New Line Cinema

Background
New Line Cinema (also known as New Line Productions, Inc. and formerly known as New Line Cinema Corporation) originally started in 1967 by Robert Shaye and Michael Lynne, as an indie/low-budget film studio. Their first film was a Czech import called The End of August at the Hotel Ozone. New Line was acquired by Turner Broadcasting on January 28, 1994; both merged with Time Warner (later "WarnerMedia" and currently "Warner Bros. Discovery") on October 10, 1996. Their most successful films are The Lord of the Rings trilogy released from 2001-2003 respectively.

On February 28, 2008, the company became a genre and low-to-mid-budget unit of Warner Bros. Pictures, shutting down as an independent studio under Time Warner after CEO Jeff Bewkes fired Shaye and Lynne as a result of the American box office failure of The Golden Compass. The last movie produced by them as an independent company was Semi-Pro. Most of their independent output is owned by Warner Bros. Discovery; however, many of their acquired product, including most of their foreign films, are currently owned by other companies, and the television rights to some of their early-to-mid '90s features, including The Mask, Dumb and Dumber, and Mortal Kombat, lie with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer through Epic Productions and its Alpha Library Company.

1st Logo (March 30, 1973-November 8, 1986)
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Visuals: On a black background, a line stretches out across the screen. It then flashes rapidly, seeming to vibrate and form more lines above, making the words "NEW LINE CINEMA". as the screen then begins to flash. When the flashing is finished, the logo is now with black segmenting (a la the CBS/Fox Video logo), and the word "FROM" can be seen on the top-left of the logo. It is then wiped away at the end.

Variants:
 * The company used a different logo in print and at the end of trailers and movies from 1967 to 1987; it has the letters "NL" connected together.
 * There is also a high-contrast version with a dark blue background and the name in.
 * A black and white version can be found on Reefer Madness (A.K.A. Tell Your Children).
 * On some scope films, the logo is stretched to 2:35:1.
 * On The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, the logo is cut short to the last couple of seconds or so, beginning with the logo already formed.

Closing Variant: There is an ending variant with just the print logo, which says: "FROM NEW LINE CINEMA" and the "NL" combination. This appears at the end of A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge.

Technique: Most likely traditional cel animation.

Audio: None.

Audio Variants:
 * On Toei Company productions, it would use the second half of the specialized theme that played over the company's logo (composed by such names as Tony Sushima and Takeo Watanabe).
 * Strangely, Street Fighter's Last Revenge (at least the Wizard Video release) uses an edited version of the second half of the specialized jingle from The Street Fighter.

Availability: It was seen on every film from the company until Quiet Cool.
 * Can be seen on the first two Nightmare on Elm Street movies.
 * This appears on the 1999 and 2005 DVD releases of the third film (which originally used the next logo).
 * This also appears on the first Critters movie, as well as Xtro.
 * Early prints of Alone in the Dark didn't have any logo.
 * The 1980 MGM/CBS release of The Street Fighter and the 1982 Wizard Video release of Street Fighter's Last Revenge use this logo, but not the 1981 MGM/CBS release of Return of the Street Fighter (it is unknown if the Wizard Video release of Sister Street Fighter retains this, but the 1996 New Line Home Video releases of the films plaster this with the 1994 logo, which is always in full screen, even on letterboxed prints).
 * It is also featured on the 1987 HBO/Cannon Video release of The Evil Dead, though it's completely absent on recent releases of said film; it is unknown if it's intact on the original Thorn EMI Video release or the Congress Video reprint.
 * The high-contrast version can be seen on the Cult Video release of The Cars That Eat People, as well as the Magnetic Video release of The Seduction of Mimi.
 * This is also intact on the Image Entertainment DVD release of Quiet Cool after the 4th logo, as well as the 1984 Warner Home Video clamshell release of Hurray for Betty Boop.
 * It can also be found on the Media Home Entertainment VHS release of The Blade Master (AKA: Ator 2 - L'invincibile Orion).
 * This can also be found on the Vestron Video CED and Media Home Entertainment VHS release of The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, but it is unknown if it is kept on the Wizard Video VHS release.

