Walt Disney

Logos[]

1st logo: This is not really a logo, only an in-credit text. At the start of the film, there are the words "Walt Disney Presents" or "Walt Disney Productions Presents". At the end of the film, there is "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 doesn't 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, The 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.
The original German print of The Rescuers (as seen on VHS releases) lacks the "The End" text of the closing title card.
Some films, like The Reluctant Dragon, Dumbo and Saludos Amigos, have the end title containing "Distributed by RKO Radio Pictures, Inc.".
For The Jungle Book's 1997 restoration for the 30th Anniversary Edition, the closing text ("The End - A Walt Disney Production") is tinted white instead of the original yellow, possibly due to a restoration coloring error.
In foreign countries, "presents" is replaced by that country's translation (such as "Presenta" on Italian and Spanish prints).

2nd 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, facing the ''50''. 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 1954 Buena Vista logo would follow.

3rd 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 in green, on a space-like background (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.
On a black background, the words ''WALT DISNEY PICTURES" in blue, orange or white is seen.

4th logo: On a blue gradient backdrop, 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 a Lubalin Graph-Book font, fades in underneath. A ball of light then appears on the right side of the castle and draws a circular line over it.

Variants[]

In the original variant, the castle is a lavender/white gradient and the background is tinted indigo. However, some prints of The Black Cauldron show the castle in pure white. Some versions of the 1985-1990 variant show the castle in a light blue/white gradient.
The size of the logo may vary.
From 1985 until 2005, the logo is filmed and made with traditional ink-and-paint cell animation (which means that the logo was painted on several layers of production cels and animated frame by frame), while from 1995 until 2006, the logo is videotaped and made with digital ink-and-paint.
There is a variation used from 1994 until 2006 in which the light forming the castle and the curved line's reflection are a little transparent, the flash forming the words "WALT DiSNEY" is a little brighter and the word "PICTURES" fades in more quicker.
Prior to 1990, 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 successfully formed.
There is a variation of this logo where the animation is slow and choppy, and the "shower of light" isn't as apparent (it looks more like somebody sliding a sheet of blue paper down to form the castle logo). A smoother version of this variant debuted in 1991.
When classic Disney shorts were re-released in the 1990s, the text "A FULLY RESTORED ORIGINAL/ANIMATED CLASSIC", in the 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 A.M.P.A.S. on the bottom.
There is a variant in which the flash that forms the "Walt Disney" text is a little slower and is shaped like an oval. This can be found on 101 Dalmatians (1996 film), the widescreen version of Lady and the Tramp (1998 WDMC release) and the 2004 release of Mary Poppins, plastering the Buena Vista logo.
There is a short version that can be seen on Return to Oz, the Roger Rabbit short Tummy Trouble, DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp, the 1995 Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain, Treasure Planet, and the 1980's re-issue of the 1939 Goofy short Goofy and Wilbur. It also appeared along with the Touchstone Home Video logo on very early Touchstone Home Video releases, mainly Splash, My Science Project and Baby: Secret of the Lost Legend.
On Oliver & Company, the original film release had the 1985 version of the castle, while the 1996 video release uses the 1990 variant.
There is an even shorter variant that starts after the "WALT DiSNEY" text is formed. This can be seen on mid-2000s releases of some classic films (such as Bambi and Cinderella, among others), plastering over the Buena Vista logo.
There is a variant in which the "WALT DiSNEY" text is in what appears to be "shadow" mode. It is unclear whether this is a result of film deterioration, distortion or if this was indeed an actual variant.
There is a variant used from 2000 until 2006 in which a seventh flag is added to the right of the castle.
There is a variant in which the logo is a still picture. This can be found at the end of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and on 1990s re-releases of some 1940s-1950s Disney cartoons (such as Pluto's Fledgling), plastering over the 1953 Buena Vista logo.
On a few 2003-2006 animated films such as Piglet's Big Movie and Leroy & Stitch, "PICTURES" appears with "WALT DiSNEY" instead of fading in after.
Depending on the movie, there could be a variant which includes characters or a style from the movie (or an alternate variant of the original version). Click here for a list of these variants.
This logo is revived on the 2013 film Saving Mr Banks, except, instead of animating as normal it appears on a classic-style title card with copyright notice etc. above the text "Walt Disney Presents" a la the 1st logo in a font similar to the signature font used by the company before the 1980s that more resembled Walt's actual signature.

5th logo: On a very shady cadet blue background, the regular "WALT DiSNEY" script, in a textured baby blue hue, writes itself onscreen (think 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.

6th logo (Pixar variant): On a blue background, the camera flies out underneath a 3D CGI castle, with flags flapping 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. Along with that, the ball of light that draws the curved line over the castle is much slower than the 4th logo.

