New World Entertainment

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

New World Pictures established New World Television and entered television production in 1984, when the soap opera Santa Barbara premiered on NBC. A year later, Roger Corman sold New World for $16.5 million to Larry Kupin, Harry E. Sloan, and Larry A. Thompson. The studio also formed New World International (for international television distribution), and New World Video (for home video releases).

In 1987, New World acquired Learning Corporation of America, Highgate Pictures, and Marvel Comics and was renamed to New World Entertainment, but started to face financial problems in 1989. First, Marvel Comics was sold to Ronald O. Perelman and within months, Perelman acquired New World as well. New World's movie division was slowly shut down and the company's home video assets were sold to Trans Atlantic Entertainment, effectively shutting down the video division. In 1990, LCA and Highgate Pictures were shut down.

In 1991, New World sold most of its non-Marvel program library to Sony Pictures Entertainment, who used the library to relaunch TriStar Television. New World then acquired the bankrupt television stations group SCI Television in 1992 and was renamed to "New World Communications" in 1993 after folding GCI Broadcast Services. New World also purchased stakes in the distributor Genesis Entertainment. New World bought Brandon Tartikoff's production company, Moving Target Productions, when Tartikoff joined the company. New World acquired the remaining stakes of Genesis Entertainment in 1994 and reincorporated it as New World/Genesis Distribution. New World acquired Cannell Entertainment on July 31, 1995 for $30 million.

On January 22, 1997, News Corporation (later 21st Century Fox Inc., now part of The Walt Disney Company), then-parent company of 20th Century Fox, acquired the remainder of New World Communications, and with it the rights to many New World's television programs with some exceptions (Tour of Duty, Sledge Hammer! and Get a Life are held by Sony Pictures Television, the Marvel programs are held by Disney after acquiring Saban Entertainment (and later, Marvel Comics), and most of the Cannell library is currently owned by the Cannell Studios, with distribution rights currently held by Shout! Factory), some post-1988 feature films, the New World/Genesis backlog and Cannell Entertainment, which effectively ended the company.


New World Television

1st Logo (July 30, 1984-June 20, 1989)


Visuals: This is a still version of the movie logo with the company name replaced by "NEW WORLD TELEVISION" or "NEW WORLD INTERNATIONAL" for international distribution.

Variants:

  • On Goddess of Love is "in association with" below the New World Television logo, then it cuts to the Phoenix Entertainment Group logo.
  • A variant exists, which features two seconds of the end of the animation from the New World Pictures logo from the time, and then "NEW WORLD TELEVISION" is seen below, also in a smaller font.
  • A long variant also exists; this is essentially the full New World Pictures logo, but with "NEW WORLD TELEVISION" appearing under it instead (more further down than normal). This was seen on Beryl Markham: A Shadow on the Sun, an '80s USA Network airing of the movie Def Con 4 and Movies! airings of the movies House (replacing the original New World Pictures logo) and at the end of Black Moon Rising (followed by the 2013 20th Television logo). It is also seen at the beginning of TubiTV's print of Rare Breed.
  • A still version with "NEW WORLD TELEVISION" seen more further down than usual exists.
  • On Crime Story, the logo would fade out slowly.
  • On the Harem miniseries, the logo is smaller than usual.
  • Gladiators has the "NEW WORLD TELEVISION" words in the same shade of red as the sphere.
  • Sometimes, a copyright notice can be seen under the company name.

Technique: A still image. In the animated version, motion-controlled computer effects.

Audio: The ending theme of the show or none.

Audio Variants:

  • Sometimes, this logo would appear with a fast-paced new age synth tune adapted from the New World Pictures logo music of the time. The theme is composed by Joel Altshuler, composer of the movie logo's music.
  • The 1987 series Once a Hero uses a futuristic synthesized jingle composed by Dennis Dreith, the composer of the show's theme song.
  • Sometimes, the long variant uses a low tone version of Joel Altshuler's theme from the 1984 movie logo.

Availability:

  • This is currently seen on episodes of Sledge Hammer! on Me-TV, followed by the short 1995 Columbia TriStar Television Distribution (for season 1 episodes) and 2002 SPT logos.
  • This was also seen on early episodes of The Wonder Years on The Hub (now Discovery Family).
  • It was also originally seen on Santa Barbara, the first two seasons of Tour of Duty (intact when aired on H&I), and other shows and TV movies from this era.
  • The international variant is intact after the Marvel Productions logo on Disney+ prints of Spider-Woman.
    • It was also previously seen on Toon Disney/ABC Family reruns of Spider-Man and his Amazing Friends in the mid-2000s.
  • The international variant is also intact at the end of a Tubi streaming print of the 1987 TV mini-series Echoes in the Darkness.

2nd Logo (September 15, 1988-September 1, 1995)


Visuals: On a purple background is a purple-bluish ocean and the now-crystallized New World globe (smaller than the previous logo variant), and below that is the text "NEW WORLD TELEVISION" (in later years, "NEW WORLD ENTERTAINMENT") or "NEW WORLD INTERNATIONAL" on international distribution prints.

Trivia: This logo originally premiered on Santa Barbara in September or October 1988 and was phased in fully by 1989 for all New World television movies and shows.