2nd Logo (3rd logo prototype) (February 27-August 28, 1987)
Visuals: On a black background, there is a box connected with 2 filmstrips, as it glows a pale, with the text "NEW LINE CINEMA" seen below, also glowing in the same color. Basically a still of the next logo, but the words are in black.

Technique: None.

Audio: None.

Availability: First appeared on A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, last seen at the end of The Rosary Murders (the beginning of the film uses the next logo).
 * This also plasters the previous logo on the RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video release of Quiet Cool.
 * This was originally used on the original theatrical release and TV spots of A Nightmare On Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors and appears on the 1987 Media Home Entertainment VHS and Laserdisc releases, as well as the 1999 New Line Home Video VHS release.
 * This also appears on the RCA/Columbia release of My Demon Lover and the theatrical trailers of Critters 2 and Hairspray (1988 film).
 * It may have also appeared on U.S. theatrical prints of Summer Night, but the IVE release doesn't use a logo, though the logo can be seen on the packaging.
 * Digital prints of My Demon Lover skip this logo and go straight to the credits, and it is also unknown if the Warner Archive DVD-R preserves it.

3rd Logo (August 28, 1987-April 26, 1995)
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Visuals: On a /white gradient background, a black box zooms and rotates away from the camera. In the background, several filmstrips float by, as the box is connected by two filmstrips. One of them attaches itself to the side of the box, and the other tilts to half a right angle and attaches itself to the top right. The background fades to black, as it glows while the company name fades in underneath.

Variants:
 * Some television showings of New Line movies in Australia have the preceding Roadshow Television logo shrink into the black box in the beginning of the logo.
 * Starting around 1991, there is less of a glow around the filmbox. It also has a more purplish tone to it.
 * There is a 2.35:1 scope variant, cropped from the 1.85:1 aspect ratio.
 * On Drop Dead Fred, the logo has a stronger glow around the box and filmstrips, looking similar to the 4th logo.
 * On the Universal DVD release from the UK, it looks similar to the regular variant, likely due to it being enhanced in anamorphic widescreen. The outline of the regular variant can also be seen if one looks closely.
 * On Slash & Burn: The Freddy Krueger Story, a still in-credit version of this logo is seen.

Closing Variants:
 * Basically the same as the opening logo, except the box and filmstrips are in white.
 * Another shows "From" above the company name.
 * Starting around 1994, "From" does not appear, though there is still leftover space between the logo and company name. The company name also has a 3D look.
 * On Monkey Trouble, it shows an in-credit closing logo, which has the text "RELEASED BY NEW LINE CINEMA" with the filmbox next to it.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: Usually none or the opening theme of the film.

Audio Variants:
 * On A Nightmare on Elm Street 5: The Dream Child, there is a quiet flute and string jingle with bells and chimes composed by Jay Ferguson. This is included on the 2015 remastered version of the soundtrack on the track 'New Line Logo/Main Title'.
 * The Roadshow Television variant has an extended version of the said logo's jingle playing over it.
 * On the Shout! Factory Blu-ray release of Man's Best Friend, it has the theme from the next logo, due to a reverse plaster, using the 1994 DVD print.

