller established Touchstone Pictures and rebranded the live-action film division as "Walt Disney Pictures", while Buena Vista was rebranded to "Buena Vista Pictures Distribution" with its opening card being dropped in favor of an in-credit text.
Nicknames: "Walt Dull-sney Pictures", "The Walt Disney Text of Boredom", "Boring Disney"
Logo: Just text reading "WALT DISNEY PICTURES", but applied differently depending on the movie.
Variants:
•Typically, the text (in blue, orange, or white) is against a black background.
•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.
Nicknames: "The Disney Castle", "Magic Kingdom", "Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella Castle", "Classic Castle", "The Castle of Hollywood", "The Castle of Memories", "The Blue Castle", "Nostalgic Castle", "Walt Disney Castle", "Cel-animated Castle", "The Disney Renaissance Logo", "Disney Script", "White Disney Script", "2D Castle", "Abstract Castle"
Logo: On a blue background (à la the 1975 Paramount Pictures logo), a shower of light descends from the top of the screen, forming a stylized, segmented Cinderella/Sleeping Beauty castle. The segments seem to be spaced farther apart by the time the light reaches the bottom. Through the main gate of the castle, a white ball of light forms, then extends out to form the words "WALT DiSNEY" in the familiar corporate "Disney" logo font. The word "PICTURES", in an ITC Lubalin Graph font, fades in underneath. A ball of light then appears on the right side of the castle and draws a circular line over it. Three main variants exist:
•June 21, 1985-November 17, 1989: The castle is a lavender/white gradient, and the background is indigo. However, some prints of The Black Cauldron show the castle in pure white. Some versions of this variant show the castle in a light blue/white gradient, and the background is blue. In this variant, the semi-circular line is drawn all the way to the bottom left. Also, there is a pause after the initial glow before the shower of light descends, and the flash from the castle gate starts immediately after the castle has been formed. This is the only variant of the logo not to use digital ink and paint animation, as Disney did not switch to that technique until 1989 and 1990.
•March 21, 1990-April 14, 2006: The castle is sky blue, and the background is blue. Also, the semi-circular line ends just above the "W" in the script. This variant exists in cel animated/filmed and digitally animated/videotaped versions.
•June 15, 2001-December 12, 2006: Similar to the 1990 variant, but the seventh flag is added to the right of the castle. This variant is mainly used on DisneyToon Studios' productions and is the only one not to use cel animation or be shot on film.
Trivia:
Nicknames: "Disney Script II", "Animated Script"
Logo: On a black/cadet 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 "P I C T U R E S" fades in below the script in a Times font, with each of the letters spaced-out. A dot of light appears below the script and extends to form a line between the script and text.
FX/SFX: Typical animation for the time period, although smooth.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Ultra rare. Only known to appear at the end of Return to Snowy River, which was originally titled The Man from Snowy River II in Australia and Untamed in the United Kingdom and Ireland (the 2nd logo appears at the beginning). Also spotted on a TV spot for said film. A print version of this logo also appeared on film posters for Cheetah (1989). Used in tandem with the second logo.
Editor's Note: Quite an oddity in general, given its usage and obscurity.
Nicknames: "The Pixar Castle", "Pixar Kingdom", "Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella Castle II", "Sleeping Beauty Castle 3D", "CGI Disney Castle", "The Disney Castle II", "Walt Disney Castle II", "The Castle of Hollywood II", "Majestic Castle", "The Zooming Castle", "Pre-Ultra Majestic Castle", "Disney Script III", "White Disney Script II", "CGI Disney Script", "The Bicolored Castle"
Logo: On a blue background, the camera flies out underneath a CGI castle (in silver and light blue), with flags rippling on the top. When the logo zooms out, the logo proceeds as normal, but the "WALT DiSNEY" text is more three-dimensional, and the ball of light drawing the line over the castle drops what seems to be pixie dust, which is much slower than the 2nd logo.
Trivia: This is pretty much a CGI remake of the second logo, although the way the castle appears is very different.
Variants:
•On Toy Story, the logo zooms out to reveal Andy's room once the ball of light finishes drawing the line over the castle. On the original VHS and VCD release, the logo is blue-tinted and filmed.
•On trailers and on Monsters, Inc., the logo is shortened to when the arc is formed over the castle. This does not appear as a closing variant, though.
Nicknames: "Hidden Disney Castle", "The Flare", "Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella Castle III", "The Castle of Hollywood III", "The Flashlight", "Golden Disney Castle", "Walt Disney Castle III", "2D Castle II", "Disney Script IV", "Golden Disney Script", "Golden Castle"
Logo: On a black background is the orange text "WALT DiSNEY PICTURES" wiping in from left to right. Then, an orange light/flare 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.
Variant: On trailers, the logo appears to be in a bronze-like color and is leaving behind the arc.
Closing Variant:
•The closing variation of this logo is still. Also, the castle is in a gradient scheme, albeit different from the trailer version.
•On some movies such as Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, Brother Bear, and the 2002/2003 releases of The Lion King, the full animation is being used as a closing variant.
