Feature Films for Families

Background

Feature Films for Families, or FFFF, is a privately-held entertainment company based in the United States, formed in 1986. 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.

1st Logo (1986-2006)

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Logo: We see 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. The text

feature

films

For Families

in gold, fades in. The large F's are shaped like strips of film. The camera turns upward as the logo transforms into a 3D image.

Technique: CGI animation.

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

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 (1985) from the company.

2nd Logo (1988-early 1990s)

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Logo: On a black background, we see the text "This Films Is Available Only From Feature Films For Families And Cannot Be Purchased Or Rented From Anyone Else" This then slideshows into the next 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, the two large F's from the previous logo 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 and green-black depending on the release), and the text and print logo have a drop shadow. This also omits the first screen.
• Most commonly on releases, only the second screen is shown without the print logo flying in, and instead fades out and shows the previous logo.

Technique: Simple 2D animation.

Music/Sounds: 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: Extremely rare. 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.

3rd Logo (2006-2011)

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TBA. The logo actually appears to be lost media outside of the image above.

4th Logo (2006-2011)

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Logo: On a black background, we pan down to see a film camera shining a light, with the "ff" insignia from the first two logos printed near the bottom of it in a small white circle. We turn 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 3 seconds, the logo fades out.

Technique: CGI animation.

Music/Sounds: The sounds of the camera, then an abridged reorchestration of the 1986 theme that ends with a "ding".

Availability: Current.