Availability: Seen on most New Line films from The Rosary Murders to Friday.
 * Current prints of most films replace it with the next logo, though older prints will have this logo.
 * This can be found on all pre-2002 releases of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Secret of the Ooze and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III.
 * The first film, however, removes this and goes straight to the opening credits on most American VHS and DVD releases, while the Blu-ray release of the second film contains the next logo (though it's retained on current international prints, except the 2006 Magixeyes VCD release, after the 1981 20th Century Fox logo).
 * This logo made its last appearance on In the Mouth of Madness, though it is plastered on early home media releases with the next logo.
 * This is retained on all home video releases of Drop Dead Fred such as the original 1991 Live Home Video VHS release (later reissued by Family Home Entertainment in 1996), the 2003 Artisan DVD release (after the Artisan logo), the UK 2002 Universal DVD release (after the 1997 Universal logo), and the UK 25th Anniversary and American Blu-Ray releases from Final Cut Entertainment and Vinegar Syndrome, respectively (after the 1990 Universal logo).
 * However, the original UK rental VHS release edits this out and goes straight to the opening credits and older HD prints from the mid-2000’s plaster it with the 2003 Time Warner variant of the 4th logo.
 * It also appeared on the theatrical American release of Babar: The Movie, but most home video releases delete this and go straight to the opening credits (the first VHS release from Family Home Entertainment and possibly eOne's 2014 DVD release have the closing logo intact. However, it is unknown if the 2004 Artisan Entertainment DVD release preserved this).
 * The MGM DVD release of Amos & Andrew has this plastering the Columbia Pictures logo before going to the Castle Rock Entertainment logo.
 * However, a 1998 MGM/UA Movie Time VHS release and one On Demand print had the New Line/Columbia/Castle Rock logos present, while most HD streaming masters and the Olive Films Blu-ray release have the 2012 MGM logo plastering over the first two logos.
 * It also may have been seen on American theatrical prints of Communion (1989), but most home video releases skip the logo entirely, although it is still on the packaging.
 * It is unknown if it was seen on theatrical prints of Naked Tango or Without You, I'm Nothing.
 * This is also retained on the Shout! Factory Blu-ray releases of Glengarry Glen Ross and The Lawnmower Man, the Warner Archive Blu-ray release of The Hidden, and the Criterion Collection Blu-ray releases of Deep Cover and Menace II Society.
 * The opening variant appears after the closing variant on recent HBO airings of The Mask.
 * It doesn't show up on the Cinetel Films releases they distributed into theaters.
 * The logo can also be seen on YouTube prints of The Lawnmower Man.
 * Seen on theatrical prints of The Mask, however home media releases plaster it with the next logo.
 * The "From NEW LINE CINEMA" closing variant also makes a surprise appearance at the end of the workprint of The Mask, however all theatrical/home media releases use a still variant of the opening logo instead after the credits, suggesting the "From" closing variant was at one stage in post-production going to be in the film.

4th Logo (October 14, 1994-September 3, 2010)
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Visuals: A black box rotates out from an extreme close-up, with a light in the background. Various filmstrips zoom past the box as two more filmstrips rotate in, forming like before. The light dies down to create a glowing effect around it, as the company name zooms out from below in an ITC Garamond Cond Book font. The respective company byline fades underneath alongside a line above. It's essentially a CGI redux of the previous logo.

Bylines:
 * October 14-November 18, 1994: "A TURNER Company" (in Helvetica; there is no line above the text)
 * December 16, 1994-June 25, 1997: "A Turner Company" (in Helvetica, it appears chyroned in since it fades out before the rest of the logo)
 * August 1, 1997-January 12, 2001, November 7, 2003: "A Time Warner Company" (in Helvetica Condensed)
 * January 26, 2001-October 17, 2003: "An AOL Time Warner Company" (in Times New Roman, earlier films may have a smaller byline)
 * December 17, 2003-September 3, 2010: "A TimeWarner Company" ("TimeWarner" is in the Bodoni BE Regular typeface while "A" and "Company" are in FF Meta)

Trivia: On the 1996 Laserdisc audio commentary of The Mask (carried over to every DVD/Blu-ray release of the film), director Chuck Russell proudly mentions the film was the debut of the 1994 prototype logo. However, theatrical prints of the film used the previous logo, and home media releases and television prints plaster it with the 1994 prototype variant. The film's first home video release was released on January 18, 1995, three months after the theatrical release of Wes Craven's New Nightmare, making the latter film the actual debut of the logo. It's possible, but currently not confirmed, that the logo was initially supposed to debut on theatrical prints of The Mask but wasn't ready yet by the time of the film's theatrical release.

