Walt Disney Pictures logo

The Walt Disney Pictures logo is the production logo appearing at the beginning of films released by Walt Disney Pictures.

Overview

The logo almost always features a fairytale castle directly inspired by Disneyland's Sleeping Beauty Castle and the Magic Kingdom's Cinderella Castle, which has undergone several changes since its introduction in 1985. The design of the stylized Magic Kingdom was based off of the symbol used during Disneyland's 30th anniversary during the same year. Some films feature variations of the logo with different lighting and color settings to better match the film's theme and tone.

The main production logo most often features a fanfare based on an arrangement of "When You Wish Upon a Star" from the 1940 animated feature Pinocchio. Various Walt Disney Television logos have been modified versions of the castle logo.

1st Logo (October 7, 1983-December 25, 1998)

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 and pre-theatrical versions of Splash have the text in a blue rectangular box with a white outline around it.
• On Squanto: A Warrior's Tale, the word "presents" fades in below the logo.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the film. On A Far Off Place and The Three Musketeers, and at the end of Mighty Joe Young, it's silent.

Availability: Seen on some Disney movies from the era.

• Used on live-action films, often to denote more serious, older-skewing fare, and was sometimes preceded or plastered by the 1985 logo. However, it returned on trailers in 1990.
• Also seen on The Rocketeer, A Far Off Place, The Three Musketeers, Squanto: A Warrior's Tale (only at the beginning; the next logo appears at the end), Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, and Mighty Joe Young (the next logo appears on trailers and TV spots for said film).
• Also seen on trailers for White Fang, Shipwrecked, Newsies, Hocus Pocus, Cool Runnings, Iron Will, Angels in the Outfield, Jungle 2 Jungle, Rocketman, and George of the Jungle (all of which use the next logo instead).

Editor's Note: This tends to be regarded as overtly simple and plain for a Disney logo. In fairness, this was probably a placeholder for the more elaborate logos used later on.

2nd Logo (June 21, 1985-December 12, 2006)

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, 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 Lubalin Graph Book) fades in underneath. A ray of light then draws a circular line over the castle. Three main variants of the logo are used throughout the years:

• 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 the 1985-1990 variant show the castle in a light blue/white gradient. 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.

• August 3, 1990-April 14, 2006: The castle is now sky blue, and the background is in a deep shade of blue. Also, the semi-circular line ends just above the "W" in "WALT DiSNEY". This variant exists in cel animated/filmed and digitally animated/videotaped versions.
• June 15, 2001-December 12, 2006: Same asthe 1990 variant, but a 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:

• The castle seen in this logo was actually first used by Disneyland in 1985 to promote the theme park's 30th anniversary.
• Although Disney switched its newer animated movies from traditional cel animation to digital ink-and-paint via CAPS (Computer Animation Production System) in 1990, the cel-animated version of this logo continued to be used until at least mid-2005, even though two digitally-animated versions of this logo debuted in 1994 and 2001.
• All three main variants of this logo became the basis for the Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Television Animation, and Buena Vista International Television logos.
• The second and third main variants made surprise appearances in various WB cartoon shorts. They even got anniversary treatments in 2023, with the only change being replacing the regular Walt Disney text with the Disney100 logo.

Variants:

• The size of the logo may vary.
• The traditional ink-and-paint version of this logo was used from 1985 to 2005, whereas the digital ink-and-paint version was used from 1994 to 2006.
• 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 quickly. This variation was often used on the 1994 digitally videotaped version and can be seen, for example, at the beginning of the 2007 Platinum Edition DVD release of Peter Pan (1953).
• There is another variation which has a lower frame rate for most of the animation except the line drawing over the castle, which has smoother animation. A more refined 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 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. The arc above the castle is slightly larger than normal as well. This can be found on 101 Dalmatians (1996), the widescreen version of Lady and the Tramp (1998 WDMC release), Endurance, the 2004 release of Mary Poppins (which plasters the Buena Vista logo, and the end of the 2023 Merrie Melodies cartoon Sammy Can Dunk.
• 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 1980s re-issue of 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.
• There is an even shorter variant that starts after the "WALT DiSNEY PICTURES" text is formed. This can be seen on mid-2000s releases of some classic films, either plastering over or preceding the RKO and Buena Vista logos. This strangely (albeit, silently) appears on post-2006 prints of Lady and the Tramp (1956) and the 2007 print of The Jungle Book (1967) before the Buena Vista logo.
• There is a variant in which the "WALT DiSNEY" text has a drop shadow. It is unclear whether this is a result of film deterioration or distortion, or if this was indeed an actual variant.
• A variation of the logo as a still image can be found at the end of The Hunchback of Notre Dame and on 1990s re-releases of some 1940s-1950s Disney cartoons, plastering the 1953 Buena Vista logo.
• On a few 2003-2006 animated films and The Shaggy Dog (as a variant), "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).
• On the current prints of Swiss Family Robinson (1940), the 1990 version of the logo is in black and white.
• On the 2010 25th Anniversary Edition DVD release of The Black Cauldron, the 1985 variant is digitally videotaped.
• On the 1996 UK VHS release of Pocahontas, the entire logo is still while the line above the castle glows.

