Talk:Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment/Archive 1

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This is how the Walt Disney Home Entertainment page is starting out. DO NOT change it so it merely redirects to the main Disney page. This WILL be linked to it, however, and the words "Disney DVD" and "Walt Disney Home Video" will redirect right to this upcoming page. It will describe its history, starting with the Discovision days, and will also describe the DVD years, the "Masterpiece" and "Classics" collections, the Gold Classic Collection, the Disney Treasures sets, the Singalong Songs series, the "Mini-Classics" series, and so on. It will also mention the best-selling releases and its animated logos (including the famous "Sorcerer Mickey" opening.) I am still researching about this and expect new material to be added every 2 to 6 days.

Disney DVD

At first I was like, what the heck? The Disney DVD page was fine (for being new and everything), but after reading the discussion, this sounds like it will be an excellent page. `53180

Please do not delete the "History" and "Cartoon Classics" pages I just put up. I am still working on them

As someone who wants to looks for information like this on Wikipedia, I would prefer information on the history of WDHE, which, I am sure, many people would like to know about. This is what I had in mind for this page.--24.79.42.220 07:07, 12 February 2006 (UTC)

- Question- I am confused about when Swoed in the Stone came out on video intially, it has a preview for the 1985 movie The Journey of Natty Gan, but many say the video edition of Sword in the Stone came to video in 1986- Maybe early 86 when Natty Gan was still in theaters.

-Why is that person deleting our page? he or she used to make it redirect the Walt Disney Company in the past, I think he or she came in and just wanted the page all his or her way- this is an online encyclopedia, and Wikipedia's entries should be like 5 pages long, including this one- Do you agree with me?

Whoever does NOT want a page about the logo designs and packaging is not a true fan of Disney whatsoever.


Although I am sure the current Disney logo was introduced around 1978, I always found it strange that the original Walt Disney Home Entertainment logo used an earlier Walt Disney logo. I would like more info on logo history (even if it is on the Logos of the Walt Disney Company page), because something is very suspicious about when the logo became used everywhere...

No, there were no earlier logos, this is the logo history:

Walt Disney Home Entertainment (1978-1983)

This one is seen on the early 80s releases with the "Home Entertainment" tag.

Walt Disney Home Video (1984-1987)

Same as the first logo, but the text for "WALT DISNEY" is in the corporate font and "HOME VIDEO" is seen below. The Mickey outlines are one-by-one: Blue, purple, red, yellow, green.

Walt Disney Classics (1984-1987)

The cheesy logo, with the Moog synthesizers.

Walt Disney Home Video (1987-1998)

The Sorcerer Mickey one, lasted 11 years.

Walt Disney Classics (1987-1994)

There are actually 3 versions of the Sorcerer Mickey Classics logo-

Prototype- Background is black/blue gradient, diamond is metallic as the letters are like glass.

Regular- The regular logo.

Later Logo- Seen on releases from 1991-1994, the logo is more blue than any other color used in it, except the gold. The fanfare music is somewhat muffled.


Few Errors on the Page

I am a huge WDHV nut, and I've noticed some errors on the page. Lady and the Tramp is not the first Disney video to use the "Sorcerer Mickey" Classics logo; I have it and it plays the 1984 logo instead (yes, I too have the 1987 Lady video, complete with the cheesy Classics logo), but I do wonder, Lady and the Tramp stayed in print until 1990, does this mean later versions? - Problem solved! Later versions of this video (beginning around November or December 1987) would have the "Sorcerer Mickey" Classics logo. So the "Sorcerer Mickey" Classics logo actually did premiere in 1987 and not 1988.


And Dumbo was released in 1980 for rental, in 1981, it sold.

Sleeping Beauty sold over 1 million units when released.

The Cartoon Classics discontinued in 1990, but the Mini-Classics series was an attempt to revive it.

Those are some of the many facts I know-


I was wondering, are you at some point, going to post more images on the WDHE page, like the 1980 cover of Dumbo or a screenshot for a Disney Video ad from the 1980s?

I also have to comment that very early versions of the Classics "Sorcerer Mickey" logo had a black and blue background and the diamond was more metallic, this occured when I watched the 1988 video release of Cinderella, but the 1989 release of Bambi has the one we know today. (Yes, I know. My 1991 Robin Hood video print has that version for some reason.)

