Walt Disney Pictures started off as Walt Disney Productions on October 16, 1923. Since then, third-party distributor RKO Radio Pictures released Disney movies from 1936 to 1954, before Buena Vista Distribution Company was founded. The name "Walt Disney Productions" first appeared in the opening credits as of 1968, and then at the end of each film as of 1971. This is due to the fact that Walt Disney himself died in 1966.
The history of the in-credit text seen on every film can be found here.
History[]
First generation (1937-1942)[]
At the beginning of time, Walt Disney's films were distributed by RKO Radio Pictures. The first five animated films were released in theaters as follows:
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | December 21, 1937 |
Pinocchio | February 7, 1940 |
Fantasia | November 13, 1940 |
Dumbo | October 23, 1941 |
Bambi | August 13, 1942 |
Second generation (1943-1950)[]
During World War II, a series of six package films were made by Walt Disney, in addition to re-releases of films from earlier years to raise revenue.
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Saludos Amigos | February 6, 1943 |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | February 22, 1944 |
The Three Caballeros | February 3, 1945 |
Pinocchio | October 17, 1945 |
Make Mine Music | April 20, 1946 |
Fantasia | September 1, 1946 |
Fun and Fancy Free | September 27, 1947 |
Bambi | December 25, 1947 |
Melody Time | May 27, 1948 |
Dumbo | June 22, 1949 |
The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad | October 5, 1949 |
Cinderella | February 15, 1950 |
Also making their theatrical debuts during this era were hybrid live action/animation films Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1948). After World War II ended, Walt Disney continued production of animated films in 1948. His last one in this era was Cinderella (1950). When this film hit theaters, all of the package films were sent back to the Disney Vault for several decades.
Third generation (1951-1957)[]
During the third generation of Walt Disney's films, Buena Vista Distribution was founded in 1953, and further production of Disney's films moved to there from RKO Radio Pictures.
For this generation, Alice in Wonderland temporarily took Dumbo's place.
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Alice in Wonderland | July 28, 1951 |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | February 13, 1952 |
Peter Pan | February 5, 1953 |
Pinocchio | February 18, 1954 |
Lady and the Tramp | June 22, 1955 |
Fantasia | February 7, 1956 |
Cinderella | February 14, 1957 |
Bambi | July 3, 1957 |
Fourth generation (1958-1966)[]
In 1960, the word "Film" was dropped from the company's first name, changing it to Buena Vista Distribution. Dumbo also returned for this generation, after Alice in Wonderland moved to network television.
Mary Poppins' theatrical release on August 27, 1964 could be one reason why no animated films were re-released that year.
This was the last generation of re-releases during Walt Disney's life, before he died on December 15, 1966.
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | February 7, 1958 |
Peter Pan | May 14, 1958 |
Sleeping Beauty | January 29, 1959 |
Dumbo | December 24, 1959 |
101 Dalmatians | January 25, 1961 |
Pinocchio | January 18, 1962 |
Lady and the Tramp | September 26, 1962 |
Fantasia | February 20, 1963 |
The Sword in the Stone | December 25, 1963 |
Cinderella | June 9, 1965 |
Bambi | March 25, 1966 |
Fifth generation (1967-1975)[]
For the fifth generation of Walt Disney Pictures' animated films, Walt Disney Productions was established following Walt's death. Alice in Wonderland also returned to theaters in 1974.
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | June 11, 1967 |
The Jungle Book | October 18, 1967 |
Peter Pan | June 18, 1969 |
Fantasia | December 17, 1969 |
101 Dalmatians | December 25, 1969 |
Sleeping Beauty | June 10, 1970 |
The Aristocats | December 11, 1970 |
Pinocchio | July 7, 1971 |
Lady and the Tramp | December 17, 1971 |
Dumbo | October 11, 1972 |
The Sword in the Stone | December 22, 1972 |
Cinderella | March 23, 1973 |
Robin Hood | November 8, 1973 |
Alice in Wonderland | March 15, 1974 |
Bambi | June 20, 1975 |
Sixth generation (1975-1982)[]
The sixth and final generation prior to the rebranding of Walt Disney Productions to Walt Disney Pictures, the following films were re-released:
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | December 20, 1975 |
Dumbo | March 26, 1976 |
Peter Pan | June 18, 1976 |
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | March 11, 1977 |
Fantasia | April 15, 1977 |
The Rescuers | June 22, 1977 |
The Jungle Book | June 9, 1978 |
Pinocchio | December 15, 1978 |
101 Dalmatians | June 7, 1979 |
Sleeping Beauty | September 28, 1979 |
Lady and the Tramp | March 7, 1980 |
The Aristocats | December 19, 1980 |
Alice in Wonderland | April 3, 1981 |
The Fox and the Hound | July 10, 1981 |
Cinderella | December 18, 1981 |
Robin Hood | March 26, 1982 |
Fantasia (re-release) | April 2, 1982 |
Bambi | June 4, 1982 |
During this era, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland were all released on VHS in 1981. Fantasia was also re-released in theaters twice for this generation, the second one in place of The Sword in the Stone, which was pushed back to 1983.
