Walt Disney Black Diamond Classics
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note: the info was originally from the Walt Disney studios home entertainment page
Background: "Walt Disney Classics" (nicknamed by Disney video collectors as the “Black Diamond Classics”) was created in 1984 to release the animated features from the Disney Animated Features canon. The first release from the line was Robin Hood in 1984, and more soon followed, including Pinocchio, Dumbo, The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland, and more. In 1990, due to the wild success of The Little Mermaid, the Classics line released that film to video and began releasing the more contemporary new animated releases of the time from Disney. In 1994, after the video release of The Fox and the Hound, the Classics series was discontinued and replaced with a newer series, labeled as the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection.
1st Logo
Logo: On a blue background, the text "WALT DiSNEY HOME VIDEO" (with "WALT DiSNEY" in its famous “signature” font created in the early 1960s), in red, swirls in from the upper-left corner of the screen, rotating clockwise as it does so, passes by quite close to the screen, then flips and begins cycling to the lower-left corner. A few seconds after the "WALT DiSNEY HOME VIDEO" text appears, “THE CLASSICS”, in a rather ugly white font, also comes from the upper-left side of the screen and begins slowly spinning, too, nearly following the same path as the WDHV text does. As this happens, the background begins to slowly “morph” into a large, blurry diamond shape on a black background. A large Prussian blue diamond then zooms in from the center of the screen at a slightly fast pace, before stopping at a huge size. As the diamond zooms up, “THE CLASSICS” flips over to the top of the diamond and settles there, while "WALT DiSNEY HOME VIDEO" lands on the bottom of the diamond. A white, simple diamond outline zooms out and plasters itself onto the edges of the diamond.
Variants:
Nicknames: "The Black Diamond", "Sorcerer Mickey II", "Hi again, Mickey!"
Logo: We start with the opening animation of the 1986 Walt Disney Home Video logo, with Mickey Mouse dressed in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice outfit like on Fantasia, standing on a blue spotlight on a black background. The camera slowly begins zooming up to his hand as the stars and crescent moon on his hat flash one-by-one, and then a magic spark flashes and appears above Mickey’s hand. We zoom past Mickey as the spark begins swirling around and begins to write "WALT DiSNEY” in the corporate Disney font, except it is metallic white. As we zoom out, the background begins to change to dark blue, and a black diamond with metallic edges fades in from a far point and begins to slowly zoom in, as “CLASSICS”, in a fancy metallic white Lo-Type font, begins zooming out from the bottom of the screen, before that and “Walt Disney” settle on the diamond, which has zoomed up to a comfortable distance. The edges begin to glow white, and then a magic comet swishes into view from the bottom left of the screen, circles behind the diamond, then flies out from the top right and passes in front of the diamond before flying offscreen, leaving a trail of pixie dust that changes the "WALT DiSNEY CLASSICS" text to gold, and adds a purple tint to the diamond’s edges. The logo "shines".
Variants:
Scare Factor: Minimal; the distorted version of the fanfare can cause more than a few scares, but this is probably one of the best home video logos ever. The animation and music mix very well. Most people might not be able to tell the difference between the distorted and normal variants, which in that case, drops the scare factor. This is a great improvement over the last logo!
Logo: On a shady blue background, the words "WALT DISNEY" are seen in yellow with a shadow effect. Below it is "CLASSICS" in a metallic orange serif font, also with the shadow effect. Light wipes over the logo from left to right.
Nicknames: "Disney Glitter", "Walt Dust Classics", "Another Golden Logo"
Background: "Walt Disney Classics" (nicknamed by Disney video collectors as the “Black Diamond Classics”) was created in 1984 to release the animated features from the Disney Animated Features canon. The first release from the line was Robin Hood in 1984, and more soon followed, including Pinocchio, Dumbo, The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland, and more. In 1990, due to the wild success of The Little Mermaid, the Classics line released that film to video and began releasing the more contemporary new animated releases of the time from Disney. In 1994, after the video release of The Fox and the Hound, the Classics series was discontinued and replaced with a newer series, labeled as the Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection.
