Universal Pictures: Difference between revisions

*This logo was animated and designed by Universal Title and Optical (commonly known as "Universal Title"), who was also responsible for the animation for the [[Universal Television (1963-1998)|Universal Television]] logos and handled the titles and optical effects for all Universal films and television series until 1990. The globe was hand-painted on a rubber ball by Eyvind Earle, who did the space background and the Van Allen belts as well.

*On international prints of ''The Wizard'', this logo didn’t get plastered over by the Carolco logo. Instead, the logo would usually play as normal with the music and would then be followed by the film with the Universal logo blacked out.

* "Flat": Presented in 1.14:1 for 35mm open matte film scan prints, 1.37:1 academy or 1.85:1 "matted" widescreen, the logo appears to move somewhat faster than the widescreen version. The "UNIVERSAL" text is not blurred and simply fades in. Seen on films such as ''Coogan's Bluff'', ''Duel'', ''Charley Varrick'', ''The Sentinel'', ''National Lampoon's Animal House'', ''The Jerk'', ''Little Miss Marker'' (1980), ''Coal Miner's Daughter'', ''Somewhere in Time'', ''An American Werewolf in London'', ''E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial'', ''Fast Times at Ridgemont High'', ''Cat People'' (1982), ''Videodrome'', ''Monty Python's The Meaning of Life'', ''Sixteen Candles'', ''The Breakfast Club'', ''Back to the Future I'' and ''II'', ''Weird Science'', ''Brazil'', ''Out of Africa'', ''An American Tail'' and ''The Land Before Time''. In an earlier variant, used in tandem with the normal version, "A UNIVERSAL PICTURE" starts blurred, but becomes clearer, along with the Edward Muhl byline. The globe zooms in faster in this variant, used on movies like ''Shenandoah'', ''Send Me No Flowers'', ''Charade'' and ''Father Goose''. A B&W version of this variant can also be seen on ''Kitten with a Whip'', which was featured on an episode of ''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (with the logo intact). It was also the default pan-and-scan version of the logo and plastered the above variant on older VHS copies of most if not all, Universal films shot in scope (a notable exception being the original VHS of ''The Dark Crystal'', which was released by Thorn EMI Video).

* Off-center: Only known to exist on old video prints of ''Charade'', the logo is slightly off-center, due to a sloppy job reformatting the aspect ratio of 1.85:1 into 4:3. Another off-center version can be found on the MCA Discovision, MCA Videocassette Inc. and MCA Home Video releases of ''Jaws''.

'''Music/Sounds:''' None or occasionally the opening theme of the movie. Such memorable instances include ''Father Goose'' (composed by Nelson Riddle), ''The Ghost and Mr. Chicken'', ''Scarface'' (1983), ''The Dark Crystal'', and ''The Night Walker'' (both composed by Vic Mizzy). The opening tag from the latter film was also heard in abridged form on ''The World of Abbott and Costello''. The 1972 feature-length pilot of the TV series ''Emergency!'' used a dramatic, drum-driven fanfare based upon the series' theme.

* It appeared on theatrical prints of [[Associated Film Distribution]] titles they purchased the rights to; however, most home video, TV, and/or streaming prints edit the logo out (since Universal only had theatrical rights; [[ITC Entertainment Group|ITC Entertainment]] or other successor companies retained all other rights).

* For the logo's debut and its first official year (1990), the initial version of this logo is different from the one used afterward. It begins with clips of the 1927 and the 1936 Universal Pictures logos (see [[Universal Pictures (1923-1946)]]), ending with the previous logo as if it were a grand unveiling or passing of the torch. This is followed by the new logo animation, which, in the end, has the words "75th ANNIVERSARY" on top of it, with "75" in the middle of "ANNIVERSARY", which is in spaced-out letters like the MCA byline, and written out in script with "th" flashing in next to "75".

* On ''The Hard Way'', the 75th-anniversary logo has the widescreen in its original aspect ratio of 2.35:1.

