Halcyon Studios

Background
Halcyon Studios was founded in 1979 by film and television producer Robert Halmi, Jr. The company was originally known as Robert Halmi, Inc. before being merged with Hal Roach Studios to form Qintex Entertainment in 1988. It had attempted to purchase MGM/UA Communications Co., which never came to fruition. Qintex Entertainment filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in October 1989; they had owed MCA Inc. $5.95 million as part of a distribution deal, which they were unable to pay. It was later renamed to RHI Entertainment in 1990 following a sale to the Halmi group with New Line Cinema. It co-owns the Laurel and Hardy and the Little Rascals/Our Gang films with CBS Media Ventures and Turner Entertainment Co. In 1994, Hallmark Cards acquired the company and renamed it to Hallmark Entertainment; however in 2006, the founders of RHI reacquired the company and reverted it back to its original name. In 2011, Halmi stepped down as president and CEO of RHI, and a year later in March 2012, RHI Entertainment became Sonar Entertainment, with Stewart Till taking over. On May 3, 2017, the company acquired the Toronto-based producer and distributor Tricon Films & Television to expand its content and folded it into the latter. In April 2021, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acquired the company and rebranded it as Halcyon Studios.

(1983-1988)
Logo: On a black background, we see the letters "RHI" coming from the bottom of the screen toward the center, rotating. When in place, they separate to show the name "Robert Halmi, Inc.". Afterwards, "A fades in above "Robert Halmi, Inc" along with "Production" below it.

Variants:
 * The color of the text can vary depending on the production.
 * Sometimes, the text "In Association With" fades in with the other text.
 * Sometimes, the logo features the copyright byline under the name, depending on the movie.

Technique: Early CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: None or the ending theme of the movie/show.

Availability: Very rare. It was seen on Robert Halmi-produced TV shows and movies during the period.

(1988-1990)
Logo: Against a black/dark gray gradient background, two pairs of searchlights move back and forth, and we see the text "A QINTEX PRODUCTION". Then the spotlights wipe away the text and wipe in a golden-yellow square with rounded corners (a la Genesis Entertainment) with a segmented "Q" inside it. The box zooms out and then the words "A QINTEX PRODUCTION" fade in below.

Variants:
 * The opening version contains the text "PRESENTS" once the logo finishes zooming out.
 * A later variant referred to the company as "QINTEX ENTERTAINMENT".
 * The opening later version has the text reading as "QINTEX ENTERTAINMENT PRESENTS".
 * A distribution variant features the text "DISTRIBUTED BY QINTEX ENTERTAINMENT".
 * A short version of the logo exists where the square is already formed and then the text appears as usual.
 * On later episodes of T and T, the Nelvana logo flips around to reveal this logo.

Technique: Computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A synth humming sound with laser zaps at the beginning. Part of this is made up of a preset off the Roland D-50 synthesizer, called "Soundtrack".

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * There was a variant with a male voice-over saying "A Qintex Production" (pronouncing it "quin-tex").
 * On later episodes of T and T, the theme finishes over the logo before the synth humming kicks in.
 * On Barnum and some episodes of T and T, the closing theme plays over the logo.

Availability: Extremely rare.
 * It was seen on syndicated episodes of The New Leave it to Beaver and McHale's Navy ; it was also seen on Kids Incorporated.
 * On home media and recent airings of the mini-series Lonesome Dove, the logo is plastered by the RHI Entertainment logo leaving the music intact.
 * The T and T variant was last seen when reran on Canadian cable network Showcase in the 2000s; the current prints (as seen on the YTV Direct YouTube channel) have it and the Nelvana logo scrubbed and replaced by the 2004 Nelvana logo, although the episode "Thicker Than Water" leaves this logo intact.
 * It was also spotted on the 1988 CEL Video colorized release of Santa Fe Trail.
 * Appeared at the beginning and end of Tubi's print of Bridesmaids.

1st Logo (1990-1991)
Logo: On a -black gradient background, we see the letters Impact" zoom out from the center of the screen in a Star Wars-like angle. The word "entertainment inc." fades in below the logo.

Variants:
 * A still filmed version appears on Mrs. Lambembert Remembers Love.
 * On Dracula: The Series, the text "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" appears above the logo.

Technique: Computer animation.

Music/Sounds: None or the ending theme of the TV movie.

Music/Sounds Variant: On some prints of the 1991 TV movie Bump in the Night, the Craig Anderson Productions theme plays over the early version due to bad plastering. On the original CBS airing, the RHI logo was seen silent, followed by the aforementioned logo.

