Xilam

From the Audiovisual Identity Database, the motion graphics museum


Background

Xilam Animation is a French animation company that was founded in 1999 by Marc and Alix du Pontavice, after Marc left Gaumont Multimédia, whose cartoon library he bought from Gaumont the following year. The company mostly produces cartoons and animated movies in French and English. Most of their productions are co-produced with other French companies like Canal+ and M6.



1st Logo (1999-early 2000s)


Visuals: The screen fades in to a blue space background, similar to the one seen in the intro of Oggy and the Cockroaches. An explosion quickly occurs, sending meteorites flying towards the screen. After that, the letter "X" in red gets drawn in a weird Chinese/Japanese-like handwritten font, with the lower-left end extending up to the upper-left end. Then the gray text "ilam" in the Choc font (albeit less-jagged) appears next to the letter, whereas its letters fly and settle one-by-one.

Trivia: The first half of the logo animation was later reused in Oggy and the Cockroaches on the Season 2 episode "Soldier for a Day".

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A flute solo accompanied by the explosion, followed by a cheerful kazoo tune. Composed by Herve Lavendier. Sometimes, it's the closing theme of the show.

Availability: It was so far spotted on a Canadian VRAK.TV airing of Oggy and the Cockroaches during the early 2000s. It's unknown if the logo appeared on the 2nd season's original prints.

2nd Logo (December 15, 2000-)


Visuals: A white stick figure-like person walks near a surface on the screen, brandishing a paintbrush and a paintcan with red paint. He grabs the brush and paints a red "X" in a Forte-like font on the surface. Once he is done, the camera zooms in on the "X" as the person backs away a little. The text "ilam" in the same font as before, albeit more simplified, fades to the right of the "X", which completes the company name "Xilam".

Variants:

  • On some films and shows from the company, the animation is filmed or videotaped in a 4:3 aspect ratio.
  • Various widescreen versions of this logo have the camera zoom in slower.
  • On Stupid Invaders for the Dreamcast (based on the Space Goofs TV series) and Cartouche, prince des Faubourgs, the stick figure and the "X" are centered, and "xilam" is shown on the bottom. The "X" is similar to the one seen in the previous logo.
  • On Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure, the stick figure (who now wears a cowboy hat) paints the logo as usual, but the "m" is missing. Suddenly, the "m" runs in from the right like a horse. It first misses its point, but then walks back and settles next to the "a", completing the logo. The logo is extended in this one, as after walking, the stick figure dips the paintbrush with the paint before he paints the logo.
  • On Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie, the logo starts as usual, then the cockroaches, Dee Dee, Marky and Joey appear and spray graffiti text over it that says "XILAM" in a graffiti-like font.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A 12-note whistling theme, complete with two brush noises when the person paints the "X", and a piano rendition of the last five whistle notes when the camera zooms in and the "ilam" text fades in.

Audio Variants:

  • On Kaena: The Prophecy, synth strings are heard in the background.
  • On Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure, a jazzy piano rendition of the theme is heard, along with noises from the "m" horse.
  • On Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie, an orchestral composition of the aforementioned tune is heard, then Dee Dee, Marky and Joey sing the last five notes and laugh as they spray the graffiti text. Their laughs are reused from the show.
    • At the end of the film, Dee Dee, Marky and Joey sing the first 12 notes, and then they laugh. Suddenly, Oggy hits them with his flyswatter, and they moan in pain. Oggy meows afterwards. The logo isn't pictured in this one.

Availability:

  • It was first seen on the Space Goofs tie-in game Stupid Invaders, released in December 2000 for the Dreamcast.
  • Seen at the end of all animated shows made by Xilam, including Space Goofs, Oggy and the Cockroaches, The New Adventures of Lucky Luke, Shuriken School, Zig and Sharko, and The Daltons, among others.
  • It also appeared as an opening logo on their feature films (albeit using variants): Keana: The Prophecy, Go West: A Lucky Luke Adventure, and Oggy and the Cockroaches: The Movie.
  • This logo plasters the Gaumont Multimédia logo on later prints of earlier Space Goofs and Oggy and the Cockroaches episodes, and possibly on Gaumont Multimédia's other properties as well.
  • Despite Chip n' Dale: Park Life (a co-production with Disney Television Animation) using a new logo, this logo continues to be used, recently appearing on Oggy Oggy and Oggy and the Cockroaches: Next Generation.

3rd Logo (2001-2005)


Visuals: The screen opens up from black to white, as the stick figure from before fades in, walking towards the camera in rhythm to the music. He then stops and shifts to the right as the Xilam logo appears letter-by-letter, with "presents" also appearing below. The stick figure stretches and stands still, then the screen closes back.

Technique: 2D animation.

Audio: A happy-go-lucky harmonica and brass tune, which is taken from the Oggy and the Cockroaches Season 2 episode "Welcome to Paris".

Availability: This logo was seen on Xilam's website before its rebranding in Fall 2005. It could be accessed by clicking on the Xilam logo on the main page. If you have a Flash emulator, you can still see the logo using the Wayback Machine.

4th Logo (July 28, 2021-)


Visuals: On a white background, the same white stick figure from the previous logos jumps in from the right side of the screen with his red paintbrush, drawing the same red "X" from before, first from the bottom left, then from the bottom right, jumping to reach the top parts of the "X". Once he is done, he stands still, facing the viewer while holding his paintbrush, as the camera zooms out slightly to make room for the text "ilam", in the same font from before, appearing to the right of the "X", completing the company name.

Technique: CGI animation, animated on twos. Resembling stop-motion.

Audio: The last 5 piano notes from the last logo but slightly cleaner, complete with the stick figure’s footsteps and the paintbrush noises. A whoosh noise is heard when the camera zooms out.

Availability: This first appeared on Chip n' Dale: Park Life on Disney+ and it might appear soon on Xilam's newer shows and films. It’s currently used in tandem with the previous logo.

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