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 trailers and on Monsters, Inc., the logo is shortened to when the arc is formed over the castle.

7th logo: On a black background, there is the orange text "WALT DiSNEY PICTURES" wiping in from left to right. Then there is an orangelight/flareshining 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 still.

8th logo: They fade into a view of a night sky, with a star somewhere on the screen and the clouds on the bottom. They then start flying down through the clouds with the camera. They then pan with the camera down to a very clear view of a river, with a train running down the railroad track. They then fly with the camera past a flag 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 they almost reach a comfortable position in front of the castle. When the fireworks finish, a very small dot (you'll have to look closely if you want to see it) appears way closer to the castle and then moves to the right side. The dot then draws a line over the castle as we're unusually panning and it is almost finished when we're in a comfortable position in front of the castle. When the dot is finished drawing the line, "WALT DiSNEY", in its well-known script (although it is much different to the 1985 font), fades in in front of the main gate of the castle. When it does, "P I C T U R E S", fades in below the script.

Variants[]

A closing variant which starts off with the line being drawn over the castle by the dot is seen at the end of some films.
On 3D releases, the "WALT DiSNEY" (or, in later years, "DiSNEY") text zooms in more to create the 3D illusion when we're wearing 3D glasses. This variant also appears at the start of the 2D live-action film Cinderella.
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.
On Disney Blu-ray releases, the word "DiSNEY" is unusually absent from the logo. Also, the logo is a still picture except for the river, which continues to flow like normal. This is only seen as a screensaver.
Very rarely, this has manually shown in open matte. A 4:3 open matte variant can be seen on the 2008 DVD of 101 Dalmatians and the full 16:9 open matte version has oddly seen on a video of the opening titles of Enchanted as animated by Weta Digital and might be seen on HDTV prints thereof.
On ABC's broadcast of Toy Story 3, the logo starts where the flag is revealed and the fireworks start.

9th logo (2022-):It starts off with an enhanced version of the night sky from the previous logo, which turns out to be reflected in a river as the largest star jumps out of the river, causing the scene to ripple around it (a la the current Paramount Pictures logo). Instead of panning down, the camera pans up and zooms past an updated version of the river and buildings as the train passes by on a bridge, now with a waterfall, trees and other elements, as they follow the star around the landscape. Once the camera gets to the waterfall, it pans up to reveal a metallic Cinderella Castle from the back before the star flies across it and fills it with color. The camera rotates to the left and then works its way to the front of the castle (similar to the 20th Century Studios logos since 1994) while multiple colored fireworks are seen going off from all directions. The camera then reaches its standard position, revealing a new sunrise/sunset background and a new river, and the arc (now wider, brighter, and colored in blue) draws from the left of the castle rather than from the right, with a star twinkling when it reaches its highest point as the coloring of the castle is finished. As the camera slowly zooms out, the "Disney" script writes in (which is once again in the 1985 font) along with a "100" (with the two zeroes resembling an infinity symbol) in a similar fashion next to it as the camera comes to a stop before the logo fades out.

Variants[]

