Fox Video

Main Trailer Variations

Credits

Editions by
Michael Kenchington and Trevor807

Background

CBS/Fox Video (legally known as The CBS/Fox Company) was renamed "Fox Video" (legally known as FoxVideo, Inc.) in 1991, alternating with the CBS/Fox name until 1998, when Fox Entertainment Group acquired CBS's interest in CBS/Fox. Fox Video changed its name to "20th Century Fox Home Entertainment" on March 16, 1995, alternating with the Fox Video name until 1998.

1st Logo (June 27, 1991-1995)

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  Regular version

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  Black and white variant

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  DISTRIBUTED BY variant

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  Dark version

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  "Available from FoxVideo" version

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  Widescreen version

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  Scope version

Visuals: A still shot of a drastically simplified Fox structure in gold against a simple blue gradient background. It has been reduced to its core essentials: the tower, stage, and searchlights (which are shaped similar to crayons). The wording on the structure now says "FOX VIDEO", with an extra gap where "FOX" would be in the movie logo. The logo "shimmers" like bars of light move through, a la the then-current Touchstone logo.

Trivia: The holes in the "FOX VIDEO" structure are filled in with the same color to give a metallic gold look. In most Fox logos, the gaping holes between the letters are usually filled up with a different color to give a clear indication of what the letter is.

Variants:

• There is a letterboxed "Scope" version on widescreen releases. The logo was the same but was matted (or cropped) to widescreen (which also meant that the searchlight base clipping through the platform was also cut out).
• A black and white variant exists. This can be seen in some black and white films released on home video, such as the 1991 VHS releases of the original Miracle on 34th Street and Sink the Bismarck!. The B&W version in widescreen letterbox can also be seen on the LaserDisc version of the latter film.
• On some Media Home Entertainment releases, such as Scanners II: The New Order, the words "DISTRIBUTED BY" appear above the logo. In this case, no announcer spiel was used.
• For the 1993 UK rental VHS of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York, the animation was slowed down, to fit the full extended TCF fanfare mentioned below.
• There's another extended version on the Australian rental VHS of the uncut version of Marked For Death. On this one, the logo freeze frames instead of being slowed down and there is no drum roll.
• A special version was seen on UK Widescreen VHS releases. The logo plays as normal, then it zooms out towards the middle of the screen, turns 3D, and expands with movie scenes appears behind the background (all resembling the letterbox format). The word "WIDESCREEN" (arched upwards and downwards with blue shadow effects underneath) pans past the screen vertically, then turns horizontal and rests in front of the Fox Video logo.
• On the Fox Video Sentimental promo, which can be found on the 1992 Demo VHS of My Cousin Vinny, the logo is still and zoomed out on a black background with the text "Available from FoxVideo." shown on the bottom.

Technique: Computer animation for the shines, with the Fox Video structure itself being a still illustration.

Audio: None.

Audio Variants:

• The 1979 TCF fanfare can be heard on PAL and French SECAM releases, as well as a few NTSC releases, such as the widescreen LaserDisc of Die Hard and a rental copy of Point Break. On Italian releases, the fanfare abruptly fades out after five seconds.
• The UK rental VHS of Home Alone 2: Lost in New York uses the extended TCF fanfare.
• The Australian extended variant has the extended fanfare, but without the drum roll.
• The Widescreen version has an abridged version of the extended TCF theme that starts when the logo zooms out and an energetic whoosh sound when the logo expands.
• On some tapes, only the drums from the opening of the fanfare are heard.
• On Media Home Entertainment releases, the announcer for the Media and Fox Video logos says "Distributed by Fox Video".
• There was a closing variant seen on some Australian PAL tapes (mainly rental tapes) which had the same voice-over from the CBS/Fox PAL closing variant, sometimes with the 1979 TCF fanfare preceding it.