  • That's odd, my 1991 Robin Hood print doesn't show the Sorcerer Mickey, just the spark and writing animation.
    • Well, MY print does for some reason! It seems that two prints of the video were made in 1991.
  • This is odd, my 1992 101 Dalmatians print was supposed to show two FBI logos, just like other movies. But it only shows one FBI logo, and then it showed "Coming soon in 1992, the newest Disney animated classic from Walt Disney Pictures."
  • There is a werid thing with my 1994 Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs video. Instead of showing the walt disney masterpeice collection logo. It showed the sourcer mickey walt disney home video logo.
  • Mine shows both logos; check the videotape; is there a small Mickey next to the WDHV logo - like the tapes made from 1992-93?

I remember the Black Diamond series was its own page on this site, and had images of the two animated logos, will those ever return? (No, that page is merging to this new WDHE entry)

  • It might have to be a stand alone page since this page "has to be about the company. not the package designs."
  • The cheesy classics logo was on that page, will it come to this page at all?

And I have a good question, was the 1978 WDHV animated logo made with the earliest CGI effects, because some say that?

  • Maybe it is, the outlines rotating are sort of computer generated.

Will there also be a full list of video releases and their (if not exact) release dates? I am eager to find out when the early WDHV releases were released.

Logo History

I have read your question about the logo history-

The first logo was the 1978 one, it was probably on the Discovision releases-

The 1978 logo is the Neon Mickey one.

The 1984 logo is the same exact thing, the Mickey outlines have a darker color scheme and the text of the words are different.

  • This one was the start of the present Walt Disney logo, I believe. Also, Disney Channel videos used a different opening, with a star-stream along with a smaller WDHV logo along with the Disney Channel logo, and the same music.
  • I never saw this at all, what video is it seen on?
    • Welcome to Pooh Corner videos

Classics logo was made in 1984, seen on Pinocchio and Dumbo.

1987-88 WDHV logo and 1987-88 Classics logo are similar with the Sorcerer Mickey. (I know that the "Sorcerer Mickey" classics logo actually did premiere in 1987, but I have an early issue of the October 1987 Lady and the Tramp video, and it uses the old 1984 Classics logo on it.)- My bad, I was fooled by the old page.

Any Questions? Ask me- I'm new these discussions, I;ve been using Wikipedia since last year.

Video Cover Designs

Other research I have for the fans of WDHE-

The 1980 cover of Dumbo, everyone probably wonders where the image of Dumbo flying came from. The image of the flying Dumbo on the cover is from the 1972 theatrical re-release poster.

Many of the Classics videos were promoted before or after theatrical re-issues of Disney films-

Pinocchio, being released in 1984, was promoted by the 1984 theatrical re-release.

Alice in Wonderland was promoted to the standard WDHE line by the 1981 re-release.

Dumbo wasn't promoted after any re-release, the most recent one was in 1976.

The 1983 re-issue of The Sword in the Stone might of propelled the 1986 video release. The 1982 re-issue propelled the 1985 Robin Hood release.

Some say Robin Hood was released to video in 1984 before the Classics line, is this true?

Some say that about 101 Dalmatians having a Holiday 1985 release.

Some of Disney's animated features didn't make it to the Classics line (like Snow White and The Aristocats), were there attempts to do that? (Yes. Disney was going to release The Black Cauldron to video under this series in 1989, but didn't make it due to the success of The Little Mermaid.)

- Did you get that info from imdb.com? I sent that info to the trivia page, don't believe it, I believed that because of a list of Disney films said the The Black Cauldron was mastered on tape "a few years ago" (the page was created in 2001), but didn't make it due to the success of The Little Mermaid which came to video a few years before that page- That was all a lie, and besides, it was suspended from video release because of the dark content.

Snow White (I think) was supposed to come to the Classics line, because I have one of the video promotion cups from Burger King, and the heading says "WALT DISNEY'S CLASSIC" in the style it was on the videos, was it supposed to come to the Classics line?

How many Discovision copies were made, and when did the deal end? 1979? 1980?

Please answer these questions, I am writing a page about WDHE on WordPad/

FBI warnings

The FBI warnings are also interesting because they changed a lot.

1984-July 4, 1991- Orange FBI logos with a bubbly font for each one.

1986 (alternative)- Red and the first one is boxed inside by an outline and the text is different. The logo slideshows, not fade.

- Anyone see this logo? It's on my 1986 Sleeping Beauty print. After it, a small message says:

"If you would like to own a videocassette of this program to your library, please ask your video dealer about old or used tapes."

Then it goes to the cheesy logo.

July 12, 1991-1998- Green, with the first FBI warning boxed inside a white outline.