Closing Variant: Either the full animation or it will start when "WALT DiSNEY" is formed by the flash of light.

FX/SFX: The "glowing castle", the "flash", and the drawing of the line. This was done in 2D animation by the animation division of Walt Disney Productions, which is now known as Walt Disney Animation Studios. It is unknown whether the digital variants were produced on Sun 3, Silicon Graphics IRIS 31XX, or DEC MicroVAX II computers (all three of which were preferred terminals for CAPS).

Music/Sounds: A rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star", originally from Pinocchio. It opens with a synthesized chorus and a quiet brass rendition of the song's first bar, with sparkles evoking pixie dust, followed by an uprising flute and a reversed cymbal crash, then a full orchestral finish of the song's first bar, ending with a synthesizer. This was arranged by John Debney. Sometimes, it is silent or has the opening/closing theme to the movie.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• The original version of the fanfare was used from 1985 to 1990, and was enhanced or re-recorded in 1990.
• There exist some re-orchestrated variants of the fanfare:
  • A slightly re-orchestrated variant on the 1998 VHS release of The Black Cauldron.
  • Another version exists with the 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".
  • 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 arranged by John Debney.
  • Some films use a more dramatic re-orchestration.
  • The short Runaway Brain has it sounding more like the 1987 Walt Disney Television theme and the White Fang 2: Myth of the White Wolf variant.
• On some 1980s trailers, an entirely different fanfare is heard.
• Some films have the music off-sync with the logo's animation.
• On some films, the film's opening score incorporates the first few bars of "When You Wish Upon a Star" when the logo appears.
• Some films, such as Flight of the Navigator, The Rescuers Down Under and the 1998 VHS of The Little Mermaid (1989) have the music off-sync with the logo's animation.
• On re-releases of Disney animated shorts in the 1990s, the logo is silent until the end, when the 1950s Buena Vista music is heard.
• On one print of Old Yeller, the film's custom Buena Vista fanfare is heard over the end of the logo due to a plastering error.
• Sometimes, the rendition is heard without the flute/recorder.
• On The Lion King (1994), ambient noises of the African savanna are heard.
• At the end of Hercules, we hear Hades (voiced by James Woods) talking over the logo ("What am I, an echo or something? Hello? Hello?! Am I talking to, what, hyperspace? Hello, it's me. Nobody listens."). This was removed in some foreign prints of the movie.
• Similarly, at the end of Aladdin (1992), specifically on the 2004 home video releases, we hear Genie (voiced by the late Robin Williams) talking over the logo ("You have been a fabulous audience! Tell you what, you're the best audience in the whole world! Take care of yourself! Goodnight, Alice! Goodnight, Agrabah! ¡Adios, amigos!"), over the end of the film's closing theme. The original 1993 video releases don't carry this comment.
• On the 2003 DVD of The Rescuers, a thunderclap is heard at the end of the logo. This is because the film originally had the Buena Vista logo at the start, but on the 1999 VHS of said film, the logo is silent.
• On the 2002 Brazilian VHS of Sleeping Beauty, the first part of the logo is silent. The second half of the logo, along with the film's variation of the Buena Vista logo, had the logo's music play. This is mostly due to an editing error.
• On the 1996 UK VHS release of Pocahontas, the normal audio is replaced by John Sachs saying, "Keep watching after the Pocahontas feature for an exclusive preview of Disney's 34th animated feature, The Hunchback of Notre Dame."
• On 102 Dalmatians, the logo's music was played during a scene where the dalmatians and Waddlesworth (voiced by Eric Idle) began watching Lady and the Tramp on VHS, in which it's the 1998 print of the film, as Kevin (played by Ioan Gruffudd) and Clohe (played by Alice Evans) head to Tony's Restaurant for dinner.

Availability: Common.

