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THE CLASSICS Full

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 Classics (DVD Quality)

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[]

Gallery[]

Logos[]

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 were animated using traditional animation, similar to the earliest Walt Disney Home Video logos (a.k.a. the "Neon Mickey" logos) of the early-1980s. Subsequent versions of the Walt Disney Classics logo from 1988 onwards are however animated using 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.[1]
  • 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.[2]

References[]

  1. McCullaugh, Jim; Goldstein, Seth (October 9, 1993). "Disney Uncorks A Monster Hit With 'Aladdin' " (PDF). Billboard. p. 6. Retrieved August 21, 2021.
  2. https://books.google.com/books?id=TAgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=aladdin+laserdisc+delay&pg=RA1-PA60

See also[]

External links[]


v - e - dWalt Disney home video releases
Editions
Walt Disney ClassicsWalt Disney Masterpiece CollectionWalt Disney Limited IssuesWalt Disney Gold Classic CollectionWalt Disney Platinum EditionsWalt Disney Diamond EditionsWalt Disney Signature CollectionDisney Special Edition releasesDisney 2-Movie CollectionsDisney 3-Movie CollectionsDisney 4-Movie CollectionsDisney Movie Club DVDsWalt Disney TreasuresDisney Blu-ray 3DDisney·Pixar ClassicsDisney Legacy Animated Film CollectionGhibli ga Ippai CollectionStudio Ghibli Collection (North America)Collection Studio Ghibli (France)
Animated Films
Walt Disney Animation Studios films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Pinocchio (1940) • Fantasia (1940) • Dumbo (1941) • Bambi (1942) • Saludos Amigos (1942) • The Three Caballeros (1944) • Make Mine Music (1946) • Fun and Fancy Free (1947) • Melody Time (1948) • The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949) • Cinderella (1950) • Alice in Wonderland (1951) • Peter Pan (1953) • Lady and the Tramp (1955) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) • The Sword in the Stone (1963) • The Jungle Book (1967) • The Aristocats (1970) • Robin Hood (1973) • The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977) • The Rescuers (1977) • The Fox and the Hound (1981) • The Black Cauldron (1985) • The Great Mouse Detective (1986) • Oliver & Company (1988) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • The Rescuers Down Under (1990) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • The Lion King (1994) • Pocahontas (1995) • The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996) • Hercules (1997) • Mulan (1998) • Tarzan (1999) • Fantasia 2000 (1999) • Dinosaur (2000) • The Emperor's New Groove (2000) • Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001) • Lilo & Stitch (2002) • Treasure Planet (2002) • Brother Bear (2003) • Home on the Range (2004) • Chicken Little (2005) • Meet the Robinsons (2007) • Bolt (2008) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Tangled (2010) • Winnie the Pooh (2011) • Wreck-It Ralph (2012) • Frozen (2013) • Big Hero 6 (2014) • Zootopia (2016) • Moana (2016) • Ralph Breaks the Internet (2018) • Frozen II (2019) • Raya and the Last Dragon (2021) • Encanto (2021) • Strange World (2022) • Wish (2023)
Pixar films Toy Story (1995) • A Bug's Life (1998) • Toy Story 2 (1999) • Monsters, Inc. (2001) • Finding Nemo (2003) • The Incredibles (2004) • Cars (2006) • Ratatouille (2007) • WALL-E (2008) • Up (2009) • Toy Story 3 (2010) • Cars 2 (2011) • Brave (2012) • Monsters University (2013) • Inside Out (2015) • The Good Dinosaur (2015) • Finding Dory (2016) Cars 3 (2017) • Coco (2017) • Incredibles 2 (2018) • Toy Story 4 (2019) • Onward (2020) • Soul (2020) • Luca (2021) • Turning Red (2022) • Lightyear (2022) • Elemental (2023)
