Columbia Pictures/Logo Variations
Logo descriptions by Sean Beard, Matt Williams, Nicholas Aczel, Internet Movie Database and others. Images, up-to-date and design by Eric S. among others
These are the logo variations seen throughout the years by Columbia Pictures.
The Criminal Code and Ten Cents a Dance (1931): The 1928 logo is shown without the company name. The practice of showing the Columbia logo sans company name predates the variations seen on Cowboy, Under the Yum Yum Tree, Good Neighbor Sam and Flight of the Doves. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Gun Fury (1953): The logo is shown in a greenish-brown tint. Also, the Torch Lady's pedestal doesn't extend to the bottom of the screen, making it look like she's floating! Columbia Pictures - Gun Fury _______________________________________________________________________________________
Zarak (1956): The logo is a still painting. In addition, the "COLUMBIA" text is slightly larger and more spaced out than the standard logo and there are clouds below the pedestal. Columbia Pictures (1956)
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Cowboy (1958): The logo has no company name at the beginning of the film. The standard version appears at the end. Columbia - Cowboy _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Mouse That Roared (1959): The Torch Lady looks down and sees a mouse at her feet on the pedestal. The Torch Lady leaves her pedestal, leaving her torch behind. At the end of the film, you can see her rushing up the stairs of the pedestal, grabbing her torch again. Columbia logo from "The Mouse that Roared" _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Three Stooges Meets Hercules (1962): The 1936 Torch Lady is on the left side on a black background. The text "COLUMBIA PICTURES PRESENTS" is on the right side. The logo cross-fades to a statue of Norman Maurer, the son-in-law of Moe Howard of The Three Stooges as he holds a stick of dynamite. The text "A NORMANDY PRODUCTION" is on the left side. The sparks are flowing from the dynamite and the dynamite later explodes, leaving the lower legs and the pedestal on the statue. The text "FILMED IN GLORIOUS BLACK AND WHITE" fades in above. Normandy Productions (1962) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Zotz! (1962): We start with a black & white version of the 1950s logo with William Castle sitting on a director's chair in the bottom-right corner of the screen. William gets out of his chair and says "Zotz!" The Torch Lady replies by asking "Zotz? What's Zotz?" After that, we fade to the opening credits of the movie. At the end of the movie, the black & white version of the 1950s logo is shown, but the Torch Lady says "Zotz all!" Logo Variations - Columbia Pictures - CLG Wiki _______________________________________________________________________________________
Lawrence of Arabia (1962): The logo is merely a still painting. The light from the torch doesn't flicker and the clouds aren't as billowy. This was created especially for the film because there was no 70mm version of the logo in existence, and this variation was, at one point, plastered with the standard version for years until the film was restored in 1989. Columbia Pictures (1962) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Bye Bye Birdie (1963): The Columbia Torch Lady's flame leaps from the torch to form the title of the film. Logo Variations - CLG Wiki _______________________________________________________________________________________
Under the Yum Yum Tree (1963): The Torch Lady is on an orange background. Like the Cowboy variant, the company name does not appear over the logo, but does appear on a title card that fades in a few seconds later as part of the main titles. Columbia - Under the Yum Yum Tree _______________________________________________________________________________________
Strait-Jacket (1964): The Torch Lady reappears at the end of the film for the closing variant, only her head has been chopped off and is sitting at her feet. Columbia Pictures (Strait-Jacket" Variant) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Good Neighbor Sam (1964): Similar to the Under the Yum Yum Tree variant, except the Torch Lady is on a light blue background. Incidentally, both films starred Jack Lemmon and used the same director, so this was no coincidence. Columbia Pictures (1964) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Cat Ballou (1965): The Columbia Torch Lady transforms into an animated version of Jane Fonda as a cowgirl who is holding two guns and firing them. Columbia from "Cat Ballou" _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Trouble with Angels (1966): A halo appears above the "A" in COLUMBIA, and wings sprout behind it. This reveals to be an animated angel hiding behind it, who flies around the Torch Lady and blows out the torch. Columbia - Trouble w/Angels _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Man Called Flintstone (1966): Wilma Flintstone replaces the Torch Lady and the logo is made in a prehistoric style. Great American Communications edited out this variation when they owned Hanna-Barbera, but it is intact on the VHS release. Columbia Pictures - The Man Called Flintstone (1966) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Torture Garden (1967): The 1941 logo has the company name appearing darker