1st Logo (December 21, 1937-June 21, 1985)[]
Logo: It's not really a logo, only an in-credit logo.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The opening/closing theme of the film.
Availability: Ultra common. Seen on films during the era.
Editor’s Note: An in-credit logo.
2nd Logo (December 22, 1972-July 12, 1973)[]
Nicknames: “Tinker Bell”, “‘70s Tinker Bell”
Logo: TBA
FX/SFX: Flash animation.
Music/Sounds: TBA
Availability: Near extinction. Seen during Disney’s 50th anniversary.
Editor’s Note: None.
3rd Logo (October 7, 1983-December 25, 1998)[]
Logo: Same as the 1st logo, but on a black background, we see the words WALT DISNEY PICTURES in a serif font.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: TBA
Availability: Ultra common. Seen on films during the era.
Editor’s Note: Same as the 1st logo.
4th Logo (June 21, 1985-December 12, 2006)[]
Nicknames: “The Castle”, “‘80s Castle”, “Ultra Common Castle”
Logo: On an indigo background, we see a pale white castle with six flags wiping from above with the “shower of light”. 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.
Music/Sounds: A majestic theme that is based on “When You Wish Upon a Star”, composed by John Debney.
Music/Sounds Variants:
- On some films like Return to Snowy River, it is silent.
- On some films such as Tarzan, Pocahontas and The Emperor’s New Groove, the opening theme plays over the logo.
- Some films such as Flight of the Navigator, The Rescuers Down Under as well as the 1997 VHS of The Little Mermaid, the music is off-sync. In this variant, the logo’s animation is slow and choppy (it looks more like somebody sliding a sheet of paper) and the light is not as apparent.
Availability: Ultra common.
- The first film to use this logo was Return to Oz.
- The original variant appears on 1985 to 1990 films.
- The later variant appears on 1990 to 2006 films.
- The last film overall to use this logo was The Fox and the Hound 2.
Editor’s Note: A nicely done logo.
5th Logo (April 15, 1988)[]
Logo: On a dark blue background, we see the script from before in blue writing. “PICTURES” appears below. A line draws between the two.
FX/SFX: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: None.
Availability: Extinct. Only appeared at the end of Return to Snowy River.
Editor’s Note: None.
6th Logo (November 22, 1995-June 29, 2007)[]
Nicknames: “The Castle II”, “‘90s Castle”, “CGI Castle”, “Pixar Castle”
Logo: On a blue background, we see Sleeping Beauty Castle, redone in CGI with the camera zooming out. The same animation applies with the 4th logo.
FX/SFX: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A bombastic fanfare composed by Randy Newman. On Monsters, Inc., The Incredibles and Ratatouille, the opening theme plays over the logo. At the end of films, we hear flags waving and a pixie dust sound.
Availability: Very common.
- The first film to use this logo was Toy Story.
- Also seen on A Bug’s Life, Toy Story 2, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo, The Incredibles and Cars.
- The last film to use this logo was Ratatouille.
Editor’s Note: A nicely done logo.
7th Logo (May 19, 2000-April 14, 2006)[]
Nicknames: “The Castle III”, “‘2000s Castle”
Logo: On a black background, we see the 1985 logo, only that everything is in orange.
Closing Title: The still version. At least two films used the opening variant.
FX/SFX: Flash animation.
Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme.
Availability: Rare. First seen on Dinosaur and last appeared on The Wild.
Editor’s Note: None.
8th Logo (July 7, 2006- )[]
Nicknames: “The Castle IV”, “‘2000s Castle II”, “CGI Castle II”, “Ultra Common Castle II”
Logo: On a night sky we see a star twinkling. The camera pans down to reveal a redone hybrid of Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella Castle as fireworks appear. A pixie dust forms “WALT DiSNEY” in its famous script, only slightly different from the 1985 logo. “PICTURES” fades in underneath.
Variant: Starting in 2011, “WALT” and “PICTURES” is dropped, leaving only the “DiSNEY” text. This was made to fit other devices similar to the iPod.
FX/SFX: CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A lush theme based on “When You Wish Upon a Star”, completely different from the 4th logo, composed by Mark Mancina. The post-November 2011 version, has subtle changes with louder sound effects. This version is currently used as an alternate. Some films have the opening theme. The pre-2016 closing version has pixie dust sounds or silence.
Availability: Extremely common.
- The first film to use this logo was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
- The “DiSNEY” version first appeared on The Muppets.
Editor’s Note: None.