Lucasfilm Ltd.

Background
Lucasfilm Ltd., LLC is a company founded by George Lucas. Lucasfilm formed THX (later spun-off in mid-2002), Skywalker Sound, Industrial Light & Magic, LucasArts, and Lucas Digital Ltd. On October 30, 2012, The Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm for $4.05 billion. Walt Disney owns the rights to most films produced by the studio that were released by both 20th Century Fox and MGM (while Lucasfilm retains the copyright). Paramount owns the distribution rights to Lucasfilm-produced films that they released with Lucasfilm retaining their copyright. Universal owns all rights to the films that they released, as does 20th Century Fox (itself now owned by Disney) in the case of Star Wars. With Disney's purchase of the studio, distribution of the studio's future films are handled by Walt Disney and the studio's television output is controlled by Disney-ABC Home Entertainment and Television Distribution (although CBS Television Distribution controls the distribution of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles).

1st Logo (August 2, 1973-1996)
Nickname: "The Neon Text"

Logo: On a black background, some neon green text reads:

A LUCASFILM LIMITED Production

The text is normally in a Franklin Gothic Demi Bold font.

Variants:


 * This text was often shown in different languages depending on the country, sometimes in all-capital letters and different fonts. It may also be referred to as Lucasfilm Ltd., Lucasfilm or Lucasfilm, Ltd.
 * The first film with the logo, American Graffiti, reads "A LUCASFILM LTD/COPPOLA CO. PRODUCTION".
 * The original Making of Raiders of The Lost Ark featurette has red text.
 * The trailers for Raiders of the Lost Ark superimposes the "A LUCASFILM LIMITED Production" text in yellow over the opening scene for the trailer.
 * On some 4:3 airings and prints of the original Star Wars trilogy, the logo is squished to fit the 4:3 aspect ratio.
 * In several pre-1997 releases of Star Wars: Episode VI - Return of the Jedi in foreign markets, the logo is sometimes in yellow.
 * At the end of Radioland Murders, the font is the same as it is on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and movies' in-credit notice, minus the "Amblin" credit and in green.
 * The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and movies superimposed it in white and a different font, reading "A LUCASFILM LTD. Production in Association with AMBLIN ENTERTAINMENT" below (the Indiana Jones films never showed or credited Amblin, though an old documentary on The Last Crusade superimposes the Amblin logo).

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: On the first three Star Wars films and the Ewok television films, the second half of the 1953/1982/1997 20th Century Fox Film Corporation fanfare. Silent on More American Graffiti, Radioland Murders, and the 1995 CBS/Fox Video Hong Kong Laserdisc release of Star Wars Episode VI: Return of The Jedi (the 20th Century-Fox logo was removed in favor of the CBS/Fox Video logo); the opening theme of the theme plays on other films.

Availability: Can be seen on the original (pre-1997) theatrical and home media releases of the original Star Wars trilogy (preceded by the 20th Century Fox logos), American Graffiti and the sequel More American Graffiti (the latter two preceded by the Universal "Zooming Globe" logo). Post-1997 prints of the original Star Wars trilogy now use the 1996 logo. However, 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment released pre-1997 prints of the original Star Wars trilogy on DVD for a limited period of time in 2006 as well as a box set in 2008. This logo was not on the original Indiana Jones films, Twice Upon a Time, or Latino; an in-credit text notice was used instead.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (May 20, 1988-1996)


Nicknames: "Logo Shining", "CGI Logo Shining"

Logo: On a black background, we see some gold text that reads:

A LUCASFILM Ltd PRODUCTION

The text is written in a fancy Art Deco font with "A" and "PRODUCTION" in normal font respectively. "Lucasfilm" is arched and two symbols somewhat resembling bolts are between "Ltd".

FX/SFX: The shining of the logo.

Music/Sounds: Silence or the opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Seen on Lucasfilm movies from the time frame, such as Willow and Tucker: The Man and His Dream. It doesn't appear on Radioland Murders despite showing the print logo on the cover.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (July 3, 1996, January 31, 1997- )
Nickname: "Logo Shining II"

Logo: On a black background, we see some black text with a dark green outline, which reads:

LUCASFILM Ltd

The text is written in a fancy art-deco font. As it sparkles, the text changes color to silver and then to gold.

