Walt Disney Classics (also known as The Classics from Walt Disney Home Video and Disney's Black Diamond edition) was a video line launched by WDTNT to release Disney animated features on home video. [1] The first title in the "Classics" line was Robin Hood which was released towards the end of 1984. This was followed by 19 other titles until early 1994, with The Fox and the Hound . Disney followed up on the "Classics" series by porting over the released titles (except Pinocchio , Fantasia , The Fox and the Hound , The Great Mouse Detective , The Rescuers Down Under , Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin ) [2] to the "Masterpiece Collection" line, while continuing to use the "Classics" moniker in countries outside North America until 2007. Starting in the 2010s these videocassettes also dubbed "Black Diamond" became highly sought-after due to a public misconception about their rarity and actual value.
In 1980, Disney established its own video distribution operation as part of Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT) with Jim Jimirro as its first president. [3] Home video was not considered to be a major market by Disney at the time. WDTNT Co. also handled marketing of other miscellaneous ancillary items such as short 8 mm films for home movies. Disney's first releases on videotape were 13 titles that were licensed for rental to Fotomat on March 4, 1980. [4] This first group of titles on VHS marketed under the Walt Disney Home Video brand included 10 live action movies and 3 compilations of short cartoons: Pete's Dragon , The Black Hole , The Love Bug , Escape to Witch Mountain , Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier , 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea , Bedknobs and Broomsticks , The North Avenue Irregulars , The Apple Dumpling Gang , Hot Lead and Cold Feet , On Vacation with Mickey Mouse and Friends, Kids is Kids starring Donald Duck, Adventures of Chip 'n' Dale. Numerous other titles and re-releases were released at later dates throughout the early 1980s. These all came in a while clam-shell case which gave a distinctive appearance.
The Walt Disney classics include 15 animated feature films – Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs , Pinocchio , Fantasia , Bambi , Cinderella , Peter Pan , Lady and the Tramp , Sleeping Beauty , 101 Dalmatians , The Sword in the Stone , The Jungle Book , The Aristocats , Robin Hood , The Rescuers and The Fox and the Hound – which had only been shown at theaters, not television or any other format (except for The Sword in the Stone, which aired on television in 1985 for the first time). [5] These 15 movies laid the foundation upon which the Disney company was built. During each re-release to theaters (on a roughly seven-year cycle), they earned money comparable to new releases; it was thought the company would lose this revenue if they released the feature films on video or television. By the time the Masterpiece Collection replaced the Classics collection in the domestic market, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and The Aristocats were the only two of the original 15 classics (and in fact, the sole two pre-1985 single-narrative animated features) that had not yet been released to video or shown on television.
All of the single-story animated features made by Disney were included in the list of 15 classics except for two. The exceptions were Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland, both of which had been shown on television at the earliest opportunity. The Disneyland TV series began with The Disneyland Story, but the very next thing to be aired was Alice in Wonderland (broadcast November 3, 1954), which was edited to fit into the one-hour TV time slot. The following season began on September 14, 1955, with a one-hour version of Dumbo. Both of these movies were released on video within the first two years of the creation of Walt Disney Home Video; the videos were only briefly available for rental before they became available for sale. Despite always being available, Dumbo and Alice in Wonderland have made millions of dollars in subsequent home video releases.
