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 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. In 2017, they acquired the Canadian producer Tricon Films & Television. In April 2021, Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment acquired the company and rebranded it 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, "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.

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

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.

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 line and "RHI Entertainment, Inc." appearing below.

Variants:
 * In later years, "A Division of Hallmark Entertainment" appears under the logo.
 * There is an early version where it had a more metallic look, and it was set over a /black gradient. The text below is just "entertainment, inc." and 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 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 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.

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 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 "" 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 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 text "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 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.

2nd Logo (October 23, 1994-June 17, 2006)
Nicknames: "The H Ribbon", "Hallmark Ribbon"

Logo: On a black background, we see a stylized "H" made of ribbons, which is surrounded by a box zooming in, while "Times New Roman" 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.
 * A still variant without the "H" logo can be seen on a few 2000s TV movies, like The Poseidon Adventure and Earthsea, among others.
 * On Back to the Secret Garden, the logo is slowed down significantly compared to usual.

FX/SFX: The zooming.

Music/Sounds: The closing theme of the show, silence, or a short flourish fanfare.

Music/Sounds Variant: Sometimes, especially during the logo's early years, an alternate 8-note orchestral theme is heard.

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) isn't surprisingly 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.

Editor's Note: It's a well-crafted logo for its time, though some might think the "H" ribbon represents an "X".

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

Logo: On a black background, we see several lights that reveal the text "Times New Roman" in a chromed Times New Roman font, with "RHI" being larger on the top. The blue light continues throughout the logo.

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

FX/SFX: The lights revealing the text.

Music/Sounds: A five note piano tune combined with 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 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.

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 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.

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.