• This was seen on most films from the studio released between 1985 and 2006, and is also used in tandem with the next few logos. For a while it became harder to find due to extensive plastering, but it isn't too hard to spot nowadays.
  • The shortened 1985 version debuted on Return to Oz (released on June 21, 1985); the full version debuted on The Black Cauldron (released on July 24, 1985), and made its last appearance on original prints of The Little Mermaid (released on November 17, 1989).
  • The 1990 version debuted on DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp (released on August 3, 1990), and made its final appearance (albeit as a variant) on The Shaggy Dog (released on March 10, 2006); it made its final closing appearance on The Wild (released on April 14, 2006).
  • The 2002 version debuted (albeit as a variant at the beginning and normally at the end) on Return to Never Land(released on February 15, 2002), and made its final appearance at the end of The Fox and the Hound 2 (released on December 12, 2006).
• Starting in the late 1980s, it was also used on newer prints of classic films,
• The 1994 "videotaped" version was first appeared (full version) on The Lion King, released on June 15, 1994, and made its final theatrical appearance at the end of The Wild, released on April 14, 2006.
• The short version of the 1994 "videotaped" version was first seen on the Mickey Mouse short Runaway Brain, released on August 11, 1995.
• The 2001 version was first seen on Atlantis: The Lost Empire, released on June 15, 2001 (though using a variant at both the beginning and end of the movie). The normal variant debuted at the end of Peter Pan: Return to Never Land, released on February 26, 2002, and made its final appearance on The Fox and the Hound 2 (which as a whole was the last film to use this logo), released on December 12, 2006.
• The last theatrically-released films to use this logo were The Shaggy Dog (the 2006 remake starring Tim Allen), released on March 10, 2006, and at the end of The Wild (the 5th logo is seen at the beginning), released on April 14, 2006.
• The last direct-to-video releases to use this were Bambi II, Brother Bear 2, and The Fox and the Hound 2.
• It was also seen on trailers for Toy Story as well, but the film itself uses the 4th logo.
• The current Blu-ray/DVD release of The Great Mouse Detective uses the 1994 variant of this logo, replacing the 1985 and 1990 logos.
• The original 1988 theatrical film release of Oliver & Company used the 1985 version of the castle, while post-1996 releases use the 1990 variant. However the 1997 France VHS of Oliver & Company preserves the original theatrical variant.[1]
• The original 2000 release of The Little Mermaid 2 used the 1994 castle, while the 2001 castle is used on post-2008 prints.
• It also appeared on pre-2002 prints of The Lion King, as the 2002 IMAX version uses the 5th logo (the original 1995 VHS preserves this logo, however).
• Also, even though most recent prints of classic films use the 6th logo, it is strangely seen on the 2007 Platinum Edition DVDs of Peter Pan (1953) and The Jungle Book (1967), the 2008-09 Special Edition DVD releases of The Aristocats, The Jungle Book 2, 101 Dalmatians II: Patch’s London Adventure, The Little Mermaid II: Return to the Sea, and Oliver & Company, the 2012 Diamond Edition DVD release of Lady and the Tramp (1956) and the Bambi: The Story Behind the Story feature on the Diamond Edition DVD of Bambi (with the RKO Pictures custom logo theme playing underneath). However, some airings (an example of it being the ones on HBO Asia) of some pre-2006 movies still use this logo up to now.
• It's also preserved on TV airings, DVD/Blu-ray/digital releases, and theatrical reissues of Hocus Pocus. VHS and earlier DVD releases also keep this logo intact.
• This does not appear on movies from Studio Ghibli, as it only has the aforementioned company's logo and during this logo's usage Disney used the Buena Vista name on home video releases of Ghibli movies.
• The logo also appears on some foreign Blu-ray releases of Flight of the Navigator, including a German release from Splendid Entertainment and the 2012 and 2019 releases from Second Sigt Films, which presumably use American prints as Disney doesn't hold the video rights overseas.
• The restored version of this logo was seen on the 2014 reissue of the Netflix print of Hercules, while the other prints use the 6th logo, and on the page on the Herbie: Fully Loaded opening credits on the website of yU+co, the designer of the 2006 logo.
• When the Disney+ streaming service launched, the 1990 version made a surprise appearance preceding the RKO logo on current prints of the 1940 adaptation of Swiss Family Robinson, which Walt Disney acquired around the time he produced his own, more well-known adaptation.
• It also appeared on some UK/Irish VHS tapes of Disney films from the 2000s as a de-facto home entertainment logo.

Editor's Note: Easily one of the most beloved logos out there, due to its longevity and appearing at the front of a myriad of classic films.

3rd Logo (April 15, 1988)

Nicknames: "The 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.