1st Logo
(December 6, 1984-October 6, 1987; 1993)
259px|The Classics Walt Disney Home Video
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Nicknames: "Cheesy Diamond", "Early Black Diamond", "Navy Blue Diamond", "Finest American Cheddar"
Logo: On a blue background, the text "WALT DiSNEY HOME VIDEO" (with "WALT DiSNEY" in its famous “signature” font created in the early 1960s), in red, swirls in from the upper-left corner of the screen, rotating clockwise as it does so, passes by quite close to the screen, then flips and begins cycling to the lower-left corner. A few seconds after the "WALT DiSNEY HOME VIDEO" text appears, “THE CLASSICS”, in a rather ugly white font, also comes from the upper-left side of the screen and begins slowly spinning, too, nearly following the same path as the WDHV text does. As this happens, the background begins to slowly “morph” into a large, blurry diamond shape on a black background. A large Prussian blue diamond then zooms in from the center of the screen at a slightly fast pace, before stopping at a huge size. As the diamond zooms up, “THE CLASSICS” flips over to the top of the diamond and settles there, while "WALT DiSNEY HOME VIDEO" lands on the bottom of the diamond. A white, simple diamond outline zooms out and plasters itself onto the edges of the diamond.
Variants:
- On some tapes, the logo stays onscreen for an extra ten seconds before finally fading out. This was most commonly seen around 1986, including Pinocchio, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, as well as later prints of the black clamshell release of The Sword in the Stone.
- Various Portuguese tapes have a still variant with the "THE CLASSICS" text replaced by "OS CLÁSSICOS". This was used at the beginning of a VHS promo for Bambi at the time.
- On a rare Disney promo sales tape from 1985 promoting the VHS release of Pinocchio, this logo is included as part of the program's opening sequence, with an announcer (Brian Cummings) saying "The Disney Classics: Landmark animation made available for the first time from Walt Disney Home Video!"
- One scene on a rare promo sales tape for the 1984 VHS release of Robin Hood has the last few seconds of the logo where the diamond zooms in, but the background is black instead of blue. The glowing blue outline of the diamond from the background fades in after the logo is fully formed.
FX/SFX: The swirling text, the background change, the zooming diamonds.
Cheesy Factor: The “flipping” of the words and the zooming animations are outdated, even for 1984, almost looking like it was produced on Adobe Flash (even before that medium existed!) The Portuguese variant in particular also looks incredibly cheap, since you can tell that the "OS CLÁSSICOS" text is obviously plastered on top of the original "THE CLASSICS" text.
Music/Sounds: A bouncy, medieval-style synth-horn fanfare with a held-out synth-flute at the end. It sounds like it was produced on a Moog synthesizer. At the beginning of the aforementioned Robin Hood promo sales tape, the logo is played at a slightly higher pitch.
Availability: Rare, it was only used for a short period of time. Seen on 1984-1987 VHS and LaserDisc prints of Disney animated features including the original video releases of Pinocchio and Robin Hood. Usually it is in clamshell packaging (originally in big, black, heavy clamshells with the artwork printed directly onto the case, but switching over to the lightweight, white clamshells we are familiar with today in 1986), with the cover featuring a black flap on the lower right corner reading "The Original Animated Classic!", and often has the diamond print logo on the spine (without WDHV text) and on the videotape label (with WDHV text). The last video to officially use this logo was Lady and the Tramp. This logo has also been spotted on some post-1987 prints, including a 1993 reprint of The Sword in the Stone, and the mid-1988 demo tape of Cinderella. On black clamshell tapes of Dumbo, as well as very early prints of the black clamshell release of The Sword in the Stone and earlier prints of the mid-1986 slipcover release of Alice in Wonderland, the 1981 Neon Mickey logo shows up (the latter had the 1984 Classics logo replace the Neon Mickey logo on prints from circa late April 1986). Although the logo is seen on the cover, Australian releases do not use this logo, they use the 1986 "Sorcerer Mickey" logo or the 3rd Walt Disney Home Video international logo.