Nicknames: "CGI Magic Kingdom", "The Disney Castle IV", "Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella Castle IV", "Majestic Castle II", "Ultra Majestic Castle", "The Castle and the Fireworks", "CGI Disney Castle II", "Sleeping Beauty Castle 3D II", "Walt Disney Castle IV", "The Plastering Castle", "Disney Script VI", "Glossy Disney Script"
Logo: There is a view of a night sky, with a star somewhere on the screen and the clouds on the bottom. The screen then start flying down through the clouds, revealing a horizon with a winding river (including a yacht), with a train running down a railroad track and some buildings nearby. The screen then flies down past a flag with the Disney coat of arms and continues panning down as fireworks start going off around the setting. The camera continues to turn, pan downwards and zoom out until the castle, now completely redone in CGI, is in full view. Once the camera stops 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 stop exploding and a small speck 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" in a Trajan Pro font (or as of 2011, just "DiSNEY") fades in front of the castle.
Trivia:
•This logo was designed by motion design agency yu+Co and produced/animated by Peter Jackson's Wētā FX (then known as Wētā Digital) using the Pixar Renderman and Nuke software and took nearly a year to fully complete. This was commissioned by then-chairman of Walt Disney Studios, Dick Cook, and then-studio marketing president, Oren Aviv. 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 of the making of the logo. Furthermore, the logo, without the text, was used in the intro to The Wonderful World of Disney since 2007. However, the logo's music, along with the firework sounds, albeit the first 7 notes of the intro are played twice, followed with archival audio of Walt Disney's quote about one of his accomplishments, "I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing, that it was all started by a mouse.", was used in the 2008 version of the intro. The second half of the logo's music, in high tone, was used in Disney Movies VR, along with the castle, rendered for VR displays using the Unity engine, and with different fireworks with firework sounds playing over when the Disney section is highlighted, being shown in the app's main hub.
•The logo contains elements from 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), a pirate ship (Peter Pan) and a train track (Dumbo).
•The castle is based on both the Cinderella Castle and the Sleeping Beauty Castle.
Nicknames: "CGI Magic Kingdom II", "The Disney Castle V", "Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella Castle V", "Majestic Castle III", "Ultra Majestic Castle II", "100 Years of Wonder", "Disney100", "The Sunset Castle", "100th Anniversary Castle", "100 Years of Walt Disney", "Centennial Castle", "Century Castle", "The ILM Castle", "The Mountain Castle", "The Platinum Castle"
Logo: It starts off with the enhanced night sky, with the largest star jumps out of the river, causing the scene to ripple around it. Instead of panning down, the camera pans up and goes through an updated version of the river and buildings as an approaching train passes by on a bridge, now with a waterfall, trees and other elements in the foreground as we follow the star flying around the landscape, a la the Star Skipper from the Paramount Animation logo. Once the camera gets to the waterfall, it pans up to reveal the Cinderella Castle from the back before the star flies across it and fills it with color, as the camera rotates to the left and then works its way to the famed position while multiple fireworks are seen exploding from all directions. The camera then reaches its standard position, revealing a new sunset background and a new river, and the arc (now colored in blue as well as being wider and brighter) draws counter-clockwise rather than other way around, with a star twinkling when it reaches its highest point. As the camera slowly zooms out, the "DiSNEY" script shown in glass writes in (which is once again in the 1985 font), then the camera comes to a stop before the logo fades out.
Trivia:
•According to an official D23 article, the flying star that jumps out of the river is meant to represent Tinker Bell from Peter Pan.
•The pan up/zoom shot to a castle through a forest/waterfall background is a homage to Beauty and the Beast, which opened with a similar shot.
•The castle's color changing is also a nod to the scene of the spell cast on the Beast's castle being broken from said film.
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.
Disney retired the Buena Vista brand in 2007 a side from its home video distribution arm. 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 ...
The "Walt Disney" scrap of paper is part of the 1985 logo. The fanfare also turns into a rock version of the fanfare when the logo transforms. Walt Disney Pictures - Prom (2011) _____ Winnie the Pooh (2011): The logo is tinted in yellow except for the sky, the castle, and the company's name. Logo Variations - Walt Disney Pictures - CLG Wiki
1988 []. This logo, which is currently only known to appear at the end of Return to Snowy River (The Man from Snowy River II in Australia and The Untamed in the U.K.; released April 15, 1988; the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo is featured at the beginning of the movie instead of this logo) and its commercials, features the current version of the Walt Disney wordmark being written out (a la the ...
A flash forms “WALT DiSNEY” (in its famous script). “PICTURES” fades in below the script. An arc forms all the way to the “W”. Variants: Starting in 1990, the background is blue, the castle is light blue and the arc stops by the “W”. Starting in 2002, there are now seven flags. FX/SFX: Flash animation.
Walt Disney Pictures Variations. Tarzan (1999): After the flash of light revealing the Walt Disney text, the background turns into a jungle. Inspector Gadget 1&2 (1999, 2003): The logo is mechanized and the white curve line is replaced by a gear. Lilo & Stitch (2002): The logo gets stolen by a UFO beam. Teachers Pet (2004): The logo is animated ...
