Background Before Disney began releasing home video titles itself, it licensed some titles to MCA's
DiscoVision label for their newly developed disc format, later called
LaserDisc. Disney's agreement with MCA ended in December 1981. 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, initially in a four-city test (Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, and San Francisco/Oakland/San Jose), to be expanded nationwide by the end of 1980. The agreement specified rental fees ranging from $7.95 to $13.95. Disney was unusual among the major studios in offering a program for authorized rentals. Most of the other studios involved in the videocassette market at the time were trying to find ways to stop dealers from renting out their movie tapes.
Magnetic Video (which had titles from
20th Century Fox and others) ceased doing business with Fotomat after they began renting Magnetic Video cassettes without authorization. In the late 1980s, Disney began seeking other outlets to distribute its video, and signed deals with mass-merchant retailers such as
Target,
Caldor, and
Wal-Mart. Around this time, the studio began partnering with major retailers for advertising campaigns.
Walt Disney Home Video The first
Disney animated feature to be released on videocassette was
Dumbo on June 28, 1981, for rental only.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh was released for rental and sale at the same time.
Alice in Wonderland was released on October 15, 1981, for rental only.
Fun and Fancy Free was released in 1982 as '''Fun and Fancy Free' Featuring: Mickey and the Beanstalk'', to capitalize on the best-known segment of the film. Their agreement with DiscoVision having ended in 1981, Disney began releasing LaserDiscs under the Walt Disney Home Video label to their own network of distributors and dealers. The first five titles were shipped in June 1982:
The Black Hole,
The Love Bug,
Escape to Witch Mountain,
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, and
Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoons, Collection One. Five more titles shipped in July: ''
Pete's Dragon, Dumbo, Davy Crockett and the River Pirates, The One and Only, Genuine, Original Family Band
, and Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck Cartoons, Collection Two
. The next major animated feature to be released (excluding the "package" anthology features) was Robin Hood'' on December 3, 1984, starting the
Walt Disney Classics collection. By 1982, all the video releases were for sale and rental, along with newer releases, but at high prices. July 16, 1985 saw the home video premiere of
Pinocchio which became the bestselling video of that year. Later, the Making Your Dreams Come True promotion started on November 6, 1985 with repackaged live action titles. In addition,
Dumbo was released on the same day.
Buena Vista Home Video The name
Buena Vista Home Video originated as a label of WDTNT in 1983, originally used to distribute tapes of
Hopalong Cassidy. Soon, BVHV became the label utilized for a variety of miscellaneous content; such content included animation not created by Disney (such as
Rocky and Bullwinkle and
Alvin and the Chipmunks), concerts and other adult music titles, and various special-interest programs, including
The Very Best of The Ed Sullivan Show. Buena Vista Home Video was legally
incorporated on February 13, 1987. This lasted until late 1997. The following year, the label moved to
Sony Pictures'
Columbia TriStar Home Video division, and was renamed
Jim Henson Home Entertainment. In July 1993, Buena Vista Home Video signed a multimillion-dollar multiyear North American licensing deal with
DIC Entertainment. The deal included over 1,000 half-hours worth of animated content from DIC, alongside the creation of the DIC Toon Time Video label and interactive and multimedia opportunities. In December 1993, Buena Vista Home Video's European Spanish unit signed a distribution deal with
Acclaim Entertainment for the distribution of Acclaim's video game titles in Spain. In April 1996, due to ongoing realignment stemming from Disney's merger with
Capital Cities/ABC, Buena Vista Home Video was transferred out of the Disney Television and Telecommunications group to
The Walt Disney Studios. In August 1996, Disney and
Tokuma Shoten Publishing entered a deal wherein Buena Vista Home Video would acquire the worldwide home media distribution rights to the
Studio Ghibli animated films. Disney would go on to produce the English dubs and distribute 15 of Ghibli's films, through the
Walt Disney Pictures, Buena Vista Home Video,
Miramax and
Touchstone Pictures banners. In July 1998, Buena Vista Home Entertainment entered into a distribution agreement with
Warner Home Video where the latter would distribute over 100 Disney/Touchstone/Hollywood titles on DVD in Europe and Australia until the end of 2000. The distribution of VHS releases, however, remained under Disney's full control. In 2000, following
Andy Heyward's purchase of DIC back from Disney, DIC's rights with BVHE expired. With this, DIC later signed a new deal with
Lions Gate Home Entertainment in 2001. In 2001, Disney's acquired of
Fox Family Worldwide (including
Fox Family, the
Fox Kids brand and
Saban Entertainment). A year later in 2002, Saban became BVS Entertainment and BVHE took distribution over from
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. In 2005,
Roger Corman-owned production company
New Concorde signed a distribution deal with Buena Vista Home Entertainment, giving BVHE home video distribution rights to 400 Corman-produced films, including the pre-1984
New World Pictures library until 2008.
Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment As part of a broader company-wide effort, Buena Vista Home Entertainment dropped the "
Buena Vista" branding in 2007 and was renamed as Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. In July 2017,
GKIDS and
Shout! Studios acquired the North America home video rights of the Studio Ghibli films from Disney. However, Disney still handles home video distribution of the company's films in Japan. In March 2019, Disney
acquired 21st Century Fox's film assets, and in January 2020,
20th Century Home Entertainment was folded into Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. As a result, all film titles from
20th Century Studios and
Searchlight Pictures began to be distributed by Disney for home media formats. Additionally, Disney temporarily took over distribution of
Metro-Goldwyn Mayer’s home video titles for the remainder of MGM’s existing agreement with 20th Century Fox. This arrangement lasted until June 30, 2020, after which MGM’s home video distribution shifted to
Warner Bros. Home Entertainment in 2022.
Physical media licensing On January 23, 2023, Disney entered a multi-year home entertainment distribution deal with Mill Creek Entertainment, where upon Mill Creek agreed to distribute hundreds of select physical releases from the
ABC Signature,
20th Television,
Hollywood Pictures,
Touchstone Pictures, and
20th Century Studios catalog libraries. Following the launch of
Disney+ in 2019 and its international expansion in the following years, Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment has begun to discontinue physical distribution entirely in certain regions such as Latin America, Australia, New Zealand, India, the Middle East, Portugal, Asia (except Japan), Hungary, Russia, Greece, and Romania, or to let other companies distribute in certain international markets like the United Kingdom and Ireland (Elevation Sales), Poland (Galapagos), Czech Republic (Magic Box), Spain (Divisa Films), Italy (
Eagle Pictures), Scandinavia (
SF Studios), France and Benelux (ESC Distribution), Germany and Austria (
Leonine Studios), and Japan (
Happinet). In February 2024, Disney entered into a home video distribution agreement with
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, in which Sony would handle all physical media production and distribution for Disney's home entertainment assets in North America. After 37 years as an in-house physical media distribution label, WDSHE would continue only as an in-house physical media production label. As a result of the deal, the Disney Movie Club was shut down on May 20, 2024. The first Disney film to be distributed by Sony was 20th Century's
The First Omen on July 30, 2024. On April 14, 2026,
TheWrap reported that Disney had laid off approximately 1,000 employees, including the entire staff of Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment. ==Formats==