Halcyon Studios

Background
Sonar Entertainment was founded in 1979 by film and television producer Robert Halmi, Jr. The company was previously known as Robert Halmi, Inc. before being merged into Qintex Entertainment in 1988 and renamed to RHI Entertainment in 1990. 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 it's original name. In 2011 Halmi stepped down as president and ceo of RHI, and a year later RHI Entertainment became Sonar Entertainment in March 2012, with Stewart Till taking over. In 2017 they acquired the Canadian producer Tricon Films & Television. In April 2021, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acquired the company and was rebranded as Halcyon Studios.

1st Logo (1983-1988)
Nicknames: "RHI Block", "Transforming RHI"

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 the word "A fades in above "Robert Halmi, Inc" along with "Production" below it.

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

FX/SFX: The logo turning and the text fading.

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

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

2nd Logo (Late 1986-June 13, 1997)
Nickname: "Flipping RHI"

Logo: On a black background, the large blue CGI letters "RHI" flip from the top and land in the middle of the screen, with a red line and "RHI Entertainment, Inc." appearing below.

Variants: There is an early version where it had a more metallic look, and it was set over a blue/black gradient. The text below is just "entertainment, inc." and in a different font, and RHI comes up from the bottom.
 * In later years, "A Division of Hallmark Entertainment" appears under the logo.
 * A B&W variant exists.
 * Sometimes, the text "in association with" in white (or hot pink, in the case of Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack) appears above the logo.
 * At the beginning of some programs, "Presents" is added under "RHI Entertainment, Inc.".
 * A Spanish version of this variant exists.
 * Sometimes, the text under the red 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).

FX/SFX: The logo turning.

Music/Sounds: None, or the ending theme or the show. One time, this logo appeared with the same music from the Qintex Entertainment logo, due to this logo plastering it on Lonesome Dove. 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.
 * 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)
Nicknames: "The Stamp", "The Plate", "Hallmark Plate"

Logo: On a stylized brown or black background, a "gold" plate with the word "Times New Roman" on it backwards fills the screen. As the camera backs away, it's revealed to be a stamp that stamps a silver 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:

Times New Roman

Variants:
 * Sometimes either the words "Times New Roman" or "Times New Roman" fades in after the logo forms.
 * A filmed version exists.
 * Sometimes, this logo is videotaped.

FX/SFX: The "stamp".

Music/Sounds: None or the ending theme.

Availability: Rare. It used to be seen on reprints of Filmation Associates 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.

Editor's Note: None.

(Early 2006-January 2, 2012)
Nickname: "Blue Lights"

Logo: On a black background we see several blue lights that reveals the following text in a chromed Times New Roman font: Times New Roman The blue light continued throughout the logo.

Variants:
 * Short and shorter versions exists.
 * There is a still version of the logo without any lights and the texy is in plain white.

FX/SFX: The lights revealing the text.

Music/Sounds: A five note piano tune combined withs some small whoosing 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. This logo is retained on current prints followed by the Sonar Entertainment logo.

(2012- )
Logo: On a black background, we see several multicolored lines rapidly zooming out. Then, as we zoom out, we see them at a 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 we several thin colored lines appear vertically above and below the words.

Variants:
 * A version exists without the lines, that animates with the text zooming in.
 * Another 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 plaster.

FX/SFX: The colored lines moving, zooming out, etc. This was 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 current prints of To Dance with Olivia, the early Hallmark Entertainment theme is used due to bad plastering.

Availability: Common. It usually plasters Hallmark and RHI-related logos on almost every new print of their movies. Recent series with this logo includes Mr. Mercedes, The Shannara Chronicles, Go Away, Unicorn! and AMC's The Son, among others. On a Starz Encore airing of Earthsea, this plastered the Hallmark Entertainment logo.

Editor's Note: None.