ImageMovers

Background
ImageMovers was founded as "South Side Amusement Company" in 1984 by Robert Zemeckis. It was rebranded to its current name in 1997. Until 1999, ImageMovers did not use a logo. In 2007, ImageMovers and Disney announced a joint-venture to produce motion-capture animated features named ImageMovers Digital. Their first feature film at that time, A Christmas Carol, was a box office hit, but in March 2010, Disney and ImageMovers announced that IMD would close it's doors by January 2011. It's second and last film, Mars Needs Moms, was a financial failure (in fact, Disney's worst performing movie to date). In August of that same year, ImageMovers signed a 2-year deal with Universal Pictures.

(September 13, 1999- )
Logo: On a black background, a light shines through the lower-middle-left of the screen. It later dies down, revealing a train that bears a resemblance to the Reading Streamlined Crusader that moves forward, with the text "IMAGEMOVERS" slowly swinging in and stretching underneath the train. When the train gets fully to the screen, the screen flashes, and the text appears fully underneath the train in a - color, as the train becomes a still image and has the back trains on it turning into filmstrips. The logo slowly zooms out when it is completed.

Variants:
 * There is also an early version where the train and text are more brown and silver looking, and the flash is faster, and not as bright.
 * On some films, the logo is still.
 * On The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, the logo cuts off early.
 * Sometimes, the logo is brighter.
 * On 4:3 and widescreen prints of the end of The Polar Express and many films from 2006 onward, the logo zooms out to a much farther distance than usual.

Print Logo Variants:
 * At the end of The Polar Express, the logo is smaller and tinted in (like the preceding closing credits). Same goes with the following still Playtone logo. This variant also appears on 4:3 prints.
 * At the end of The Walk, the print logo scrolls up with the rest of the credits.
 * At the end of Pinocchio (2022), it's still.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: A dramatic fanfare with some train sounds, composed by Alan Silvestri.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * The still version is silent.
 * On The Walk, the closing theme plays underneath.

Availability: Uncommon. The regular version can be seen on Cast Away, What Lies Beneath, Monster House, and Flight. Sometimes, like on Last Holiday and Real Steel, this logo isn't shown. This logo also appears at the end of Beowulf, The walk, The polar express and Pinocchio (2022).

(November 6, 2009-March 11, 2011)
Logo: On a black background, a sphere quickly zooms in to the center of the screen, with a building reflected in it. Then two steel pillars come in from beyond, as the sphere passes in-between them. More pillars come in from various angles, pass over and arranging themselves like a staircase as shadows form on them, as the first four steps form "IM", and the polygon block below forms the letter "D". The sphere hovers above "D". The name "IMAGEMOVERSDIGITAL" (in the same font as the regular ImageMovers logo) fades in.

Trivia: The building reflected in the sphere is that of ImageMovers' headquarters at Hamilton Landing in Novato, California.

Variants:
 * At the end of movies, a small copyright stamp (© IMD) can be seen on the bottom-right. Also it is still.
 * On Mars Needs Moms, the sphere is replaced by Mars.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds:


 * At the beggening of all films with this logo, The opening theme of the movie.
 * At the end of A Christmas Carol, None
 * At the end of Mars Needs Moms, The closing theme of the movie.

Availability: Rare. Only seen on A Christmas Carol and Mars Needs Moms.