THX/Summary

== Contents ==
* 1 Background
* 2 1st Trailer (Wings) (May 25, 1983)
* 3 2st Trailer (Diamond Star) (May 25, 1983)
* 3 2nd Trailer (Broadway) (May 23, 1984-October 24, 2006, 2010-September 17, 2012)
* 4 3nd Trailer (Broadway) (May 23, 1984-October 24, 2006, 2010-September 17, 2012)
* 4 3rd Trailer (Cimarron) (May 20, 1988-2002)
* 5 4th Trailer (Grand) (June 11, 1993-1997, July 30, 2002 (USA); July 15, 1993-2005 (International))
* 6 5th Trailer (The Simpsons) (April 14, 1994 [original episode airdate]; 1996-1997; 2001-2004)
* 7 6th Trailer (Tex) (July 3, 1996-November 7, 2006)
* 8 7th Trailer (Tex 2: Moo Can) (November 26, 1997-August 31, 2007, 2009)
* 9 8th Trailer (Broadway 2000) (May 19, 1999-October 21, 2003)
* 10 9th Trailer (Cavalcade) (August 29, 2000 (Terminator 2), May 25, 2001-May 19, 2009)
* 11 10th Trailer (Shrek) (November 2, 2001?, late 2000s)
* 12 11th Trailer (Bounty) (October 7, 2003-2004?)
* 13 12th Trailer (Science) (October 25, 2005-early 2010s)
* 14 13th Trailer (Ziegfeld) (2006-early 2010s)
* 15 14th Trailer (Tex 3: Action) (June 9-November 23, 2006)
* 16 15th Trailer (Amazing Life) (November 21, 2007-May 22, 2012)
* 17 16th Trailer (Horton) (March 14, 2008)
* 18 17th Trailer (Broadway 3D) (November 24 or December 17, 2010-October 16, 2012)
* 19 18th Trailer (Musical Wisps) (2012)
* 20 19th Trailer (Eclipse) (April 4, 2015-)
* 21 20th Trailer (Sphere) (2015-)
* 22 21st Trailer (Genesis/Tex 4) (August 20, 2019-)
* 23 22nd Trailer (Tex vs. The Robot/Tex 5) (June 25, 2020-)
* 24 See Also
== Background ==
THX (officially stands for "Tomlinson Holman's eXperiment") is a motion picture quality certification system (despite being branded as a "sound system" until 1997) founded by Tomlinson Holman and George Lucas in 1982, originally named after the first film Lucas directed, THX 1138. The first film they certified was 1983's Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Since then, it has been used in cinemas in various places around the world, and also certifies fine-tuned home theater equipment, TiVo DVRs, and some PCs. They have previously certified physical media such as VHS, Laserdisc, DVD and Blu-ray (and HD-DVD; Brave Story in Japan and Pan's Labyrinth in France only) until around late 2012, as well as video games until 2009.
THX was originally owned by Lucas' production company Lucasfilm Ltd. until June 2002, when it was spun off into its present day company, THX Ltd., and subsequently sold to sound card manufacturer Creative Labs. On October 17th, 2016, THX was acquired by gaming peripheral manufacturer Razer (which acquired the developers of the Ouya game console), and now operates as a division of that company.
== 1st Trailer (Wings) (May 25, 1983) ==
Nicknames: "Wings", "It Begins", "Blue THX"
Trailer: On a black screen, the following white text fades in: "For the past 35 years, motion picture loudspeaker systems have not changed..." It fades out and new white text appears reading "Lucasfilm Ltd. and this theatre are pleased to introduce a new motion picture sound system." That text fades out, and after a few seconds, "THX" (underlined and with the stem on top of the "T" extending over the other letters) appears in a glassy or metallic sky blue color majestically with "LUCASFILM LTD" above it and "SOUND SYSTEM" below it, both in small, spaced-out text. It stays on screen for about 10 seconds before slowly fading out.
Trivia:
* The nicknames for some of the early THX trailers given by Lucasfilm, Ltd. derive from the earliest Oscar-winning pictures, like Wings, Cavalcade, and Cimarron.
