Miramax Family Films

Credits

Descriptions by
Supermarty-o and others

Captures by
Broken Saw, Juniorfan88, LovePot World Sales, V of Doom, and Mr. Logo

Video captures courtesy of
Broken Saw and The AVTB Archives

Background

Miramax Family Films (also known as "Miramax Family") was the family production/distribution arm of Miramax Films established in 1993 to produce movies for a kids and family audience. It was closed in late 2006.

1st Logo (1993-2000)

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Visuals: Just a still version of the Miramax Films logo on a black background, with "FAMILY" next to "FILMS".

Technique: A still graphic.

Audio: The opening theme of the trailer.

Availability: Can be seen on trailers for films such as Into the West, The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia, and Gordy.

2nd Logo (August 25, 1995-February 2, 1996)

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Visuals: Same as the 1987 movie logo, only it's in perfect tempo, the outlined "M" isn't flashing everywhere, and "MIRAMAX" is in a more yellowish tint. "FAMILY" is added next to "FILMS", which is now on the right side.

Variants:

• When in 4:3 full screen, you can see where the "glow" forms on the top and bottom of the screen.
• In 2.35:1 widescreen, the logo is heavily cropped.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: Due to it only appearing on three films, the music is different each time.

• On The Thief and the Cobbler, it's the same as the movie logo but double-pitched.
• On The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia, it's silent.
• On the UK VHS of Gordy, it's the same as the normal Miramax logo, but pitched up by 4% due to PAL speed-up.

Availability:

• It's only known to be on about three films, those being the American releases of The Thief and the Cobbler (which Miramax distributed as Arabian Knight), The NeverEnding Story III: Escape from Fantasia, and the UK VHS of Gordy, where the standard Miramax logo originally appeared in front of the film.
• The VHS' of the first two films keep this logo. While it's intact on the Miramax Home Entertainment, Alliance Atlantis, and The Weinstein Company DVD releases of the former, it is plastered by the 2011 logo on the Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD.
• On the Walt Disney Home Entertainment and Echo Bridge Home Entertainment DVD releases of Gordy, the original Miramax logo is plastered by the 1999 logo.

3rd Logo (October 26, 2001-October 11, 2005)

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Visuals: Over a white background is the Miramax Films print logo, in black, fading in. Suddenly, a small cyan dot jumps up, turns itself into a bell for some reason, and rings itself. Then the bell turns back into the dot, speeds towards the logo and pushes the "I", squishing the two lines together. All of a sudden, the above line springs up so high and quickly that it hits "MIRAMAX", breaking the letters apart and sending them (and the dot) high off screen. The above bar rests in its usual position, with "FILMS" completely gone. "MIRAMAX" drops back in a completely different, blocky font colored in the same color as the ball, hitting the lines and changing the color to gold. The multicolored text "FAMILY" fades in one letter at a time. The dot returns and lands on the "i", making it lowercase. The logo shines.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Various stock sound effects. The whoosh, bell ringing and car zooming for the dot, a "BOING!" and a car crash when the "MIRAMAX" text goes bye-bye, a louder "BOING!" when the different "MIRAMAX" text drops in, a harp when "FAMILY" fades in, a "PLUMP!" when the dot dots the "I", and party noise makers when the logo shines.

Availability:

• Can be found on releases from this period, such as In Search of Santa, Hugo the Movie Star, and MyScene Goes Hollywood.
• It also appears as a de-facto home video logo on films released on DVD through this subsidiary, such as The Thief and the Cobbler/Arabian Knight.