ADV Films

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum

Credits
Descriptions by
betamax52, ryanasaurus0077, kidinbed and VideomasterReturns

Captures by
kidinbed and LogosForTheWin

Editions by
kidinbed, Nova, and LogosForTheWin

Video captures courtesy of
RupuruduWafidu, BreadCrustCouncil and TakingofPelhamify (TheUnknownLogoFan)

Background

A.D. Vision Holdings, Inc. (known simply as ADV and also referred to as ADV Films) was an American multimedia entertainment distributor headquartered in Houston, Texas, and founded in 1992 by video game fan John Ledford and anime fans Matt Greenfield and David Williams. The company specialized in home video production and distribution, theatrical film distribution, merchandising, original productions, magazine and comic book publishing. They also ran Anime Network, a television channel devoted to airing the company's titles.

ADV stands for "Animation Dubbing Vision".


A.D. Vision

Contents

1st Logo (December 15, 1992-1995) 2nd Logo (1995-1998)
1st Logo (December 15, 1992-1995) 2nd Logo (1995-1998)


ADV Films

Contents

1st Logo (1998-1999) 2nd Logo (September 7, 1999-2002) 3rd Logo (2002-2009) 4th Logo (September 4, 2007-2009)


A.D. Vision

1st Logo (December 15, 1992-1995)


Visuals: On a black background, with stars and a rainbow-gradient grid at the bottom of the screen, a CGI rendition of the A.D. Vision print logo of the time zooms out and rotates back into place just above the grid. It consists of the geometric letters "AD" positioned to the left (although the print logo used normal letters), and "Vision" in a script font below. 2 large green dots outlined in yellow are also seen, serving as the dots in "A.D." and the dots for the "i"'s. The borders of the logo shine 3 times, of which after each shine, a star flashes: 1 on the right for the 1st, 2 on the left for the 2nd, and all 3 for the 3rd time.

Technique: Computer animation made on an Amiga 1000.

Audio: None.

Availability:

  • Your best bet is to find titles packaged in black Amaray cases with the A.D. Vision logo on the artwork.
  • It appeared on the very first subtitled releases of the early volumes of New Cutie Honey and Devil Hunter Yohko OVAs.
  • This logo has also appeared in an ADV logo montage on the DVD collection of the latter.

2nd Logo (1995-1998)


Visuals: On a scrolling, murky-looking gold/dark green/black background, a stone tablet can be seen taking up the bottom of the screen with 3 small bumps in it. The bumps emerge out with a ripple as olive-colored spheres, as 3 more swirl in and the plate begins to rotate around. As the plate tilts and zooms out into place, the 6 spheres revolve around each other before the 3 larger ones stop and rotate to reveal themselves as the geometric letters "ADV", and the plate zooms out to reveal itself as a smaller, beveled place. The 3 smaller spheres then slam into the letters to form dots, turning it into "A.D.V.". Then, a murky red wall zooms out on the right side of the screen and quickly scrolls across the screen, revealing the text "A.D. VISION" taking up the whole screen, and the insides changing multiple colors, before it zooms out to underneath the logo and turns silver. The logo then wildly shines with lens flares and the logo slowly zooms in as it does so.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A synthesizer fanfare with a few drumbeats and a "whoosh" as "A.D. VISION" wipes across the screen.

Availability:

  • Seen on most early ADV tapes, like the early Neon Genesis Evangelion and Blue Seed tapes as well as the first releases of Dragon Half and 801 T.T.S. Airbats and later volumes of New Cutey Honey.
  • The logo is printed on the cover of all VHS tapes that have it.
  • Also appears on the Devil Hunter Yohko DVD as part of a logo montage.

ADV Films

1st Logo (1998-1999)

Visuals: On a black background, the camera revolves around various light blue orbs tracing out silver bars. As the camera revolves around the top, it reveals they trace out the futuristic text "ADV" as an outline. When the text is completely formed, it fills with indigo as it darkens significantly, and a comet sweeps in from below it. The logo then brightens up, revealing the text "FILMS" under "ADV".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Same as the 2nd A.D. Vision logo, but shorter and with additional laser sound effects.

Availability:

  • Seen on ADV tapes of the era, including Sakura Wars, Burn-Up: EXCESS and Delinquent in Drag.
  • The only DVD this was on was Tekken: The Motion Picture.
  • Also appears on the logo montage at the beginning of Devil Hunter Yohko on DVD.