During the logo's early run, "100 YEARS OF WONDER", set in the company's own font, InspireTWDC, fades in below the text.
A short variant exists where it starts on the arc drawing and the star twinkling when the arc reaches the highest spire, albeit with the castle already colored and the text already formed. This can be seen on trailers and as a closing logo, as well as on short films beginning with Carl's Date. It also appeared at the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (international releases have the "100 YEARS OF WONDER" tagline).
At the end of the Disney100 special look video, which has been uploaded on Disney's social pages before being aired during Super Bowl LVII on February 12, 2023 during the 4th quarter, the logo, which fades from the camera moving to its position, fades out besides the arc after that is drawn with the words "YOU MADE THIS DREAM COME TRUE" and the copyright "© 2023 DISNEY ENTERPRISES, INC." fading in.
- The copyright stamp was moved to the actual logo at the end of the Disney100 "Tradition" special look video on April 3rd of that same year, then the tail end of the text forming in the Disney100 "4th of July" special look video, in the same vein of the first Disney100 special look video, on July 4th of the same year.
- Furthermore, the official site featured the finished logo. Alongside the video's release, the Disney profile picture and banner on the company's social pages were updated with the profile pic showing the Disney logo in silver on the finished logo's sky background and the profile banner showing the logo with the arc drawn and the Disney100 logo (which is different than the one shown on-screen and without the text below it) being moved up to fit with the banner's height.
In the LEGO Disney100 collection teaser, a Minifig version of Tinker Bell appeared as the logo (in it's scope format), starting from the camera moving to its position, fades in. She flies away then follows the arc before tapping her wand before the text is being drawn, as grey bricks appear, as the screen fades to white and transitions to a scene from Steamboat Willie.
A 30fps version exists on Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl, also, starting with the aforementioned film, the coloring is enhanced and updated, likely to accommodate for 4K UHD screens.
An extended version (which starts from when the star is about to jump out of the water's reflection after transitioning from scenes from films from Walt Disney Animation Studios, as Walt Disney's quote, "IT'S KIND OF FUN TO DO THE IMPOSSIBLE.", zooms in as the star jumps out of the water's reflection, with the finished logo stays on-screen for a few seconds; in which it was paused to avoid the logo fading out) is known to exist on Disney100: The Concert during the end of the opening score.
This was also used in the intro for The Wonderful World of Disney since 2022, albeit without the text forming. This version of the intro was based on the 2020 version of the intro, in which it starts as the castle is reaching its position, albeit being shown before the archival audio of Walt Disney saying "...here we go.". Similar to the previous versions, the castle was shown at the end of the intro. As the castle reaching its position, the Wonderful World of Disney logo along with the "Presented by Disney+" tagline (with the animated Disney+ logo being shown as the arc is being drawn), was fading in. After that, it transitions to the print Disney100 logo. A few months later, the intro was updated as the print Disney100 logo was removed, as the "Presented by Disney+" tagline will remain shown for the rest of the intro. This was most likely due to the addition of films from 20th Century Studios, as in which a scene from the featured movie was shown. Just like the 2015 and 2020 versions of the intro, the music is "Heaven's Triumph", composed by Q-Factory's Robert Etoll.
A frame of the finished logo (without the text) is shown in a door-shaped mirror in the Disney100 teaser site in all supported regions and languages besides Japan (until February 12, 2023; February 13 for the rest of the world), albeit with the US English version of the site as one of the rotating images until around the end of December 2022.
On the Apple WWDC (Worldwide Developer's Conference) 2023 event, we see the arc forming after a few seconds, in the same vein as the short version, in which it animates smoothly at 30fps. Then, it moves around for a bit as the text fades out, as we follow it while the camera zooms into the castle gate, transitioning to the reveal of Disney+ on Apple Vision Pro. The finished logo, with the river flowing, was also shown on the screen behind Chief Executive Officer of The Walt Disney Company, Bob Iger, which also animates at 30fps, and is zoomed in to the bottom right when the camera focuses on Iger.

Closing Variation[]

Either the full animation (on animated films) or the short version as described above.

Music/Sounds[]

1st logo: Usually the opening and closing themes of the movie.

2nd logo: 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!".

3rd logo: The beginning of the movie's theme. On A Far Off Place and The Three Musketeers, it's silent.

4th logo: A rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star"; it opens with a chorus singing with a quiet brass rendition of the song's first bar, alongside sparkles evoking pixie dust, followed by an uprising flute and what sounds like a reversed cymbal crash, and then a full orchestral finish of the song's first bar ending with a flute/recorder at the very end. This was composed by John Debney.

Music/Sounds Variants[]

On some movies like The Journey of Natty Gann, Return to Snowy River, The Straight Story, the 1991 VHS of Fantasia, and the 2001 VHS of Bedknobs and Broomsticks, it is unusually silent.
There is a slightly re-orchestrated variant on the 1998 VHS release of The Black Cauldron.
There is another slightly re-orchestrated theme with a choir mixed in for the short variant. Some late 1980s theatrical trailers have a voice-over saying "From the name that means magic in entertainment".
On some 1980s theatrical trailers, a different majestic fanfare, which isn't a rendition of the logo's usual theme in any form, is heard.
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 composed by John Debney.
Some films, such as Recess: School's Out, Jungle 2 Jungle and The Princess Diaries, use a more dramatic re-orchestration.
On the 1995 short Runaway Brain, the logo's theme is re-orchestrated and sounds more like the 1988 Walt Disney Television logo.
At the end of D3: The Mighty Ducks, it uses a flash sound and then a laser sound.
At the end of movies, this logo is usually silent or has the ending theme of the movie playing over it.
Some films, such as Flight of the Navigator, The Rescuers Down Under, as well as the 1998 VHS of The Little Mermaid, have the music off-sync with the logo's animation.
On the 2003 DVD release of The Rescuers, a thunderclap was heard under the logo. This is because the movie originally started with a Buena Vista logo with the same thunderclap and was replaced with the 1985 variant of the Walt Disney Pictures logo for all re-releases post-1989. The opening Buena Vista logo is preserved on the current (2012) DVD and Blu-ray releases, as well as the 1992 VHS and Laserdisc releases. The 1999 VHS features the logo, but it is unusually silent.
On re-releases of Disney animated shorts in the 1990s, the logo is unusually silent until the end, when the 1950s Buena Vista music pops up before the cartoon starts.
On some films, the film's opening score incorporates the first few bars of "When You Wish Upon a Star" when the logo appears.
On one print of Old Yeller, due to a plastering mistake, we hear the film's custom Buena Vista fanfare playing over at the end of the logo.
On some films, such as The Emperor's New Groove, Mulan, Pocahontas and The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the opening theme of the movie is heard.
On the 2005 DVD release of Bambi, the opening to the song "Love is a Song" is heard.
On the 2005 DVD release of Cinderella, the opening to the song "Cinderella" is heard.
On The Santa Clause 2, the flute/recorder isn't heard.
On pre-2002 prints of The Lion King, we hear birds chirping over the logo.