No. | Release Date | Title | Initial cost (USD) | Copies sold (Domestic) [a] | Short summary |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | December 3, 1984 [6] | Robin Hood | 100,000+ [c] | Disney thought the idea of releasing any of its animated classics might threaten future theatrical reissue revenue. Robin Hood, however, was viewed as a good first choice because it was not held in as high esteem as some of the other titles. [9] The film was first re-released in late 1985, and then for a second time on July 12, 1991. [8] [10] [11] | |
2 | July 16, 1985 [12] | Pinocchio | $79.95 [12] | Pinocchio was reissued theatrically in 1984 to great success, grossing over $26 million at the domestic box office. In the following year Disney announced a July 16, 1985, release date for Pinocchio, with a $1 million advertising campaign which they claimed was the first national network TV spot campaign for a single video title. [12] The VHS price was lowered considerably for the re-release which ran from October 14, 1986 to January 31, 1987. [9] [10] A newly remastered edition of Pinocchio was released on video on March 26, 1993. [13] [15] | |
3 | November 5, 1985 [9] | Dumbo | $79.95 [9] | Unknown | The price of Dumbo was also dropped to $29.95 along with Robin Hood and Pinocchio in 1985. [9] Dumbo never went into moratorium, and was repackaged in 1989 with additional promotions in 1991. [11] |
4 | March 1986 [16] | The Sword in the Stone | $79.95 [17] | 75,000 [18] | The Sword in the Stone was repackaged in 1989 with the release of Bambi and was repromoted with another VHS re-release in 1991. |
5 | May 28, 1986 [19] | Alice in Wonderland | $29.95 [19] | Unknown | Alice in Wonderland was originally released as a rental-only in the Walt Disney Home Video line. It was re-released on May 28, 1986 for sell-through for the first time as part of Disney's "Wonderland Campaign". [20] While the number of videos sold for Alice in Wonderland is unknown, it was reported by Billboard that over 650,000 units had been shipped for the overall sale. [21] This movie was never placed on moratorium and was repromoted in 1991. [19] [11] |
6 | October 14, 1986 [22] | Sleeping Beauty | $29.95 [22] | 1,000,000+ [23] | Sleeping Beauty was the first title to be released in VHS Hi-Fi and in stereo sound. The film became the centerpiece for Disney's $6 million promotional campaign, "Bring Disney Home For Good" which featured all six of the animated Classics released up to the end of 1986. [24] The film went into moratorium on March 31, 1988. [25] |
7 | October 7, 1987 [26] | Lady and the Tramp | $29.95 [25] | 3,200,000 [23] | Following the success of Sleeping Beauty, when Disney released Lady and the Tramp on October 7, 1987 the VHS already had 2 million pre-orders. Lady and the Tramp eventually sold 3.2 million copies, making it the best-selling videocassette at the time. [23] It later lapsed into moratorium on March 31, 1988 along with Sleeping Beauty, having grossed $100 million in sales revenue. [25] [27] |
8 | October 4, 1988 [28] | Cinderella | $26.99 [e] | 7,200,000 [29] | A limited edition lithograph, created by animator Marc Davis was available to anyone who pre-ordered the title between July 11 and October 3, 1988. It was announced in advance that the film would go into moratorium on April 30, 1989. [28] Cinderella was another success for Disney having grossed $108 million in sales revenue. [29] |
9 | September 28, 1989 [30] | Bambi | $26.99 [30] | 9,800,000 [31] | Bambi was the first Disney video to have a cross-promotion. The price of $26.99 could be reduced with a $3.00 rebate (available until the end of January 1990) by sending in proofs of purchase of two tubes of Crest toothpaste. [30] The film went into moratorium on March 30, 1990. [32] |
10 | May 18, 1990 [33] [34] | The Little Mermaid | 10,000,000+ [35] | The Little Mermaid was priced at $26.99, the same as Bambi, but this time a $3 rebate was available from Disney with no additional purchase required. Disney promised its biggest TV advertising campaign ever, along with extensive print advertising. [36] By July 30, 1990, The Little Mermaid had sold 7.5 million cassettes, and it eventually sold 10 million units, making it the top-selling video release of 1990. [37] The film went into moratorium on April 30, 1991. [37] | |
11 | September 21, 1990 [38] | Peter Pan | $24.99 [38] | 7,000,000 [37] | Peter Pan was released with a cross-promotion with Nabisco, available from the release date through the holiday season. This allowed consumers a $5.00 rebate with the purchase of three boxes of crackers, bringing the effective retail price under $20.00. The film later went into moratorium on April 30, 1991. |
12 | May 3, 1991 [39] | The Jungle Book | $24.99 [39] | 7,400,000 [40] | The Jungle Book was originally sold for $24.99; a $5.00 rebate was offered by Nabisco, reducing the price even further. [39] The film later went into moratorium on April 30, 1992. |
13 | September 17, 1991 [41] | The Rescuers Down Under | $24.99 [41] | 5,200,000 [42] | The Rescuers Down Under was priced at $24.99 with a $5.00 mail-in refund available from Procter & Gamble. It later went on moratorium on April 30, 1993. [43] |