Availability: Rare, as it was used as a placeholder during the transition between the Qintex and the RHI eras. Appears on Dracula: The Series and some TV movies, such as Mrs. Lambembert Remembers Love and Bump in the Night.

2nd Logo (1991-June 13, 1997)
Logo: On a black background, the large CGI letters "RHI" flip from the top and land in the middle of the screen, with a line and "RHI Entertainment, Inc." appearing below.

Variants:
 * In later years, "A Division of Hallmark Entertainment" appears under the logo.
 * On Dracula: The Series, the logo had a more metallic look, and it was set over a /black gradient. The text below is just "entertainment, inc." in a different font, and RHI comes up from the bottom.
 * A B&W variant exists.
 * Sometimes, the text "in association with" in white (or hot pink, in the case of Disney Channel's Kids Incorporated and Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack) appears above the logo.
 * At the beginning of some programs (including The Laurel and Hardy Show), "Presents" is added under "RHI Entertainment, Inc.". A Spanish version of this variant exists.
 * Sometimes, the text under the line reads "An RHI Entertainment, Inc. Production".
 * On Scarlett, a simple drawing of the logo is superimposed over the ending credits.
 * A filmed variation appears on the TV movies The Secret (1992) and Robinson Crusoe (1997).

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A whooshing sound, followed by a synth harp theme with drums that ends in a chime. This was composed by Charles Gross. Sometimes, the logo is silent, or the ending theme or the show.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * One time, this logo appeared with the same music from the Qintex Entertainment logo, due to this logo plastering it on Lonesome Dove.
 * On The Laurel and Hardy Show, some whooshing sound is played at the intro before the show starts.
 * CBS airings starting in 1994 used a generic theme.

Availability: Rare.
 * It's seen on the first season of Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack on DVD, the last two seasons of Kids Incorporated and on TV movies reran on Hallmark Channel and ION.
 * RHI slapped this logo onto its prints of Hal Roach films and Robert Halmi productions in the early 1990s, and it can be seen on the Little Rascals VHS collections released by Cabin Fever Entertainment and on Me-TV.
 * Recently, the third logo plastered this on Lonesome Dove, leaving again Qintex's jingle intact.

1st Logo (October 8, 1994-September 28, 1996)
Logo: On a stylized brown or black background, a "" plate with the word "Serif" on it backwards fills the screen. As the camera backs away, it's revealed to be a stamp that stamps a rectangle as the image turns around. The rectangle continues to rotate until it stops in the center, revealing the following text on it with lines above and below it reading "Serif".

Variants:
 * Sometimes, either the text "Serif" or "Serif" fades in after the logo forms.
 * A filmed version exists.
 * Sometimes, this logo is videotaped.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: None or the ending theme. NBC airings used a generic theme.

Availability: Rare. It used to be seen on reprints of Filmation shows of that time like Fat Albert or He-Man, but current prints of their shows are owned by other companies like Warner Bros. Television and DreamWorks Animation. It also appeared on UPN's short lived series Live Shot and on TV movies that they produced such as Bye Bye, Birdie.

2nd Logo (1996-2005)
Logo: On a black background, we see a stylized "H" made of ribbons, which is surrounded by a box zooming in, while "Serif" in a Times New Roman font moves up and places itself under the box. When it's completed, the logo zooms back a bit.

Variants:
 * A filmed version exists.
 * Sometimes, "Distributed by" or "In Association With" appears above the logo.
 * At the beginning of some TV movies, "PRESENTS" appears below.
 * Occasionally, the copyright stamp is omitted.
 * A true 16:9 widescreen version exists.
 * There is a version where the logo appears on a dusty light yellow background. The border is smaller while the text is much larger, and both are in black.
 * On Back to the Secret Garden, the logo is slowed down significantly compared to usual.

Technique: Simple CGI.

Music/Sounds:
 * 1996-1998: A 8-note orchestral theme performed by Irwin Fisch.
 * 1997-2005: A short flourish fanfare from Devo frontman Mark Mothersbaugh.
 * Sometimes, the end theme plays over it, or the logo is silent.
 * CBS and NBC airings and ABC airings starting in 1998 used a generic theme.

Availability: Rare. It was seen on TV shows and movies made by Hallmark Entertainment of the era.
 * It's retained on DVD releases of The Secret World of Alex Mack and Farscape.
 * This can be seen on the 1996 TV movie pilot of Sabrina, the Teenage Witch, which despite being produced by Viacom Productions (like its TV show) is surprisingly not owned by CBS these days.
 * On recent prints of Alice in Wonderland (1999 TV movie), the Sonar Entertainment logo plasters this one.
 * The IAW variant appeared on the original CBS airing of Get To The Heart: The Barbara Mandrell Story.