than usual, and "PICTURES CORPORATION PRESENTS" fades in below in yellow. Columbia Pictures - Torture Garden (1967) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Don't Raise the Bridge, Lower the River (1968): The 1968 logo starts rotating a few seconds after the "COLUMBIA" text fades in, transitioning into the start of the film. Columbia Pictures (1968) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Head (1968): After the end of the credits, we see a psychedelic, almost Art Nouveau looking Torch Lady; slowly the film disintegrates. Columbia Pictures - Head (1968) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Oliver! (1968): Same as Torture Garden, but the logo is in sepia tone, and after the giant "COLUMBIA" text fades in, the words "PICTURES CORPORATION PRESENTS" fade in below. Columbia - Oliver! _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Looking Glass War (1969): The 1968 logo has the words "PICTURES" and "PRESENTS" appear below the "COLUMBIA" name and on either side of the Torch Lady. Columbia - The Looking Glass War _______________________________________________________________________________________
There's a Girl in My Soup (1970): Same as on The Looking Glass War, though "PICTURES PRESENTS" is in a different font. Columbia - There's a Girl in My Soup ________________________________________________________________________________________
Flight of the Doves (1971): Almost the same as the Cowboy variant, but the clouds appear to be more blue. Columbia Pictures - Flight of the Doves (1971) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Last Picture Show (1971): The 1968 logo is shown in black and white. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Thank God It's Friday (1978): We see the Torch Lady posed as in the start of "The Sunburst/Abstract Torch" logo. Suddenly disco music starts playing and the Torch Lady turns animated and gets into a few seconds of dancing. Then she resumes in torch pose and the rest of the logo plays as normal. Columbia - TGIF _______________________________________________________________________________________
Crossroads (1986): The logo cuts to black rather than fading out as usual. _______________________________________________________________________________________
The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking (1988): When viewed in full screen, the 1981 logo is seen at a much farther distance than any other 4:3 version of the logo. Here, the pedestal is cut off at the bottom of the frame (made more apparent when the sunburst appears). The logo then fades into a picture of Pippi Longstocking (only showing her eyes, and her hair) on a white background. Logo Variations - Columbia Pictures - CLG Wiki ______________________________________________________________________________________
Little Nikita (1988): The 1981 logo fades into the sky. Columbia Pictures logo (Little Nikita variant) __________________________________________________________________________________
City Slickers (1991): The 1981 logo is a still picture. Only on The Hub's print of the movie.The theatrical version had the logo freeze-framed when it fades-in, then the animation begins. Seen on the Widescreen LaserDisc and 1997 MGM/UA VHS releases of the film, while today it wouldn't be seen on current prints due to plastering by MGM. ______________________________________________________________________________________
A League of Their Own (1992): At the end of the newsreel within the film, it has the words "COLUMBIA MOVIESCOPE NEWS" with the 80s Columbia print logo on top of the marquee styling between the words. It's historically inaccurate the 80s logo was used, considering the newsreel is supposed to be from 1943. Columbia Moviescope News - A League of Their Own ______________________________________________________________________________________
Last Action Hero (1993): The 1981 logo melts and integrates into the film-within-a-film, Jack Slater IV. The logo is briefly shown, then disintegrates like an old film would do, into the main titles.The movie itself is first one to use 1993 logo. Columbia Pictures - Last Action Hero (1993) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Age of Innocence (1993): When the music is almost over, the logo changes to a sepia tint and turns into a still picture and the company name fades out. Columbia Pictures "The Age of Innocence" (1993) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Wolf (1994): The already-formed 1993 logo is seen, but the clouds are navy blue. Then, navy blue clouds move from left to right, covering the logo. Columbia Pictures - Wolf (1994) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Street Fighter (1994, non-US version): as CTFDI (Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International, Inc). After the logo is done when the 1992 print logos of both Columbia Torch Lady and 1993 TriStar Pegasus fades out along with the company name, the background fades to the 1990 Universal Pictures logo's background with Globe and Sky (which was plastered from the US Print) seguing to opening sequence before the globe zooms out to movie's logo and the movie begins. Columbia Pictures - Street Fighter: The Ultimate Battle _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Cable Guy (1996): The logo goes static, just like a television would do. Columbia Pictures - The Cable Guy (1996) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Men in Black (1997): The 1993 logo fades into a black starry sky, segueing into the opening credits. Columbia Pictures "Men in Black" (1997)