* Although not very noticeable, the THX logo seen here has a minor visual difference in which the "H" is shifted closer to the "X". A circular trademark symbol is also used instead of the registered trademark one.
FX/SFX: The text and THX logo fading-in and out. Basic computer animation.
Music/Sounds: A synthesized crescendo sound effect officially known as the "Deep Note". It starts off with a group of 30 descending synthesized voices reminiscent of the sound of an airplane flying. Each voice moves slowly and randomly in a frequency sweep between 200hz and 400hz. This part of the Deep Note then repeats, and eventually, the voices proceed to their target notes, a drastic change of three octaves. The lower notes grow deeper, and the higher voices grow more shrill, becoming an ascending dramatic sound until the sounds stop in one pitch. Three voices are heard per note, slightly detuned. Two more voices are heard in the bass. It was coded by James Andy Moorer. The version available online (via THX) has a noticeable audio dropout at 0:23.
Availability: Extremely rare. This was only used on the theatrical premiere of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi in theaters located in Dallas and Hollywood, and was never used as a logo on THX-certified video releases. That said, it can be seen on select Demo DVDs and at THX's official website, plus their official Vimeo and YouTube channels.
Editor's Note: The introduction of the infamous THX logo. It's a simple effort, but nonetheless a very effective one as well, mostly thanks to its musical soundtrack, the Deep Note. It is probably one of the most infamous movie sound marks in history, thanks to its often frightening nature for younger viewers.
== 2nd Trailer (Broadway) (May 23, 1984-October 24, 2006, 2010-September 17, 2012) ==
Theatrical (flat)
Theatrical (scope)
Laserdisc variant
VHS variant
DVD variant
Buena Vista variant (1997-2003)
Dell PC variant
2010 remastered variant
Nicknames: "Broadway", "The Blue Rectangle", "The Audience is Now Deaf", "The Note Of Hell", ''The Audience is Listening''
Trailer: On a black background, a blue rectangular outline fades in. The gray text "The Audience is Listening" (in the Archive Modern II Open font) fades inside the outline, then fades out. A few seconds later, the THX logo in silver appears. The blue rectangle outline then fades out, and the texts "LUCASFILM LTD" and "SOUND SYSTEM" appear above and below the THX logo, respectively. It then shines from left to right.
Variants: There have been many variants of this trailer that were seen in cinemas as well as home media releases:
* In 1995, the audio was remixed digitally in Dolby Digital, DTS, and SDDS with then-new technology. Special theatrical variants are known to exist for two of the formats:
** For the DTS variant, some text appears before the blue outline that reads "dts Digital Sound In A THX Theatre", "dts" is in the company font. The trailer then plays as usual, except the "Audience Is Listening" tagline is centered and in a different font. When the trailer finishes, the "Recorded in DTS Digital Sound" logo fades in and out.
** For the SDDS variant, the trailer plays as usual, and when it ends, the text "This THX Trailer Recorded and Presented in Sony Dynamic Digital Sound", alongside the SDDS logo, fade in and out.
* When THX began certifying home media releases in 1993 with Laserdisc, several variants were created in which the duration of the blue outline sequence was made significantly shorter.
** The first variant, seen on Laserdiscs, has the usual tagline replaced with "Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance" in a white rounded Arial Light font and arranged in the center of the blue outline. After the text fades out and the THX logo fades in, a silver boxed logo reading [LASER I/ DISC] appears under it with no top text.
*** On the 1994 Laserdisc of Night of the Living Dead, the Elite Entertainment logo fades to this trailer.
** The second and most common variant, seen on VHS releases starting in 1995 and DVD in 1997, replaces the tagline with "Digitally mastered for optimal video and audio performance" in the same font and arrangement as the Laserdisc variant. After the text fades out and the THX logo appears, the bylines "LUCASFILM LTD" and "SOUND SYSTEM" are replaced with "DIGITALLY" and "MASTERED", respectively, and fade in with the THX logo.