3rd Logo (1999, 2004-Early 2006)
Logo: On a black background, we see the text "Serif" in the same style as before fading in.

Variant: On The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, the word "presents" fades in below.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None or the end theme of the show/TV movie.

Availability: Rare. It was originally seen on The Legend of Sleepy Hollow as an opening version. It was later used on A Christmas Carol, Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars, The Poseidon Adventure, Earthsea and Larry Levinson-produced TV movies from the era.

1st Logo (Early 2006-2007, 2010)
Logo: On a black background, we see the text "Serif" in the same font as the Hallmark Entertainment logo, with "Serif being larger than the letters.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None or the end theme of the show.

Music/Sounds Variant: On a print of End of Summer, the Hallmark Entertainment theme is heard due to bad plastering.

Availability: This was originally used as a placeholder logo, and it was originally designed to plaster Hallmark, RHI and Qintex logos. It was seen on Though None Go with Me, among others. It was later revived for Secret in the Walls. The logo was later followed by the Sonar Entertainment logo on modern prints.

2nd Logo (2007-January 2, 2012)
Logo: On a black background, we see several lights that reveal the text "Serif" in a chromed Times New Roman font, with "RHI" being larger on the top. The light continues throughout the logo.

Variants:
 * Short and shorter versions exists.
 * On ion Television prints, the logo was cropped to 4:3.
 * A print version of the logo (with a rectangle) appears on some TV movies like Ferocious Planet and ''Roadkill'.

Technique: Computer animation.

Music/Sounds: A five note piano tune combined with some small whooshing sounds, followed by an orchestral finish, or the ending theme of the movie.

Music/Sounds Variants: On current prints of Lonesome Dove, this logo uses the Qintex music due to plastering the Qintex Entertainment logo.

Availability: Uncommon. It was last seen on shows and TV movies that they produced until 2012. It plasters the Hallmark Entertainment and Qintex Entertainment logos on their prints of their movies and shows, such as the ion Television airing of Journey to the Center of the Earth. This logo is retained on current prints followed by the Sonar Entertainment logo.

3rd Logo (2011)
Logo: On a spotlight background, we see a  gradient TV tube with the letters "RHI" behind the tube, with "ENTERTAINMENT" below. The logo slowly zooms out.

Technique: Computer animation.

Music/Sounds: The end theme of the TV movie.

Availability: Seen only on Possessing Piper Rose.

1st Logo (2012-2017)
Logo: On a black background, we see several multicolored lines rapidly zooming out. Then, as we zoom out, we see them at an angle forming the word "SONAR". Once the word shifts into place, the word "E N T E R T A I N M E N T" fades in below, and several thin colored lines appear vertically above and below the words.

Variant: A short version of the logo exists.

Technique: Advanced computer animation, done by yU+co.

Music/Sounds: None, or the ending theme of the show. Sometimes, but rarely, a 2-note synth choir theme is used instead.

Music/Sounds Variant: On The Rooftop Christmas Tree, the Johnson Production Group theme is heard due to an editing error.

Availability: Common. The full version is seen at the end of current prints of Hallmark and RHI-era TV movies (plastering the aforementioned logos). The short version of the logo was seen on early episodes of The Shannara Chronicles. On a Starz Encore airing of Earthsea, this plastered the Hallmark Entertainment logo.

2nd Logo (2017-2021)
Logo: On the black background, we see the same text from the previous logo zooming in to the center.

Variants:
 * A version has a white background with the word "SONAR" in blue and "E N T E R T A I N M E N T" in black.
 * On Go Away, Unicorn!, there's the text "PRODUCED AND DISTRIBUTED BY" above the logo and a copyright notice below it.
 * On The Movie Central's YouTube print of Part 1 of the TV miniseries Snow Queen, the text from the 1994 Hallmark Entertainment logo is seen scrolling up from the bottom of the logo, and then disappearing into it, due to a terrible plastering error.

Technique: 2D animation.

Music/Sounds Variant: On current prints of To Dance with Olivia, the early Hallmark Entertainment theme is used due to bad plastering.

Availability: Common. Seen on modern prints of Hallmark/Qintex/RHI-era TV movies, such as The Canterville Ghost, among others. It was also seen on Mr. Mercedes, The Shannara Chronicles, Go Away, Unicorn! and AMC's The Son, among others.

(2022-)
Logo: On a white background, we see the text "HALCYON", with the "O" being a rectangle with a black square being corrupted and tilted, which strangely resembles the shape of South Carolina. Below it is the text "STUDIOS" in a spaced-out letters and below is a byline for Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment.

Technique: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Current. Seen on the second season of The Mysterious Benedict Society.