Logo description by Matt Williams, Kris Starring and Logophile Logo captures by Eric S., Logophile, and Mr.Logo Editions by V of Doom and Shadeed A. Kelly Video captures courtesy of Eric S. and renatodonini
Background: The Hollywood Pictures Company was another of the Walt Disney Company movie divisions that was established on February 1, 1989, initially to finance and distribute B-movies and smaller-budget films. After being dormant since 2001, the brand was re-activated in 2006 to produce genre films such as horror and African-American films (i.e. SPE's Screen Gems) in place of Dimension Films after The Weinstein Bros. left Disney to form "The Weinstein Company". However, it would shut down again a year later.
1st Logo
(July 18, 1990-April 6, 2001, March 24, 2006-April 27, 2007)
Nicknames: "The Sphinx", "Hollywood Pictures Sphinx", "Egyptian Sphinx", "Giza Is Not Hollywood", "Hollywood Pictures? More Like Egypt Pictures", "Egypt Pictures"
Logo: On a black background, a blue moon glows behind an object, as the glow 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 the text "HOLLYWOOD PICTURES".
Early Variant: On this variant, a box appears around the sphinx logo, with "HOLLYWOOD" above it and "PICTURES" below. It appeared on Arachnophobia and Taking Care of Business.
FX/SFX: The glowing of the light behind the sphinx, not much animation.
Cheesy Factor: A logo with a sphinx, a symbol of Egypt, doesn't fit with a logo for a company called Hollywood Pictures. Also, there's not too much animation to the logo, and the music does fit the logo well. But, back to the sphinx, it should have been replaced with the Hollywood Sign to make this logo more fitting. Otherwise, it should have been called "EGYPT PICTURES".
Music/Sounds:
- An orchestral fanfare by Danny Elfman, composer of the Batman flicks, Edward Scissorhands, Beetlejuice, and Army of Darkness, among others.
- 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.
- On the 2012 Mill Creek Entertainment DVD release of Gone Fishin', the Walt Disney Pictures theme can be heard muffled and quiet. This was due to the film originally being planned as a Disney release but switched to Hollywood later on.
Availability: Common on several high profile films during the 90s such as Arachnophobia, Tombstone, Nixon, Evita, Super Mario Bros., Grosse Pointe Blank, An American Werewolf in Paris and The Sixth Sense. It was retired in 2001, but reactivated in 2006, starting with the release of Stay Alive; however, after the releases of Primeval and The Invisible, the name would once again shut down.
Scare Factor: None. This logo is very unpopular, as the concept is questionable, the animation line is minimal, and the fanfare is uninspired.
2nd Logo
(1993)
Logo: On a black background are the stacked words "HOLLYWOOD PICTURES" in white. Two red lines come from left and right between the words and form into one red line.
FX/SFX: The red line.
Music/Sounds/Voice-over: Just the music from the TV spot and the announcer saying "From Hollywood Pictures".
Availability: Extinct. It appeared on a TV spot for Super Mario Bros. back in the spring of 1993. Might turn up on old recordings.
Scare Factor: None.