*** On a few early DVD releases, the blue rectangle is noticeably smaller.
*** On Buena Vista releases from 1997 to 2003, an alternate variant of the finished logo similar to the theatrical trailer started being used where the text above the THX logo read the usual "LUCASFILM LTD", but lacked the "SOUND SYSTEM" text. Buena Vista went back to using the standard variant shortly after Lucasfilm spun off THX.
**** Normally, this variant was in full screen on both VHS and DVD, but on the 2001 DVD of Pearl Harbor, it is in anamorphic widescreen, and is the only release to be like so.
*** A unique variant is seen on the 1997 Special Collector's Edition DVD of Night of the Living Dead. Much like the earlier Laserdisc release, the Elite Entertainment logo fades to this logo, but the "Mastered and duplicated..." message from the Laserdisc variant is left intact. The THX logo then appears with the usual "DIGITALLY MASTERED" bylines, like in the usual standard DVD variant.
*** The "Mastered and duplicated..." message would not be seen on DVD again until it was used on the Tex trailers found on the October 17, 2000 release of Toy Story (including the original, Ultimate Toy Box and twin-pack DVDs) and the May 27, 2003 collector's edition release of A Bug's Life.
** A variant found on Dell PC's THX Sound and Picture Optimizer Disc has the usual tagline replaced with "Your Dell PC is THX Certified". "Dell" is in its usual font. "SOUND SYSTEM" is replaced with "BEST SOUND. BEST PICTURE." Afterward, the URL www.thx.com is seen with the trademark and a disclaimer at the bottom.
* In 2010, the theatrical trailer was recreated in high-definition and remastered. Here, the blue outline is wider and glows, the text "The Audience Is Listening" is in a white Imprint shadow font, and the THX logo fades in earlier and glows, shining slowly throughout. A THX Ltd. copyright notice appears below.
** A home video variant was used from 2011 to 2012, starting with Star Wars: The Original Trilogy. In this variant, "The Audience is Listening" is replaced with "Digitally mastered for superior sound and picture quality," in the same Arial font as the original home video logo. Unlike the original home video variants, the full length of the trailer is utilized here.
FX/SFX: The text and outline fading, the THX logo shining. CGI.
Music/Sounds: The Deep Note, which is now louder and excludes the looped portion at the beginning.
Music/Sounds Variants:
* The home media variants have a shorter and quicker version of the Deep Note that starts at the rapid pitch change. It is at a +2/higher-pitch (E) on VHS and most Laserdiscs, while it is at a -1.5/lower-pitch (C#) on most DVDs. Specifically, the low-pitch version of the Deep Note is often re-used in some of the future trailers listed below, though it actually made its debut on the first Tex trailer (6th THX trailer overall) in 1996.
** Some Laserdisc releases use the DVD variant of the Deep Note if one selects the AC-3 track and have the proper equipment. Such releases that have this include Sleeping Beauty, The Godfather Trilogy, The Hunt For Red October, Jurassic Park, The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Con Air, Men in Black, and the DTS releases of Crimson Tide, Apollo 10, and Apollo 13.
** Other Laserdisc releases instead use a short version of the theatrical Deep Note. Again, it can only be heard if one selects the AC-3 track and have the proper equipment. Some releases that have this include Clear and Present Danger (also the first Dolby AC-3 Laserdisc), Species, the 1997 Japanese release of True Lies, among a few others. Earlier, uncorrected prints of the 1995 widescreen AC-3 release of Stargate also feature it (with it crossfading from Dolby's Ghost Train trailer), though later prints use the normal +2 pitch Deep Note.
** The only two DVD releases that have the +2 pitch Deep Note (E) are the 1997 Special Collector's Edition DVD of Night of the Living Dead from Elite Entertainment, and the original Japanese release of Alien.
* PAL THX-certified releases normally have the +2 pitch Deep Note; however, a couple of PAL releases (mentioned below) have it at an even higher pitch (+3, an F-note).
** On the 2000 UK DVD of Aliens, the -1.5 pitch Deep Note is used, but pitched slightly higher than usual (at +1).
* The 2010 variants use the remastered Deep Note heard in the "Science of Sensation" trailer (12th overall).
