Walt Disney Home Entertainment (1978-1981)

Background
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment began its life in 1978 through MCA DiscoVision as "Walt Disney Home Entertainment". In 1980, Disney content was made available on videocassette under its own division known as "Walt Disney Home Video". Prior to 1981, their first releases were only live action films such as Pete's Dragon and The Love Bug. Starting in 1981 with Dumbo, they began releasing their animated films and cartoons on video under the Walt Disney Home Video name.

1st Logo (December 1978-July 16, 1986)
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Logo: On a black background, we see a large light blue outline of Mickey Mouse's silhouette appearing and then panning forward, leaving a trail of multiple outlines while rotating counter clockwise on its pivot. The outlines then start to change one-by-one to dark blue. As the text "Walt Disney" (in the original Disney signature script, as used on The Wonderful World of Disney) sketches on the screen, the Mickey outlines one-by-one change to. The outlines again one-by-one change to golden yellow, which quickly changes to light yellow) as the words "Home Entertainment" zoom up and settle underneath off center. Finally, the Mickey outlines one-by-one change to green before the logo fades out.

Technique: Rotoscoped cel animation.

Music/Sounds: A loud orchestral fanfare, composed by longtime Disney composer Buddy Baker.

Music/Sounds Trivia: The score for this logo is intact on the first track of the Intrada release of Return from Witch Mountain titled Main Title – Pt. 1 "1978 Mickey Mouse Birthday Logo" (Buddy Baker). It lacks the string section and the last timpani beat at the end, likely meaning it’s an alternate take.

Availability: Uncommon, bordering on rare. Can be found on several early 80s tapes where the Sorcerer Mickey print logo takes up nearly half the box (with red/orange lines in the center), but there are several tapes with this artwork style that use the 1981 "HOME VIDEO" variant as well. Later copies from November 1985-1986 using the "HOME VIDEO" variant have a smaller Sorcerer Mickey on top of the border (surrounding the cover art). As Neon Mickey tapes were in print as late as 1991 in some cases, some tapes with Neon Mickey packaging may have the Sorcerer Mickey logo. It made its last appearance on The Castaway Cowboy and Son of Flubber (though it later made a surprise appearance on the 1985 release of Gus).