Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment

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.

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

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

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 when you were an 80s kid, so did your parents and grandparents who have been Mickey Mouse and Disney fans for decades.


 * List of Walt Disney Mini-Classics video releases