THX: Difference between revisions

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File:Vlcsnap-2022-04-05-01h48m41s229.png|The logo as it appears on The THX Ultimate Demo Disc, the THX website from 2003-2009 and the official THX YouTube channel

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'''Nicknames:''' "Wings", "It Begins", "Blue THX"

'''Trivia:''' The nicknames for some of the early THX trailers given by Lucasfilm, Ltd. derive from the earliest Oscar-winning pictures, like ''Wings'', ''Cavalcade'', and ''Cimarron''.

'''FX/SFX:''' The text and THX logo fading-in and out.

'''Editor's Note:''' The introduction of the infamous THX logo. It's a simple effort, but nonetheless a very effective one as well, mostly thanks to its musical soundtrack, the Deep Note. It is probably one of the most infamous movie sound marks in history, thanks to its often frightening nature for younger viewers.

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File:Vlcsnap-2022-04-05-01h43m29s692.png|The logo as it appears on The THX Ultimate Demo Disc

* 1995 A: The audio was remixed digitally in [[Dolby|Dolby Digital]], [[DTS]], and [[Sony Dynamic Digital Sound|SDDS]] with then-new technology (with the latter system even having a special end variant).  

* 1995 B: Probably the most recognizable THX trailer variant. It was exclusive to home video releases and revised a bit more. The gray text reading "The Audience is Listening" is replaced with "Digitally Mastered for Optimal Video and Audio Performance" in a rounded Arial Light font in white and arranged in the center of the outline. That text appears longer than the regular version, and "DIGITALLY" appears above the THX logo and "MASTERED" appears below that logo. Those texts fade in with the THX logo instead of appearing after the blue outline disappears, and they sparkle while the THX logo shines.

* On LaserDisc releases from THX, the blue rectangle appears as usual, but with a difference: the message reads "Mastered and Duplicated for Audio and Video Performance" in Arial Narrow font. When the THX logo appears, [LASER I/ DISC] appears under THX. The logo shines after the blue rectangle fades out. The pitch is +2 pitches higher (an E note) on analog tracks, like the VHS variant; though on AC-3 tracks, various pitches are used (see below).

* From 1997-2003, an alternate version appeared where the original text above (and above only) the THX logo was "LUCASFILM LTD." This appeared only on Buena Vista releases until it was officially replaced with the "DIGITALLY MASTERED" (as described above) text when Lucasfilm Ltd. spun off THX into its present-day company.

* 2010 A: "The Audience is Listening" text is replaced with "Digitally mastered for superior sound and picture quality," in the same Arial font (à la 1995 B). Debuted on home entertainment releases starting with ''Star Wars: The Original Trilogy'' Blu-ray.

* On the 1994 LaserDisc of ''Night of the Living Dead'', the Elite Entertainment logo fades to the THX LaserDisc logo (perhaps fitting since the former logo was also surrounded by a blue box).

'''FX/SFX:''' The fades and the THX logo shining.

'''Availability:''' Very common during its usage.

* The 1995 variant is arguably the most common THX trailer made. It appears on THX-certified DVDs and VHS tapes from various distributors from 1995 to 2006, most notably Disney, Fox, Universal, Sony, Paramount, mini-majors such as MGM, and even on some releases from Anchor Bay, Republic Pictures and Pioneer/Geneon, as well as the Lucasfilm THX Theatrical Trailers: The Audience is Listening DVD, and on the DVD that came with the first edition of the book ''DVD Demystified'' by Jim Taylor.

* On Disney releases:  

** The first release to use the Lucasfilm Ltd. variant was the [[Walt Disney Masterpiece Collection|Masterpiece Collection]] edition of ''Fun & Fancy Free''. All Disney tapes (''Mary Poppins'' (the 1997 and 1999 re-issues), ''Sleeping Beauty'', ''Peter Pan'', ''The Jungle Book'', ''The Emperor's New Groove'', ''Fantasia 2000'', ''The Little Mermaid'', ''Old Yeller'', ''Melody Time'', ''101 Dalmatians'', ''Toy Story 1 & 2'', ''A Bug's Life'', ''Pinocchio'', ''Lady and the Tramp'', ''Tarzan'') would use this variant until around late 2001, and then alternated with the Digitally Mastered variant until December 2003, ending with the 2003 remake of ''Freaky Friday''.