Variants:


 * On Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008 television series) and Star Wars: Rebels, the logo is sped up, usually with a copyright notice for Lucasfilm Ltd. under the logo as it animates (except for director's cut episodes and some normal episodes in rare cases).
 * On the trailer for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, the logo is bronze and solid, and superimposed over the footage in the trailer.
 * On Red Tails, the logo is slowed down.
 * On Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War (highlights version only), there's a copyright notice.
 * In 2012, this logo was enhanced for 3D. The logo goes from silver text to gold text with a dark green shadow, hovering in a certain angle.
 * On Strange Magic (including the trailers), the imp dances across the screen spreading love potion around forming the 3D logo.

FX/SFX: The shining and color-changing effects.

Music/Sounds: Same as the first two logos.

Music/Sounds Variants:
 * On Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 television series), lightsaber noises are heard.
 * On Star Wars: The Clone Wars (film), Clone Trooper dialogue is used.
 * Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace 3D strangely uses the '97 TCF fanfare, although the audio probably wasn't remixed.
 * With the digital releases of the live-action Star Wars films (except the original Star Wars, later retitled Star Wars: Episode IV - A New Hope, still owned by 20th Century Fox), it uses the final notes from the end credits of Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back by John Williams, in place of the 20th Century Fox fanfare as Disney removed the former's logo after acquiring the digital rights to those films, until the Disney+ prints which brought the fanfare back.
 * The Strange Magic variant has the Imp's vocals and sounds corresponding to the animation.

Availability: Can be seen on the Star Wars prequel trilogy and 1997-2015 prints of the original trilogy, as well as other Star Wars media today including the DVD of Ewok before the 20th Century Fox logo. Also appears at the beginning of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (before the custom Paramount Pictures logo) and on all 1997/1999 prints of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles television films (some prints of Young Indiana Jones and the Attack of the Hawkmen remove this logo), Empire of Dreams (after the Fox Television Studios logo), Double Victory: The Tuskegee Airmen at War (highlights version) and Red Tails. The enhanced version was seen on the 2012 3D reissue of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Strange Magic. It might have appeared on the planned 3D reissues of the (then) remaining Star Wars films, which were eventually released at Star Wars Celebration VII (it's unknown if they contained this logo). Its first appearance was on the trailer for Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition, which was attached to the theatrical release of Independence Day, and it debuted in full just over half a year later on the Special Edition of Episode IV - A New Hope.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (April 16, 2015- )


Nicknames: "Logo Shining III", "Enhanced Shining", "Metallic Shining"

Logo: Same as the previous logos, basically more enhanced in chrome silver text with a moving effect inside of the "LUCASFILM" text that appears to be a pale green, lacking "A" and "Production" text.

Alternate Descriptive Video Transcription: Light shimmers over a metallic logo of the word forming an arch over the letters "Ltd." Lucasfilm Limited.

Variant: On the Star Wars: Trials of Tatooine teaser trailer, the logo is above the ILMx LAB logo, the URL, and the Skywalker Sound logo, all of which are in chrome. Also, the pale green moving effect is gray.

FX/SFX: The moving effect inside of the text.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme or silence. The digital releases of the Star Wars series use the final notes of the end credits theme from Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back.

Availability: Debuted on the second teaser trailer for Star Wars: The Force Awakens. The logo later appeared on the film itself as well as on Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, Star Wars: The Last Jedi, Solo: A Star Wars Story and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. This logo might be seen on future films from the studio. It's also used on the 2015 digital releases of the Star Wars series (except the original Star Wars, later re-titled Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope) which removed the 20th Century Fox logo, as well as on Disney's releases from 2019 on which restore the Fox logo (albeit without the News Corporation byline).

Editor's Note: Some people (especially Star Wars fans) might be disappointed about the absence of the 20th Century Fox logo in favor of this logo on the digital reissues of Star Wars.