Don Bluth Entertainment
Gabriel Katikos
Video captures courtesy of
MichaelRetro Strum
Background
Sullivan Bluth Studios was a highly successful animation studio which was formed in 1985 by Disney expatriates Don Bluth, Gary Goldman and John Pomeroy in conjunction with businessman Morris Sullivan. A successor to the former three's previous studios Don Bluth Productions (producers of the short film Banjo the Woodpile Cat and the feature film The Secret of NIMH) and Bluth Group (producers of the popular Dragon's Lair and Space Ace video games), it was later located to Dublin, Ireland in the late 1980s. In 1992, the studio declared bankruptcy and was renamed to Don Bluth Entertainment. After the release and critical/commercial failure of the company's last film, The Pebble and the Penguin in 1995, the studio closed down its doors in October. Bluth and Goldman went on to form Fox Animation Studios a year earlier while Pomeroy eventually returned to Disney.
NOTE: The company did not use a logo until 1986.
1st Logo (November 21, 1986-August 2, 1991)
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Visuals: On a red water background, a golden leaf floats down from the top of the screen. When the leaf gets to a comfortable distance, it stops, making a few ripples appear, which leave sparks as they do so. As this is happening, the leaf and ripples disappear, while the sparks form the text "a Don Bluth film", in gold and in a cursive font. Then it fades out, and one of these phrases would appear:
- Produced by SULLIVAN STUDIOS, INC. (only seen on An American Tail)
- Produced by SULLIVAN BLUTH STUDIOS (only seen on The Land Before Time)
- Produced by SULLIVAN BLUTH STUDIOS IRELAND Ltd. (seen on All Dogs Go to Heaven and Rock-a-Doodle)
Variant: On An American Tail, a prototype variant was used in which the red water background is darker and the leaf and the text "a Don Bluth film" are tan. Also, the text "Produced by SULLIVAN STUDIOS, INC." is white and is in a different font. (It should be worth noting that the red water background was used during the credits, accompanied by the song "Somewhere Out There" by Linda Ronstadt and James Ingram, before the logo proper begins.) The regular variant (in which the red water background is brighter, the text "a Don Bluth film" is gold and the phrase is now in a yellow Times New Roman bold font) was used starting with The Land Before Time.
Technique: Cel animation.
Audio: The closing theme of the movie.
Availability: It can be seen on the films mentioned above. For some odd reason, it does not appear on MGM's 2005 DVD release of Rock-a-Doodle, as well as on MGM's digital download print of said film; however, it is intact on the Australian DVD release of said film.
2nd Logo (March 30-October 7, 1994)
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Visuals: The logo differs depending on the movie it appears on.
- Thumbelina: On a black background, Thumbelina runs across the screen (in which the background fades into a nighttime scenery of the woods in which is covered in snow or something resembling like elongated Hershey's Kisses, tinted in blue), leaving behind the yellow words "a DON BLUTH presentation" in which pixie dust falls down from the text. A few seconds later, Prince Cornelius, on his bumblebee, flies across the words and they vanish and the background fades to black.
- A Troll in Central Park: At the end of the credits, an image of Stanley appears. His green thumb lights up, and the words "A Don Bluth Presentation" (in green) appear, then they vanish.
Technique: Each variation is traditionally animated.
Audio: The closing theme of the movie.
Availability: It can be seen at the end credits of Thumbelina and A Troll in Central Park.
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