Disney Princess films Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) • Cinderella (1950) • Sleeping Beauty (1959) • The Little Mermaid (1989) • Beauty and the Beast (1991) • Aladdin (1992) • Pocahontas (1995) • Mulan (1998) • The Princess and the Frog (2009) • Tangled (2010) • Brave (2012) • Moana (2016) • Raya and the Last Dragon (2021)
Disney Fairies films Tinker Bell (2008) • Tinker Bell and the Lost Treasure (2009) • Tinker Bell and the Great Fairy Rescue (2010) • Secret of the Wings (2012) • The Pirate Fairy (2014) • Tinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeast (2015)
Blue Sky Studios films Spies in Disguise (2019)
Other Animated films A Christmas CarolA Goofy MovieThe Jungle Book 2The Nightmare Before ChristmasPiglet's Big MovieThe Pirate FairyPooh's Heffalump MoviePlanesPlanes: Fire & RescueReturn to Never LandSecret of the WingsThe Tigger MovieTinker BellTinker Bell and the Great Fairy RescueTinker Bell and the Legend of the NeverBeastTinker Bell and the Lost TreasureThe Wild
Direct-to-Video films 101 Dalmatians II: Patch's London AdventureAladdin and the King of ThievesAtlantis: Milo's ReturnBambi IIBuzz Lightyear of Star Command: The Adventure BeginsBeauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical WorldBeauty and the Beast: The Enchanted ChristmasBrother Bear 2Cinderella II: Dreams Come TrueCinderella III: A Twist in TimeAn Extremely Goofy MovieThe Fox and the Hound 2The Hunchback of Notre Dame IIKronk's New GrooveLady and the Tramp II: Scamp's AdventureLeroy & StitchLilo & Stitch 2: Stitch Has a GlitchThe Lion King 1½The Lion King II: Simba's PrideThe Little Mermaid: Ariel's BeginningThe Little Mermaid II: Return to the SeaMickey's Once Upon a ChristmasMickey's Twice Upon a ChristmasMickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three MusketeersMulan IIPocahontas II: Journey to a New WorldPooh's Grand Adventure: The Search for Christopher RobinPooh's Heffalump Halloween MovieThe Return of JafarStitch! The MovieTarzan IIWinnie the Pooh: A Very Merry Pooh YearWinnie the Pooh: Seasons of GivingWinnie the Pooh: Springtime with Roo
Non-Disney films The Brave Little ToasterValiantThe Bob's Burgers Movie
Studio Ghibli films Nausicaä of the Valley of the WindCastle in the SkyMy Neighbor TotoroKiki's Delivery ServicePorco RossoPom PokoWhisper of the HeartPrincess MononokeMy Neighbors the YamadasSpirited AwayThe Cat ReturnsHowl's Moving CastleTales from EarthseaPonyoThe Secret World of ArriettyThe Wind RisesMiscellaneous
Live-action feature films
20,000 Leagues Under the SeaAlexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad DayAlice in Wonderland (2010 film)Aladdin (2019 film)Alice in Wonderland (2010 film)Alice Through The Looking GlassA Wrinkle in TimeBeauty and the Beast (2017 film)Bedknobs and BroomsticksThe BFGBedtime StoriesBeverly Hills ChihuahuaBridge to TerabithiaChristopher RobinThe Chronicles of Narnia: Prince CaspianThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the WardrobeThe Country BearsCinderella (2015 film)CruellaThe Devil and Max DevlinDumbo (2019 film)EnchantedEscape to Witch MountainThe Finest HoursFreaky Friday (2003 film)G-ForceThe Game Plan The Greatest Game Ever PlayedThe Haunted MansionHaunted Mansion (2023 film)HolesInto the WoodsJames and the Giant PeachJohn CarterThe Jungle Book (2016 film)Jungle CruiseThe Lion King (2019 film)The Little Mermaid (2023 film)The Lone RangerThe Love BugHerbie Rides AgainHerbie Goes BananasMaleficentMaleficent: Mistress of EvilMary PoppinsMary Poppins ReturnsMax Keeble's Big MoveMcFarland, USAMillion Dollar ArmMulan (2020 film)The