As of October 14, 1983, an in-credit closing text logo was used for films distributed by Walt Disney Pictures until after September 28, 2007. The text logo comprises of the words "Distributed by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution".
In 2004, KRS Logos claimed this logo as in use until 1981.
Seventh generation (1982-1988)[]
In 1983, Walt Disney Productions was renamed as Walt Disney Pictures. The first film to have the new company name's first logo is Return to Oz (June 21, 1985), which made its home video debut on June 25, 1986.
Dumbo, The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, Alice in Wonderland and Robin Hood no longer played in theaters as of this generation due to getting VHS releases at that time.
The logo can also be found on Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989), Flight of the Navigator (1986), Benji the Hunted (1987), and a few others. Within television networks, the logo premiered on ABC with The Journey of Natty Gann on October 4, 1987.
Animated films released during this era included:
Title | Release date |
---|---|
Peter Pan | December 17, 1982 |
The Sword in the Stone | March 25, 1983 |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | July 15, 1983 |
The Rescuers | December 16, 1983 |
The Jungle Book | July 27, 1984 |
Pinocchio | December 21, 1984 |
Fantasia | February 8, 1985 |
The Black Cauldron | July 24, 1985 |
101 Dalmatians | December 20, 1985 |
Sleeping Beauty | March 7, 1986 |
The Great Mouse Detective | July 2, 1986 |
Lady and the Tramp | December 19, 1986 |
The Aristocats | April 10, 1987 |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (re-release) | July 17, 1987 |
Cinderella | November 20, 1987 |
The Fox and the Hound | March 25, 1988 |
Bambi | July 15, 1988 |
Oliver & Company | November 18, 1988 |
Eighth generation (1989-1996)[]
Lady and the Tramp, The Aristocats, Cinderella, The Fox and the Hound and Bambi all did not return to theaters for this generation, all instead getting VHS releases.
A few films went through digital restoration prior to their final re-releases in theaters. The films released during this era include:
The Rescuers | March 17, 1989 |
Peter Pan | July 14, 1989 |
The Little Mermaid | November 17, 1989 |
The Black Cauldron (as "Taran and the Magic Cauldron") |
March 21, 1990 |
The Jungle Book | July 13, 1990 |
Fantasia | October 5, 1990 |
The Rescuers Down Under | November 16, 1990 |
101 Dalmatians | July 12, 1991 |
Beauty and the Beast | November 22, 1991 |
The Great Mouse Detective | February 14, 1992 |
Pinocchio | June 26, 1992 |
Aladdin | November 25, 1992 |
Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs | July 2, 1993 |
The Lion King | June 24, 1994 |
The Lion King (re-issue) | November 18, 1994 |
Pocahontas | June 23, 1995 |
Sleeping Beauty | September 10, 1995 (delayed from March 1993) |
Oliver & Company | March 29, 1996 |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame | June 21, 1996 |
In 1990, the logo was modernized, and was first seen in The Prince and the Pauper on November 16 of that year. On VHS releases, it was first seen on DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp on March 15, 1991, when the second generation of Walt Disney Home Video began.
Since the early 1990s, the 1990 logo was commonly used on many films, such as 1991 prints of The Rescuers Down Under, 1992 prints of 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective and Beauty and the Beast, 1993 prints of Aladdin, original 1995 prints of The Lion King, 1996 prints of Pocahontas, The Aristocats and Oliver & Company, 1997 prints of The Jungle Book, 1998 prints of The Little Mermaid, and lots more.
Ninth generation (1997-2006)[]
The last film to get a re-release in theaters within the old tradition was The Little Mermaid, on November 14, 1997; after that, Pixar released more of its feature-length films in place of re-releases of old films from Walt Disney Animation Studios. Such examples include A Bug's Life and Toy Story 2, alongside the flagship company's animated films.
Some films with the regular logo appeared on television networks such as on TBS, ABC Family, and Hub Network.
A Pixar-ified version of the Walt Disney Pictures logo was exclusively seen on Pixar Animation Studios films, and was seen on every film from Toy Story to Ratatouille, although The Incredibles was the last film under this generation.
Starting in 2000, an alternate logo was spotted on some Disney movies, such as Dinosaur (2000), 102 Dalmatians (2000), Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), and even the 2002 Special Edition re-release of The Lion King, which was later transferred to DVD in October 2003 after only playing in IMAX theaters.
When KRS Logos launched online in 2004, this logo was still current back then.
