Disney Interactive (1995-2005)

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

During the first years, this subsidiary of the company was involved mainly in game development, but it gradually changed its model and became merely a publisher of games based on Disney properties.



1st Logo (still variants) (December 8, 1995-November 9, 2005)


Visuals: On a black or white background, the Disney logo, with "INTER" and "ACTIVE" stacked below it, is seen. Below it is a red square with the Disney "D", with the "i" dot on top cut out of it.

Variants:

  • For Game Boy games, this logo is in black and white.
  • This logo is also usually superimposed onto the intro of the game.
  • On The Jungle Book: Rhythm 'n' Groove Party and Donald Duck Advance, copyright info is shown below.
  • For Nintendo 64 games and the GBA version of Monsters, Inc., the logo is in 3-D.
  • There is an animated version in which the entire logo fades in one-by-one on a white background. This can be seen on My Disney Kitchen, Winnie the Pooh: Preschool and Winnie the Pooh: Kindergarten.
  • On Disney's Activity Center: Winnie the Pooh, the logo is seen on a frame when the door to Pooh's house opens.
  • On Kingdom Hearts, everything is in one straight line instead of the normal up and down version, the "Di" logo is on the left and the words "Disney Interactive" are on the right.
  • On Atlantis: The Lost Empire, the logo is carved onto a stone background and is underwater. The logo glows at the end.
  • On Brother Bear, the logo is a cave painting.
  • On Disney Princess: Fashion Boutique, the logo is seen in a mirror.
  • On Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical Ballroom, the logo is a mosaic.
  • On British VHS tapes, the logo is on a white rectangle. It also has John Sachs saying either "Coming soon from Disney Interactive" or "Available now from Disney Interactive".
  • There is a "Coming Soon" version that exists. It's translated in multiple different languages.
  • There is an "Out Now" version that exists in the 1996 Australian VHS of Disney-Pixar's Toy Story (1995). The word "Out Now From" shines from left to right above the logo.

Technique: Printed graphics.

Audio: The opening theme of the game, or none.

Availability:

  • First seen on Maui Mallard in Cold Shadow for Sega Genesis and the SNES.
  • It can be found on Toy Story for Sega Genesis, SNES and PC, some CD-ROM games like Disney's Magic Artist, Disney's The Lion King Activity Center, and many others.
  • It also appeared on Game Boy, Game Boy Color and Game Boy Advance games.
  • It was also seen on PlayStation games like Dance Dance Revolution: Disney Mix and The Jungle Book: Rhythm 'n' Groove Party.
  • Some of the last games to use this were The Incredibles and the US version of The Incredibles: Rise of the Underminer both for all platforms and Chicken Little for Game Boy Advance.
  • Also seen on Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical Ballroom, Disney's Animated Storybook: Pocahontas, Mulan's Story Studio, and Disney Princess: Fashion Boutique.
  • Despite the game's box showing the Buena Vista Games logo, the Disney Interactive logo shows up on the US version of Kim Possible: Kimmunicator for Nintendo DS.
    • This marks the final regular appearance of the logo, and is replaced by the Buena Vista Games logo in the European release.
  • The British trailer variant appears on many British Disney retail VHS tapes from 1996-2000, such as Sleeping Beauty (1959), Pocahontas (1995), Toy Story (1995) and Hercules (1997), respectively.
  • This logo also appeared in the movie credits of Zootopia.

2nd Logo (1996-February 8, 2005)

Visuals: On a black background, a glowing white ball of light appears and flashes, revealing a red rectangle shone by two stars. The light moves around as the rectangle rotates upwards, revealing the text "DiSNEY INTERACTIVE" above it (with "DiSNEY" in its corporate font, and "INTERACTIVE" being split into two parts, with "INTER" on top of "ACTIVE"). The light sketches the "D" from "DiSNEY" into the rectangle at a slanted angle, which is revealed to be a box, and then shoots up, covering the background in sparkles, and adding the dot from the "i" in "DiSNEY" above, making it a stylized "Di". The box with the "Di" glows for a second.

Variants:

  • Beginning in 1998 or 1999, the logo now opens with a swirl of sparkles on a purple background. The rest of the animation continues as normal on the background at about double-speed, and the company name is now in a shade of periwinkle instead of bluish-gray.
  • On Disney's Villains' Revenge and the Toy Story 2 CD-ROM Sampler, a longer version of the purple background variant appears. Just before the usual animation starts on the purple background is clouds and sparkles flying and moving and showing clips of Steamboat Willie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, and Beauty and the Beast.
  • There is an earlier version where the logo is already formed on a black background, and the spark appears to draw the "Di" in the box, before the background flashes to a purple/white shade color.
  • On Hercules, the logo is shortened.
  • On Disney's Animated Storybook: The Hunchback of Notre Dame, the logo is slowed down.
  • Some games feature the logo shrunken down and fitted with a themed border depending on the game, possibly to reduce lag at certain points. Here's the following variants so far:
    • On Toy Story Activity Center, the logo plays normally at the end of a dark blue tunnel, which has the clouds from Andy's room walls imprinted on them. Disney's Animated Storybook: Toy Story has a similar variant, though the tunnel is purple, and instead of the clouds, there are five dots outlining each angle of the logo.
    • On Toy Story 2 Activity Center, the logo plays on a TV.
    • On Ariel's Story Studio, the logo is in one of the bubbles and has the opening theme of the game playing.
    • 101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor has the logo played inside a red box that Patches pulled.
  • On the first edition PC game of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?, the logo simply flashes in on a black background.
  • On Tarzan for PS1, the logo zooms in after it's finished.
  • On Tarzan Activity Center, the logo is made out of wood.
  • On Ready for Math with Pooh, Ready to Read with Pooh, and Winnie the Pooh ABC's, the logo is seen in a screen on a sky background.