MuppetsThe Muppet Christmas CarolMuppets Most WantedMuppet Treasure Island National Treasure National Treasure: Book of SecretsThe Nutcracker and the Four RealmsOld YellerOz the Great and PowerfulThe Parent TrapThe Parent Trap (1998)Pete's DragonPete's Dragon (2016 film)Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's EndPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's ChestPirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No TalesPirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger TidesPirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black PearlPollyannaPrince of Persia: The Sands of TimeThe Princess DiariesThe Princess Diaries 2: Royal EngagementQueen of KatweThe Santa ClauseThe Santa Clause 2The Santa Clause 3: The Escape ClauseSaving Mr. BanksSnowball ExpressSo Dear To My HeartThe Sorcerer's ApprenticeSwiss Family RobinsonThe Story of Robin Hood and His Merrie MenTomorrowlandTronTron: LegacyWho Framed Roger Rabbit
Disneynature films African CatsBearsBorn in ChinaChimpanzeeThe Crimson Wing: Mystery of the FlamingosMonkey KingdomOceansWings of Life
Disney Channel Original Movies Camp RockThe Cheetah GirlsDescendantsHalloweentownHigh School MusicalTwitchesZombiesMiscellaneous
Lucasfilm films Rogue One: A Star Wars StorySolo: A Star Wars StoryStar Wars: The Force AwakensStar Wars: The Last JediStar Wars: The Rise of SkywalkerIndiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny
Marvel Cinematic Universe films Ant-ManAnt-Man and the WaspAnt-Man and the Wasp: QuantumaniaThe AvengersAvengers: Age of UltronAvengers: EndgameAvengers: Infinity WarBlack PantherBlack Panther: Wakanda ForeverBlack WidowCaptain America: Civil WarCaptain America: The Winter SoldierCaptain MarvelThe MarvelsDoctor StrangeDoctor Strange in the Multiverse of MadnessEternalsGuardians of the GalaxyGuardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten RingsSpider-Man: Far From HomeSpider-Man: HomecomingSpider-Man: No Way HomeIron Man 3Thor: The Dark WorldThor: Love and ThunderThor: Ragnarok
20th Century Studios films X-Men: Dark PhoenixThe Art of Racing in the RainAd AstraFord v FerrariUnderwaterThe Call of the WildThe CreatorThe New MutantsFree GuyWest Side StoryDeath on the NileAvatar: The Way of WaterA Haunting in VenicePoor Things
Animated shorts
Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoon CollectionsCartoon Classics (Limited Gold Editions) • Mini ClassicsFavorite Stories (UK Equivalent: Storybook Favorites) • Classic Cartoon FavoritesMickey and Friends' Greatest Hits (Outside USA) • Funny FactoryIt's a Small World of Fun!Timeless Tales (UK Equivalent: Walt Disney's Fables) • Walt Disney Animation Collection: Classic Short FilmsHave a Laugh!MiscellaneousPixarDisney Cartoon Festival (Japan only)
Television shows
Animated shows 101 DalmatiansAdventures of the Gummi BearsAladdinBonkersChip 'n Dale Rescue RangersDarkwing DuckDougDuckTalesElena of AvalorGargoylesGoof TroopGravity FallsJungle CubsKim PossibleThe Little MermaidThe New Adventures of Winnie the PoohPhineas and FerbThe Proud FamilyQuack PackRapunzel's Tangled AdventureRecessStar Wars RebelsTaleSpinTimon & PumbaaW.I.T.C.H.
Live-action shows DinosaursGood Luck CharlieHannah MontanaLizzie McGuireThe Mickey Mouse ClubThe Suite Life of Zack and Cody/The Suite Life on DeckThat's So RavenWalt Disney anthology seriesWelcome to Pooh CornerWizards of Waverly PlaceYou and Me, Kid
Playhouse Disney/Disney Junior Doc McStuffinsHandy MannyJake and the Never Land PiratesThe Lion GuardLittle EinsteinsMickey and the Roadster RacersMickey Mouse ClubhouseMy Friends Tigger & PoohSofia the FirstThe Book of Pooh
Compilation videosOther shows
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