4th Logo (Pixar Variant) (November 19, 1995-June 29, 2007)

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 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, 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 trailers and on Monsters, Inc., the logo is shortened to when the arc is formed over the castle. Don't expect to find this as a closing variant, though.
• Widescreen and full screen versions of this logo exist.

Closing Variant: The full animation as described above, except onscreen for a few more seconds.

FX/SFX: The camera zooming out and the animation from the 2nd logo. Very nice CGI from Pixar themselves.

Music/Sounds: A bombastic/majestic fanfare composed by Randy Newman.

Music/Sound Variants:

• On the Toy Story variant, a more bombastic version of the fanfare is used, and once the line finishes 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, with the last two notes played on a trumpet.
• The opening theme of the movie was used on Monsters, Inc. as well as the films directed by Brad Bird (The Incredibles and Ratatouille).
• 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 the movie, 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 the original (pre-outtakes) release of Toy Story 2, the closing theme was used instead.

Availability: Fairly common, but it was more common during its usage.

• It was used on all Pixar movies beginning with Toy Story (which was also the first ever feature-length CGI film) and made its final appearance on Ratatouille.
• Since the logo was retired, it has become rarer, mostly being plastered by the 6th logo on Blu-ray and DVD prints, as well as most TV airings of the first two Toy Story films, Monsters, Inc., Finding Nemo and Cars though it is still intact on current prints of A Bug's Life, The Incredibles and the aforementioned Ratatouille, as well as VHS releases. It did, however, make a surprise appearance on the 2021 DVD of Cars, due to being a reissue of the original 2006 DVD.
• The logo was last used in the teaser trailer for WALL-E, since the film itself uses the 6th logo.
• It can also be seen on various shorts based off Pixar films such as Mike's New Car, Jack-Jack Attack, Mater and the Ghostlight and Your Friend the Rat.
• This logo made a surprise appearance on an Amazon Video print of Monsters, Inc., likely because it was using the 2009 Blu-ray master.
• Used in tandem with the 6th logo until June 29, 2007.

Editor's Note: A nice CGI update of the 2nd logo, which is fondly regarded by fans of older Pixar movies.

5th Logo (May 19, 2000-April 14, 2006)

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, we see the orange text "WALT DiSNEY PICTURES" wiping in from left to right. Then we see 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 (1994), the full animation is being used as a closing variant.

FX/SFX: The text wiping in, the light effect, and the logo wiping out. The effects used are rather unique for their time.

Music/Sounds: None or the opening theme of the movie. On Holes, a sound of a fire being lit is heard when the arc draws.

Availability: Fairly common. Seen on most live-action Disney films from the era, such as 102 Dalmatians, Sky High, National Treasure, Holes, Glory Road, The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, Disney's The Kid, The Rookie, The Pacifier, Tuck Everlasting, and Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (only at the end; don't expect this logo to appear at the beginning). Also seen on some animated films from Disney, such as Dinosaur (which was the first film to use this logo), Brother Bear (the 6th logo is used at the end on current prints though), and the 2002 IMAX re-release and 2003 2-Disc Platinum Edition DVD release of The Lion King (1994). However, most recent prints plaster it with the next logo; as before, however, the logo is intact on VHS and DVD releases of these films. This logo made its final appearance on the animated film The Wild (only at the beginning, the ending of the film uses the 2nd logo). Used in tandem with the second logo.

Editor's Note: A stylish and well-done adaption of the original Disney castle logo for older-skewing films.

6th Logo (June 24, 2006-present)

File:Walt Disney Pictures logo.svg

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", "Plastering Castle", "Disney Script VI", "Glossy Disney Script"

Logo: We fade into a view of a night sky, with a star somewhere on the screen and the clouds on the bottom. We then start flying down through the clouds with the camera. We then pan with the camera down to a very clear view of a river, with a train running down a railroad track and some buildings nearby, along with a pirate ship sailing in the river. We then fly with the camera past a flag with the Disney coat of arms, and pan down as we see some fireworks going off, only to find the castle completely redone in CGI. When the fireworks finish, a very small dot (you will 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 are slightly panning, and it is almost finished when we are in a comfortable position in front of the castle. When the dot is finished drawing the line, "WALT DiSNEY", in its distinctive (albeit somewhat altered) script font, alongside "P I C T U R E S" (or in later years starting from 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.
• The coat of arms on the castle flag is of Walt Disney's family crest.