Variants:

  • An opening version of this logo exists, which features the New World globe slowly rising out of the ocean and then the company name fading in.
  • On Valley of the Dolls, the logo simply says "NEW WORLD".
  • On RoboCop: The Animated Series, the International variant of the logo fades in from the Marvel Productions logo.
  • On 1992-1993 episodes of Santa Barbara, a copyright notice can be seen under the logo.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A new age tune composed by Jay Asher, who also did the theme for the studio's Zorro show and later composed the 1993 music for the 1992 TriStar Television logo. This is actually a slower version of the New World Pictures logo derived theme from the first logo.

Audio Variants:

  • On occasions, a fast-paced version of the jingle is heard.
  • Sometimes, the jingle is shortened to either one or two notes.
  • The long/opening version uses the music from the 1984 New World Pictures logo.
  • Sometimes, the logo is silent, or uses the end theme of the show.
  • Some syndicated prints of The Wonder Years had the 1992 Turner Program Services jingle playing over it; when Ion Television reran the show, their generic music was played over instead.
  • On Iron Man, the 1994 Genesis Entertainment music is heard.

Availability:

  • This was seen on The Wonder Years on The Hub (now Discovery Family) and when reran on Nick@Nite (like the previous logo, it is plastered by the current 20th Television logo on Netflix and on Time-Life Video releases of the show).
  • Tour of Duty and Crime Story also retain this logo.
  • It also survived, complete with music, on some episodes of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol as last seen on Heroes and Icons.
  • Later episodes of Santa Barbara also featured this logo, with the music beginning over the preceding Dobson Productions logo.
  • The New World Entertainment logo was also retained on one episode of The Incredible Hulk on Disney XD.
  • It was also seen at the end of Checkered Flag, The Robert Guillaume Show, the 1989 TV movie Original Sin, and international prints of The Bold and the Beautiful from the era, among many others.
  • The New World International logo is plastered with the 1996 Saban International and 1997 Fox Kids Worldwide logos on the UK DVD releases of RoboCop: The Animated Series, except on the episode "Into the Wilderness", which is the only one to retain it.
  • The New World International logo is also seen on the 1990 UK VHS release of RoboCop: Detroit Crimewave from Leisure View Video.
  • The New World Television logo also makes a surprise appearance at the end of the TubiTV print of Rare Breed (1984).
  • The New World International logo was also seen at the end of a December 10, 1990 Central airing of an episode of Sledge Hammer!, which is then followed by the 1990 A Central Presentation endcap.
  • The New World International logo was also seen intact at the end of both the 2020 Sony Movies Christmas and December 22, 2022 Talking Pictures TV airings of Home for Christmas (1990) on Talking Pictures TV, which is then followed by the B&W variant of the 2009 Renown Pictures Corporation logo.

Legacy: It remains a favorite to many for its CGI and music.

New World Entertainment

Logo (September 2, 1995-January 22, 1997)


Visuals: Over a space background, a comet swirls form the bottom left to the center, explodes, and leaves behind the New World globe, in red, with the text:
NEW WORLD
ENTERTAINMENT
now in a Trajan Pro font below.

Variants:

  • A variant with "DISTRIBUTED BY" zooming out below and disappearing as the explosion occurs exists.
  • A longer version also exists, where the space background rotates and zooms slowly. After the regular animation plays, the globe sits there for several seconds.
  • On U.S. Customs Classified, a somewhat abridged version of the long version plays and, when the comet explodes, "Distributed by" appears within the explosion before fading away.
  • Some showings of this logo have only the tail end (where the globe appears) play.

Technique: CGI animation.

Audio: A synthesizer sounder that ends with a series of Caribbean-style drumbeats.

Audio Variants:

  • In the long version, a synth chime plays, then a two note bass sounder holds out before the standard theme.
  • A silent variant of the short version exists.

Availability:

  • This was seen on 1995-1997 episodes of Real Stories of the Highway Patrol and is also retained on most season 2 episodes of Iron Man and Fantastic Four on Disney+ (Toon Disney/Disney XD reruns often used prints with 1996 Saban logos instead while Netflix prints used the Marvel Animation logo; in IM's case, part 1 of The Armor Wars retains the Genesis Entertainment logo while part 2 uses the 1996 Saban logo).
  • The tail-end version was seen on the very short-lived 1996 Fox game show Big Deal (an adaptation of Let's Make A Deal).
  • The long variant was used mainly for international releases, such as on home video releases of HBO's Vault of Horror.
  • The silent/short version can be seen on the 1996 ABC TV movie Wiseguy, an intended reboot of the 1987 CBS crime drama of the same name.
  • It was also seen on international prints of The Bold and the Beautiful, often preceding the 1993 BBL Distribution, Inc. logo.
  • This can also additionally be found on episodes of Silk Stalkings (mostly Season 6 episodes) on YouTube Movies & TV.
  • It was also seen at the end of Profit, in addition to some episodes of Tales from the Crypt.
  • The short version is also preserved at the start of the 1996 UK VHS releases of Spider-Man: The Venom Saga (Special Edition) and Iron Man: Origin of Iron Man (Special Edition), respectively.
  • It is also preserved at the end of the 1967 Spider-Man episode, "The Terrible Triumph of Dr. Octopus"/"Magic Malice", on the 2002 Buena Vista Home Entertainment DVD release of Spider-Man: Return of the Green Goblin, in addition to the end of the 1997 U.S. VHS release of Spider-Man: The Hobgoblin.
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