14 | November 1, 1991 [44] | Fantasia | $24.99 [44] | 14,200,000 [45] | Roy Disney originally objected to Fantasia being released on VHS as part of Walt Disney Classics series as he felt it was too important to the family's legacy. Michael Eisner was eventually able to convince the Disney Family to let the film be released. Fantasia was Disney's first animated film to be released simultaneously worldwide (in North America plus 46 international territories). [44] |
15 | April 10, 1992 [46] | 101 Dalmatians | $24.99 [47] | 11,100,000 [48] | 101 Dalmatians went on moratorium on April 30, 1993. [49] |
16 | July 17, 1992 [50] [51] | The Great Mouse Detective | 5,000,000 [52] (projected) | The Great Mouse Detective went on moratorium on April 30, 1993. [49] While the exact amount of copies sold is unknown, a projected amount of 5,000,000 copies was given by The New York Times on July 16, 1992. [52] | |
17 | September 18, 1992 [43] | The Rescuers | $24.99 [43] | 5,500,000 [53] (projected) | According to Billboard Magazine, The Rescuers was expected to sell 5 to 6 million videos. It later went on moratorium April 30, 1993. [49] [53] |
18 | October 30, 1992 [54] | Beauty and the Beast | 20,000,000+ [55] | Beauty and the Beast sold 20 million cassettes and brought $200 million in revenue. Disney opted to delay the laserdisc release for the theatrical version of Beauty and the Beast until September 29, 1993, [56] making a film festival-screened "work-in-progress" print on disc available in the interim. It was the first Disney animated film to have a widescreen laserdisc release. Beauty and the Beast went on moratorium on April 30, 1993. [49] | |
19 | September 29, 1993 [57] | Aladdin | $24.99 [58] | 30,000,000+ [59] | Aladdin is the best-selling release of the Walt Disney Classics line. The VHS was first released on September 29, 1993, although it was not officially advertised until October 1. [57] By early 1994, it had sold more than 25 million cassettes with over $500 million in revenue. Disney delayed the laserdisc release of Aladdin for nearly a year; it was eventually released, in both letterbox and pan-and-scan formats, on September 21, 1994. [60] Aladdin went on moratorium on April 30, 1994. |
20 | March 4, 1994 [61] | The Fox and the Hound | 10,000,000 [63] | This was the last film released in the Walt Disney Classics line, it went on moratorium on April 30, 1995. [64] [65] [62] |
Decades after their release there has been a public misconception that every "Black Diamond Edition" title from the Walt Disney Classics VHS line are rare and valuable. According to Kodak, "Tapes don't last for long due to remanence decay of the magnetic charge, causing blacked-out scenes, discoloration and eventually, entire loss of footage." They also gave a time frame by saying that tapes "degrade 10% to 20% throughout 10 to 25 years". [66] Kristy Ambrose from "The Gamer" called the phenomenon a "craze" which might be driven by nostalgia, and also stated that "Consumers have been learning some hard lessons about market manipulation and the power of trends". [67] Rain Blanken from WDW magazine called the ebay listings "bogus" and "hyped up" warning people that "Every outlet is saying these are listed for high prices… not sold." [68] This is also mentioned by Snopes which call the claim "Are 'Black Diamond' Disney VHS Tapes Worth Thousands of Dollars?" mostly false. They state that no buyers are bidding anywhere close to those asking prices for the tapes. Those that did sell for thousands of dollars are described by Snopes as a "rarity/fluke". [69]
In terms of consignment, Heritage Auctions has placed in their "Vintage VHS Tapes Value Guide" that the most desirable VHS tapes released between 1979 and 1990 are still in their original factory shrink wrap. [70] Further value is added if studio watermarks are present on the wrap. In regard to Disney "Black Diamond Editions", Heritage states that aside from a couple of titles, Disney animated films released on VHS after 1990 are not worth anything significant, and "Only the earliest of Disney VHS produced prior to 1985 hold any value to most collectors." [70] Things to look for on their guide include a sealed tape, a studio logo on the shrink-wrap, and if the latest year listed on the back of the cover is prior to 1986. [70]
Aladdin is a 1992 American animated musical fantasy comedy film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Buena Vista Pictures Distribution under Walt Disney Pictures. It is based on the Arabic folktale "Aladdin" from One Thousand and One Nights. The film was produced and directed by John Musker and Ron Clements from a screenplay they co-wrote with the writing team of Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. Featuring the voices of Scott Weinger, Robin Williams, Linda Larkin, Jonathan Freeman, Frank Welker, Gilbert Gottfried and Douglas Seale, the film follows the titular Aladdin, an Arabian street urchin who finds a magic lamp containing a genie. With the genie's help, Aladdin disguises as a wealthy prince and tries to impress the Sultan of Agrabah to win the heart of his free-spirited daughter, Princess Jasmine, as the Sultan's evil vizier, Jafar, plots to steal the magic lamp.