Scare Factor: Medium. It may unnerve several people with its cheesy effects, in-your-face animation and Moog synthesizer music, but, despite it being somewhat annoying, is tamer than the Neon Mickey.
2nd Logo
(October 4, 1988-September 21, 1994; February 28, 1996; 2003)
Cheesy Factor: The “flipping” of the words and the zooming animations are outdated, even for 1984, almost looking like it was produced on Adobe Flash (even before that medium existed!) The Portuguese variant in particular also looks incredibly cheap, since you can tell that the "OS CLÁSSICOS" text is obviously plastered on top of the original "THE CLASSICS" text.
Music/Sounds: A bouncy, medieval-style synth-horn fanfare with a held-out synth-flute at the end. It sounds like it was produced on a Moog synthesizer. At the beginning of the aforementioned Robin Hood promo sales tape, the logo is played at a slightly higher pitch.
Availability: Rare, it was only used for a short period of time. Seen on 1984-1987 VHS and LaserDisc prints of Disney animated features including the original video releases of Pinocchio and Robin Hood. Usually it is in clamshell packaging (originally in big, black, heavy clamshells with the artwork printed directly onto the case, but switching over to the lightweight, white clamshells we are familiar with today in 1986), with the cover featuring a black flap on the lower right corner reading "The Original Animated Classic!", and often has the diamond print logo on the spine (without WDHV text) and on the videotape label (with WDHV text). The last video to officially use this logo was Lady and the Tramp. This logo has also been spotted on some post-1987 prints, including a 1993 reprint of The Sword in the Stone, and the mid-1988 demo tape of Cinderella. On black clamshell tapes of Dumbo, as well as very early prints of the black clamshell release of The Sword in the Stone and earlier prints of the mid-1986 slipcover release of Alice in Wonderland, the 1981 Neon Mickey logo shows up (the latter had the 1984 Classics logo replace the Neon Mickey logo on prints from circa late April 1986). Although the logo is seen on the cover, Australian releases do not use this logo, they use the 1986 "Sorcerer Mickey" logo or the 3rd Walt Disney Home Video international logo.
Scare Factor: Medium. It may unnerve several people with its cheesy effects, in-your-face animation and Moog synthesizer music, but, despite it being somewhat annoying, is tamer than the Neon Mickey.
2nd Logo
(October 4, 1988-September 21, 1994; February 28, 1996; 2003)
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Top: Sorcerer Mickey intro
Top Middle: The standard logos
Top Middle: The standard logos
Nicknames: "The Black Diamond", "Sorcerer Mickey II", "Hi again, Mickey!"
Logo: We start with the opening animation of the 1986 Walt Disney Home Video logo, with Mickey Mouse dressed in his Sorcerer’s Apprentice outfit like on Fantasia, standing on a blue spotlight on a black background. The camera slowly begins zooming up to his hand as the stars and crescent moon on his hat flash one-by-one, and then a magic spark flashes and appears above Mickey’s hand. We zoom past Mickey as the spark begins swirling around and begins to write "WALT DiSNEY” in the corporate Disney font, except it is metallic white. As we zoom out, the background begins to change to dark blue, and a black diamond with metallic edges fades in from a far point and begins to slowly zoom in, as “CLASSICS”, in a fancy metallic white Lo-Type font, begins zooming out from the bottom of the screen, before that and “Walt Disney” settle on the diamond, which has zoomed up to a comfortable distance. The edges begin to glow white, and then a magic comet swishes into view from the bottom left of the screen, circles behind the diamond, then flies out from the top right and passes in front of the diamond before flying offscreen, leaving a trail of pixie dust that changes the "WALT DiSNEY CLASSICS" text to gold, and adds a purple tint to the diamond’s edges. The logo "shines".
