Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

“Neon Mickey” era (1980-1986)
The original Walt Disney Home Video logo had Neon Mickey.

March 1980 (The first 13 titles)
The first 13 titles were released for rental on March 4, 1980, when Disney was working with Fotomat to get into the video business. They were later made for sale nationwide in addition to rental on September 1980.

December 1980
A single title was released on December 30, 1980 for rental and sale, in addition to the original 13 Fotomat titles. This sole new release was also made available through Fotomat, and is the only known Disney title beyond the original 13 to be so offered.

November 1982
Beginning with this wave, Disney placed a single promo for many of its titles in release up to this point at the end of most of its tapes.

February 1985
Beginning with this batch of releases, the catalog numbers had been slightly altered.

March 1986
Excluding The Sword in the Stone, these tapes open with a blue / black gradient screen reading "Coming Soon From WALT DISNEY HOME VIDEO" and video trailers for The Journey of Natty Gann and The Sword in the Stone.

April 1986
Excluding The Journey of Natty Gann, these tapes open with a black screen reading "Now on Walt Disney Home Video..." and video trailers for The Journey of Natty Gann and The Sword in the Stone.

August 1986
These releases close with the Walt Disney World "The Magic That Moves The World" commercial. They are also the last releases, excluding reprints, to use the Neon Mickey WDHV logo.

Walt Disney Cartoon Classics (1983-1996)

 * List of Walt Disney Cartoon Classics video releases

Walt Disney Classics (1984-1994)
Disney launched the Black Diamond Classics line in 1984 to release their animated films on home video under this line. 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.


 * List of Walt Disney Classics video releases

Disney's Sing-Along Songs (1986-2006)

 * List of Disney's Sing-Along Songs video releases

Walt Disney Mini-Classics (1988-1993)
Disney launched the Mini-Classics line in May 1988 to release their animated featurettes on home video under this line. Around that time, the company had come up with jumbo packages of releases for the little folks to view during upcoming vacations and summer breaks. With Disney, it was more than price or wrapping--the distinctive and inimitable animation. You may have loved them back when you were a child during the 1980s decade, so did your parents and grandparents who have been Mickey Mouse and Disney fans for decades.


 * List of Walt Disney Mini-Classics video releases

Disney's Winnie the Pooh (1994-2005)

 * List of Disney's Winnie the Pooh video releases

Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection (1994-1999)

 * List of Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection video releases

Holiday promotions

 * List of Disney Christmas promotional releases
 * List of Disney Easter promotional releases
 * List of Disney Halloween promotional releases
 * List of Disney Valentine's Day promotional releases

September 1986
These releases open with the Video Dealer Announcement and the Sorcerer Mickey WDHV logo, and are the first to do so. The WDW "The Magic That Moves The World" commercial appears at the end of these tapes.

November 1986
Excluding One Magic Christmas, these releases open with video trailers for the Classics release of Sleeping Beauty and Flight of the Navigator before the standard Video Dealer Announcement & Sorcerer Mickey WDHV logo.

December 1986
These releases open with video trailers for the Classics release of Sleeping Beauty and Flight of the Navigator before the standard Video Dealer Announcement & Sorcerer Mickey WDHV logo, although the Sing-Along Songs program in this batch lacks both trailers.

January 1987
Excluding Flight of the Navigator, these releases open with video trailers for the Classics release of Sleeping Beauty and Flight of the Navigator before the standard Video Dealer Announcement & Sorcerer Mickey WDHV logo.

May 1992
A batch of sell-thru titles was released alongside Touchstone Home Video's rental release of Father of the Bride. These tapes are the first to use the gold WDHV logo, albeit as a still frame rather than fully animated, and are also the first to use the blue text "Feature Presentation" screen.

Rental exclusives
These titles were of free use with rental of any Disney cassette.

Promotional tapes
TBD