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Go (1999): The logo sequence at the end is abruptly interrupted by jarring clips from a rave scene that segues into the opening credits. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Charlie's Angels (2000): The logo pans to the right, as the movie starts off in the sky on a plane. Columbia Pictures "Charlie's Angels" (2000) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Finding Forrester (2000): The logo's music is played on a guitar. _______________________________________________________________________________________
What Planet Are You From? (2000): The Torch Lady's normal face is replaced with that of star Annette Benning, in a nod to the oft-noted resemblance between Bening and Jenny Joseph, the Torch Lady. The logo then fades into the night sky. Columbia - Annette Bening _______________________________________________________________________________________
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within (2001, Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment): The last few seconds of the logo feature a shadow covering the Pegasus and turning the Torch Lady into Aki Ross. Only shown before the DVD menu. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Ali (2001) and Big Fish (2003):The logo animates in reverse. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Thir13en Ghosts (Non U.S. version, 2001): The logo is in black & white, just like the Warner Bros. variant. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Men in Black II (2002): The Torch Lady's torch flashes at the end of the logo, much like a neuralyzer. Columbia Pictures "Men in Black II" (2002) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Eight Crazy Nights (2002): The Torch Lady is replaced with Eleanore Duvall, who later melts into the Torch Lady. Columbia Pictures - Eight Crazy Nights (2002) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Trapped (2002): The logo is in a shade of cerulean. Columbia Pictures Trapped (2002) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Peter Pan (2003, Non-US version): The logo fades into the sky. Columbia Pictures "Peter Pan" (2003) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Gothika (2003, Non-US version): The logo is tinted in Tiffany blue. Columbia Pictures - Gothika (2003) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle (2003) and Big Fish (2003): After the logo is done, it goes back to the start point where the movie begins. The latter fades in to the finished product of the logo. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Once Upon a Time in Mexico (2003): The 1993 logo zooms out further than usual. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Hellboy Director's Cut (2004): There's a fire in the torch and the logo plays backwards and segues into a building. Seen on trailer. [Untitled] _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Punisher (2004, non-US version): as CTFDI (Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International). After the logo is done, the text turns into red and segues into the 2002 Marvel Logo (Same as Lionsgate Films) Columbia Pictures - The PunisherColumbia Pictures - The Punisher _______________________________________________________________________________________
Stealth (2005): The logo zooms backward through the clouds. Columbia Pictures "Stealth" (2005) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Adventures of Sharkboy and Lavagirl in 3-D (2005): The logo speeds fast. instead of fading to black, it cuts to Troublemaker Studios logo. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Memoirs of a Geisha (2005): At the end of the movie, the logo fades in just after the zoom out and proceeds as usual. The following logos (DreamWorks, Spyglass Entertainment, Amblin Entertainment, Red Wagon Entertainment) are cut short likewise. This is accompanied by the music from end credits. Columbia Pictures "Memoirs of a Geisha" (2005) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Da Vinci Code (2006): A blue searchlight appears on the logo and the camera pans right. Columbia Pictures "The Da Vinci Code" (2006) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Casino Royale (2006): The logo is in black & white and is also high-toned. Columbia Pictures "Casino Royale" (2006) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Grudge 2 (2006): The logo starts as usual, but then the Torch Lady's hair becomes longer, and then the torch flickers, briefly causing the Torch Lady to turn into Kayako and the word "COLUMBIA" to turn into "GRUDGE 2". The Toirch Lady as Kayako in the opening of "The Grudge 2" (2006). _______________________________________________________________________________________
All the King's Men (2006): The logo is slightly in the shade of black & white. Columbia Pictures - All the King's Men (2006) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Holiday (2006, US version): The logo is shortened and cut to the last few seconds. Columbia Pictures "The Holiday" (2006) ___________________________________________________________________________________