Variants:
 * From the logo's debut until November 18, 1994, a prototype variant of this logo was used. The differences are the light moves all around the logo before settling into its usual place, and the text (in Times New Roman Condensed) zooms out with a trail effect (which starts out black before fading to white). The Turner byline is used here, sometimes chyroned in on some releases. This may or may not have been a placeholder logo.
 * Earlier films from the Turner years shown in 1.85:1 aspect ratio have the logo more zoomed in, with the light having a larger radius. Later films used an open matte version, which is more zoomed out.
 * Starting around 1996, the Turner byline is smaller and there’s less glowing blue surrounding the logo.
 * There are two variations of the 1997-2003 Time Warner byline:
 * The earlier variation essentially freezes the Turner version of the logo to hide the byline (the shining animation stops if you look closely). Additionally, the size of the byline varies in this version and appears chyroned in. It was used in tandem with the next variation below.
 * The later variation slightly redid the logo to look more updated, thus no freeze frame was needed. The brightness and the lighting effects have been improved drastically. Additionally, the byline has been redesigned to look less chyroned in and the logo also now fades out smoothly. However, if you look extremely carefully at the 2003 Time Warner byline, the shining effect continues but the light behind the filmbox freezes.
 * On Dog Park, the Time Warner byline is in Times New Roman, the same font that would later be used for the AOL Time Warner byline.
 * In the later years of its use, the logo has gained hues of purple and.
 * A videotaped variation of this logo also exists, where the animation runs at a smoother, fast-paced frame rate.
 * Depending on the quality of the print or the color grading, the logo may start out completely black, then reveal it is the box rotating, or may show a glossy surface before revealing the box. Usually, the logo had a generally darker shade during its earlier years.
 * On the behind the scenes featurette of the Australian DVD release of Dumb and Dumber and the European Spanish VHS release of La Princesa Cisne (The Swan Princess), the prototype 1994 logo is bylineless.

Closing Variants:
 * Earlier films that used this logo reuse the previous closing logo.
 * At the end of later films released during the Turner era, it is the tail end of the animated opening logo without the byline.
 * Starting from when the 1997 Time Warner byline was used, the logo is still and has the respective byline. Despite replacing the early variant as an opening logo, the later variant was almost never used as a closing logo.
 * Some films have the print logo shown, which scrolls up with the credits. It also may have the credit "A NEW LINE CINEMA RELEASE".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A string fanfare composed by Michael Kamen. It begins with a high violin note that rapidly but calmly descends with many notes, ending with a quiet chime/string theme.

Audio Trivia: According to a Wikipedia article on Highlander (a non-New Line film), the music was adapted from track 12 of the film's score (also composed by Kamen); the track in question is entitled "The Quickening."

Audio Variants:
 * On some movies, the opening theme plays over the logo.
 * Some earlier films with this logo contain a different arrangement of the fanfare that sounds slightly slowed down (New Line Home Entertainment and New Line Television continued to use this version until their demises). Brass and percussion instruments are also heard, and an extra bass note is at the end. This is usually plastered with the standard fanfare on newer prints of such films.
 * On The Wedding Singer, there is a rearranged, quadruple-pitched version of the theme, arranged by Teddy Castellucci, which echoes more and has a different flute note (Current prints have this replaced with the standard version instead, however a HITS Southeast Asia airing of the movie retains the music variant while using the 2003 byline).
 * The theme is shortened on some movies.
 * On films that originally used the silent 1987 logo, either it is silent or it has the standard theme.
 * On Don Juan DeMarco, another arrangement, also by Michael Kamen, is heard. Here, the chimes when the text zooms out are more apparent, and the fanfare is also doubled in pitch.
 * Recent prints of Jason X (2001) have a high-pitched version of this fanfare playing over the 2003 logo (plastering over the 2001 variation).
 * On current prints of The Mack, the 2001 version has both normal and rearranged themes playing at the same time.
 * A Canal+ airing of Silk used the music from the Picturehouse Films logo on the 2003 version, most likely a sloppy plaster.
 * On Wes Craven's New Nightmare, the opening theme of the movie syncs with the filmstrips' animation.
 * On original prints of National Lampoon's Senior Trip, the fanfare is slightly slower and is -1.5 pitched.

