Disney Channel Movie Intros

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum

1st ID (June 2001-October 2006)

Visuals:

  • 2001-2002: The sequence begins on a blue-black gradient background with light on the ground as the Zoog Disney "Zoog" logo and some people jumping on it; the logo sparkle as this happens. The screen then cuts to the people jumping, with a girl in front of them. The background flashes into a sky background, and a filmstrip appears with copies of the 1999 Disney Channel logo with the inside of the logo turning blue, yellow and green, as the camera moves in a rollercoaster-like fashion. Six boys jump towards the screen. As this happens, the background switches to a swirl made with filmstrips; a multicolored background then appears and cuts to a rollercoaster-like fashion view of the swirly filmstrips. The boy in a red hoodie jumps towards the screen and falls down, transitioning to another filmstrip view with two boys and a girl jumping. As the screen switches to a different view, another girl appears and slides up. The screen then cuts to another different view of the swirly filmstrips with three boys. The screen cuts to yet another different view with the two boys as a girl jumps through the filmstrips that make a round shape. The screen cuts to the same filmstrips with copies of a blue background, a girl dives into a filmstrip that creates copies of her head, and then a boy jumping. Finally, the screen cuts to the same green filmstrips as the screen zooms out to reveal the Zoog Movie logo, which then slams into the screen and flashes; as it does, the filmstrip scrolls up to the screen, covering the logo, and shows the Disney Channel logo.
  • 2002-2006: On a space background, the "DiSNEY CHANNEL" text scrolls to the left as the girl from before and two boys jumping. The "Mickey Mouse Head" logo is also on the filmstrips now instead of the "Psychedelic Disney" logo. The Zoog Movie logo at the end is also replaced with something similar to the 2002 Disney Channel Originals logo, with the "DiSNEY CHANNEL" text starting off as 3D blue, which turns black after the logo sets its position, and the banner reading "mOVIe" instead. After the banner sets its position, the same blue filmstrips come out of the right ear of the logo, as a boy falls and another boy jumps towards the camera.

Technique: Live-action and CGI produced by PMcD Design and animated by Black Logic.

Audio:

  • 2001-2002: A female choir singing "It's the right time for a Zoog Movie, yeah!" multiple times throughout over a techno fanfare.
  • 2002-2006: A triumphant, ska-influenced fanfare along with a choir singing "Let's watch a Disney Channel Movie!" multiple times throughout. Composed by Eric Perlmutter of Tonal Sound and Elias Associates.

Audio Variant: An ambient synth transitioning into a slightly different techno fanfare, with "Let's watch a Disney Channel Movie!" being said in a German language, was used before movies that aired on Disney Channel in Germany.

Availability: Was used before movies that aired on Disney Channel.

2nd ID (November 2006-December 2008, March 2, 2009)

Visuals: On a black background, there is a spark appear from the bottom right side of the screen before it hits the center of the screen and become copies of Mickey Mouse's head (recycled from the long version of the 2002 Disney Channel Originals logo) before it fades into a mirrored version of the same footage from the the previous logo with a girl jumping towards the camera with two other boys behind her with a green line moving around onscreen. It then cuts multiple shots from the previous logo with various effects to the footage including some where the color tinted yellow, some lines are moving around onscreen, etc. Logo ends with the same kid jumping towards the camera and the logo wobbling before it quickly "speeds" up.

Variant: An unused variant exists.

Technique: Same as before.

Audio: Starts off with a sparkling noise for the spark animation before cutting to a techno theme mixed with various sounds including multiple voices saying "Disney Channel" (recycled from the Wand IDs), some laughs, and finally a voice saying "Disney Channel Movie!". Composed by D.S. Ramirez.

Availability: Was used before movies that aired on Disney Channel between November 2006 and December 2008 before being replaced with the intro below. However, it makes a surprise appearance on a March 2, 2009 airing of the movie Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, due to an error using the 2008 opening, accidentally using the 2006 opening instead.

3rd ID (December 2008-May 2014)

Visuals: The screen quickly zooms through a stage background with "STAGE 1" on both sides of a door that has the 2002 Disney Channel Movie logo on it; the door opens up and the screen zooms through multiple pop-up book-like cut outs of multiple Disney Channel Original Movie scenes and characters, all of which vary throughout the years.