Pinocchio is a 1940 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by RKO Radio Pictures. Loosely based on Carlo Collodi's 1883 Italian children's novel The Adventures of Pinocchio, it is the studio's second animated feature film, as well as the third animated film overall produced by an American film studio, after Disney's Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) and Fleischer Studios' Gulliver's Travels (1939). With the voices of Cliff Edwards, Dickie Jones, Christian Rub, Walter Catlett, Charles Judels, Evelyn Venable, and Frankie Darro, the film follows a wooden puppet, Pinocchio, who is created by an old woodcarver, Geppetto, and brought to life by a blue fairy. Wishing to become a real boy, Pinocchio must prove himself to be "brave, truthful, and unselfish." Along his journey, Pinocchio encounters several characters representing the temptations and consequences of wrongdoing, as a cricket named Jiminy, who takes the role of Pinocchio's conscience, attempts to guide him in matters of right and wrong.
The Great Mouse Detective is a 1986 American animated mystery adventure film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. Based on the children's book series Basil of Baker Street by Eve Titus and Paul Galdone, the film is written and directed by John Musker, Dave Michener, Ron Clements, and Burny Mattinson in their feature directorial debuts. Featuring the voices of Vincent Price, Barrie Ingham, Val Bettin, Susanne Pollatschek, Candy Candido, Diana Chesney, Eve Brenner, and Alan Young, the plot follows a mouse detective who undertakes to help a young mouse find and save her father from the criminal mastermind Professor Ratigan.
The Return of Jafar is a 1994 American direct-to-video animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Pictures and Television. It is the first sequel to Disney's 1992 animated feature film, Aladdin, made by combining the planned first five episodes of the Aladdin animated television series into a feature-length film.
The Jungle Book is a 1967 American animated musical adventure film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Distribution. Based very loosely on the "Mowgli" stories from Rudyard Kipling's 1894 book of the same name, it is the final animated feature film to be produced by Walt Disney, who died during its production. It was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman and written by Larry Clemmons, Ralph Wright, Ken Anderson, and Vance Gerry. Featuring the voices of Phil Harris, Sebastian Cabot, Louis Prima, George Sanders, and Sterling Holloway, the film's plot follows Mowgli, a feral child raised in the Indian jungle by wolves, as his friends, Bagheera the panther and Baloo the bear, try to convince him to leave the jungle before the ruthless tiger Shere Khan arrives.
Walt Disney Records is an American record label owned by the Disney Music Group. The label releases soundtrack albums from The Walt Disney Company's motion picture studios, television shows, theme parks and traditional studio albums produced by its roster of pop, teen pop and country artists.
Aladdin: The Series is an American animated television series produced by Walt Disney Television Animation that aired from February 6, 1994, to November 25, 1995, concluding exactly three years to the day from the release of the original Disney's 1992 animated feature film of the same name on which it was based. Despite the animated television series premiering four months before the first sequel, the direct-to-video film The Return of Jafar, it takes place afterward. The second and final animated sequel was the 1996 direct-to-video film, Aladdin and the King of Thieves.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment Inc. is the home entertainment distribution division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony.
Sleeping Beauty is a 1959 American animated musical fantasy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and released by Buena Vista Film Distribution. Based on Charles Perrault's 1697 fairy tale, the production was supervised by Clyde Geronimi, and was directed by Wolfgang Reitherman, Eric Larson, and Les Clark. Featuring the voices of Mary Costa, Bill Shirley, Eleanor Audley, Verna Felton, Barbara Luddy, Barbara Jo Allen, Taylor Holmes, and Bill Thompson, the film follows Princess Aurora, who was cursed by the evil fairy Maleficent to die from pricking her finger on the spindle of a spinning wheel. She is saved by three good fairies, who alter Aurora's curse so that she falls into a deep sleep and will be awakened by true love's kiss.
Buena Vista Home Entertainment, Inc. is the home entertainment distribution arm of the Walt Disney Company. The division handles the distribution of Disney's films, television series, and other audiovisual content across digital formats and platforms.
Disney Sing-Along Songs is a series of videos on VHS, betamax, laserdisc, and DVD with musical moments from various Disney films, TV shows, and attractions. Lyrics for the songs are sometimes displayed on-screen with the Mickey Mouse icon as a "bouncing ball". Early releases open with a theme song introduction containing footage featuring Professor Owl and his class, seen originally in 1953 in two Disney shorts, Melody and Toot, Whistle, Plunk, and Boom. Professor Owl hosts some of the videos, while either Jiminy Cricket or Ludwig Von Drake host others. Later volumes, as well as the two Christmas videos, do not feature a host at all. Scenes with Jiminy Cricket and Ludwig Von Drake were taken from television programs, including the Walt Disney anthology television series and The Mickey Mouse Club, which featured the characters in the 1950s and 1960s.
