Paramount Pictures/Logo Variations

Logo descriptions by Sean Beard, Matt Williams, Nicholas Aczel, Donny Pearson, Internet Movie Database, and others. Logo captures by Eric S., wolfie14, lukesams, and others

These are some of the logo variations seen throughout the years by Paramount Pictures, with more to be added overtime.

Wings (1927): The 2012 restoration uses a rather unique editorial decision that is fitting for the first Best Picture Oscar winner. The "100 Years" Variant of the current logo plays out in full, which then dissolves into the end of the 1986 logo (with Paramount Communications byline), followed by the 1974 logo (where the Gulf+Western byline slides in). This backtracking continues up until the 1930s logo, at which point the screen fades to black, and the logo that introduced the film fades in. The logo variant from Red Garters also makes a cameo appearance in this variant.

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São Paulo, Sinfonia da Metrópole (1929): The 1920s logo is seen translucent, with the text "DISTRIBUIDA PELA PARAMOUNT" ("Distributed by Paramount" in Portuguese).

Distribuida pela Paramount (1929)

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Take a Letter, Darling (1942): The 1920s logo is seen on the cover of a folder.

A Paramount Picture (1942, Take a Letter, Darling" variant)

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Jasper and the Haunted House (1942): At the start of the film, the 1912-1927 Paramount Pictures logo is imprinted on the bottom of a pie tin. As a song about making gooseberry pie is sung behind it, it shows Jasper (the titular character) making a gooseberry pie, with the film's opening credits representing the pie's ingredients. The opening sequence ends with an image of the completed pie. At the end of the film, Jasper drops the empty pie tin (which he had been using to beat the film's villains over the head) which lands on the ground re-exposing the 1912-1927 Paramount Pictures logo, which now says "A Paramount Picture", as the film ends.

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Lady in the Dark (1944): The logo is superimposed on a blue starry sky at the beginning...



....and at the break of dawn at the end. The text has a shadow effect and is tinted saffron. The mountains in both variations are blurry.



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Santa's Surprise (1947, Noveltoons): One of the stars turns yellow and becomes the star on a Christmas tree.

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Sunset Boulevard (1950): The logo is superimposed on a street.

Paramount Pictures - Sunset Boulevard (1950)

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Alpine for You (Popeye short, 1951): An end gag that may have started it all. Bluto is on this mountain top, and then Popeye grabs the mountain top (with Bluto on it), with a lasso. He then punches Bluto and lets go of the mountain top, and stars emerge from Bluto's head and form the Paramount logo, as the words "A Paramount Picture" and "Color by TECHNICOLOR" appear below Bluto. Popeye later appears from the bottom of the screen and blows his pipe.

Logo Variations - Paramount Pictures - CLG Wiki

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The Greatest Show on Earth (1952): The logo appears on the background of a spinning wheel.

Paramount Pictures - The Greatest Show on Earth (1952)

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Popeye, the Ace of Space (Popeye short, 1953): The closing features Popeye smoking his pipe, making the Paramount logo. It was also credited as a "Stereotoon".

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Rear Window (1954): At the end of the film, the curtains of the Jimmy Stewart character's windows close and the Paramount text and stars are projected over the courtyard. This little vignette, reminiscent of the first shot when the curtains open, was removed when Universal acquired the film (which damaged the visual and narrative flow), but was later restored.

Logo Variations - CLG Wiki

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Red Garters (1954): After a few seconds, "A Paramount Picture" fades out, leaving only the stars and the background. The stars spin for a moment, then twenty stars "fly" away from the logo and the other four fade into four lamps inside a stage.

Logo Variations - Paramount Pictures - CLG Wiki

The sky is burnt sienna at the beginning...

Paramount Pictures (Red Garters)

...and completely red/crimson at the end of the film.

Paramount Pictures ending (Red Garters)

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War and Peace (1956): A different representation of the mountain appears. The clouds don't move and the mountain is less realistic than the standard logo.

Paramount - War & Peace (1956)

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The Ten Commandments (1956): A different reddish-brown mountain (intended to be Mount Sinai) appears with a red sky, with the words "Paramount Presents" in gold and moved to the top near the stars. The words "A CECIL B. DE MILLE PRODUCTION", also in gold appear below. The logo was designed by artist Arnold Friberg, who also developed the typeface for the main titles.