Variants:
- In 1992, starting with 101 Dalmatians, the logo had brighter colors with the diamond in bright blueish-violet (possibly due to deterioration of the master), and the logo fades out earlier than before. Sometimes the logo begins abruptly (this mostly happened on 1992 releases).
- The original 1988 prototype version seen on Cinderella (retail copies only, demo tapes had the previous logo) had the background as a dark to light blue gradient, a more shiny, silver, metallic diamond, and rougher animation. This has also been seen on the 1992 laserdisc and demo tape of The Rescuers, the later Canadian print of The Rescuers Down Under, and the later Canadian/USA print of Robin Hood (albeit off-center). It also shows up at the beginning of the videotape Fantasia: The Making of a Masterpiece (which was included as part of a "Deluxe Collectors' Edition" box set of the movie). The last video to initially feature this version of the logo was the 1992 French-Canadian release of Beauty and the Beast.
- On several prints of the 1991 video releases of Robin Hood and The Brave Little Toaster, the Mickey scene is cut, and the logo starts off with the spark writing the words. This variant, shown before a preview for The Jungle Book, is accompanied with Brian Cummings saying, "Look for these animated Disney classics on videocassette."On the Robin Hood VHS, the same variant appears again before the film begins, but without the voice-over.
- On the 1991 video release of The Rescuers Down Under, just the end of the logo is shown before the Jungle Book trailer begins. There is no music and Brian Cummings says, "Don't miss this timeless Disney classic from Walt Disney Home Video."
- The shortened version seen on Robin Hood was also seen at the beginning of a UK promo for The Great Mouse Detective (ironically, this promo was found on the 1992 UK VHS release of Robin Hood, as well as on the UK video releases of The Prince and the Pauper, and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow), except in this version, the 1992 variant is used. Also, at the end of the logo, an announcer says "From Walt Disney Home Video", before cutting to the promo.
- On the US version of the promo, as seen on the 1992 prints of So Dear to My Heart and The Rescuers, the end of the 1992 variant is shown (with the music from The Great Mouse Detective playing in the background) and Mark Elliot provides the voice-over.
- The tail end of the 1989 variant (with the logo "shining") surprisingly appears at the beginning of a video promo for Bambi, as seen on several international Disney VHS releases.
- Japanese tapes use a still variant for promos featuring the diamond reading "THE CLASSICS" on a starry sky with a thicker, more glass-like frame.
FX/SFX: All the animation in the logo.
Music/Sounds: A majestic, gradually rising synthesizer fanfare with a "sizzling" noise as the comet circles behind the diamond. Starting with the 1992 VHS release of The Rescuers, the music became distorted and heavier on bass as the result of a video processing error.
Availability: Seen on 1988-1994 Disney video releases of their feature films with the text "A Walt Disney CLASSIC" or "Walt Disney's CLASSIC" on top and the diamond print logo on the clamshell spine. The first two releases with this logo, Cinderella and Bambi, feature the diamond print logo (with WDHV text) on the label like the last logo, though some later releases use an alternate sticker label instead of a white ink label (like some copies of The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book and The Rescuers Down Under). However, the 1992 distorted variant made a surprise appearance on the 2003 UK VHS release of Pinocchio. Also, the 1989 version of the logo was used on the 1990/91 Swedish and Finnish VHS releases of Lady and the Tramp. Oddly enough, this was not shown on the 1991 French-Canadian release of Robin Hood (it goes straight to the film after the 1986 WDHV logo). The last video to officially use this logo was the 1994 CAV LaserDisc of Aladdin (which used the 1989 variation). The most common Disney Classics tapes featuring this logo are the VHS releases of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (both with the muffled, bass-heavy music). The 1992 version of the logo with the original (clean) music only appeared on 101 Dalmatians and The Great Mouse Detective. Surprisingly, the 1989 version of this logo appears on very early printings (from before December 18, 1995) of the 1996 Masterpiece Collection release of Pocahontas. This was not found on UK releases from the early to mid-90's released under the label "Walt Disney Classics"; they just used the 3rd WDHV logo, which would also be used on Spanish-language tapes. Disney's Classics LaserDiscs of the restored Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, The Great Mouse Detective, and Beauty and the Beast do not use this logo as well, using the standard WDHV logo instead. Australian releases did not use this logo either, they also used the 1986 "Sorcerer Mickey" logo and later, the "Disney Videos" logo, starting in 1995, though it could be seen on one promo.