Availability: Very common overall during its usage.
* The original theatrical variant, debuting on Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, is ultra rare and hasn't been seen in theaters in a long time. It appeared on the 1990 THX Wow! Laserdisc, which was a sound test disc that predated the THX certification process and one that is very difficult to find, as well as its 2002 reissue on The THX Ultimate Demo Disc DVD. It can also be found on THX's website and their YouTube and Vimeo channels.
* The Laserdisc variant is uncommon; the Laserdiscs they were recorded on are uncommon nowadays. It can be found on select Laserdisc releases from 1993-2000, starting with The Abyss, followed by Terminator 2: Judgement Day, Aladdin, The Little Rascals, Casper, Speed, and Braveheart. The last releases to use this logo would be the 2000 Japanese Laserdiscs of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and Star Wars Trilogy: Special Edition.
** Starting in 1996 with Twister, the Laserdisc variant of the "Cimarron" trailer would be used for releases from Universal, Paramount and Fox (though there were a few exceptions such as Alien: Resurrection), whereas Buena Vista and Columbia-TriStar continued usage of this logo on releases such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame, Men In Black, and The Rock.
** It also makes a surprise appearance on Taiwanese and Japanese Laserdiscs of True Lies, and the 1995 Hong Kong Laserdisc of Star Wars: Episode VI: Return of the Jedi.
* The VHS and DVD variants are arguably the most common THX trailers used. It appears on THX-certified DVDs and VHS tapes from various distributors from 1995-2006, most notably from Buena Vista, 20th Century Fox, Universal, Sony (mostly under the Columbia-TriStar name), Paramount, MGM, and even on releases from independent labels such as Anchor Bay, Republic Pictures and Pioneer/Geneon. It was also seen on Australian VHS releases of South Pacific and Titanic.
** The DVD variant was also seen on the Pioneer DVD releases of Akira and Tenchi Muyo In Love (The Laserdisc variant also appears on the Laserdisc release of the latter), among other anime titles. It debuted with the first release of the format in the U.S., Twister, on March 24th, 1997. Early DVDs from 1997-2000 that were THX-certified play this trailer either as soon as the disc is read or right after the relevant home video logos, but before any menus.
** The last US releases of this variant were in 2006, with the uncut DVD release of The Boondock Saints on May 23rd, and the Monster Music SuperDisc of George Benson & Al Jarreau: Givin' it Up on October 24th. The last international release to use this variant was on August 11th, 2006 with the Japanese DVD of The Uchoten Hotel.
* On Buena Vista releases:
** The Laserdisc variant made its first appearance on the May 1994 release of The Three Musketeers, and on an animated film for the first time that September with Aladdin. It appeared on most subsequent releases after that, ending with the Masterpiece Collection release of The Little Mermaid on March 31, 1998.
** The VHS variant debuted on the Masterpiece Collection release of Bambi, which used the Digitally Mastered variant, and ended with the Special Edition release of Aladdin on October 5th, 2004 (however, the print logo appears on the packaging of the 2005 Special Edition release of Bambi, but not on the tape itself; unlike the DVD).
*** It made surprise appearances on Disney Channel airings of Monsters, Inc. prior to October 2008.
** The first release to use the Lucasfilm Ltd. variant was the Masterpiece Collection edition of Fun & Fancy Free. All Walt Disney Home Video tapes would use this variant until around late 2001, and then used in tandem with the Digitally Mastered variant until December 2003, ending with the remake of Freaky Friday.
*** The 2002 VHS release of Atlantis: The Lost Empire uses the standard variant, but Spanish-translated releases have the Lucasfilm Ltd. variant instead, likely because that particular release was released in mid-late 2001; as the North American release was instead delayed to January 2002, in which the previews and THX logo were updated.
*** It also makes a surprise appearance on the 1998 Japanese VHS of The Little Mermaid.
** The DVD variant was seen on Disney DVDs starting in 1999, beginning with the Limited Issue of Pinocchio. It made its final appearance on an animated film with Pocahontas; 10th Anniversary Edition, and overall on The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, released several months later. Only Pixar releases had THX after this point, and they used the Tex trailers through November 2006.