'''Technique:''' Contrary to popular belief, this logo was not done in CGI, but was produced using models filmed with motion control. The globe and letters were shot at the Chandler Group, and the background was originally a painting by Eric Von Schmidt. The compositing and byline were done by Studio Productions (now Flip Your Lid Animation), who also created the logos for [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[20th Century Fox]] in 1986 and 1993, respectively. The whole thing was done in 70mm and is the first regular logo of any major studio created specifically for large format.

* On the international release of ''Street Fighter'', the logo is plastered by the [[Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International]] logo and the opening credits are edited to credit Columbia Pictures instead; however, the globe and sky still remain.

* It was originally seen on some direct-to-video and television film releases; however, the next logo plasters it on streaming platforms.

* The 1997 or 2012 logo precedes the 75th-anniversary variant on newer prints of ''Career Opportunities'' (1991), meaning a total of five Universal logos are displayed before the movie begins.

'''Trivia:''' The logo was introduced to coincide with the rebranding of MCA, Inc. as Universal Studios, Inc. on December 9, 1996 - and in fact, the logo technically debuted in print form on the same day.<!--However that is NOT enough to change the date of various pages since we don't cover print logos - for all intents and purposes this still debuted in 1997!-->

** There is a different version where it just says "E.T. THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY". In this version, "THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY" is in a different font and a small copyright notice appears at the bottom-right, which reads "©2001 UNIVERSAL STUDIOS". This version was used on ''40 Days and 40 Nights'' and on the premiere of the 20th anniversary ''E.T.'' re-release at the Shrine Auditorium on March 16, 2002. It also appears on the VHS release of ''K-PAX'', as well as the Canadian VHS releases of ''A Beautiful Mind'' and ''Big Fat Liar''. Shortly afterward, beginning with ''The Scorpion King'', the normal logo was reinstated.

* In 2002, the globe was graphically enhanced with a darker color, and in 2005, it would appear rotating below the arc at the beginning of the logo. Also, the light rays are darker and the shadow appears at the same time as the website URL, which is now set in the Geneva typeface, and fades in differently. Universal would use this as the main variant starting with ''The Wedding Date'' in 2005.

** There is also a live version of that fanfare that can be heard at the premiere of the 20th anniversary ''E.T.'' re-release, to which it would also be a bonus audio option on its DVD release. Also, if you listen closely, you can hear applause from the audience watching the premiere when the bike shows up.

* On ''Scott Pilgrim vs. The World'', a 8-bit rendition of the fanfare is heard. According to the storyboards of this film, it was supposed to have a bass rumble, a guitar squall, and drums, drumming over the 16-bit logo. The logo's regular music was used when Lucas Lee (played by Chris Evans) comes out of his green room for the shooting of his film, in which the hits and the last note are synced to his actions, such as cracking his neck, using his skateboard and landing on his feet at the scene. However, the logo's regular music is used on a still version of this logo (in low quality to match the game's visuals) in ''Scott Pilgrim vs. The World: The Video Game'' and the next logo (without the Comcast byline) in the Definitive Edition.

* [[BBC One]] UK airings of ''The Watcher'' (2000) also retain the logo, following the Wonderful World of Disney intro.

'''Music/Sounds Trivia:'''  A behind-the-scenes video of making the fanfare can be viewed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sazcPopqBJE here]. Tyler also uploaded a retrospective video, which can be viewed [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UG7x89vX2hk here], and the full version of the fanfare, which is also heard before the start of ''Universal's Cinematic Spectacular: 100 Years of Movie Memories'', as well as the first two videos, which can be heard [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWoVtNni3uc here]. If you look closely at the first two videos, there was a prototype version of the logo while Tyler is conducting the fanfare, as transcribed above. The end part of the fanfare can also be heard at the end of the videos (besides trailers) on the studio's YouTube channel. Furthermore, during certain grand opening events at Universal theme parks, the full version, the abridged version or the end part of the fanfare can be heard when a key member of any of the Universal Studios theme parks or Universal Destinations & Experiences arrive to the stage.