5th logo: None.

6th logo (Pixar variant): A bombastic/majestic fanfare composed by Randy Newman.

Music/Sound Variants[]

We hear what sounds like a more bombastic version of the fanfare and once the line is finished being drawn over the castle by the ball of light, only the rest of the notes to the third to last note of the fanfare play. The last two notes are played by a trumpet. This is only used on the Toy Story variant.
The Pixar films directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles and Ratatouille), as well as Monsters, Inc., have that film's opening theme.
On Cars, the fanfare was re-orchestrated to put a little more of the logo in at the same duration of the logo's closing re-appearance.
At the end of movies using this logo, we hear flapping flags and the sound of pixie dust as the ball of light draws the line over the castle. On A Bug's Life, Monsters Inc., and prints of Toy Story 2 without bloopers, the ending theme of the movie is used instead.

7th logo: None or the opening theme of the movie. On Holes, it has the sound of a fire being lit. On the 2002 IMAX re-release and 2003 2-Disc DVD release of The Lion King, we hear birds chirping over the logo.

8th logo: An orchestration of "When You Wish Upon a Star", composed by Mark Mancina, it's completely different from the 4th logo. Also, firecracker sound effects are heard when the fireworks go off. The post-November 2011 version, starting with The Muppets, is subtly different, with louder and clearer sound effects, this version is currently used as an alternate.

Music/Sounds Variants[]

On Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, it is their respective music cue, along with the sounds of the fireworks, river boat and water flowing.
Otherwise, the opening music plays over the logo, with no sound effects whatsoever, this can be seen on Moana, Frozen, Inside Out, Onward, and Luca, among other films.
The closing variant is unusually silent on some films, while on other films, the sound of fairy dust is heard over the closing variant. Sometimes, the ending theme plays over.
On the 2011 DVD release of Bambi, the opening to the song "Love is a Song" is heard.
On Coco, a mariachi rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" plays over the logo.
On Soul, the theme is played in a discordant jazz fashion by Joe's class.

9th logo (November 23, 2022-): A longer, more majestic and powerful arrangement of the "When You Wish Upon a Star" theme from the previous logo, this time composed by Christophe Beck and conducted and orchestrated by Tim Davies, recorded at the Fox Studio Lot. We also hear the sounds of a whistling train as the train passes by, as well as the sounds of the waterfall rushing as we get close to it, and the choir vocalizing towards the end (albeit more audible). Also, the firework sounds are different and louder, syncing to the notes.

Music/Sounds Variants[]

At the end of films, the closing theme of the film or none.
- Sometimes on the closing variant, we hear a sound of fairy dust (slightly different from the previous logo).
On short films, only the first few seconds of the theme with the fairy dust sound are heard. The theme trails to the Pixar logo on Carl's Date.
On Wish, the fanfare transitions to the opening theme of the movie after it finishes.
On Inside Out 2, the opening theme of the movie is used instead of the logo's normal audio.

Scare Factor[]

1st logo: None to medium, usually depends on the variant. Will evoke fond memories of Walt Disney and his classic films, and the days of old-fashioned opening credits and "THE END" notices. Many films have memorable visuals and music to go with the themes, usually in a positive way, though some films have dramatic fanfares that could be off-putting to younger viewers. Low to medium for the 101 Dalmatians variant due to the in-your-face animation.

2nd logo: Minimal, it's generally harmless.

3rd logo: Low, depends on the variants.

4th logo: None. This is a hugely popular logo, especially with those who grew up watching films that began and ended with this.

5th logo: None.

6th logo (Pixar variant): Minimal for the Toy Story variant. None to minimal or low for the other variants, depending on what music they use. The zooming out of the logo might catch a few off-guard at first. Despite that, this is a great logo, and is well liked by fans of Pixar films.

7th logo: Minimal.

8th logo: None to low. The fireworks may get to some people, alongside the appearance of the flag. Otherwise, this is one of the most beautiful logos ever, combined with the lush music, dream-like animation, and nice sound effects. It's also a favorite of many. The Soul variant of the theme is pretty humorous, too.

9th logo: None. It's a wonderful successor to the previous logo, especially since it was made for Disney's Centennial. The re-orchestrated fanfare and louder fireworks make this logo a winner.