*** Early releases from 1999-2001 would also feature the Lucasfilm Ltd. credit, but would switch to the standard variant after 2001, with its final appearance being on the 2001 DVD of Pearl Harbor that December.
*** It made a surprise appearance on an April 16, 2011 Starz airing of Toy Story 2, likely due to it using a DVD master.
*** The "Digitally Mastered" variant of this logo was often paired with the Disney DVD "Pure Digital Magic" logo starting with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs on October 9, 2001, and ending with Pocahontas on May 3, 2005, usually appearing before that logo. However, the 2002 and 2003 releases of Lilo & Stitch, The Country Bears, A Bug's Life (international releases only), The Love Bug, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, and The Apple Dumpling Gang have this logo appearing after the Disney DVD logo.
* The high-pitched PAL variant is extremely rare; it can be found on the UK VHS release of Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace and the 2000 releases of the Indiana Jones trilogy, as well as the 2004 Indonesian VCD of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom: Special Edition. It may have appeared on other PAL tapes and/or VCDs as well, but these are unconfirmed.
* Some releases don't have this logo on the cover or tape but feature it on the movie itself, and vice versa. However, it appears hidden in two of the titles on the 1998 Paramount DVD of Kiss the Girls, despite it being a non-THX-certified release. It is likely that the movie was originally sent to THX to be certified, but was canceled for unknown reasons.
* The 2010 variant debuted on Blu-ray with Star Wars: The Original Trilogy and on DVD exclusively with the 2012 re-release of Titanic. It would be seen after the feature on those releases, but would be moved to the beginning starting with the Indiana Jones: The Complete Adventures Blu-ray on September 17, 2012. It was also seen before every showing of Aerosmith's Deuces are Wild concert residency.
* The "DELL PC" version is exclusive to the THX Sound and Picture Optimizer Disc.
Editor's Note: This trailer's rendition of the Deep Note, cited as "the most awesome, powerful, and terrifying audio trademark in the film industry" by No Film School, is frequently referenced and parodied for its capability to be perceived as loud and menacing. This is an aural illusion; the spectrum of frequencies used in the sound, which Gary Rydstrom says makes it "just feel loud", are of sufficient volume for theaters.
The VHS and DVD variants of this logo are particularly infamous for its omnipresence on Disney releases from the era as well as other titles from Fox throughout the 1990's and early-mid 2000's. A lot of people (especially children) who grew up watching tapes with this logo on it don't have fond memories of it, mostly because of the Deep Note and the trailer's dark atmosphere overall not being well-suited for children. In fact, if it weren't for the appearance of this logo on home media releases, THX probably wouldn't have its infamous popularity for its trailers like it does today.
== 3rd Trailer (Cimarron) (May 20, 1988-2002) ==
Original
Dolby Digital variant
Laserdisc variant
Nicknames: "Cimarron", "The Conductor"
Trailer: On a black background, a small gray box appears in the center of the screen. Then, the hand of a conductor, holding a wand, moves up in the box. The hand flicks the wand, blasting out a blue wormhole. It starts turning red, and when it's fully red, a 3D THX logo appears zooming past the camera against a black abyss with what appears to be flying red ashes. After a few seconds of the ashes dying down in brightness, the same text "The Audience is Listening" from "Broadway" fades in. A slightly smaller byline reading "Lucasfilm Ltd. Sound System" also fades in below after a few seconds alongside a copyright notice at the bottom right of the screen.
Trivia:
* Even though the trailer debuted in THX theaters in 1988 with the original release of Willow, it was produced in 1987 according to the copyright notice. This applies even for the Dolby variant (explained below). It is also the first THX trailer to feature a copyright notice.
* This is one of three trailers (mainly the 1990 revision) where the Deep Note does not make a prominent appearance; the others being "Grand" and "Tex 2: Moo Can".
* This trailer, specifically the original recalled soundtrack variant, was parodied in the 1992 movie Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation.