Availability: Much more prolific than their past logos, given their higher-profile status thanks to the Turner and Time Warner acquisitions.
 * This logo debuted on Wes Craven's New Nightmare (as a prototype), and was last seen on Going the Distance.
 * The prototype version plasters over the 1987 logo on all home video releases of The Mask and Corrina, Corrina.
 * The prototype version also appears on the Laserdisc release of the 1996 film Bed Of Roses, which originally used the regular version.
 * The regular version with the Turner byline debuted on Dumb & Dumber and made it’s final appearance on Trial And Error.
 * Many newer issues of 1994-1997 releases replace the Turner versions with later variations having an AOL byline or Time Warner byline (whether the 1997 or 2003 one), although the bylineless closing logo is usually left unplastered.
 * Originally this version used the alternate fanfare; the normal fanfare debuted on Now and Then.
 * The first Time Warner byline first appeared on Spawn, and was used until Thirteen Days. This byline was also used on Elf as part of a variation.
 * The AOL Time Warner byline made its first appearance on Sugar & Spice, and may also plaster the 1997-2000 Time Warner byline on later release prints of films released from late 2000-early 2001. The last film with this byline was The Texas Chainsaw Massacre (2003).
 * Even though both bylines are plastered with the 2003 TimeWarner version, said version first appeared on The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King, and was also the first overall usage until it was renamed to WarnerMedia.
 * This plasters the 3rd logo on current prints of most 1987-1994 films.
 * Also seen on some video games based on New Line Cinema properties, mainly the Lord of the Rings franchise.
 * Notable appearances with the videotaped variant occurs on Mortal Kombat, and the DVD-ROM disc of Drop Dead Gorgeous.
 * This precedes the 1st logo on the Image Entertainment DVD releases of Quiet Cool and Xtro, but many DVD releases update this with the 2003 version.
 * It appears on the Canadian C/FP Video release of The Basketball Diaries, a co-production with PolyGram Filmed Entertainment; contrariwise, the PolyGram Video and Palm Pictures releases only start with the Island Pictures logo.
 * It appears on the Spanish VHS of The Swan Princess, and was seen on the U.S. Theatrical Print, but no other release appears to retain it.
 * It was last used on a trailer of The Rite, released on December 11, 2010.

Legacy: A favorite of many, thanks to its longevity and its effectiveness.

5th Logo (January 26, 2011-November 26, 2020)
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Visuals: The camera travels through clouds to see the 1998-2020 Warner Bros. Pictures shield and the byline zooming in toward the screen. It then breaks into pieces, leaving the part of the shield and the byline behind as the camera pans from a daytime sky to a cloudy night sky (with the sun being seen for a split-second) as the pieces turn into the filmstrips and boxes (now rounded at the edges) of the filmbox logo, with the reflection of the shield seen a few seconds. All the letters of the company name, now in a stylized flat font, appears flipping in as it shines and the byline fades in below, slowly zooming back.

Bylines:
 * January 26, 2011-June 15, 2018: "A TimeWarner Company" (with "TimeWarner" in its own logo font, with "A" and "Company" in FF Meta typeface)
 * September 7, 2018-November 26, 2020: "A WARNERMEDIA Company" (with "WARNERMEDIA" in its own logo font, with "A" and "Company" in AT&T Aleck Sans Light)

Variants:
 * On early movies with this logo, such as New Year's Eve (also using a custom fanfare), the cloud background is slightly different. Also, an extra filmstrip can be seen before the second square flies in from the center.
 * At the end of Dumb and Dumber To, a still version is used, as Universal distributed the film.
 * On Isn't It Romantic, there is an error where one of the filmstrips' holes and the hole in the 'A' in "NEW LINE CINEMA" briefly disappear.
 * On a few films, such as the Hobbit trilogy and Life of the Party, the WB shield's reflection is absent.
 * The intro video of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood replaces "Times New Roman" with "Times New Roman". However, in the 2019 updated version of the video, the WarnerMedia byline doesn't shine. Instead, it uses the same WarnerMedia byline from the 2018 Warner Bros. Pictures logo.

Closing: See Warner Bros. Pictures.

Technique: CGI created by Picturemill, who also created the 2011 enhanced version of the Warner Bros. Pictures logo.

Audio: None or the opening theme of the movie.

Audio Variants:
 * On New Year's Eve, the logo has a custom fanfare that syncs with the animation composed by John Debney.
 * On If I Stay, the 1999 Warner Bros. Pictures fanfare theme plays for the Warner Bros. Pictures section, and the fanfare from the previous logo for the NLC section, with the latter's theme being abridged.