Open Season (2006), Surf's Up (2007), The Smurfs (2011), Arthur Christmas (2011) and The Pirates! Band of Misfits (2012): The Torch Lady's torch flashes to proceed into the Sony Pictures Animation logo. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Superbad (2007): A variation of the 1976 "Sunburst" logo is used. The byline "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" is seen at the bottom in the beginning. As the camera slowly zooms into the torch, it disappears. As the "sunburst" is forming, a clock-style transition occurs behind it, turning the background from black to yellow, and after the sunburst forms, several human silhouettes are seen. (The music wasn't present, however; it just used the movie's opening theme.) Columbia Pictures (Superbad, 2007) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Messengers (2007): The logo turns black & white. Columbia Pictures (The Messengers, 2007) _______________________________________________________________________________________
30 Days of Night (2007): The logo turns dark blue after six seconds. Logo Variations - Columbia Pictures - CLG Wiki _______________________________________________________________________________________
Pineapple Express (2008): The 1950s Columbia logo featured is used and the Sony Pictures Entertainment byline fades in below. Columbia - Pineapple Express _______________________________________________________________________________________
Angels & Demons (2009): At the very last second the torch begins to flicker, like the anti-matter and the logo fades out, leaving a blurry transition to the next one. Columbia Pictures "Angels and Demons" (2009) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009): As if emerging from a subway tunnel, the logo zooms out in a box and fades into the New York City skyline. The logo is accompanied by train-related sound effects. Columbia Pictures "The Taking of Pelham 123" (2009) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Terminator Salvation (2009; non-USA): The logo is gray and has been static shocked (just like the Warner Bros. Pictures Variant). Columbia Pictures - Terminator Salvation (2009) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009): A banana suddenly knocks the Torch Lady out. The music is also at a high pitch. Also, the "COLUMBIA" text is slightly smaller. Columbia Pictures - Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (2009) _______________________________________________________________________________________
2012 (2009): The logo glows with a tangerine lens flare. Columbia Pictures "2012" (2009) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Ghostbusters (2009, Video Game): A shortened version of the 1981 logo makes an appearance at the beginning, Very similar to A Few Good Men (1993, home video release). _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Bounty Hunter (2010): The logo is bylineless. Only on the Starz Saturday Premiere. _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Green Hornet (2011): The light beaming from the torch turns jungle green. Columbia Pictures - The Green Hornet (2011) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (2011): The logo is shown in a gray-green tint. Also, it's shortened, beginning when "COLUMBIA" fades in. Columbia Pictures "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" (2011) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (2012): The logo warps speed and goes back to normal before the text and byline appear. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Men in Black: Alien Crisis (2012, video game): On the game for Wii, the Torch Lady quickly zooms in with the neuralyzer, which flashes at the first second of the play. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Hotel Transylvania (2012) and Hotel Transylvania 2 (2015): At the end of the logo, the Torch Lady turns into a bat and flies off. The music on the 1st film is high-toned while the one on the 2nd film is in normal pitch. The latter also has the byline "a Sony company" instead of "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" with the Sony logo transitioning to this logo. Columbia Pictures - Hotel Transylvania (2012) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Hope Springs (2012): The logo is shortened, beginning when "COLUMBIA" fades in. Columbia Pictures "Hope Springs" (2012) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
Django Unchained (2012): The 1968 logo is used with the SPE byline in the same font as the 1974 "A DIVISION OF COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC." byline. Columbia Pictures "Django Unchained" (2012) _____________________________________________________________________________________________
The Smurfs 2 (2013): The Torch Lady's robe is in white and blue. The logo ends as the Smurf hat flies to the Sony Pictures Animation logo. Columbia Pictures - The Smurfs 2 (2013) ________________________________________________________________________________________________