** The 2002 VHS release of ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' uses the standard logo, but Spanish-translated and French-Canadian releases have the Lucasfilm Ltd. variant instead.

** The DVD variant made a surprise appearance on an April 16, 2011 Starz airing of ''Toy Story 3'' (or ''2'').

** The last Disney releases with this logo:

*** VHS: The Special Edition release of ''Aladdin'' on October 5, 2004 (however, the logo appears on the packaging and tape of the 2005 Special Edition release of ''Bambi'', but not on the movie itself; unlike the DVD).

*** LaserDisc: The Masterpiece Collection release of ''The Little Mermaid'' on November 3, 1998.

* The LaserDisc variant is uncommon.

** The LaserDiscs they were recorded on are uncommon nowadays. It can be found on select LaserDisc releases from 1993-2000, starting with ''The Abyss'', released on April 7th, 1993.   

* The remastered version can be seen before every showing of Aerosmith's ''Deuces are Wild'' concert residency.

* It appears at the end of the Pioneer LaserDisc release of ''Platoon'' due to time constraints.

'''Editor's Note:''' This trailer's rendition of the Deep Note, cited as "the most awesome, powerful, and terrifying audio trademark in the film industry" by No Film School, is frequently referenced and parodied for its capability to be perceived as loud and menacing. This is an aural illusion; the spectrum of frequencies used in the sound, which Gary Rydstrom says makes it "just feel loud", are of sufficient volume for theaters.

'''Variants:'''

* The original film print of the trailer was produced in full matte; however, it would be cropped when projected and is present in digital versions of the trailer. A clip of the full matte version was seen in ''Star Wars: The Magic and the Mystery''.  

* On the THX Vimeo page and DVD releases starting in 2005 such as ''Toy Story 2 Special Edition'', the logo was remastered slightly. As a result, the black screen that reads "The Audience is Listening" is replaced with the THX website URL, and the "LUCASFILM LTD." and "SOUND SYSTEM" text are absent.. This version also appears on ''Cars'', except here, the screen that reads "The Audience is Listening" is intact. On that same DVD, bits of the "SOUND SYSTEM" text can be seen as this screen falls.

* On the ''Toy Story'' CAV laserdisc, the only LD release to use this trailer, [ LASER I/ DISC ] from the Broadway LaserDisc trailer shines under THX. The "Mastered and Duplicated for Optimal Video and Audio Performance" message appears prior to the THX logo appearing. The DTS and standard Dolby Laserdiscs of ''Toy Story'' just use the "Broadway" trailer. On the DVDs of ''Toy Story'' (the 2000/2001 releases), ''A Bug's Life'' (the 2003 release) and the Pixar employees only ''Made in Point Richmond'' DVD, as well as the discs from the second and third editions of ''DVD Demystified'', the version shown is recycled from the LaserDisc version, except the [ LASER I/ DISC ] bit is blacked out.

'''Music/Sound Variants:'''

* On the DVD that came with the first edition of ''DVD Demystified'', some of the audio channels were switched around.

'''Availability:''' Might have been common in THX theaters during its heyday, but it can be found on most Pixar movies on DVD such as ''Toy Story'' (the 2000 ''Ultimate Toy Box'' release and international releases of the ''10th Anniversary Edition''), ''A Bug's Life'' (the 2003 release), ''Toy Story 2'' (the 2005 ''Special Edition'' release in the U.S. only, The 2000/2001 DVD uses the Broadway logo; also the first to introduce the remastered variant), and ''Cars'' (the last THX-certified Disney DVD so far as the Blu-ray and VHS of ''Cars'' don't use THX, and don’t expect it or the next logo on the original DVD release of ''The Incredibles'' as it uses the “Cavalcade” trailer, while the VHS isn't THX-certified either); as well as some THX demo DVDs and the DVDs that come with all three editions of the book ''DVD Demystified'' by Jim Taylor. Seen online as well. According to the THX Ultimate Demo Disc, the 1998 "The Audience is Listening on DVD" disc and the insert on the THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc, this trailer was released in time for the film ''Independence Day''.