Variants:
* According to several moviegoers who saw the original 1988 version in theaters, a Dolby Stereo logo appeared on the bottom left on 70mm prints, while the 35mm print had a Dolby SR logo appear instead. Both would fade in at the same time as the Lucasfilm byline. When the logo's soundtrack was replaced in 1990, both logos were deleted, leaving that area blank. The Dolby Stereo logo appearing on the 70mm print (albeit very blurry) was confirmed when footage of the trailer from 1989 was rediscovered.
* In 1995, the trailer was remixed in Dolby Digital. This variant had slight changes. At the start, the Dolby logo and text reading "Dolby Digital Sound In A THX Theater" fade in on a black screen before the whole thing animates as usual. At the end, the "Recorded in Dolby Digital" logo fades in with the byline at the bottom-left of the screen. It appears this was layered on to the existing film, as the logo shakes differently than the rest of the visuals.
* A Laserdisc variant was used on some Laserdisc releases starting in 1996 with Highlander: Director's Cut. It starts off with the same text "Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance" from the previous trailer fading in on the red abyss. The conductor hand and wormhole sequence is skipped entirely. It then transitions to the 3D THX logo zooming in. Once it completely zooms past the screen, the THX Laserdisc logo from "Broadway" fades and slightly zooms inside a silver 3D outlined rectangle, and the finished product shines.
** An extremely rare sub-variant of this exists where it is mostly the same, but has a few minor differences at the end where the THX Laserdisc logo appears. Here, the outlined rectangle is different (2D and slimmer), the logo zooms in more smoothly and shines earlier, and the red ashes in the background fade out earlier. So far, it's only been spotted on the 1999 Japanese release of Tenchi Muyo! in LOVE 2 - Distant Thoughts.
FX/SFX: The conductor's hand moving, the wormhole appearing, the 3D THX logo zooming in, and the red ashes flying in the background. A mix of live action and CGI created by Industrial Light and Magic, who also made the "Grand" trailer.
Music/Sounds: An orchestra warms up, then a big descending synth note followed by an orchestra crescendo. When the THX logo appears, the descending synth is played again, followed by a rising Deep Note-like string note for the THX logo as it zooms past the viewer, sounding almost like a jet airplane. Quieter twinkles are heard at the end when the text appears.
Music/Sounds Trivia: In 1989, several theaters complained to THX about the trailer's soundtrack having the potential to blow their speakers, as some older systems were not capable of properly handling such frequency-intensive audio. After receiving reports from moviegoers about the trailer actually damaging speakers (and thus ruining the audio for the entire movie), THX withdrew the trailer from theaters, and replaced the soundtrack the following year with a different score composed by James Horner.
Music/Sounds Variants:
* As mentioned above, the soundtrack was replaced in 1990 with a new orchestral piece done by James Horner, first debuting on the THX Wow! Laserdisc. An orchestra warms-up at the start, then a rousing orchestral cue during the wormhole sequence. When the THX logo appears, a beautiful composition of twinkles and ascending notes is heard, representing the Deep Note. After the logo flies by, it becomes quiet, and more twinkles are heard when the text appears.
** When the trailer was remixed into Dolby Digital in 1995, more sound effects were added, such as whistling sounds during the wormhole sequence and a louder whoosh sound as the THX logo flies by.
** The two Laserdisc variants have thunder and a shorter version of the Dolby Digital remix music and sounds. Both variants uses slightly different stereo mixes.
Availability: This became the first alternate THX trailer to be used in 1988, beginning with the original theatrical release of Willow in THX theaters.
* The original 1988 version is extinct as it was recalled due to the soundtrack's potential to break theater speakers, and only survives in the hands of a few home projectionists. Footage of the logo in action, seen before a British theatrical showing of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade in 1989, was rediscovered in mid-February 2022. It can be viewed here.
* The James Horner soundtrack variant is only available on THX-demo discs.
* The Dolby Digital variant was seen in THX theaters from 1995-2000.
* The Laserdisc variant debuted in 1996 with Highlander: Director's Cut, and appeared on various Laserdisc releases afterward until the 1999 LD of Saving Private Ryan.
