New World Pictures

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

New World Pictures was founded by B-movie legend Roger Corman in 1970. However, they did not use an on-screen logo until 1975.

In recent years, Roger Corman has reissued parts of the pre-1984 New World library on VHS and DVD on his own New Concorde label (Corman left New World in 1984, taking the rights to the company's library up to that point with him). Shout! Factory has been re-releasing and releasing films previously unreleased on DVD for pre-1984 New World films, but some have also seen releases from Scorpion Releasing and Code Red, under license from Corman himself. (In the mid-2000s, Buena Vista Home Entertainment held home media rights and released the "Roger Corman Collection" of DVDs.)

The 1970-1983 films except Battle Beyond the Stars (co-produced with and released through Orion Pictures) were licensed to Viacom Enterprises (now "CBS Media Ventures") for TV distribution. The syndication rights to the pre-1984 titles are now owned by Paramount and licensed to Trifecta Entertainment & Media. The rights to most of the New World Pictures library, post-1984, are held by Lakeshore Entertainment, while Image Entertainment (previously Anchor Bay Entertainment) holds the home video rights; however, Kino Lorber, Code Red, Vinegar Syndrome, and Arrow Video have also released some post-1984 New World films on home video. The US rights to Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, which they originally distributed in the form of Manson International's English dub of the film (Warriors of the Wind), now belong to current franchise holder Studio Ghibli (with the film currently being distributed via GKIDS in the US and Goodfellas elsewhere respectively).



1st Logo (1975-1979)

Visuals: Two rectangles (light blue and dark blue) slide from both sides of the screen and eventually overlap each other (a la "The Orion/WB Combo Logo"). On the dark blue rectangle is "ROGER CORMAN PRESENTS" (in Peignot font, the same used for the first Viacom logo and the MTM Enterprises logo.), and on the light blue rectangle is "A NEW WORLD PICTURES RELEASE" in the same font as well.

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: None.

Availability:

  • Might be seen on a few New World films from the era, but some went straight to the opening scene like Hollywood Boulevard.
  • This appears on the U.S. version of Starcrash (1979), Foxtrot and the 1982 English dub of Galaxy Express 999; most home video releases have the 1996 Viz Media dub, but it can be found on the Embassy Home Entertainment VHS release.

2nd Logo (October 22, 1976-October 30, 1981)


Visuals: On an Orion-like starfield, the text "NEW WORLD PICTURES PRESENTS", stacked and curved like an open eye, trails itself from the right of the screen in multiple colors (a la Filmways' second logo) onto the center.

Technique: Camera-controlled motion graphics.

Audio: None.

Availability:

  • Films that contain this logo are God Told Me To, The Kids Are Alright, Moonshine County Express, Humanoids from the Deep, Grand Theft Auto, and Piranha.
  • This logo also appeared on Smokey Bites the Dust, released in 1981 since that movie would have had the next logo.

3rd Logo (September 8, 1980-September 7, 1984)


Visuals: Over a black background, the bold company name "NEW WORLD PICTURES" fades in. Then, two light streaks collide in the background and morph into a blue Aztec hieroglyph-like sun. The sun shines, then fades out.

Variants:

  • A version exists on Battle Beyond the Stars with "NEW WORLD PICTURES PRESENTS" under a shut black aperture with a faintly visible blue outline, then it fades to "A ROGER CORMAN PRODUCTION". In this version, the screen zooms into the aperture as it gains red streaks on each blade and opens up at the end.
  • A superimposed variant has the symbol on top of the text "NEW WORLD PICTURES INC PRESENTS", all of which is in white.

Technique: Camera-controlled motion graphics.

Audio: Usually none or the film's opening theme. On Galaxy of Terror, a loud whoosh is heard followed by blasts.

Availability: It appears on films like Battle Beyond the Stars, Galaxy of Terror and Forbidden World.

4th Logo (March 9, 1984-August 25, 1993)


Visuals: On a black background, several three-dimensional red "slices" merge together to form an abstract globe shape (which bears a strong resemblance to the 1983-2005 AT&T logo) as the camera pulls back; a quick flash of light is seen as each section passes the camera. Once the globe forms, the company name "NEW WORLD PICTURES" (or "NEW WORLD INTERNATIONAL" for international distribution), in the ITC Novarese typeface, fades in below it.

Variants:

  • An early version exists with just the sphere "wiping" in followed by the company name fading in; this was seen on films such as Children of the Corn and The Philadelphia Experiment.
  • A version where the company name is "NEW WORLD" and under it is "ENTERTAINMENT" also exists.
  • On Hellbound: Hellraiser II, the text is in red, just like the television logo variant from Gladiators.
  • On Grunt! The Wrestling Movie, the sphere is in a shade of blue.

Technique: Motion-controlled computer effects.

Audio: On occasion, it featured a new-age synth theme composed by Joel Altshuler.

Audio Variants:

  • Other times, it would be silent or accompanied with the films opening theme play over it.
  • On Angel 3: The Final Chapter, whooshes are heard from the slices, combined with the synth theme.

Availability: Currently appears on Anchor Bay Entertainment, Image Entertainment and possibly Arrow Video, Kino Lorber and Code Red DVD and Blu-ray releases of New World Pictures material.

  • Streaming prints of this content, ie. Transylvania 6-5000 on Tubi, also generally retains the logo (following the 4th Image logo in this case).
  • However, original New World Video VHS releases replace this with the Home Video logo, so there is no chance of finding it there.
    • However, it has been sighted on the Thorn EMI Video release of The Philadelphia Experiment, as well as VHS copies of C.H.U.D., Hellgate, Children of the Corn, Meet The Applegates, and City of Blood, along with Malofilm releases of Midnight Fear, Hide and Go Shriek and Frankenstein General Hospital, and the Canadian Cineplex Odeon Video/MCA VHS release of Making Contact (aka Joey).
  • This is sometimes plastered by the Trans Atlantic Entertainment or Lakeshore International logo on older TV prints or international releases.
  • The New World International logo can be found on Checkered Flag.
  • This also appears on the UK VHS release, as well as the American demo VHS release, of Felix the Cat: The Movie (1988).
  • It is unknown if it appears on theatrical prints of Pin or Warriors Of The Wind.
  • This logo is also intact on the 2011 Australian Umbrella Entertainment DVD release of Heathers as well as the Brazilian VHS release of the 1987 horror film Prison.
  • Some TV broadcasts of New World films in the early 90s, such as Heathers, plastered this with the 1988 Saban Entertainment logo (as they held the TV distribution rights to some of these films at the time).
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