2nd Logo (September 7, 1999-2002)

Visuals: A stylized sun flashes into a bright orange-red burst of light in the middle of the screen. This creates a blue background with various astrological symbols in an arrangement from left to right, with a violet oval zooming out in the background, and 2 interconnected rings symbols zooming in. The symbols start to flash to arrange it to look like this: "☉☿♀⊕♂♃♄♅♆♇", while on the last flash of the fourth symbol (Earth), the symbols glow and swirl around, forming the stylized letters "ADV" from before. Several blurry ovals swirl in around the letters to form one solid oval as the inside fills with black, and sketchy lines appear below and form the word "FILMS".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Futuristic sound effects throughout; no music apart from a slight synth drone at the very end.

Availability:

  • Seen on all ADV tapes and DVDs from the era, most notably Sonic the Hedgehog: The Movie (the American release of the 1996 2-part OVA, Sonic the Hedgehog).
  • Also appears on the Devil Hunter Yohko ADV logo montage.

3rd Logo (2002-2009)

Visuals: On a black background, a silver textured oval quickly passes through the camera, as the background rotates to reveal several stars and nebulas in the distance. The ring then spins and revolves the background twice in a row, before passing through it and flying around the area. The camera then goes up close to the ADV Films logo, but with black letters and clips playing inside those letters, scrolling along it as the background fades back again. The logo then falls into the background, where it and the ring play around, quickly zooming in with distorted copies 3 times. The logo and ring then go to their normal positions and zoom back in as the stars fade back in. The ring slowly moves to the upper left, shining as it does, before suddenly spinning to be lower, and quickly zooms to the side, wiping away the stars.

Variants:

  • There's a 10th Anniversary variant that was used for the logo's first year. After the logo goes out, it spins back in and flies to a spot near the back as a blue nebula fades in. An even bigger gold oval, with "10TH ANNIVERSARY" engraved on it in a font similar to the corporate font, then flies into view. The logo and ring slowly turn until the camera goes under and over it, ending the logo. DVD releases have this variant start just after the logo's 3rd distort.
  • A short variant where only the portion of the logo shining at the end plays appeared on the [adult swim] broadcasts of Super Milk Chan & Neon Genesis Evangelion.[1]

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Like the previous logo, just some sound effects, consisting of "wobble"-type sounds, an ethereal choir, screeching static noises, followed by these sounds, depending on these variants:

  • Regular: A sparkling sound and a screeching static noise when the logo spins around, followed by another "wobble"-type sound.
  • 10th Anniversary: An electricity zapping sound, followed by a held-out hollow reactor sound and the same "wobble"-type sound from regular variant.

Availability:

  • Appeared on their later releases including Chrono Crusade, Azumanga Daioh, and Elfen Lied.
  • Also appears to be the key logo on the Devil Hunter Yohko ADV logo montage.

4th Logo (September 4, 2007-2009)


Visuals: On a black background, a drawing of the ADV letters rotates upwards, with the sketchy lines jumping around before the drawing clears itself. A outlined oval then rotates around with the spinning letters as the middle of the background becomes illuminated by a purple spotlight. The letters and oval fill with color and they transform from 2D to 3D as they flip, zoom, and rotate around more until the letters fly off-screen. The oval flips another time and shines as it gets filled in with black, and then the ADV Films logo then zooms out onto the oval. The letters of "FILMS" shine as the purple light shimmers. Then, the purple disappears and the logo fades away before turning into an outline and jitters out of existence.

Variant: In the logo's first year of usage, the logo is set higher to make room for the text "15TH ANNIVERSARY" to spread in letter-by-letter. The logo also doesn't turn into an outline when it fades out.

Technique: 2D and 3D animation.

Audio: A couple of scratches, whooshes and shining sounds throughout with a little ditty near the end (15th Anniversary Variant only and no sounds at the end). The latter has a short laser sound.

Availability: This was used in tandem with the 3rd logo, and appeared on some releases such as the 2009 re-release of Grave of the Fireflies. The 15th anniversary variant can be seen on UFO Ultramaiden Valkyrie 4: Banquet Time Dreams.

Final Note

With declining fortunes in the mid-2000s due to low sales, ADV collapsed and eventually liquidated their assets in 2009. Sentai Holdings, owner of Section23 Films, Sentai Filmworks, AEsir Holdings, Valkyrie Media Partners, and Seraphim Digital, took over the ADV brand name and still uses it on some of their releases. Most of ADV's former titles have been re-released by other companies. Sentai was subsequently acquired by AMC Networks in 2022. As of 2022, ADV exists as a domiciled shell corporation.

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