** It mostly appeared on releases from Paramount, Universal, Fox Video (some releases used the "Broadway" trailer instead), Warner Home Video (only on the Twister release), and various independent labels. Major releases that contained this logo include The Blues Brothers, Volcano, and Independence Day, among others.
** It was used in tandem with the "Broadway" variant, in which all of Buena Vista's labels, Columbia-TriStar Home Video (except for the 1998 release of Close Encounters of the Third Kind, which uses this logo), some Fox Video releases, as well as some other independent video labels continued to use.
** The rare later variant was spotted on the 1999 Japanese release of Tenchi Muyo! in LOVE 2 - Distant Thoughts, and might be found on other releases, though this remains unconfirmed.
Editor's Note: Even though the trailer looks impressive for its time, it proved to be unpopular among moviegoers due to the lack of the Deep Note. James Andy Moorer, in an interview with Twenty Thousand Hertz, recalled that "Nobody liked [the sounds], nobody remembered them".
The original version is infamous for both its recall and extreme rarity. Various reconstructions have been made, and some audio has resurfaced, but no one is exactly sure what the original version sounded like beyond a general idea. Nonetheless, this logo boasts some very impressive CGI for the time, and it's otherwise a very nicely-done effort.
== 4th Trailer (Grand) (June 11, 1993-1997, July 30, 2002 (USA); July 15, 1993-2005 (International)) ==
Filmed variant
Videotaped variant
Home media & Dell PC variant
Nickname: "Grand"
Trailer: On a black background, the white text appears that reads "This auditorium is equipped with a THX Sound System." Suddenly, the background turns into a red-black cloudy background. After a few seconds, the text "The Audience Is Listening" appears. After fading out, the background slowly turns blue. Seconds after, a light with lens flares moves upward and a 90° turned THX logo rotates to its front on a blue-black gradient background, with "LUCASFILM LTD" and "SOUND SYSTEM" fading in above and below, respectively.
Variants:
* A prototype version exists, in which the text is set in a different font written in all capital letters. "The Audience is Listening" is also punctuated with an ellipsis, unlike the final version. The cloudy background appears very choppy and incomplete and the THX logo at the end appears to be the print version of the time in silver, likely a placeholder until the CGI animation of the logo was complete. This version can also be briefly glimpsed in the THX Story featurette seen on The THX Ultimate Demo Disc.
* On the aforementioned disc (the THX Ultra 2 and THX Story featurettes), a digital 4:3 version of this trailer can be spotted.
* On the theatrical print of the DTS mix of this trailer, an additional screen appears at the end, which has the text "Recorded in dts Digital Sound." and The Digital Experience logo in white on a black background. "dts" is in the company font.
* The 2002 Fox Five-Star Collection DVD of Speed lacks text at the beginning of the trailer, and replaces "The Audience Is Listening" text with "Best Picture. Best Sound. You're watching a THX Certified Feature." and "SOUND SYSTEM" with "BEST PICTURE. BEST SOUND." appearing below the logo at the end. Notably, the colors are less saturated compared to the theatrical version.
* A Dell PC version exists, which replaces the beginning text with "Your DELL PC is THX Certified.", "The Audience Is Listening" with "Best Picture. Best Sound.", and "SOUND SYSTEM" with the same aforementioned text. "DELL" is in its usual corporative font and in blue and the www.thx.com URL appears at the end with a copyright notice.
FX/SFX: The background changing, the texts fading, and "THX" moving. CGI animation. The visuals were created by Industrial Light and Magic according to The THX Ultimate Demo Disc.
Music/Sounds: At the beginning, some chimes and wind howling can be heard. When the background opens, wind whistles, then various ascending notes and sounds, until a Star Wars-like laser gun sound and a whooshing sound occur as the THX logo appears and ends with a choir-like (or synth-like or less noisy) version of the Deep Note in the C-major note or lower pitch. According to The THX Ultimate Demo Disc, the sounds were created and designed by David Slusser and Marco d'Ambrosio at Skywalker Sound.
