Feature Films for Families

Background

Feature Films for Families, or FFFF, is a privately-held entertainment company based in the United States, formed in 1988. It is a Mormon film company that distributes films it deems appropriate for children in their values. Since 2011, Feature Films for Families was renamed to "Stepping Stones Entertainment", though the Feature Films for Families brand continues to exist under the Stepping Stones label.

In 2018, the company was fined by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for $45.5 million (settled to $487,735 due to the company being unable to pay such a high fee). This is because it did more than 117 million illegal telemarketing calls to people in the Do Not Call Regestry between 2007 and 2011, for the purposes of selling their DVDs and tickets to the 2009 theatrical release of The Velveteen Rabbit. They would often hide these calls under the guise of a charity called "Kids First" that was looking to make a list of good family movies, and claim that they would donate the proceeds of their DVDs to police and fire departments when they didn't. Since the lawsuit closed, FFFF has been much quieter, with most of its activity being its own online "streaming service" (actually a website with embedded and paywalled Vimeo uploads of their library).

1st Logo (1988-early 1990s)

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Visuals: On a black background is the text

This Film Is Available
Only From
Feature Films For
Families
And Cannot Be Purchased
Or Rented From Anyone Else

This then slideshows into a second screen, which shows the company's name and it's phone number below that. After a little bit, the company's print logo from the time flies in from the bottom right as the text fades out. The print logo shows on a film reel an infographic-style father, child, and mother holding hands on the top, two large F's shaped like strips of film with the text "For Families" below that, and a film camera on a tripod on the bottom.

Variants:

• A version exists that omits the first screen and the text and print logo are in turquoise.
• On some tapes, the logo is on a gradient background (blue-white or green-black depending on the release), and the text and print logo have a drop shadow. This also omits the first screen.
• After the 3rd logo was introduced, only the second screen is shown without the print logo flying in, and instead fades out.

Technique: Computer animation.

Audio: None, but on releases licensed from Just for Kids Home Entertainment, the music from the 1991 logo is used, plastering the logo itself on those tapes.

Availability: This mainly appears on releases of films they licensed from other home video companies. The blue-white gradient variant is seen on an early 90s print of The Little Fox, while the green-black variant is seen on a 1991 print of the 1984 Vestron Video release of The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe. The turquoise variant can be seen on an early 90s print of Scamper The Penguin (with the Just for Kids Home Entertainment music at the beginning of the tape, and silent at the end) The version that only just shows the second screen is the most common variant.

2nd Logo (c. 1990-1999)

Visuals: On a black background are the two stylized "F"s from the previous logo, with "A Feature Films For Families Presentation" below.

Variant: At the beginning of the 1999 VHS release of How I Saved the President, "A" and "Presentation" are removed. After a few seconds, it cross-fades to "In Association with CINAR".

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen at the beginning of a VHS release of Seasons of the Heart, the 1997 VHS release of No More Baths, and the start of the 1999 VHS release of How I Saved the President.

3rd Logo (1992-2006)

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Visuals: There are some blue houses at night under a starry sky. The center house then brightens to turn white with yellow windows, followed by several more next to it. The camera pans upward and across the houses to a dark grid field surrounded by hills, where several lit up homes form the two "F"s from the previous logos and "eature ilms for families" to the right. The 3D text

feature

films

For Families

in gold, fades in over the lights as the camera moves to a downward-facing view.

Variant: At the end of the 1994 VHS of City Boy, the logo is shortened, starting when the camera pans upward and across the houses to the grid field surrounded by hills.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A lush orchestral tune, similar to the Filmauro logo, with the sound of children laughing once the houses "light" up.

Audio Variants:

• At the end of the 1994 VHS of The Seventh Brother, a small part of the theme is trimmed off, making the theme slightly off-sync.
• On some DVD and VHSs, the music sounds more smooth, which slightly gives the theme an echo effect when the laughing is heard.
• At the end of the 1994 VHS of City Boy, the 2nd half of the theme plays.

Availability: Seen on any family films produced and distributed by the company, such as No More Baths, post-1998 prints of The Adventures of Scamper The Penguin, Princess and the Pea, and The Buttercream Gang. It also appears on tapes of The Berenstain Bears (1980s series) from the company. Surprisingly, the logo appears at the end of the 1994 VHS of The Seventh Brother. On rare cases until 1999, this logo is followed by the previous logo.

4th Logo (October 14, 1995-1999?)

Visuals: On an pineapple colored background is a 3D film reel with a film strip coming out from it going through the word "Feature Films For Families". Below is the slogan "Strengthening Traditional Values Through Entertainment". Next to the logo is a father, mother, and a child. The company's phone number is underneath.

Variant: On some higher quality VHS tapes, the background is white.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None. Sometimes it's the end theme.

Availability: It's known to be at the end of the 1995 VHS of The Story Lady and a few VHS releases of The Berenstain Bears (1980s series). It's unknown if it appears on any other tapes from the company.

5th Logo (1999?-2006)

Visuals: On an green background with the 2 f's shaped like filmstrip from the 1st logo, albeit superimposed in a dark green color, is a yellow circle with the same family from the previous logo inside, the words "Thank You for supporting films that lift the spirit and teach timeless values." Two phone numbers, "1-800-FAMILY-TV (1-800-326-4598)" and the URL "www.familytv.com" are below.

Technique: A still, computerized graphic.

Audio: None.

Availability: Seen on VHS and DVD releases from Feature Films for Families.

6th Logo (2006-2011)

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Seen on the trailer of The Velveteen Rabbit.

7th Logo (2006?-)

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Visuals: On a black background, the screen pans down to see a film camera shining a light, with the "ff" insignia from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 5th logos printed near the bottom of it in a small white circle. The screen turns as the camera's light takes over the screen, making the rest of the camera no longer visible. The black text "Feature Films For FAMILIES" flips in as the light dims and disappears, turning the text gold. The shadows of a mother, father, and two children holding hands as they walk to the left can be seen on the text. After the family walks away, the logo shines from left to right and the text remains by itself for approximately three seconds, the logo fades out.

Variants:

• A short variant exists where the Feature Films for Families logo is already formed and shines as usual.
• A cut-off variant exists where the logo starts where it already had panned down to the film camera, the logo then continues as normal.
• Another short variant exists where the word "presents" is in the same color below the Feature Films For Families logo. This was only seen on trailers from the company from 2012?-2016?.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The sounds of the camera, then an abridged re-orchestration of the 1992 theme that ends with a "ding".

Audio Variant: On the 2009 DVD of The Velveteen Rabbit (possibly a PAL DVD), the camera noises are cut off, and the rest of the theme is high pitched.

Availability: Known to appear on the 2009 DVD of The Velveteen Rabbit.