The last film to have the 1990 Walt Disney Pictures logo was The Fox and the Hound 2 on December 12, 2006, several months after the current Walt Disney Pictures logo shown below began.
Tenth generation (2005-present)[]
The current era of Disney animation began in late 2005 with Chicken Little (2005), when it became the first film ever to be presented in Disney Digital 3D. However, it wasn't the first film to have the current Walt Disney Pictures logo. That title went to Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest, when it first played in theaters on July 7, 2006 (and released on DVD on December 5, 2006). This logo was done with CGI animation.
Pixar still used the 1995 Walt Disney Pictures logo on Cars and Ratatouille, before finally using the current logo on films starting with WALL-E.
This logo was in use throughout the entire era of Generation 4 of My Little Pony.
As of March 30, 2007, starting with Meet the Robinsons (on DVD and Blu-ray Disc on October 23, 2007), the Walt Disney Animation Studios logo is currently seen on all new prints of Walt Disney animated feature films.
As of November 23, 2011, the logo now just uses the word "Disney" on brand new Disney films in theaters today, and on newer prints of classic Disney movies, especially the Diamond Edition prints.
2010-2019[]
A lot of events occurred to Walt Disney Pictures' films alongside production of My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.
During production of Season 1... |
These films were in development as of April 8, 2008:
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During development of Season 5... |
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During development of Season 6... |
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During development of Season 7... |
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During development of Season 8... |
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During development of Season 9... |
These films were in development:
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During development of both Seasons 9 and 10 (the clip shows)... |
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Sequel films[]
The following films had sequels, lasting through 2008:
Fantasia | Fantasia 2000 | December 31, 1999 |
---|---|---|
Bambi | Bambi II | February 7, 2006 |
Cinderella | Cinderella II: Dreams Come True | February 26, 2002 |
Cinderella III: A Twist in Time | February 6, 2007 | |
Peter Pan | Return to Never Land | February 15, 2002 |
Lady and the Tramp | Lady and the Tramp II: Scamp's Adventure | February 27, 2001 |
101 Dalmatians | 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London Adventure | January 21, 2003 |
The Jungle Book | The Jungle Book 2 | February 14, 2003 |
The Rescuers | The Rescuers Down Under | November 16, 1990 |
The Fox and the Hound | The Fox and the Hound 2 | December 12, 2006 |
The Little Mermaid | The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea | September 19, 2000 |
The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning | August 26, 2008 | |
Beauty and the Beast | Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas | November 11, 1997 |
Belle's Magical World | February 17, 1998 | |
Aladdin | The Return of Jafar | May 20, 1994 |
Aladdin and the King of Thieves | August 13, 1996 | |
The Lion King | The Lion King II: Simba's Pride | October 27, 1998 |
The Lion King 1½ | February 10, 2004 | |
Pocahontas | Pocahontas II: Journey to a New World | August 25, 1998 |
The Hunchback of Notre Dame | The Hunchback of Notre Dame II | March 19, 2002 |
Mulan | Mulan II | February 1, 2005 |
Tarzan | Tarzan II | June 14, 2005 |
The Emperor's New Groove | Kronk's New Groove | December 13, 2005 |
Atlantis: The Lost Empire | Atlantis: Milo's Return | May 20, 2003 |
Lilo & Stitch | Lilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch | August 30, 2005 |
Brother Bear | Brother Bear 2 | August 29, 2006 |
Weblinks[]
Main site:
- http://www.disney.com (1996-1999)
- http://disney.go.com (1999-2013)
- http://disney.com (2013-present)
Pixar Animation Studios:
Japanese version:
- http://www.disney.co.jp (first archived on April 5, 1997)
Latin American version, in Spanish:
- http://www.disneylatino.com (launched in October 1999)
Korean version:
- http://www.disney.co.kr (first archived on October 12, 1999)
Logos | |
---|---|
Walt Disney | Film (mainstream) • Home media (mainstream) • Film and home media (Touchstone) • Television (mainstream) • Television (Disney/ABC) |
Paramount | Film • Home media • Television |
NBCUniversal | Film (mainstream) • Home media (mainstream) • Film and home media (DreamWorks) • Television |
Sony Pictures | Film (Columbia) • Film (TriStar) • Home media • Television |
20th Century Fox | Film • Home media • Television |
Warner Bros. | Film (mainstream) • Home media (mainstream) • Film and home media (New Line) • Television |
MGM | Film • Home media |
Broadcast television | PBS: Television • Television stations • Television for kids • Home media Syndication: Merv Griffin Enterprises • KingWorld/CBS Television Distribution • DiC Entertainment • HiT Entertainment • Nickelodeon Productions • 4Kids Entertainment |
Video games | Nintendo • Sega |
Other | Film • Closed captioning |