Availability:

• It's seen on all Fox videos from that period.
  • The best way to find this is to look for a Fox Video print logo that is a simple 2D drawing with no color.
  • Again, this will be easy to find in second-hand video shops, charity shops, and on eBay.
• This logo first appeared on the Yellow Ribbon Collection of war movies, including new releases The Man Who Never Was, A Yank in the R.A.F., and The Desert Rats.
• A letterboxed version in a scope aspect ratio appears on the special letterbox collector's edition of the Star Wars trilogy.
• It can also be found on BBC Video tapes from 1991-1993, but those aren't as easy to find.
• It also appeared, surprisingly enough indeed, on the 1998 UK VHS release of Edward Scissorhands (which is probably a reprint from 1991, according to the previews on it).
• In Australia, this logo was used until 1995.
  • One such example of this being used on a post-1993 tape is the 1994 Australian VHS release of Mrs. Doubtfire.
• It also appeared on a 2001 VHS release of Demetrius and the Gladiators (most likely a reprint itself).
• Also seen on tapes from Media Home Entertainment released from mid-to-late 1991 until 1993, such as Paris Trout, Nails, and Prospero's Books.
• Among the last tapes to use this was Love Potion #9, the 1993 Studio Classics VHS release of A Letter to Three Wives, and the first 10 volumes of The Honeymooners: The Classic 39.
• The Widescreen version is seen on the UK Special Edition VHS release of The Abyss (which also uses the next logo).
• It appeared on the French VHS of Maximum Overdrive.
• It also strangely appeared on some early '90s reprints of earlier CBS/Fox titles with CBS/Fox packaging and labels, including My Bodyguard and Short Circuit.
• It also appears on a reprint of A Boy Named Charlie Brown, despite featuring the Playhouse Video logo on the box and tape label.
• It also appears on UK VHS releases such as Peter Pan and the Pirates: Volume 1, FernGully: The Last Rainforest and the 1992 UK VHS release of The Commitments (1991), respectively, among others.

2nd Logo (May 26, 1993-1998)

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  Normal logo

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  Black and white variant

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  Widescreen version

Visuals: On a dark teal background, there is a gold/purple Fox structure from an extreme upper-left angle. The camera moves down and pan around the structure (and a light shines through it as the camera moves), saying "FOX VIDEO". The camera finally settles into the angle of standard Fox logos, with the searchlights moving at a slow rate.

Variants:

• There is a black and white variant. This can be found on the 1993 VHS of Young Frankenstein.
• A shortened version exists where the logo fades in as the lights shine and the logo moves to its final angle. This was seen in the 1995 20th Century Fox Selections releases of Young Guns II and Dutch.
• A short version with far more vibrant colors than usual appears on the promo for the VHS of Mrs. Doubtfire on the 1994 VHS of Speed.
• An extended version exists where the searchlights loop (like the 1981 TCF logo).

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None.

Audio Variants:

• Occasionally, the 1979 TCF fanfare was used, mainly on PAL releases including the UK rental VHS releases of Used People, Jack the Bear, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles III, and The Vanishing.
• A Brazilian variant used to exist on Abril Vídeo VHS releases of Fox Video titles which had a custom synthesized rendition of the TCF fanfare.
• On a promo for The X-Files found on the 1995 Hong Kong LaserDisc of Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi and the French SECAM VHS release of Highlander III, a deep synth score is heard.
• On Media Home Entertainment releases, the announcer for the Media and Fox Video logos says "Distributed by Fox Video".
• On the 1994 VHS of Ghost in the Machine, an upbeat dance-pop tune was heard.
• The extended version uses the 1981 TCF theme.

Availability: Appeared on releases during this era.

• First appeared on Used People, Toys, and Hoffa, with the same 2D print logo.
• Also seen on some BBC Video releases from that era, including Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers and Wallace and Gromit: A Grand Day Out, and on tapes released by Media Home Entertainment from 1993 (including Scam), shortly before Media Home Entertainment went out of business.
• This also appears on the Star Wars Trilogy: The Definitive Collection LaserDisc box set from 1993.
• The last tapes to use this logo were the John Hughes remake of Miracle on 34th Street and Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie.
• This logo is very hard to come across in Australia, where it has been found on a 1995 rental VHS of Speed.
• Strangely, this logo doesn't appear on the 1995 Star Wars trilogy VHS box set, despite showing the 1994 full-color print logo on the cover.
  • However, the 1995 LaserDisc of Star Wars: A New Hope actually uses this, while the 1995 LaserDiscs of The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi use the 1984 CBS/Fox Video logo instead.
• This also appears on all 20th Century Fox Selections releases from March through September 1995 such as Big, Shining Through, 9 To 5 and Dutch.
• The extended version can be found on the Spanish VHS release of The Piano (El Piano).
• On the 2000 Mexican Spanish VHS release of The Abyss, this was surprisingly retained, appearing right after the 2nd international TCFHE logo.