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (2013): Same as the Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs variant, but the size of "COLUMBIA" is back to normal, the byline fading out before the banana, this time in the computer-generated version, hits the Torch Lady, which transforms into a Bananostrich, then a Strawberry, who carries the torch, that the Torch Lady is holding, mounts a Bananostrich and posing by lifting the torch, beaming the light from it, then they rush toward the camera, and as the torch gets closer, the screen to turns white, transitioning into the Sony Pictures Animation logo. columbia _______________________________________________________________________________________
American Hustle (2013, US): The 1976 logo is used with the "a Sony Company" byline in the same font as the logo. Columbia Pictures (1976) - American Hustle (2013) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Interview (2014): The 1953 logo is used and the 1928 theme is heard. Also, there is no introduction of Sony Corporation and the byline "a Sony Company" is removed. Logo Variations - Columbia Pictures - CLG Wiki _______________________________________________________________________________________
Aloha (2015): Exactly like Django Unchained, but the byline "a Sony Company" appearing below. Also, the logo is brightened. Logo Variations - Columbia Pictures - CLG Wiki _______________________________________________________________________________________
Concussion (2015): After the introduction of Sony Corporation logo, we see the Torch Lady for a moment, before "COLUMBIA" fades in. Columbia Pictures "Concussion" (2015) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Spectre (2015): Similar to All the King's Men (2006), but the logo is slightly darker. Columbia Pictures "SPECTRE" (2015) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Night Before (2015) and The Front Runner (2018): The 1981 logo is used and seen with the byline "a Sony Company" appearing below. Columbia Pictures (2015) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017): A cardboard standee of the Torch Lady falls off, revealing Smurfette. She then notices a mushroom, raises it and a light transitions to the Sony Pictures Animation logo. Columbia Pictures "Smurfs The Lost Village" (2017) _______________________________________________________________________________________
The Emoji Movie (2017): A hand comes up and takes a picture of the lady. It selects an emoji with sunglasses. The phone drops and then the torch shines, transitioning to the Sony Pictures Animation logo. Columbia Pictures (2017) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Blade Runner 2049 (2017; International Release): Everything is in black and white. The logo also suffers a glitch, causing the clouds to disappear, but they return shortly after. Columbia Pictures (2017, A) Columbia Pictures (2017, B)
In the prototype version, the logo is in a digital red. The Sony logo transitions to Columbia via a flash, the cloud background is different, and the company name and byline appear letter by letter. Columbia Pictures (2017) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Only the Brave (2017): TBA. Columbia Pictures (2017) _______________________________________________________________________________________
Puppy! (Short Film, 2017): Very similar to The Holiday variant. __________________________________________________________________________________
Peter Rabbit (2018): Instead of the Sony logo, the Sony Pictures Animation logo on a black background segues into the main logo. Also, the "a Sony Company" byline fades in before "COLUMBIA" does so, and as soon as the logo's music finishes, some birds fly right to the logo and fly around the logo, the Columbia logo then turns 3D and as soon as the camera pans its way around the logo, the clouds move faster. Once the camera begins to follow the birds, the entire logo (except for the birds) fades into white clouds moving on a blue sky. On the extended preview, some birds come after the logo is formed. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse (2018): The logo appears in the style of the movie. The logo is also glitchy by show older Columbia logos, including the Cat Ballou, 1976 logo and Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 2 (when the banana knocked the Torch Lady out). _______________________________________________________________________________________
Men in Black: International (2019): When the logo is almost over, the Torch Lady moves her left hand and puts on a pair of sunglasses.The logo then transitions via a white light to the next logo. This is the first variation in the logo in which the Torch Lady moves. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019): The logo cross-fades into a Mexican statue in the desert. Columbia Pictures - Spider-Man Far From Home _______________________________________________________________________________________
Once Upon a Time in Hollywood (2019): Same as the Django Unchained variant, but this time "a SONY Company" is seen in the same chiseled font used for both the bylines "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT Company" and "A DIVISION OF COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC." _______________________________________________________________________________________
Zombieland: Double Tap (2019): At the end of the logo, two zombies appear and run towards the Torch Lady, and she attacks them with her torch. _______________________________________________________________________________________
Little Women (2019): The 1993 logo is used and has "a Sony Company" byline appearing below.
