Upon a casual plan to watch Disney/Pixar’s newest animated film Elemental, I had my mind absolutely blown when I took a real look at the opening credits! Walt Disney Pictures always has the cute little pixie dust into Cinderella Castle title sequence, but looking at the updated Disney logo for Disney100 made me do a genuine double take this time!
How had I literally never noticed the two most important details (other than the castle, of course) in this celebratory Walt Disney logo before this moment?? Don’t worry, I’m going to point them out to you, but first, I’ll give you the chance to spot it for yourself.
Below is the regular modern Walt Disney Pictures card that appears before its films.
Credit: Disney
Take a good look at it. Notice how lovely the castle looks at dusk, and the grand moat with gentle ripples reflecting the light. Also take stock of the picturesque but ultimately scarce background on either side of the castle.
Got it? Good! Now take a look at the logo design celebrating 100 years of the Disney brand, and see what differences you spot!
Here it is below:
Credit: Disney
There are some obvious differences here. The graphic design has transformed dusk to a lovely sunset and a rainbow shaped arch of pixie dust halos Cinderella Castle. And while the classic Disney font remains, the screen reads “Disney100” instead of “Walt Disney Pictures.”
But there are three other details that my brain just decided to recognize!
First, to the right side of the image – do you see what I see!? It’s Pride Rock from The Lion King franchise! The massive rock formation is located in the Pride Lands, and serves as the home and ruling grounds for the lion pride. It’s where all the royal lions like Simba and Mufasa live and is the throne Scar wants to usurp. Remember when Rafiki iconically stands at the edge of the structure, presenting baby Simba up above the crowd of animals? THAT Pride Rock.
Credit: Disney
And that’s not the only addition I spot! Secondly, in the moat, do you see how the rippling water is now filled with floating lanterns? Are those not reminiscent of the floating lanterns Princess Rapunzel is so desperate to see? In Tangled, when she and Flynn Rider finally make it to see the floating lights, they are in a boat on the water! Another adorable nod to a memorable moment in Disney’s 100 years of content.
Lastly, on the left of the Disney logo, I see a snowy mountain top. Now I almost immediately thought it was representative of the North Mountain – the location Queen Elsa builds her ice palace in 2013’s Frozen. But I was slightly thrown off, because there’s no indication of any castle on there.
I took to the internet to get ideas, and
some fans were on the same page as me. Others felt it might be more representative of Mount Everest or Matterhorn, referencing two of Disney Parks’ most popular rides: Expedition Everest in Walt Disney World’s Animal Kingdom and The Matterhorn at Disneyland Resort.
Credit: Disney
For my own peace of mind, I decided that Elsa’s North Mountain makes the most sense, considering the other two Easter eggs also come from Walt Disney Pictures’ feature films, as opposed to Disney’s theme park offerings.
What do you think it could be? Were you aware of these little details featured in the new Disney logo? Or are you like me and just tuning in to it now? Let us know in the comments!
Lana has never lost a Disney Trivia night. Maybe it’s the hundreds of times she’s been to Walt Disney World Resort in Florida, her love for Disney’s ’90’s era hand-animated musicals, or the fact that she’s often likened to cartoon characters, but Disney and its magic have a special place in her heart. Her favorite Disney experiences include the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival, eating Mickey Bars on the PeopleMover, and crying during the Magic Kingdom fireworks show. One day she hopes to be chosen as the rebel spy on Star Tours.
When Lana isn’t Park Hopping, she’s at home reading books of all topics, watching her favs on Disney+, or snuggling her two cats, which she swears are not named after Disney characters. She loves surprising people with her knowledge of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but admits she is still catching up with Star Wars. She is happy to combine her excitement for writing with her love for Disney-style storytelling and share what she can with the world!
It’s just a picture your just reading way more into it then it needs to be but if you were a kid Looking at it you’ wouldn’t be think I ng about it and people do change pictures over the years it’s nothing new or news
It’s just a picture they does change over the years and to celebrate m I lettings but when ln your a kid I ou wouldn’t be reading into anything but noelw prleople just rake the fun out of watching Movies and shows
I immediately thought “Matterhorn.” It would make sense to include a nod to the Parks because that’s a direct wink and bod to Walt. I prefer the dusk setting and simplicity, but appreciate the Easter Eggs.
I thought of the Snowy mountains of Mulan! And also, right at the beginning before the castle even comes up you have a couple of stars like in Peter Pan and there’s also a boat at some point that reminded me of Pocahontas.
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Credit: Disney
It’s just a picture your just reading way more into it then it needs to be but if you were a kid Looking at it you’ wouldn’t be think I ng about it and people do change pictures over the years it’s nothing new or news
It’s just a picture they does change over the years and to celebrate m I lettings but when ln your a kid I ou wouldn’t be reading into anything but noelw prleople just rake the fun out of watching Movies and shows
I immediately thought “Matterhorn.” It would make sense to include a nod to the Parks because that’s a direct wink and bod to Walt. I prefer the dusk setting and simplicity, but appreciate the Easter Eggs.
I thought of the Snowy mountains of Mulan! And also, right at the beginning before the castle even comes up you have a couple of stars like in Peter Pan and there’s also a boat at some point that reminded me of Pocahontas.