Walt Disney Classics

The Walt Disney Classics was a series of VHS releases of Disney animated features that spanned from 1984, with its very first release being Robin Hood, to 1994, with The Fox and the Hound; VCDs of this series were released from 1998 to 2003. Many Disney animated features made their home video debuts through this series. It is often referred to by fans as the "Black Diamond" collection, referring to the shape of the black diamond-shaped "Classics" logo seen on the spine of each video's case and at the beginning of each tape.
Although the series initially consisted entirely of older Disney animated features from before the mid-1970s, the success of The Little Mermaid led to more then-recent films being released as part of the collection as of 1990.
==History==
Walt Disney Home Video released the Classics line in 1984 to release their animated films on home video in a brand name. Before resigning, then-current Disney CEO, Ron Miller, had plans to release their animated classics on home video. The older Disney executives still believed that releasing their animated films on home video would be a little bit risky, despite having released Dumbo, Alice in Wonderland, Fun and Fancy Free, and The Three Caballeros on home video around the early 1980s. The "untouchable" Disney Classics would usually be re-released in theaters around 7-10 years. And the executives thought that if they had the film on videocassette already, they would not go to the movie theater to see it anymore. Plus, it would gamble away from future theatrical revenue.
But by 1984, Walt Disney Home Video was getting increasingly popular, so they decided to release Robin Hood on home video to begin their new Classics line. It was chosen because Robin Hood wasn't one of the more popular Disney animated classics at the time, so it wouldn't be too much of a risk to release it on home video. Robin Hood was released with a suggested retail price of $79.95 on VHS and Betamax and $34.95 on Laserdisc. The tape was also part of Disney's wrap and ready-to-give promotion, since it was released a few weeks before Christmas Day. The release of Robin Hood was a small success, eventually becoming one of the best-selling home video titles in 1984.
==Releases==
Robin Hood front cover (1984 release).jpg|
Pinocchio1985VHS.jpg|
Dumbo1985VHS.jpg|
SwordStone1986release.jpg|
Alice in Wonderland 1986 VHS.jpg|
Sleeping Beauty 1986 VHS.jpg|
LadyTramp1987VHS.jpg|
Cinderella1988Cover.jpg|
Bambi1989VHS.jpg|
Dumbo1991VHS.jpg|
SwordStone1989VHS.png|
The-little-mermaid-1-.jpg|
PeterPan1990VHSCover.jpg|
JungleBook1991VHSCover.png|
AliceinWonderland1991VHS.jpg|
Robinhoodposter.jpg|
RescuersDownUnder1991VHS.jpg|
Fantasia-2-.jpg|
101Dalmatians1992VHS.png|
GreatMouseDetective1992VHSCover.jpg|
Rescuers 4.jpg|
BeautyandtheBeast1992VHSCover.jpg|
Pinocchio1993VHS.jpg|
Aladdin1992.jpg|
FoxHound1994VHS.jpg|
==Gallery==
===Logos===
File:WaltDisneyClassics1984.jpg|The first logo, which features the Walt Disney Home Video text underneath. This is an early logo, as the more prominent Diamond logo would be introduced shortly afterwards. It is found on Robin Hood, Pinocchio, Dumbo, The Sword in the Stone, Alice in Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, and a demo-tape of Cinderella.
OsClassicos.png|The Portuguese variant with "Os Classicos" in place of "The Classics".
WaltDisneyClassics1984Japanese.png|A Japanese variant on a starry sky with a thicker, more glass-like frame and not a blue aura to surrounds it here.
SorcererMickeyClassicsIntro.png|Intro to the second logo, similar to Walt Disney Home Video's 1986 logo.
Sorcerer Mickey Classics Intro.png|The 1989 Sorcerer Mickey intro.
SoccererMickey1992.png|The 1992 Sorcerer Mickey which is the last Walt Disney Classics logo.
File:WaltDisneyClassics1988.png|The 1988 prototype variant of the second logo, only found on Cinderella. Oddly enough this variant was later found on re-prints of The Jungle Book, Alice in Wonderland, Robin Hood, and The Rescuers Down Under. It also appeared on a LaserDisc and the demo-tapes for The Rescuers and Beauty and the Beast in 1992.