  • 2008-2010: The sequence starts off with a school corridor with Troy Bolton and Gabriella Montez from the High School Musical franchise singing together with a sign that says "Wildcats Trounces the Knights", Wendy Wu from Wendy Wu Homecoming Warrior doing a pose, Kelly Collins from Cadet Kelly smiling and doing a salute behind a booth with stars on top, and Marnie Piper and Ethan Dalloway from Return to Halloweentown standing to the right of Kelly's booth. Then, it goes through a street with Izzy Daniels from Jump In! jumping rope with Shauna Lewis and Keisha Ray. Also on the street is Camryn Barnes and Alex Fielding from the Twitches series casting a spell in front of a yellow taxi. Behind the taxi is Ren and Louis Stevens from The Even Stevens Movie hugging while Calvin Wheeler from Life is Ruff is holding onto Tyco while on a skateboard. The screen then cuts to a celebration with confetti with the Cheetah Girls from The Cheetah Girls: One World while Sharpay and Ryan Evans also from High School Musical is on a ladder while a pre-teen and teenager version of Zenon Kar from the Zenon series stands next to each other. Johnny Kapahala from Johnny Tsunami is seen riding on a snowboard while the screen zooms into the Final Jam stage from Camp Rock while 3 masked people wearing white suits from Minutemen is on the right of the stage before ending with a shot of Troy giving Gabriella a necklace while she looks down on a city skyline with palm trees.
  • 2010-2012: The sequence starts off in a cave with Justin and Alex Russo from Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie where Justin is holding a purple object while him and Alex is looking at it. Behind them is their parents Theresa and Jerry Russo both staring at each other in excitement while Max Russo is seen with a wand looking towards them. Zooming on in is three men all in white, presumably from Minutemen running while zooming in to a pond where Jessica Olson from StarStruck is seen splashing Christopher Wilde with water. While the Connect 3 Band and Mitchie Torres from Camp Rock 2: The Final Jam is seen standing on some grass. Cleatus Poole is then seen giving Pete "The Chicken" (both from Hatching Pete) a piggy back ride while in front of a set of bleachers with people while Troy Bolton from High School Musical is in basketball attire holding a basketball while Alex and Emily Pearson from Den Brother is in troop camp attire. It then cuts to a similar celebration scene with The Cheetah Girls from The Cheetah Girls: One World with Alex Russo is seen in the center with a wand and a pre-teen and teenager version of Zenon Kar from the Zenon series standing next to each other. It then ends by zooming into Olivia White and Wen Gifford from Lemonade Mouth performing on a some stairs with Olivia singing and Wen playing a keytar.
  • 2012-2014: The sequence begins in a desert with various Disney Channel characters from the network's lineup at the time. Also present are a dog skateboarding and a cactus with Christmas lights. A school cafeteria is then shown. This segues into a vortex featuring characters from Phineas and Ferb dressed as spies (just like on Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the 2nd Dimension), with the end of the vortex having a wobbly, star-like shape and revealing a pop rock concert.

At the end of each montage, the Disney Channel Movie logo zooms out on a blue background with the logo contained with in a piece of a filmstrip while dust emerges from the logo's outline.

Technique: CGI produced by Monkeyhead and animated by Mac&Cheez.

Audio: An orchestral rendition of the Disney Channel jingle at the time. Composed by David Norland.

Audio Variant: There is a prototype version where the fanfare is re-arranged.

Availability: Seen at the start of DCMs at the time.

4th ID (May 2014-March 2017)

Visuals: There is a 3D Disney Channel logo in different environments which vary. They usually end with the Disney Channel logo at the time on a sky background with a white box formed by 2 3D ribbons and "MOVIE" in 3D flying into the box.

Variant: These are the sequences for each variant:

  • Version 1: The logo is seen near the Great Wall of China, a bridge in Norway, an American village, the Tower Bridge in London, and a farm field.
    • Another version swaps the view of the American village with a view of Bangkok at sunrise, and the farm field with a shot of a tropical island area (possibly in the Philippines or Vietnam) with hills and a boat in the water.
  • Version 2: The logo is seen on a suburban area (possibly in Germany) at sunrise, above a bridge in Amsterdam, a waterfall (possibly in Britain or Brazil), the Eiffel Tower in Paris, and the Monument Valley rocks of Arizona.
    • Another version features the bridge in Amsterdam replaced with Marina Bay Sands in Singapore, and the Monument Valley section replaced with a different view of a hilly farm field (possibly in Indonesia) with a mountain behind.
  • Version 3: The logo is seen near a forest (possibly in Canada) with falling leaves, near a farm (possibly in Chile) with multiple air balloons, above New York at sunrise, near a Japanese lake with a torii gate, and a hilly area (possibly in Saudi Arabia) with farm fields at sunrise.
    • Another version has the New York scene replaced with the Petronas Towers in Kuala Lumpur.

Technique: A combination of live-action and CGI by BDA Creative.

Audio: An orchestral theme, followed by another orchestral rendition of the Disney Channel theme, kinda like the previous rendition but reorchestrated and slightly lower pitch. Composed by David Norland.

Availability: Same as before.

5th ID (March 2017-April 2019)


Visuals: On a grey colored background is Mickey's hands making a camera shape it shows a cyan box with a pink Mickey Mouse head on. The box turns into a clapperboard as it makes the background yellow. Two purple and blue dots as they turn into smiley faces come together making the background hot-pink. They both change colors and changes the background into cyan as they are musical notes and a music notation. They turn into dots as they bounce up and down. a wand appears and turns into grey and sparkles with emojis. The Disney Channel logo in purple in a pink box and a giant tab and text reads "MOVIE" in cyan. Two spotlights sway around.

Variant: A Halloween variant exists.

Technique: 2D CGI produced by MakinÉ Studios.

Audio: An different arrangement of the Disney Channel theme.

Audio Variant: The Halloween variant plays a spooky version of the Disney Channel theme.

6th ID (April 2019-)


Visuals: On a yellow background, 2 gloved hands (likely Mickey's) make a frame pose that acts as a transition to the next scene, which is a clapperboard, on a purple background, closing itself and reopening it, forming the dot of the "i" in the Disney Channel logo. It then slides to the right with 3 Mickey gloves, 2 of which are yellow, giving thumbs up. They fly away to reveal a simplified version of the famous comedy/drama masks wearing Mickey ears with a Hollywood Walk of Fame star in the left corner. The logo zooms to the left, encountering a movie camera in the process (which the Disney Channel "i" dot hits to give it Mickey ears). 3D glasses are on the left. There is 2 searchlights pass by us, giving us the final logo.

Variant: Starting on November 7, 2021, the intro is abridged and the word "MOVIE" is replaced by "FAMILY MOVIE". After the logo forms, it irises in to the General Audience rating symbol (which looks similar to a ESRB rating symbol) on a purple background.

Technique: 2D CGI produced by MakinÉ Studios.

Audio: A shortened version of the 4th intro's music.

Audio Variant: In the "Family Movie" variant, a soft rock rendition of the Disney Channel theme is playing, with the male announcer saying "The following is a general audience movie.".