'''Trailer:''' In a darkly-lit environment, we zoom in toward a glassy {{color|deepskyblue|light blue}} sphere, which has clouds rolling and lightning flickering. As the environment illuminates, we see that the sphere is barely hovering over a textured {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} floor. Suddenly, the sphere shatters, and the sky is revealed to contain several rolling {{color|gray}} clouds. The glass then liquefies and gathers in the center. Some lightning strikes it and forms a {{color|silver}} THX logo. If you look closely while the logo forms, you can see rain pouring down. Then, the environment fades to black as "LUCASFILM", spaced out to fit the width of the THX logo, fades in on top of it and a shimmering {{color|dodgerblue|blue}} rectangle (the same one from "Broadway") is drawn clockwise around the logo (like a laser). The logo fades out as the text "Digitally Mastered for Optimal Audio and Video Performance" fades in.

'''Variants:'''

'''Music/Sounds Variant:''' In the ''T2'' variant, music from ''Terminator 2'' is heard which fades into the Deep Note used in Broadway 2000; the sound design and mix are by Gary Rydstrom at Skywalker Sound according to the credits of the ''T2 Ultimate Edition'' DVD.

'''Editor's Note:''' This logo has a dark atmosphere, but also has very incredible CGI all around.

[[File:GW344H194.png|center|400px|The logo]]

{{YouTube|id=z2lxSxL5eLI}}

'''Nickname:''' "Shrek"

'''Trivia:'''  

* The "LUCASFILM" byline is visible for a split second when Shrek lift up the THX logo. This is an editing mistake that made it to the final trailer, as this trailer was supposed to premiere with ''Shrek'' back in 2001, when THX was still part of Lucasfilm.

'''FX/SFX:''' The trailer itself, and the animation involving Shrek and Donkey. Animated at [[Pacific Data Images]]/[[DreamWorks Animation]] using Alias Wavefront Maya, of course.

'''Music/Sounds:''' The Deep Note (the descending part at first with it falling over), the instruments, and the dialogue. Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy reprise their roles as Shrek and Donkey from the film, respectively.

'''Editor's Note:''' Another humorous effort from THX.

'''Editor's Note:''' Even if it didn't last for more than a year, this trailer was quite unique compared to other THX trailers, featuring clips and sound effects from various movies.

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'''Nicknames:''' "The Science of Sensation", "Science"

* Certified DVDs show "CERTIFIED DVD" under THX.

* On [[THX_Certified_Games#3rd_Trailer_(October_18,_2005-September_25,_2006)|some select certified games]], the logo begins with the Deep Note already building up, and with the phrase "Experience THX" fading in instead. When the THX logo fades in, there is no whooshing sound effects and no lens flare on the shine running along the bottom of the logo. Underneath the logo, it says, "CERTIFIED GAME". The Deep Note and logo then fade out.

'''FX/SFX:''' "THE SCIENCE OF SENSATION" text spreading out, the lens flare, and the THX logo shining.

'''Editor's Note:''' On home media releases, it could catch people off-guard the first time if they were expecting the DVD version of the Broadway trailer thanks to the unsettling nature of the trailer. That said, it's one of the more unimpressive THX logos out there.

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File:Ziegfield.png

'''Trailer:''' On a black background, we see the metallic outlines of the THX logo fade in. Then the shiny {{color|silver}} color fades inside the THX logo. The THX logo glows and makes a big shine with some sparkles. Then below the THX logo is the disclaimer: "THX and the THX logo are trademarks of THX Ltd., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All Rights Reserved."

'''Music/Sounds:''' The -1.5/low-pitched Deep Note from Tex and Broadway (DVD variant) trailers.

'''Editor's Note:''' This trailer is one of the simpler trailers compared to most of the others on this page.

'''Trailer:''' On a gray background, we see a clapperboard on screen. The clapperboard claps and then disappears off-screen. The camera then zooms out and turns, revealing the background to be a gray BMW car with the iconic "kidney grille". Tex flies on-screen and stops in front of the car, giving a "stop" signal. Tex mutters "Uh oh..." then tries to fly away but ends up getting sucked into the car. He gets flung around the car's engine uncontrollably and is eventually able to stop and regain his balance. He then looks up and sees part of the engine spraying. After spraying for a few seconds, it explodes, and Tex gets covered in black ash. Another part of the engine then pushes Tex up, and he gets chased by another explosion. He manages to escape from the car just in time, but then he loses control and hits the THX logo off-screen. He then stands back up, shakes his arms and foot, looks back at the THX logo, and does a "Ta-dah!" pose. A copyright notice fades in and out on the bottom right.