Technique: CGI, often presented at a low framerate (approximately 15 frames a second).

Audio: A lab-like ambient drone is heard throughout, while a rocketship sound is heard as the rectangle appears, some whooshes and wind as the spark flies, and some haunting bells near the end after it's completed.

Audio Variants:

  • The purple background variant still has the ambient drone, but now has different sound effects, mainly whistles and chimes as the swirls appear, and less haunting chimes after the logo is completed.
  • Sampler CDs that use the early variant just have two loud zaps.
  • Some games use the opening theme, like Tarzan and Hercules.
  • On The Haunted Mansion (2003) video game, the purple background variant of the music is double-pitched and is warp-speed.
  • The Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? variation uses a 3-note synth tune, then a long fade-out that transitions into the Celador logo.
  • On the GameCube version of PK: Out of the Shadows, the 2001 logo's music is used.
  • A whimsical synthesized theme is heard on Disney's Arcade Frenzy and some titles in the Disney Hotshots series.
  • On Toy Story Activity Center, a shortened and reorchestrated version of the fanfare from the Pixar-exclusive version of the Walt Disney Pictures logo with additional sound effects is used.
  • On 101 Dalmatians: Escape from DeVil Manor, a jazz-like theme is heard.

Availability:

  • The early variant appeared on a few games, and usually appears on sampler CDs like Disney's 1996-97 Software Sampler.
    • However, it can also be easily found on trailers for games on Disney tapes from the '90s, such as the 1996 VHS of The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
  • The original black variant appears on some Disney PC games released during this time period, normally as part of the games' opening.
  • The version with music appears on the PlayStation and PC versions of A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2: Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue! and Buzz Lightyear of Star Command, and the PlayStation versions of Disney's Dinosaur, and Toy Story Racer. The Dreamcast versions of Disney's Dinosaur, Toy Story 2 and Star Command use the purple variant, while all other versions of the titles use the still logo. (Eg, A Bug's Life on N64)
  • The purple background version appears on many Disney video games released during this period, used in tandem with the 1st and 5th logos. It was even seen on Finding Nemo.
  • The last game to use this logo was Winnie the Pooh's Rumbly Tumbly Adventure.

3rd Logo (Atlantis series variant) (May 1-18, 2001)

Visuals: In a green-toned water cave, an earthquake starts and some stones fall down. A light appears. Then a teal rock emerges from the water, with the Disney Interactive logo carved on it (in yellow instead of red).

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Earthquake humming, splashes of water, followed by a soft musical tune.

Availability: Seen on Atlantis: Search for the Journal and Atlantis: Trial by Fire.

4th Logo (November 23, 2001-March 27, 2003)


Visuals: On a black background, a white rectangle, representing paper flies in and scrunches up a bit before it returns back to its normal shape, and the Disney Interactive logo is drawn in with a blue sketch look to it. A laser line then scans over it, turning it into a flat greyscale version of the print logo, and sketch lines appear over the "Di" box before they expand to fit the outline of it. The camera is also seen panning around through the entire logo before it finally stops at a slight upwards angle, as the sketches start to extrude from the box as wireframe borders, along with the paper as well. A spark then runs over the logo, turning the entire thing to 3D as the text then extrudes out, and sparkles fly out from the edge of the box.

Variant: On Monsters, Inc. for PlayStation 2, the logo is slightly center-stretched.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A long whoosh, and a loud synth note, which sounds similar to the THX Deep Note.

Availability:

  • First appeared on Pooh's Party Game: In Search of the Treasure/Party Time with Winnie the Pooh for the PlayStation.
  • Appears on three Monsters, Inc. titles - the North American-exclusive Monsters, Inc. for the PlayStation 2, Scream Team/Scare Island for the PlayStation, Windows and PlayStation 2 (PAL only) and Wreck Room Arcade for Windows.
  • Also appears on three Lilo and Stitch titles - Trouble in Paradise for the PlayStation and Windows, Hawaiian Adventure for Windows, and Stitch: Experiment 626 for the PlayStation 2.
  • Also shows up on the GameCube port of Donald Duck: Goin' Quackers/Quack Attack, the European-exclusive Peter Pan: The Legend of Never Land for the PlayStation 2, and PAL-region release of Tarzan: Freeride for the PlayStation 2 and GameCube (the US version, Tarzan Untamed uses the third logo).
  • Appears on a few Windows titles as well, such as Rolie Polie Olie: The Search for Spot, Disney's The Jungle Book - 1st Grade, Disney Trivia Challenge and Disney Princess: Magical Dress-Up.
Walt Disney Computer Software
Disney Interactive (1995-2005)
Buena Vista Games
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