Variants:

• On 3-D releases, the text (either "DiSNEY" from the 2011 variant or the "WALT DiSNEY" from the 2007 variant) zooms in more to create a 3D illusion. This variant was also used on 2D films, despite them not being released in 3D. These include Mars Needs Moms, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, both Planes films, Cinderella (2015), The Jungle Book (2016) (only on the closing logo), Aladdin (2019), Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, and the Disney+ original film Noelle.
• For Walt Disney Animation Studios films between 2007 to early 2012, the logo is much brighter and tinted purple.
• Another variant has the text already formed while the curved line is drawn. This is mostly seen on trailers and TV spots.
• On Disney Blu-ray releases, the word "DiSNEY" is absent from the logo. This is seen as a loading screen when the Blu-ray starts and during the Disney Blu-ray logo.
• An open matte version exists. A 4:3 variant was seen on the 2008 DVD of 101 Dalmatians (1961) (current home media prints since the Diamond Edition release and the Disney+ print omit it), and a full 16:9 open matte version was seen on Weta Digital's video and of the Enchanted opening titles. Also, the variant from Beauty and the Beast (2017) also used a 16:9 open matte version on its in-flight and IMAX Aspect Ratio versions.
• Sometimes, the "DiSNEY" text is off center.
• On TV-syndicated airings of Cars and Toy Story 3, the logo starts with the flag being revealed.
• On MacFarland, USA, the logo starts when the castle is fully revealed.
• On Jungle Cruise, the logo is enhanced, including the Disney logo standing (instead of fading in) and the lights of the castle and the Disney logo can be seen in the reflection of the river. The clouds in the sky are removed.
• Both the original 2006 and 2011 variants exist in widescreen and full screen formats.
• The size of the logo may vary.

Closing Variants:

• Just the last few seconds of the logo, where the line draws over the castle and the text fades in. This was also used as the opening logo on current prints of Monsters, Inc. to plaster the 1995 Pixar-exclusive logo.
• On Pixar films from Finding Dory to Lightyear (with the exception of Onward) and WDAS films from Moana to Encanto (with the exception of Ralph Breaks the Internet), along with the 2019 remake ofThe Lion King, the full animation as described above is used as a closing logo. This is due to dubbing information (director, translator, sound mixer, studio, additional voices, etc.) and the original main voice cast being displayed there in place on international localized prints. After that, the regular closing logo plays out.
• On current prints of Aladdin (1992), Hercules, and Brother Bear (despite the previous logo being intact at the beginning), the tail end animation of the logo plays.
• In some cases, no closing logo appears at all.

FX/SFX: The camera flying and panning down to reveal the castle. Beautiful, mind-blowing CGI animation done by Weta Digital (with a collaboration from yU+co).