File:WaltDisneyClassics1989.png|The 1989 variant, starting with Bambi. Also, it was seen on the 1991 VHS of The Jungle Book. A short version, without the Sorcerer Mickey intro was used on the 1991 release of Robin Hood. (Surprisingly, this was also found on the 1991 LaserDisc of Robin Hood, the 1992 LaserDiscs of Mary Poppins, 101 Dalmatians, and The Great Mouse Detective, the 1992 VHS of 101 Dalmatians, The Great Mouse Detective, The Rescuers, and Beauty and the Beast, the 1993 VHS of Pinocchio and Aladdin, the 1993 Deluxe Edition LaserDisc of Beauty and the Beast and a demo-tape of Aladdin, the 1994 VHS and LaserDiscs of The Fox and the Hound and Aladdin, and the 1996 VHS prototype copies of Pocahontas.)
WaltDisneyClassics1992.png|The 1992 original clean variant, from 101 Dalmatians and The Great Mouse Detective. Starting with The Rescuers, the music became distorted.
WaltDisneyClassics1992Dirty.png|The 1992 distorted and muffled variant, from The Rescuers, Beauty and the Beast, Pinocchio, Aladdin, and The Fox and the Hound.
WDC-UK.PNG|An entirely different logo for UK trailers. Used from 1993-1996.
WDC-UK 2000.PNG|Another different logo for UK promos. Used in 2000.
Disney Classics UK VHS Logo 1980s.jpg|The normal print logo used on UK VHS Covers from the late 1980s
Walt_Disney_Classics_1991-1997_Print_Logo.png|The normal print logo used on UK VHS Covers from 1991 to 1996
WALT DISNEY CLASSICS 1997 - 2001 LOGO.png|The normal print logo used on UK VHS Covers from 1996 to 2000
WALT DISNEY CLASSICS 2000 LOGO.png|The alternative print logo used on UK VHS Covers from 2000 to 2001
WALT DISNEY CLASSICS 2001-2008 LOGO.png|The normal print logo used on UK VHS and DVD Covers from 2001 to 2008
Walt Disney Classics UK DVD BluRay 2014 logo.jpg|The normal print logo used on UK DVD and Blu Ray Covers from 2014 to present
==Trivia==
*The very first version of the Walt Disney Classics logo from 1984 (a.k.a. "Walt Disney Home Video The Classics" logo) seen on the tapes from Robin Hood 1984 VHS up until Lady and the Tramp 1987 VHS was animated using simple computer techniques. Subsequent versions of the Walt Disney Classics logo from 1988 onwards are however animated with more elaborate CGI animation, much like the then-recent 1986 Sorcerer Mickey Walt Disney Home Video logo.
*Although the Black Diamond edition of Aladdin was first released on September 29, 1993, it was not officially advertised until October 1.McCullaugh, Jim; Goldstein, Seth (October 9, 1993). "Disney Uncorks A Monster Hit With 'Aladdin'" (PDF). Billboard. p. 6. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
*Beauty and the Beast was the first Disney animated film to have a widescreen Laserdisc release (albeit letterboxed), in contrast to other Disney animated films produced in widescreen, such as Sleeping Beauty, Lady and the Tramp, The Little Mermaid, The Great Mouse Detective, and The Rescuers Down Under, which were previously released in this home video collection in pan-and-scan versions only on both their respective VHS and Laserdisc releases.
**The version of Lady and the Tramp used in the VHS and Laserdisc release in this collection is a cropped pan-and-scan version from it's theatrical CinemaScope release version, rather than it's alternate theatrical Academy ratio version, which wouldn't see a home video release until at least 1998.
*Aladdin was released on Laserdisc on September 21, 1994 in both alternate both letterboxed widescreen and pan-and-scan formats.https://books.google.com/books?id=TAgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=aladdin+laserdisc+delay&pg=RA1-PA60
==References==
==See also==
*Walt Disney Mini Classics
*Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection
*Walt Disney Gold Classic Collection
*Walt Disney Platinum Editions
*Walt Disney Diamond Editions
*Walt Disney Signature Collection
==External links==
*Article about the videos at DVDizzy.com
*History from Preview of Imaxination's Guide to Disney Videos http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qbirIwLQh4&t=12s
pt-br:Walt Disney Clássicos
Category:Disney videos and DVDs
Category:Home Video
Category:The Walt Disney Company
Category:Former Disney subsidiaries and assets