Paramount Pictures-The Commandments (1956)

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The Buccaneer (1958): It's the Paramount mountain from the time, only this time the font has slightly changed and seems more "handwritten", and the name is not stretched to fit in the circle of stars. The stars on the mountain are also gray. Under the Paramount name are the words "SUPERVISED BY" in a Roman font and "Cecil B. DeMille" in DeMille's signature handwriting.

Paramount Pictures (The Buccaneer)

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Vertigo (1958): The standard VistaVision logo, but the logo is darker and in black and white and the clouds are static.

Logo Variations - CLG Wiki

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Psycho (1960): The background is still and segmented, like in the following opening credits, and the text is outlined in black.

Popeye (1980): In the grayscaled, cold opening sequence, the retro logo is shown with a 35mm filter.

Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981): The retro logo is used, with the byline fading in a couple seconds later. The background fades to the mountain in the Brazilian jungle for the opening shot as the stars and text fades out.

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984): The retro logo is used. The mountain dissolves to the design of the mountain of the gong in Club Obi-Wan, Shanghai. The stars and text fades in and out in orange.

Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989): Very similar to the Raiders variant, but the background fades to the canyon structure in Utah.

Soapdish (1991): The 1990 version of the normal logo animates as usual. Many multiple white circles, representing bubbles (when mixed with soap and water), pops in until it covers the logo up.

Clueless (1995): The 1995 byline version of the normal logo animates as usual, with the customized music that represents the movements of the logo's animation is heard overlapping the start of the film's opening song ("Kids of America" by The Muffs). Instead of fading out, the circle iris out the logo and into the pink horizonal oval on the blue background, serging to the opening titles.

The Indian in the Cupboard (1995; PC): The 1995 byline version of the print logo is in cyan, and it is superimposed in front of glowing, blue full moon, lining the the top of the circle with the top of the moon.

A Very Brady Sequel (1996): The 1995 byline version of the normal logo animates as usual, with the customized music that represents the proudness of the iconic mountain. It fades to the real mountain to start the opening scene.

The Beautician and the Beast (1997): The 1995 byline version of the normal logo animates as usual. The background and the mountain environment becomes more realistic as the stars and text fade out. The camera pans down slowly into the forest into the opening animated sequence.

Event Horizon (1997): The 1995 byline version of the normal logo animates as usual, with the slower, rearranged version of the Paramount on Parade theme is heard. The text and stars fade out and the camera pans upward from the fading away logo to stars for the opening credits sequence.

Hard Rain (1998): The 1995 byline version of the normal logo animates as usual, but with additional black clouds in the sky atmosphere. As the camera zooms in, the atmosphere becomes darker as the color scheme fades to grey, and the fog fades in in front of the left side of the mountain. The byline is transparent. The stars and text fades out just before the lightning occurs in the clouds. The camera pans down from the mountain to reveal even more clouds serging to the opening credits.

South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (1999): The 1999 version of the 1986 logo, in its debut, animates as usual. The logo then fades to the mountain from the series, in which the camera pans down from it to the town of South Park for the opening title sequence.

Operation Sandman: Warriors in Hell (TV, 2000): The 1995 logo, beginning with the "Paramount" text already here appears in a TV-turning on effect. The Viacom byline fades in afterwards, while the logo glitches and cuts to several sequences, including an animated brain and a man.

Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003): The 2003 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual, superimposed on the ocean as part of the opening shot. It drifts away after it was formed.

The Core (2003): The 2003 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual, but with the ™ symbol. The byline and the symbol fades out. The camera starts moving toward the bottom-right peak of the mountain, rotates and "dives" down through the rocky surface to serge into the opening title sequence.

The Pentagon Papers (TV, 2003): The 2003 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual, but at the end, blue photocopier lights covers the logo, which eventually segues into the FX Originals logo and the film's opening sequence.



Mean Girls (2004): The classic Paramount on Parade theme plays over the 2002 logo.

Coach Carter (2005): The 2003 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual. Sounds of the basketball game in the court is heard faintly at first, but when the stars draw towards the clouds, three dribbles of the ball is heard followed by the crowd cheering which drowns out when they starts chanting. The notebook version of the logo (with 25 stars encircling the mountain) flashes briefly over it by showing the top-right portion, which very briefly turns into the full illustration before settling back to normal at the last second.