Music/Sounds: A piano/string piece in which brass, woodwind, and percussion instruments and a choir join in and build into an orchestral and choir rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star" written and composed by Mark Mancina, and co-arranged and orchestrated by David Metzger, which is completely different from the 2nd logo. The production of the music was overseen by then-president of Walt Disney Music, Chris Montan. Firecracker sound effects are heard when the fireworks go off. An alternate version of this fanfare is subtly different, having louder and clearer sound effects. On most occasions, other sound effects are added, including a train whistle, the sound of a flag flapping, and the sound of fairy dust sparkling as the curved line is drawn (in some films, such as The Muppets, certain sounds such as the train whistle aren’t heard). This all closes out with a long, bombastic, drum-rolled orchestral and choir note. This theme would eventually be re-orchestrated/re-vocalized for the next logo.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• In some cases, the logo is silent or has the opening theme of the movie playing over it, with some of the normal sound effects retained.
  • However, there are cases when the logo uses different or similar sound effects with the opening theme, such as The Sorcerer's Apprentice, Planes, Tomorrowland, Queen of Katwe, Dumbo (2019), Hamilton, Cruella, and Jungle Cruise.
  • There are also cases where the logo uses the normal theme, but with different sound effects, most notably for the fireworks. This is shown in films like Prom, Beauty and the Beast (2017), Mary Poppins Returns, Aladdin (2019), Noelle, and Chip 'n Dale Rescue Rangers (2022).
• In most cases (such as The Odd Life of Timothy Green, The Lone Ranger, Frozen, Maleficient, Planes: Fire and Rescue, Inside Out, The Finest Hours, Moana, Toy Story 4, Frozen II, Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, Onward, Mulan (2020), Luca, and Lightyear), the opening theme or song of the movie is used without any sound effects whatsoever.
• An alternate version is subtly different, having louder and clearer sound effects. This version can be seen in National Treasure: Book of Secrets and G-Force, with the latter film using these sound effects with the normal music. Most of these sound effects were also used in the logo on Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time, Secretariat, The Muppets, and Muppets Most Wanted (the latter two films also pair these sound effects with the normal theme).
• On Jonas Brothers: The 3D Concert Experience, a vaguely rock-sounding remix of the theme is used with the sound effects intact, albeit only halfway through when the highest spire is revealed. The theme is also double-pitched.
• On Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, as the opening theme plays, only the sounds of the fireworks and water flowing are heard.
• The closing variant is mostly silent, but sometimes, the closing theme of the movie will be heard over the logo, or, very rarely, the same fanfare used to open up films. On some films (such as The Princess and the Frog, Frozen, and some Pixar films), we hear the sound of fairy dust over the logo.
• At the end of current prints of Aladdin (1992) and Hercules, Genie gives an extra goodbye for the former, and Hades gives an extra talk about his achievement for the latter, both over the logos.
• At the end of Up, it has the sound of a record popping.
• On Prom, the fanfare abruptly changes into a rock version near the end when the castle transforms.
• On Frankenweenie (2012), the logo starts off with a reorchestrated version of the fanfare, composed by Danny Elfman. But as the curved line is drawn over the castle, lightning flashes, causing the logo suddenly becomes black and white. This causes the music to change to a much spookier tune, complete with an organ.
• On Beverly Hills Chihuahua 3: Viva la Fiesta, the fanfare is played by a mariachi band with the firework sounds removed.
  • Another mariachi-themed version of the fanfare is heard in Coco, albeit played in the same key as the normal fanfare. The fireworks sounds are also removed here.
• On The Jungle Book (2016), there is a rearranged version of the fanfare, composed by John Debney, which eventually transitions into the opening theme of the movie once the logo is completed. No sound effects are used for this variant.
  • On The Lion King (2019), a similar version of this fanfare is used, albeit now composed by Hans Zimmer and without any transitional music cues at the end. Just like the former film, there are no sound effects.
• On Incredibles 2, a completely different fanfare, composed by Michael Giacchino, plays over this and the following Pixar logo.
• On Christopher Robin, the normal fanfare is used with the usual fireworks sound effects, but the sound of fairy dust is heard when the curved line is drawn.
• On The Nutcracker and the Four Realms, the sound effects are intact again, and a more dramatic rearrangement of the fanfare plays over the logo.
• On Lady and the Tramp (2019), a 50s style jazzy rendition of the fanfare plays over it.
• On Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, the song, "I've Gotta Be Me" by Tony Bennett plays over it.
• On Safety, when the highest spire is revealed, snare drums and extra trumpet sounds are added to accompany it, as if it were played by a marching band.
• On Soul, the firework sounds are removed again, and the fanfare is played in a somewhat off-key jazz rendition by Joe's band class, with noisy trumpets, squalling saxaphones, and a tailgate trombone.
• On Flora and Ulysses, the logo uses the opening theme, with sounds effects for the train and flag, as well as the curved line being drawn, but there are strangely no firework sounds.
• On Pinocchio (2022), Jiminy Cricket sings along with the tail end of the logo's fanfare. Once again, this logo transitions to the film’s opening.
• On Hocus Pocus 2, the logo starts off with a reorchestrated version of the fanfare, composed by John Debney, but as the camera rotates around the castle, the fanfare transitions into the opening theme of the film.
• On Disenchanted, the opening theme plays through the logo, although an excerpt of the logo's fanfare is heard at one point.
• At the Encanto Live-to-Film Concert Experience, a Colombian-styled version of the logo's fanfare is played.

Availability: Ultra common. This was used in tandem with the 2nd logo until December 16, 2008, the 4th logo until June 29, 2007, and the 7th logo until December 9, 2022.