Legacy: Many dislike this logo for its colors and appearance.

3rd Logo (April 26, 1994-1995)

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  The logo zoomed in

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  The logo after zooming out

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  Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer variant

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  Movie club version

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  Fox Pathé Canal promo variant

Visuals: It's basically the full-color Fox Video print logo of the time, which is similar to the 20th Century Fox logo, though with "FOX VIDEO" replacing the text, as well as more simplified features. It begins by taking up the whole screen, but zooms out until it is in a box in the centre of the screen.

Variants:

• On the Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer, the words "from FoxVideo" are seen below the logo.
• Before a promo on the French VHS of True Lies (1994), a variant appears where a ball with the logo, the 1991 Pathé logo and the text "LE STUDIO CANAL" in gold and black flies towards the screen in a space-background. This would then fade to the previous logo.
  • The reasoning for this variant is because in France, Fox Video operated as a joint-venture with the other two companies, known as FPC Video (FPC standing for "Fox Pathé Canal") until StudioCanal left the venture in 2001 and EuropaCorp was added as a replacement, becoming "Fox Pathé Europa", which traded until at least 2020.

Technique: 2D computer animation, with the Fox Video logo itself being a still illustration.

Audio:

• The ending theme of the trailer, combined with a female voice saying "From Fox Video".
• On the Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer, it's silent.
• On the Le Studio Canal promo variant, a "whoosh" sound is heard.

Availability:

• It is seen on the trailer for the Shirley Temple Collection VHS box set that can be found on the VHS releases of Mrs. Doubtfire, The Little Princess, The Blue Bird, and the John Hughes remake of Miracle on 34th Street.
• It was also seen at the end of the Rodgers & Hammerstein Golden Anniversary Collection trailer, which can also be found on the 1994 VHS releases of State Fair (1945) and The Sound of Music, respectively.

4th Logo (December 19, 1995-March 1998)

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Visuals: Against the Los Angeles skyline around sunset (recycled from the 1994-2010 theatrical logo), there is a spotlight and then pan across the "FOX VIDEO" structure, now redone so that it matches the movie logo far closer and all of it is set in Futura Extra Bold. The logo zooms out until the camera reaches the Fox logo distance.

Trivia: Like with the 1994 theatrical logo, if you look really closely towards the early part of the logo (especially on upscales of LaserDisc content), the names of businesses can be spotted.

Variants:

• A slightly longer version appears on the original 1995 VHS release of Die Hard with a Vengeance.
• There is a variant where the "FOX VIDEO" text is darker.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Usually none.

Availability: .

• This logo usually came after the first 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment logo.
• Seen on releases of the era, starting with the December 1995 VHS release of Die Hard with a Vengeance (the Laserdisc used the 1993 logo).
• Other notable releases with this logo include Independence Day and the Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition box set from 1997.
• Also seen on all 20th Century Fox Selections titles released from early 1996 through August 1997 such as Point Break, Short Circuit, Predator 2, Commando and The Fly (1986 remake).
• This was also used on most Premiere Series releases from 1996 and 1997 such as Mrs. Doubtfire, My Cousin Vinny, That Thing You Do!, Sleeping with the Enemy and Predator.
• Strangely, this doesn't appear on The Best of The Simpsons VHS box set from 1997 (despite the logo appearing on the packaging of the individual tapes and the box itself) or the 1996 Premiere Series releases of A Walk in the Clouds, Nine Months, and The Truth About Cats and Dogs (though all three use the 1991 full-color print logo on their spines).
• The LaserDisc release of Volcano (which didn't show the Fox Video logo on the cover) featured this logo along with the 1995-2008 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment logo.
• Look for a screencap of this logo used on the packaging of most 1997 releases (all 1995-1996 releases use the 1991 full-color print logo).
• A shorter version of the logo appeared on some video commercials up until 1999.
• This logo can also be seen at the start of FXM's print of Tales of Manhattan (after the 1995 TCFHE logo).
• This logo also plastered the 1984 CBS/Fox Video logo on the 1997 USA Laserdisc release of all three Wallace & Gromit short films, possibly due to an error, despite being the last overall on that format to be released under that name.

Legacy: This is often seen as the best of the Fox Video logos.

◄ CBS/Fox Video

Fox Video

20th Century Studios Home Entertainment ►