Walt Disney Classics

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. 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'') 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.

Background

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. 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. 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 white clam-shell case which gave a distinctive appearance.

History

The first two movies released through video cassette that Disney would later call a "classic" was '' Dumbo'' and ''Alice in Wonderland'' in June 1981. Initially released as "rental only" titles, both movies were later made available for sale. Dumbo was released sometime in early 1982, and Alice in Wonderland was released later that same year in November. Aside from these two titles, Disney was initially reluctant to release 15 specific feature length videos which executives referred to as "untouchables". This later changed when Michael Eisner became the chief executive officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company in September 1984. When Eisner saw a "big-screen version" of Pinocchio in theaters at the end of 1984, he decided to pilot a video cassette launch. According to Billboard magazine, the release of Robin Hood on December 3, 1984 was "relatively unexpected". Disney gave the program "a relatively short pre-order period", and was confident that a seven-year theatrical release cycle could co-exist with home media.

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).

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.

North American releases

Rarity

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". 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". 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." 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".

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. 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." 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.

See also

* List of Walt Disney Animation Studios films
* List of best-selling films in the United States

Notes

References

{{Region 1 home video
Walt Disney Studios (division) franchises
Home video lines
Disney home video releases