Four Brothers (2005): The 2003 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual, with the wind sound and the film's opening song ("Somebody to Love" by Jefferson Airplane) starting partway. When the "P" is revealed, a snowstorm occurs throughout the rest of the logo. It slowly fades away, and the windshield wipers swipe out of the snow to reveal the opening scene.

Bee Movie (2007, distribution only): At the tail-end of the closing credits, a bee flies from top to bottom and carries the "Distributed By" version of the 2006-2010 logo. After a few seconds, another bee flies from left to right transitioning to the DreamWorks Animation logo.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008): The retro logo is used, but without "A" and "Picture" and with the Viacom byline. After a few seconds, the background fades to the desert in Nevada with the mountain dissolving into a sandy molehill as the stars and text fade out. The molehill crumbles from the top to reveal a mole. The approaching truck (with "Hound Dog" by Elvis Presley) comes in and the mole flees from it as the hill destroys by a wheel.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (2008, USA): Various buttons drop to form the 2003 version of the 2002 logo out of it with more buttons falling, transitioning to the Warner Bros. Pictures logo. It was still at the end of the film.

Watchmen (2009): The print logo is in black on the yellow background, as with the preceeding and the following two logos, but with the signature "Paramount" and the byline, which is spaced-out is in the Futura font.

Watchmen: Under the Hood (2009): The print logo is yellow and black on the black stripe in the yellow background. The print logo slides in from the left and slides out to the right.

The Last Airbender (2010): The 2010 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual, but it is tinted in blue, to represent the Water Realm. The water bending skills past through the clouds in the first half, but as "Paramount" moves away the skills revealed to be the usual stars. It fades out after the byline fades in.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon (2011): The 2010 version of the 2002 logo animates as usual. The camera pans up from the logo, which darkens away, to the stars to sky to the opening titles for the prologue.

Marvel's The Avengers (2012) (studio credit only; distributed by Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures): The blue energy of the tesseract reveals the shorter version of the "100 Years" version of the 2012 logo. After the camera stops, the tesseract draws back from the logo as the energy dissolves.

World War Z (2013): The 2013 version of the 2012 logo animates as usual, with the slight tint of cyan over it.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Out of the Shadows (2016): The bylineless version of the 2012 logo is shown, with a green tint and the ninja shurikens animating in place of the usual stars in the same number as the normal version. The logo also lacks the ® symbol.

Transformers: The Last Knight (2017)
 * Opening titles: The print logo is metallic with texture on a black background. The HuaHue Media logo has the same variation immediately afterwards.
 * Prologue: The 2013 version of the 2012 logo is tinted in midnight blue and animates as usual with robotic transforming sounds. Launching fireballs fly in from behind the mountain, as the camera starts to follow the fireball to where the prologue begins.

Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018): The logo is shortened slightly, beginning just as the stars fly past the screen, and is also sped up.

Terminator: Dark Fate (2019)
 * Domestic: The 2013 version of the 2012 logo plays as usual, but is slightly speed-up and filtered in VHS quality. It glitches to the bylineless version of the 1986 logo that is in cyan for a moment before reverting back to its usual colors. Then it glitches more to the interview footage from Terminator 2: Judgement Day. This also applies to the following 3 logos (Skydance, 20th Century Fox and Tencent Pictures).
 * International: The logo has VHS buzz over it and it briefly flashes to its bylineless version from 1986. It is also incorporated in the opening dialogue from Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

Sonic the Hedgehog (2020): The 2020 version of the 2012 logo animates as usual, but with golden rings (the item that Sonic characters collect for bonus points and as a form of temporary health system in the games) in place of the usual stars in the same number as the normal version. The sound of rings being collected is heard after the rings finally take their place in the logo. The holes of the rings revealing more of the cloudy sky. The rings finally stop rotating shortly after the ViacomCBS byline and the ™ symbol fades in.

Paramount+ (TV, 2021): While the streaming service's commercials were set on Paramount Mountain, Mount Paramount (a fictional mountain based on Paramount's eponymous mountain and its design since 1953) featuring talent and characters from the ViacomCBS portfolio, it shows a more realistic version of the famous mountain from the 2012 logo (however, 22 stars are replaced by 13 stars) at the end of each commercial. Also, the "Paramount" text and the ViacomCBS byline are omitted.