• Seen on multiple Disney films from Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest (the previous logo is shown on trailers, however) to Disenchanted (the next logo is shown on trailers).
• It appears on some Walden Media films co-produced with Walt Disney Pictures since Bridge to Terabithia (2007).
• It also appears on all Pixar films from 2008 to 2022, the first of them being WALL-E, and the last being Lightyear. It was seen on some TV spots for Ratatouille, but the normal film itself used the 4th logo, and is the logo's final appearance.
• The version with the full company name last appeared theatrically on Winnie the Pooh (2011), and direct-to-video on Treasure Buddies (2012), but it later made a surprise appearance at the end of The Lone Ranger (2013), albeit only on the theatrical release.
• Even though the 2011 variant was actually first used for the Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment logo back in 2007, it would later replace the original variant (with the full company name) on the studio's films, starting with The Muppets, and all movies following it. The change was also made to fit into mobile phones and other devices, like the iPod.
• It also started to appear on current prints of classic Disney films and shorts and most pre-2008 Pixar films (with the exceptions of A Bug's Life, The Incredibles, and Ratatouille) in the late 2000s, beginning with the 2008 Platinum Edition DVD release of 101 Dalmatians (1961), though many others like those aformentioned films still use their old logos. It even plasters the Touchstone Pictures logo on post-2006 prints of The Nightmare Before Christmas, although the Touchstone is still listed in the closing credits.
• Seen also on some Indian films produced by this company.
• It also appears preceding the Studio Ghibli logo on the 2010 DVD releases of their output, such as Ponyo, and is even surprisingly retained at the end of the UK DVD release of said film, even though Optimum Releasing distributed the film there.
• On VHS, it appeared on the 2006 demo VHS release of Cinderella III: A Twist in Time and the 2007 Disney Movie Club Exclusive VHS release of Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest.
• The logo usually appeared on ABC shows and specials, such as Dancing with the Stars and American Idol during Disney Night, which occured once each season.
• Surprisingly, this logo appears on Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2021), The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild, and Cheaper by the Dozen (2022) instead of the 20th Century Studios logo. This is most likely due to all three movies moving from 20th Century Studios to Walt Disney Pictures during production. However, none of the studios are explicitly mentioned in their end credits. Coincidentally, all three of them were Disney+ releases so this is also a possible reason. A similar case with Deep Water from TCS has no TCS logo at all, and just cuts to the film's opening.
• It also makes an appearance at the Encanto Live-to-Film Concert Experience, which was located at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles from November 11-12, 2022.
• The last film to use the full version of this logo was Night of the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again, released on Disney+, while the last film to use the short version of the logo was Beauty and the Beast: A 30th Celebration, released on ABC on December 15, 2022, then on Disney+ the next day.

Editor's Note: This logo is easily one of the best ever made, with its lush music, dream-like animation, nice sound effects, and CGI that still looks fantastic over 16 years later. However, it has gained some infamy among some for its continual plastering of Disney's previous logos. Nonetheless, this is still a favorite of many.

7th Logo (July 3, 2016, February 27-June 26, 2018, May 2019, September 7, 2022-)

Nicknames: "The Disney Castle V", "Sleeping Beauty/Cinderella Castle V", "The Castle and the Fireworks II", "CGI Disney Castle III", "100 Years of Wonder", "The Mountain Castle", "The Finny the Shark Pilot Castle"

Logo: It starts off with an enhanced version of the night sky from the previous logo, which turns out to be a reflection in a river as the largest star jumps out of the water, causing the scene to ripple around it (a la the 2011 Paramount Pictures logo). 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 the star flies around the landscape. Once the camera gets to the waterfall, it pans up to reveal a back view of the castle from the previous logo before the star flies across it. The camera rotates to the right and works its way to the front of the castle as multiple fireworks are seen around it. The camera then reaches its standard position, revealing a new sunset background and river. The arc (now wider, brighter, and colored in blue) is drawn from the left side of the castle rather than from the right, with a star twinkling when it reaches its highest point. As the camera slowly zooms out, the "DiSNEY" script either writes in or fades in front of the castle with a glass texture (this time more closely resembling the corporate wordmark) as the camera comes to a stop, before the logo fades out.

Trivia:

• The opening shot of this logo is later reused as part of the closing shots of several WB cartoon shorts like ReWiggled 2. It is later used frequently in the Looney Tunes short Petra Pan the Starfish.
• According to an official D23 article from 2022, the flying star that jumps out of the river is meant to represent Tinker Bell from Peter Pan. It can also represent Sandy the Starfish from Finny the Shark.
• 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 being filled with color homages a scene in film where the enchantment is broken and light and color spreads across the castle. The castle, however, was shown in the reflection in that scene.
• Like the previous logo, the train seen halfway through the logo is Casey Jr. from Dumbo, whose design in the logo is later recycled for the 2019 live-action remake of said film.
• During the turnaround of the castle, a ship resembling the Jolly Roger from Peter Pan can be seen in the background.
• At the end of the logo, Matterhorn Mountain from Third Man on the Mountain (and the Disneyland attraction Matterhorn Bobsleds) and Pride Rock from The Lion King can be seen on opposite sides of the castle. You can also see the lanterns from Tangled in the river and Will O' the Wisps from Brave on the grass.
• Three Mickey Mouse head-shaped fireworks are shown when the castle appears. Two more of those are also shown as the camera pans across the castle. This references the hidden Mickeys. Overall, there are five Mickey Mouse head-shaped fireworks in total.
• The castle's color that starts off platinum references the company's 100th anniversary in 2023, as platinum is a recurring color across the 100th anniversary branding of the company.
• The arc, which traditionally appears from right to left, appears from left to right in this logo, possibly in homage to the 2005 Hong Kong Disneyland logo, the 2006 print logo and the animated logo of Disney+. The arc, as well as the star's trail, is also in blue, the main color of Disney+.
• This was also used as the intro to 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) fade in. For the intro's first few months of usage, the "Presented by Disney+" tagline transitions to the print Disney100 logo. 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, albeit with the US English version of the site as one of the rotating images until around the end of December 2022.
• The logo's scenery (including the castle) is reused in the 2023 Disney adaptation of the 2007 Sesame Street resource video Learning is Everywhere, titled The Wonders of Learning.

