Hollywood Pictures

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum



Background

Hollywood Pictures was a film division of The Walt Disney Company that was established on February 1, 1989, initially to finance and distribute B-movies and smaller-budget films, and to create internal competition with the company's other adult-oriented label, Touchstone Pictures. The banner was also used for releasing titles by Cinergi Productions in the US and select regions. After being dormant since 2001, the brand was re-activated in 2006 to produce genre films such as horror and African-American films (in the same vein as Sony Pictures Entertainment's Screen Gems Pictures), in place of Dimension Films after Miramax founders Harvey and Bob Weinstein left Disney to form The Weinstein Company. However, after only three films, the label was discontinued again a year later. Today, Disney continues to control the films produced by the studio, with Hollywood existing in name only to hold their copyrights.

1st Logo (July 18, 1990-April 27, 2007)

Visuals: On a black background, a blue moon glows behind an object, as the glowing line increases to reveal the object as the famous Egyptian sphinx. The light dies down to a circle behind the logo, as three lines (resembling as steps) fades-in below the logo, and below them is the text "HOLLYWOOD PICTURES".

Variants:

  • There is an early variant, in which a box appears around the sphinx logo, with "HOLLYWOOD" above it and "PICTURES" below. It appeared on Arachnophobia and Taking Care of Business.
  • On some movies, such as Terminal Velocity, the logo looks worn out.

Technique: 2D computer animation by Lumeni Productions.

Audio: An orchestral fanfare composed by Danny Elfman.

Audio Variants:

  • An alternate mix of this fanfare can be heard on most movies from the company released in 1992 and 1993.
  • On some movies like Crimson Tide, The Rock or The Sixth Sense, it is silent or uses the opening theme of the movie.
  • As a closing logo, the closing theme is used or it is silent.
  • The 1991 Australian VHS release of Arachonophobia uses the home video variant of the fanfare.
  • On the 2012 Mill Creek Entertainment DVD and Blu-ray release of Gone Fishin', the Walt Disney Pictures theme can be heard, but muffled and quiet. This was due to the film originally being planned as a Disney release but switched to Hollywood later on.

Availability: It was seen on all of the company's releases starting with Arachnophobia and ending with The Invisible. Also appears at the beginning of a UK VHS print of Scream 3.

2nd Logo (1993)


Visuals: On a black background, the stacked words "HOLLYWOOD PICTURES" in white fade in. Two red lines come in from opposite sides, settling in-between the words to form one thick line.

Trivia: This logo was made to fit in with its appearance on the Super Mario Bros. trailer, which utilized red lines and the same font for the names of the cast members.

Technique: 2D computer animation also by Lumeni Productions.

Audio: Just the music from the trailer (Snap!'s "The Power").

Audio Variant: On TV spots, an announcer (Don LaFontaine) is heard saying, "From Hollywood Pictures..."

Availability: Appeared on the theatrical trailer, as well as some TV spots, for Super Mario Bros. (1993).

Hollywood Pictures
Touchstone Pictures
Walt Disney Pictures
20th Century Studios
Searchlight Pictures
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