Walt Disney Pictures

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 : Availability : Ultra common. Editor’s Note : A nicely done logo.
 * 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.
 * 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.

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. Editor’s Note : A nicely done logo.
 * 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.

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. Editor’s Note : None.
 * The first film to use this logo was Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
 * The “DiSNEY” version first appeared on The Muppets.