Variants:

• At the end of the Disney100 special look video, which has been uploaded on Disney's social pages before being aired as part of Super Bowl LVII during the 4th quarter, the logo 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.
  • Furthermore, the updated Disney100 teaser site featured the finished logo (without "100 YEARS OF WONDER" below the Disney100 text). Alongside the video's release, the Disney profile pic and banner on the company's social pages have been 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 text (which is different than the one shown on-screen and without "100 YEARS OF WONDER" below it) being moved up to fit with the banner's height.
• For the logo's appearances in both Frednocchio and the 2022 D23 Expo, and throughout the latter half of 2022 and the entire year of 2023, the text is pushed a little bit to the left, and after it is drawn, a "100" is drawn next to it (with the two zeroes resembling an infinity symbol, not much like Mickey's ears). Most of the time, the text "100 YEARS OF WONDER" (in spaced out letters to fit the width of "DiSNEY100") also fades in underneath.
• There's a version where the text is extended from just "DiSNEY" to "WALT DiSNEY"; once the entire text is formed, "P I C T U R E S" fades in under it.

Closing Variants:

• February 27-June 26, 2018, September 7, 2022-: The same closing variants from the previous logo.
  • March 9, 2018, September 7, 2022-: A short version of the logo, 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 also be seen on trailers and the beginning of some WB cartoon shorts.
  • September 7, 2022-: The tail-end of the logo, starting from when the text starts forming.
  • Sometimes, the full animation as transcribed above is used as a closing logo.
  • At the end of the Merrie Melodies short Patty and Sandy's Big Wish, the logo is shortened to its last few seconds.
• In some cases, no closing logo appears at all.

FX/SFX: Entirely done in CGI animation that's even better than before. This was all created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) (which also made the 1997 DreamWorks Pictures logo) in collaboration with Disney Studios Content.

Music/Sounds: A longer, more majestic and powerful re-orchestration of the "When You Wish Upon a Star" theme from the previous logo, this time composed by Christophe Beck. 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/Sound Variants:

• In some cases, the opening theme plays over the logo, and sometimes the logo is completely silent.
• The closing variant is either silent or has the ending theme of the film/short.
• In some shorts, the fanfare is re-orchestrated by Alex Geringas; this orchestration uses a different song as the main leitmotif each time it's used.

Availability: Current and common. Used in tandem with the previous logo.

• The logo as a whole debuted in the direct-to-video specials Outdoor Adventures, Shelly's Journey to Imagination Island, Come on Over to the Castle of Friendship (as a variant), and The Magic Begins (the 2nd logo appears at the end of Outdoor Adventures, while the previous logo appears at the end of both Shelly's Journey to Imagination Island and The Magic Begins).
• The Disney100 variant made its debut with the 2022 Modern Madcaps short Frednocchio and the Disney Studios & Animation and Pixar panel at the 2022 D23 Expo. It also appears on the trailers of the Disney+ original films Hocus Pocus 2 and Disenchanted, the studio's live-action remake of The Little Mermaid (2023) (which were all released on September 9, 2022 at the Expo), and the Day 1 livestream of D23 Expo Daily on Disney+.
• It then appeared on all Disney films starting with Strange World (the first Walt Disney Animation Studios film to use it; trailers for the film use the previous logo), the Disney+ concert special Encanto at the Hollywood Bowl (which is based on the Encanto Live-to-Film Concert Experience at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, California, although the event itself used the 2011 version of the previous logo), and the Disney+ original film Chang Can Dunk.
• It also appears on all Pixar films starting with Elemental (since it appeared on the film's teaser trailer).

Editor's Note: A wonderful love letter to Disney's filmography, and an appropriate successor to the previous logo, especially with their upcoming 100th anniversary.