Availability: Seen on 1988-1994 Disney video releases of their feature films with the text "A Walt Disney CLASSIC" or "Walt Disney's CLASSIC" on top and the diamond print logo on the clamshell spine. The first two releases with this logo, Cinderella and Bambi, feature the diamond print logo (with WDHV text) on the label like the last logo, though some later releases use an alternate sticker label instead of a white ink label (like some copies of The Little Mermaid, The Jungle Book and The Rescuers Down Under). However, the 1992 distorted variant made a surprise appearance on the 2003 UK VHS release of Pinocchio. Also, the 1989 version of the logo was used on the 1990/91 Swedish and Finnish VHS releases of Lady and the Tramp. Oddly enough, this was not shown on the 1991 French-Canadian release of Robin Hood (it goes straight to the film after the 1986 WDHV logo). The last video to officially use this logo was the 1994 CAV LaserDisc of Aladdin (which used the 1989 variation). The most common Disney Classics tapes featuring this logo are the VHS releases of Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (both with the muffled, bass-heavy music). The 1992 version of the logo with the original (clean) music only appeared on 101 Dalmatians and The Great Mouse Detective. Surprisingly, the 1989 version of this logo appears on very early printings (from before December 18, 1995) of the 1996 Masterpiece Collection release of Pocahontas. This was not found on UK releases from the early to mid-90's released under the label "Walt Disney Classics"; they just used the 3rd WDHV logo, which would also be used on Spanish-language tapes. Disney's Classics LaserDiscs of the restored Pinocchio, The Jungle Book, The Great Mouse Detective, and Beauty and the Beast do not use this logo as well, using the standard WDHV logo instead. Australian releases did not use this logo either, they also used the 1986 "Sorcerer Mickey" logo and later, the "Disney Videos" logo, starting in 1995, though it could be seen on one promo.
Scare Factor: Minimal; the distorted version of the fanfare can cause more than a few scares, but this is probably one of the best home video logos ever. The animation and music mix very well. Most people might not be able to tell the difference between the distorted and normal variants, which in that case, drops the scare factor. This is a great improvement over the last logo!
3rd Logo
(1991-1996)
Nicknames: "The Wiping Light on Text"
Logo: On a shady blue background, the words "WALT DISNEY" are seen in yellow with a shadow effect. Below it is "CLASSICS" in a metallic orange serif font, also with the shadow effect. Light wipes over the logo from left to right.
FX/SFX: The wiping light.
Music/Sounds: Opening of the promo following it.
Availability: Exclusive to United Kingdom. Was seen in some WDC promos of the time.
Scare Factor: None. It's a harmless logo.
4th Logo
(2000)
Nicknames: "Disney Glitter", "Walt Dust Classics", "Another Golden Logo"
Logo: Same as the 1991 Walt Disney Home Video logo, except this time, the logo was placed over a purple background with swirly pixie dust. Instead of "HOME VIDEO", a golden banner with "CLASSICS" was seen. Thin orange light moves over various parts of the logo.
FX/SFX: The orange light.
Music/Sounds: See above.
Availability: Again, exclusive to UK. This was seen twice in a 2000 WDC promo seen on the 2000 VHS of Tarzan.
Scare Factor: None. Pretty neat to look at, actually.