  • My July 1991 Robin Hood print shows the orange logos.
  • (Wait a minute, my November 1991 Fantasia print plays the orange logos, this logo appeared on the 101 Dalmatians release, but does this mean later versions of Alice in Wonderland?)
  • Actually, the green FBI logo was only used on "Robin Hood" in 1991. My "Rescuers Down Under" and "Fantasia" videos from 1991 have the red FBI logos.
  • I don't know what that was about, maybe it was an experiment, my Robin Hood print has the red FBI logos.

1998-2000- Similar to the 1991 warning, but the font is a bit different.

2000- Blue, seen on all WDHE releases of today.

  • The early home video (1978-83) warnings had a blue background with a yellow Arial font (used with the original videotape releases with the general covers). I finally saw it- it looks very vintage- after the animated logo, the MPAA rating displays in blue and white before the film. The first warning is "FOR SALE ONLY. NOT INTENDED FOR RENTAL."

List your favorite animated logos and your least favorite logos-

I used to hate the 1987 home video logo. (I don't know why, it was scary)

Other Facts

I have an early print of The Three Caballeros, but I don't know when it came out, it plays the 1987 home video logo, although a website known as magicalears.com said it was 1982, and the stock number is 091, a low one (for instance, Dumbo, 024). Another thing is that after the 1987 logo came out, videos were packed in cardboard boxes, do you know when this came out? I am assuming 1988. This also occurs on the Mary Poppins video (which I've seen in images), was this basically an experiment?

I finally figured out that the '82 video release was a general release, my print is probably 1987 or 1988.

  • Disney videos always had low stock numbers in the 80s. I am sure the "Three Caballeros" video came out in 1987 or 1988.

I became a WDHV nut in 2002, because I looked at the video covers and the previews and the animated logos, so I did some research watching each tape. I had a few Classics releases in my library, most of which where the Masterpiece releases. A relative lend me his videos, and I watched the "Classics" editions of Cinderella and Bambi, and had previews for Oliver and Mermaid. I said to myself, "These came out in the late 1980s." I thought the division started in 1987 or 1988. Then I saw the 1986 Alice print, and saw the cheesy logo, and I said, "This must be old." I kinda dropped this info and recouped it in 2005, then I became a huge nut and I'm now collecting, how long have you been a fan of Walt Disney videos?


Out of all the Disney features released on video from 1980 to 1983, why wasn't Snow White first and not Dumbo?


If I am not mistaking, Pinocchio (1984) is the first video to have coming attractions for The Black Cauldron. Am I false?

-I read this on a thread of messages on The Big Cartoon Database.


A strange occurance happens when I watch (and used to) the 101 Dalmatians 1992 cassette, at the very end, there are previews for 2 Disney videos, has this happened to you? Same thing with The Great Mouse Detective and Beauty and the Beast. Although, a page on this site says that these end previews occured on the 80s tapes.

  • I once rented the 1992 101 Dalmatians video, and it had previews for "The Great Mouse Detective" and "Beauty and the Beast" at the end. The "Beauty" video has a preview for the "101 Dalmatians" video after the film.

Disney stopped releasing Beta releases in 1992, am I right? Because I saw The Rescuers in Beta format.

The Classics print logo on the article page questions me, what cover did you scan it from? At first I thought it was Pinocchio, but I got the release, and the red line at the top isn't up there, what release was it?


- It couldn't be any of them, I have all of the 7 old editions and they don't have it, it was probably a promotional card inside a catalogue.

-- Yes, I scanned it off a WDHV brochure from 1989 that came in my Bambi videocassette off of eBay.


BTW, you can also tell a Disney video apart by its label. 80s Disney videotapes were easy to distinguish because the VHS videocassettes had large white labels, which were "all-purpose" so they could be used on Beta tapes, too. The 1980-1986 labels for the regular WDHV series (the ones that had "Neon Mickey") had two designs: One had a picture of Sorcerer Mickey standing next to the "WALT DISNEY HOME VIDEO" logo between blue lines, and another had Mickey and an oddly-arranged version of the WDHV text between orange and yellow lines. In 1987, it was switched to simply a picture of Sorcerer Mickey and the WDHV logo. No borders or anything. Videos in the Mini-Classics series had a tiny M-C print logo above the title, with the Mickey/WDHV text in the center. The Walt Disney Classics videos of 1984 to 1989 also had large labels, except they were more simple, and besides the FBI info and the movie title, it had the Black Diamond "THE CLASSICS WALT DISNEY HOME VIDEO" print logo on it, too. This can be found on all Disney Classic tapes with the Cheesy Black Diamond logo, but it is also seen on later versions of "Lady and the Tramp," as well as "Cinderella" and "Bambi," which both use the 1987 Classics logo! The Cartoon Classics series had its custom print logo in the center of the label.

