Universal Pictures

(1998-2012)
Description: On a black background, an arc slowly appears and brightens. A series of lights begin appearing below the arc and we see that this is another globe, looking over Europe. We move down as the lights appear all over Europe, and then Africa (which the Earth's continents now have the green, yellow, and red color design this time). As we begin to zoom out, the letters in the word "UNIVERSAL", in a bold font rotate to the front of the globe as the lights around the continents dim out. By this time, the globe is shining from the back. A small copyright appears at the bottom-right. Sometimes, the screen either zooms into the logo or plays the logo in reverse, depending on the film.
Variants: There are many variants:
* There is a shorter version of this logo, beginning as the "UNIVERSAL" text slides in over the logo, with a shortened version of the fanfare. This is usually found at the end of documentaries produced for DVD by Universal Home Entertainment, with a web address for Universal's website.
* From 1998 to October 26, 2001, December 21, 2001 to February 22, 2002, and from April 19, 2002 to 2010, the web address, "www.universalstudios.com", in an orangish color, fades in at the end. In the 1998-1999 URL variant, the copyright information faded in alongside the URL. But by 1999, the copyright is gone, and moved to the end credits of the movie.
* In 2005, the globe was graphically enhanced with a darker color and was rotating below the arc in the beginning of the logo.
* Another variant has a darker mood. Nicknamed "The Transparent Globe," the presentation is the same as usual... except the initial darkness of the globe is darker than usual (pay close attention to that). Then, after the word "UNIVERSAL" is rotated from behind, either a darker, thicker shadow suddenly pops out late or a slightly brighter-than-normal shadow fades in after it locks in position, and the entire globe zooms out farther than its intended mark, and instead of slowing to a stop, it stops hard in its far-back position. The website URL is featured in a Xerox Serif Wide-type font, like a rectangular Helvetica.The globe appears much further back in letterbox format. You can find this variant on the following films: 8 Mile, American Wedding, Seabiscuit, Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World, and The Bourne Supremacy. The variant with the slightly-brighter-than-normal shadow and NBC Universal byline can be seen on the stereoscopic 3D prints of Despicable Me. The 2D prints use the normal variant with the NBC Universal byline.
* The biggest variation came on November 21, 2001, when the studio celebrated the 20th anniversary of the most successful film of 1982, E.T the Extra-Terrestrial. The logo animates as normal until the very end, when the "UNIVERSAL" text fades out and the silhouette of E.T. and Elliott, on their bike, fly across the shining globe. Text appears on the bottom, "UNIVERSAL STUDIOS CELEBRATES E.T. THE 20TH ANNIVERSARY" with "E.T." in its own movie logo font. This was used on November 21, 2001 on Spy Game and March 22, 2002 on the 20th Anniversary Edition of E.T. The Extra Terrestrial. Shortly afterwards beginning with The Scorpion King, the normal logo was reinstated.
* Starting in 2009, the website URL has been removed in favor of the byline "A DIVISION OF NBC UNIVERSAL", also in an orangish color, which fades in toward the end.
* On some films, such as Munich and Nanny McPhee Returns (or Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang in places outside the US), the logo is bylineless.
* Since 2004, this logo was used on licensed games (due to the closure of Universal Interactive). It is entirely a still logo on a black background, usually in better quality than the movie counterpart, or had the shining, but never the full animation. Several games with the still logo used a white background. Sometimes, it replaced the Universal Interactive logo on earlier games like The Grinch.
Music/Sounds: A Bombastic and majestic fanfare plays throughout this logo which gets louder and louder until the screen fades to black.
Scare Factor: None to Medium. Some people might be put off by the loud fanfare but this is still a favourite of many and still a really iconic logo.