Availability: Appeared on most of the company's films from The Rite (trailers for the movie use the previous logo) to the HBO Max original Superintelligence.
 * The last film to use the TimeWarner byline was on Tag.
 * In contrast, the WarnerMedia byline first appeared on the trailer for Shazam! and the fully animated version first appeared on The Nun (as a variant), while the standard version first appeared on Isn't It Romantic.
 * This does not appear on films that were given a studio credit, such as The Secret Life of Walter Mitty and Straight Outta Compton, both under different studios (20th Century Fox for the former and Universal Pictures for the latter).
 * This logo also plasters the Entertainment One logo on international and American prints of Blinded by the Light.
 * This logo also does not appear on Creed II, which uses the standard Warner Bros. logo instead.

6th Logo (April 8, 2021-)
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Visuals: Same concept as the previous logo, but with the 2021 Warner Bros. Pictures logo instead. As the camera gets closer to the shield, it shines as the WarnerMedia or Warner Bros. Discovery byline fades out. It then breaks up to transform into the NLC design from before (now colored in white) on a more realistic sunset background (with the reflection of the WB shield now removed). The byline fades in again, although much earlier this time just as the filmbox finishes forming as it shines while it slowly zooms away.

Bylines:
 * April 8, 2021-March 31, 2022 (June 19, 2022 for New Line Television): "a WarnerMedia company"
 * September 23, 2022-: "A WARNER BROS. DISCOVERY COMPANY"

Variants:
 * A version exists where the logo doesn't fade in or fade out and/or no music. This can be seen on Devastudios' website, as well as 8-Bit Christmas and Shazam! Fury of the Gods, albeit using a variant (with a fade-in for the former and a fade-out for the latter).
 * On films shot in the 2.39 aspect ratio, the shield and filmbox are a bit smaller.
 * In the intro video of Warner Bros. Studio Tour Hollywood, it slows down to fit the video's length.

Closing Variant: Same concept as the previous logo.

Technique: CGI done by Devastudios. Like the other 2021 WB logos, the sky and clouds were done using Terragen from Planetside Software.

Audio: None or the opening theme of the movie.

Audio Variant: On House Party (2023), albeit using a variant of the third logo, the fourth logo's fanfare was used during the NLC part, albeit with the 2021 Warner Bros. Pictures fanfare not being used during the WB part, in which plays as soon as the logo is about to transition.

Availability: Appeared on every film from the company since Mortal Kombat (2021), albeit using a variant. It debuted on its trailer however. The standard version made its first appearance on Those Who Wish Me Dead.
 * It also appears on promotional material for The Fallout, however they are not actually credited in the trailer (despite the print logo appearing there). The final film uses the standard 2021 WB logo instead, most likely due to that film being completed in 2021, back when the logo still wasn't revealed.
 * The Warner Bros. Discovery byline first appeared on the trailer for Black Adam and made its first appearance with Don't Worry Darling, released on September 23, 2022.

Picturemill Concept (Early 2010s)
Visuals: A redone and enhanced version of the 1994 logo, with multiple differences: The 2003 TimeWarner byline remains intact, and is also made of glass.
 * The blue light in the background is now lavender.
 * Everything is made of glass, which shines throughout.
 * The zooming/rotating filmstrips are replaced with several more boxes that animate in a similar fashion. Some filmstrips can be seen within the reflections of said boxes, however.
 * The "NEW LINE CINEMA" text is revealed through the reflections of the zooming boxes, and is now in the font used by the 2001 print logo.

Alternate Official Description: Out of the dark expanse, a single line of light defines itself. Gazing into the film celluloid, light obscures and gleams through the perforations. New, like a clean slate, light refracts, reflects and runs down the sides of the precise, glassy frames. Falling into place, piece by piece, frame by frame, disappearing into darkness and shining anew, bathed in color.

Trivia: This was designed by Grant Okita and animated at Picturemill, the latter of which was responsible for the 2011 logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Unknown.

Availability: Unused. A series of styleframes from this logo pitch is seen on Grant Okita's Behance portfolio.

(Late 2010s)
Visuals: This appears to be a redone version of the 1994 logo. From the final frame, the 1994 logo, with the text in black, is set against a large steel blue spotlight in the center of the screen.

Technique: CGI designed by Hug Codinach and animated at Studio PIC Agency.

Audio: Unknown.

Availability: Unused. A series of styleframes from this logo pitch is seen on Hug Codinach's website.