'''Variants:'''  

* On the 2006 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05keBvsO-iY DVD] and HD-DVD of ''Brave Story'', this logo is formatted in 1.77:1, whereas the [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B12froHkp1Y Blu-ray] is 1.85:1, as compared to the version in ''District B13'' and ''THX Demo Disc II'', which is 2.35:1.

'''FX/SFX:''' More great animation.

'''Trailer:''' We start out with an octagon shape figure rising out of a {{color|silver}} surface (à la a ripple effect), and forms into another figure, which looks like petals from a flower (in fact is a {{color|steelblue|blue}} passion flower) because we're looking at it from the top. Inside the "flower" is a crown shape figure that has wings on top of it, slowly spinning around, producing the held organ note sound, as we zoom in on it. Then, the scene changes. We now see another set of wings that also spin around, but faster. A ring is spinning around with it and goes down towards the bottom of the screen, producing the buzzer. And the scene changes again. The same set of wings from the first scene is shown, once again spinning slowly, with shades seen on the left side of the screen. As the scene changes again, a tulip is seen zooming in towards us as it opens up its front, producing the deep brass sound. Then we zoom in on a mushroom as it bumps up a bit and makes drum beats. Then a set of butterflies fly by (with some stopping in the front center of the screen), producing some flapping sound, we see the flowerhead-like plant with dragonfly wings as petals, it pushes one-by-one clockwise, making dolphin chirping sounds, then we see a lotus seed head opening and closing its holes as it makes a melody played on a glockenspiel. Intact with the drumbeats of the jingle, we see a variety of mushrooms as they "beat" and bump up the drumbeats, and then the scene changes to swirly-like circles that vibrate, as we zoom from one to another, making the bass horn stab. We zoom into another tulip, making another deep brass sound, and suddenly, we fly over all of the above-mentioned items. As the camera tilts toward the front and zooms back, we see that the plant-covered structure is actually the THX logo. The plants then retract back, revealing the silver color of the logo; this version looks slightly (but also noticeably) different than the other trailers of the past. The logo zooms back as the copyright info fades in on the bottom.

'''Variant:''' On the 2008 DVD of ''Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull'' (and the 2008 DVD reprints of the other three Indiana Jones films), the Japanese BD of ''The Magic Hour'', and the ''Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy'', this logo is formatted in 2.35:1 as compared to most other releases (2008 BD of Crystal Skull, Avatar, etc.) containing the trailer in 1.77:1.

'''Editor's Note:''' A creative and beautiful effort from THX, thanks to the animation and the music.

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'''Nickname:''' "Horton"

'''Availability:''' Extinct. It was only seen in THX theaters to help promote ''Horton Hears a Who!''. Also seen on the THX website.

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{{YouTube|id=8GDwy0LdiX8}}

'''Trailer:''' On a deep cloudy background, we see a light tunnel of many {{color|red|r}}{{color|orange|a}}{{color|yellow|i}}{{color|limegreen|n}}{{color|dodgerblue|b}}{{color|mediumslateblue|o}}{{color|mediumorchid|w}} colors as well as a shadow in the distance. The shadow then emerges to reveal a {{color|silver}} and shining THX logo as well as a {{color|royalblue|crystal blue}} rectangle outline from the Broadway trailers, which zoom slowly at us. A small copyright notice is seen below the THX logo.

'''Music/Sounds:''' The 2005 Deep Note.

===18th Trailer (2012)===

'''Editor's Note:''' The logo gained infamy for the much louder Deep Note, and thus is sometimes thought to be the scariest THX trailer of them all due to this (especially the Warren Cinemas variant).

[[File:Download (2).png|center|400px]]

{{YouTube|id=9-UtmVaSbwA}}

'''FX/SFX:''' The liquid and electric lines. CGI animation, done by Human Workshop using Autodesk Maya.

'''Music/Sounds Variant:''' During the "making of" video, there was no Deep Note.

'''FX/SFX:''' Impressive CGI done by Andrew Kramer (who also owns Video Copilot)  and American Meme using Autodesk Maya.

'''Availability:''' Current. Debuted on THX's YouTube and Twitter pages, and also appears in THX-certified theaters such as the THX Ultimate Cinema.