- But what about the labels used on the general releases between 1984 and 1987? Mickey is more realistic, and he is boxed in by blue lines; it is on video releases of tapes in the mid-1980s.

- The Little Mermaid has a label on very early versions, and so do the 1991 re-releases of The Sword in the Stone and Dumbo.

- Why did the 1985 video release of Pete's Dragon sport a yellow tape instead of a simple black tape?

  • Yes, I know that, some videotapes in 1991 had labels like the Mini-Classics. I am also well aware of the labels in the regular WDHV.

How big will this page be in the future?

Making this page big-

For some odd reason, the page was being cleaned several times-

We shall all work together to make this page huge.

...and someone (maybe me, maybe someone else) will clean it out. I'm refraining until I can contribute something useful, but you guys are entirely too hung up on logos and series and titles released. Information about the actual company would be good. tregoweth 23:33, 22 March 2006 (UTC)

  • But that's what WDHV is all about, this is an online encyclopedia, it should have all of those facts. The logos and the releases are the blood of the video division. The actual company did so many things this page doesn't include-

- Well I see the 1978 and 1987 logos were added- that's good - The first releases from WDHV, and believe me, Pinocchio was 1984, because the black diamond is embossed in plastic inside the clamshell, something the 1985 Robin Hood cover doesn't have, you can tell Pinocchio was '84, especially the offscreen appearance of everything onscreen. - And some trivia, yes, very good, I think Alice was late 81 because I saw some previews for 1982 Disney tapes (Herbie Rides Again and Condorman), I think you are right, but Alice wasn't for rental, only Dumbo, that was an experiment, which also tells it was June 1980, because Apple Dumpling Gang and Black Hole didn't have the rental experiments, you can tell Dumbo was the first release. - You can include external links that has all the info you don't want on the page, it be good for me because I'm still researching this company and packaging designs.

Who has seen the early Classics logo-

The difference, a blue-black background, diamond is metallic

It is on my 1988 Cinderella print. Although, someone says it was on the 1991 Robin Hood print.

We can talk about why this logo was even made.

Disney Videos I need

1980-81 Dumbo release-

Someone please tell me when it comes on eBay, I lose every bid on it.

1991 Alice cover and 1991 The Sword in the Stone cover

Those are easier finds-

A Discovision release- although I don't have laserdisc

Who agrees with me on making this page big?

Out of all the submitters, post your names here if you want the page to be about everything, the company, the video packaging, the logos, the promotional materials all, who agrees-

List your names here and put a comment after that- If you disagree, don't put your name here.

  • Jason
  • Gabrielkat
  • Marco

Please read Wikipedia:What Wikipedia is not:

Remember who encyclopedia articles are written for: Someone who has heard of a subject (like WDHE), and wants to learn more about them. They will probably be more interested in basic information about the company and its history than what logos they used, or what they called certain product lines.

If you want to make a "big" page, that's fine...but you should do it on your own website, not here. tregoweth 00:06, 31 March 2006 (UTC)

I don't have the technology- I am writing a ppage about it on WordPad though- and I need info that everyone else can send to the page. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 204.60.225.212 (talkcontribs)

Perhaps you should consider a free web hosting service like GeoCities. You usually don't need any special software for them. tregoweth 16:10, 1 April 2006 (UTC)

My PC is too slow to work all of that- I was thinking of writing the page and then printing it out, and then pasting pictures of video covers and logos on it- sound good?

If I can't find good pictures and other info on wiki, where else can I find good WDHV info about the sales of each release?

- Fortunately, I reached Geocities, and I can't find free web hostings, where is it on the home page? I really want to make a history of this, and possibly the whole Walt Disney company.

Attention logo fans

I'll be archiving this discussion soon, as it seems to have gotten away from discussing the article. For those of you who are fans of opening and closing logos, searching Google for the phrase "Closing Logo Group" will lead you to several forums where you can discuss logos with fellow fans. tregoweth 19:13, 4 April 2006 (UTC)

- Where can you find some good ones, I found a few, the teamfx2000 page has been on my bookmarks since last year- write down the pages that have the images please, I am eager to see others opinions on the logos. Thank you