John Edward Musker is an American animator, film director, screenwriter, and film producer. He often collaborates with fellow director Ron Clements and is best known for writing and directing the Disney animated films The Great Mouse Detective (1986), The Little Mermaid (1989), Aladdin (1992), Hercules (1997), Treasure Planet (2002), The Princess and the Frog (2009), and Moana (2016).
Aladdin: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is the soundtrack for the 1992 Disney animated film Aladdin. The album was released by Walt Disney Records on CD and cassette tape on October 27, 1992. The soundtrack was intertwined with demos, work tapes and unreleased masters, as well as original scores in 1994 in a four-disc box set entitled The Music Behind the Magic: The Musical Artistry of Alan Menken, Howard Ashman & Tim Rice. A remastered reissue with altered lyrics and new artwork was released on March 27, 2001. A special edition reissue featuring two previously released demos and new artwork was released on September 28, 2004. The Legacy Collection: Aladdin was released on September 9, 2022, to coincide with the 30th anniversary of Aladdin.
The "Disney Vault" was a term formerly used by The Walt Disney Company for its policy of regularly imposing sales moratoria on home video releases of specific animated feature films. Each Walt Disney Animation Studios film was available for purchase for a limited time, and then returned "to the vault", unavailable for retail sales, pending some future re-release.
GT Media, Inc. was an American home video company that originated in 1984 under the name of GoodTimes Home Video. Though it produced its own titles, the company was well known due to its distribution of media from third parties and classics. The founders for the company were the brothers Kenneth, Joseph and Stanley Cayre of Salsoul Records. Its headquarters were in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The company had a distribution facility in Jersey City, New Jersey and a duplication facility in Bayonne, New Jersey, known as GTK Duplicating Co..
The Disney Renaissance was a period from 1989 to 1999 during which Walt Disney Feature Animation returned to producing critically and commercially successful animated films. The ten feature films associated with this period are 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), and Tarzan (1999).
Aladdin is a Disney media franchise comprising a film series and additional media. It began with the 1992 American animated feature of the same name, which was based on the tale of the same name, and was directed by Ron Clements and John Musker. The success of the film led to two direct-to-video sequels, a television series, a Broadway musical, a live-action remake, various rides and themed areas in Disney's theme parks, several video games, and merchandise, among other related works.
Walt Disney Home Video is a discontinued video line launched to release Disney animated features on home video. This was done by a division of the same name under the parent Walt Disney Telecommunications and Non-Theatrical Company (WDTNT). As an entity, the name Walt Disney Home Video is now known as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. The scope of this list is mostly limited to Disney's North American live action movie releases. Cartoon collections were concurrently released as Walt Disney Cartoon Classics which include the "Limited Gold Editions". The initial price for early Disney cassettes at the time was "prohibitory expensive" for many, this changed in the mid-1980s when VCRs became affordable.
Initial order date will be Nov. 15, while the title will ship to distributors on Dec. 3 and retailers three days later.
'Robin Hood' was released late last year and has already sold 100,000 units, putting it in the Top 10 sellers at $79.95.
...is set for release July 16 with a list price of $79.95.
Sword In The Stone is the latest classic due out... ...will be in March at a $79.95 list price.
Order closing date on the sale is May 6; street date for the product May 28.
Walt Disney's Lady and the Tramp available in stores October 7
Disney asked Lee last year to help promote the release of the Lady and the Tramp cassette, paying a $500 "honorarium" — her only share of the video's $100 million in revenues.
Bambi begins its limited home video release on Thursday
will arrive on video for a limited time May 3
Release date 9/17
The Great Mouse Detective also makes its video debut on July 17. The 74-minute movie is listed at $24.99...
Distributors expect the tape.... ....to sell about five million copies.
Estimated Shipment: 5-6 million
Beauty And The Beast, which sold an estimated 20 million - 22 million tapes following its release
Major video game players Nintendo and Sega are both pushing hard to cash in on game spin-offs from Disney blockbuster animated feature Aladdin. In US, Sega (...) shipped 800,000 units of Virgin-developed Aladdin for Genesis/Mega Drive in same week as some 30m sell-through video units hit the street (10.8m selling through in three days).
In early March 1994, ten million The Fox and the Hound home videos were released.