Availability: Rare.
* Alongside DTS's first trailer, this debuted on the original theatrical release of Jurassic Park (according to the 1998 Lucasfilm THX Theatrical Trailers DVD and The THX Ultimate Demo Disc), and then subsequently seen in all U.S. THX theaters from 1993-97 and international THX theaters from 1993 to 2005.
* On home media, it makes an exclusive appearance on the 2002 Fox Five-Star Collection DVD release of Speed.
* The "DELL PC" version can be found on the THX Sound and Picture Optimizer Disc.
Editor's Note: The cloudy red background looks quite dated for the time, which is in sharp contrast to the beautiful silver CGI of the THX logo's grand appearance (pun intended). The home media variant was sort of a wasted effort, since it only appeared on a single release.
== 5th Trailer (The Simpsons) (April 14, 1994 [original episode airdate]; 1996-1997; 2001-2004) ==
The original parody as it appeared on the episode "Burns' Heir".
Reanimated variant
Nicknames: "The Simpsons", "Burns' Heir"
Trailer: It starts in front of the fictional Springfield Aztec Theatre, complete with a film marquee with the text "SISKEL & EBERT: THE MOVIE" on it, with "TWO THUMBS UP" - SISKEL & EBERT" below it. The screen then cuts to many Simpsons characters appearing in theater seats, including Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Abe (Grandpa) Simpson. The light dims and then brightens a bit. Then, it cuts to the movie screen, and then a white screen with a metallic text "THX" on it appears, with "SOUND SYSTEM" and "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" under it. The sound shakes the theatre, as there are several moviegoers coil back in their seats in fear, with Hans Moleman's glasses breaking in a close-up shot, and the man beside him having his teeth shatter in another close-up shot. Several more shots show an exit sign exploding, the ceiling beginning to crumble and fall, and even a man's head exploding. After the chaos ensues, it cuts back to the screen as the audience cheers at the logo. The theatre screen fades to black and the screen then cuts to Grandpa, presumably deaf, who yells "Turn it up! TURN IT UP!".
Trivia:
* This was originally a gag scene from The Simpsons season 5 episode "Burns' Heir", but when the people at THX saw this parody, they liked it so much that they decided to use it themselves as an actual trailer to play in theaters. As a result, the scene was reanimated for theatrical use in 1996, and would even be remixed in the three major digital audio formats no less!
* The film advertised on the marquee is a parody of the review show At The Movies, hosted by movie critics Gene Siskel and Roger Ebert. "Two thumbs up!" was a common praise used by the two that was often borrowed by the studios themselves to advertise their films to viewers.
* The THX logo seen here is obviously not the actual logo, as this scene was initially only made as a parody. It remained like this even when it was reanimated with THX's approval.
Variants:
* The original scene from "Burns' Heir" was presented in 4:3 television ratio on standard and DVD prints. On HD prints of said episode, it is instead presented in cropped widescreen.
* The scene went through some slight changes for theatrical use in 1996, with the most obvious change being its reanimation for widescreen. Here, the same blue outline from "Broadway" appears, then it fades to the theater sign and the scene proceeds as normal, but runs a bit slower to fit in with the full version of the Deep Note.
** This trailer was originally released in Dolby A, but was reissued later in 1996 as a single inventory print with Dolby Digital, DTS and SDDS.
** On major digital format prints, a URL for the company's then-brand new website, "www.thx.com", was added onto a black screen at the end in a times new roman font. This would mark the first appearance of the THX URL on any theatrical trailer, though it is absent on The Simpsons complete season 5 box set and the version available from THX online.
FX/SFX: The characters in the theater reacting to the Deep Note. The original scene from "Burns' Heir" was animated by the show's usual animation company at the time, Film Roman. For the theatrical variant, it was reanimated by Anivision of Korea.
Music/Sounds: The atmosphere, dialogue, and the Deep Note.
Availability:
* Likely found in theaters starting in 1996, lasting for a few years and alternating appearances with existing trailers.
* It is said that it was used once more as a tie-in to the release of The Simpsons Movie in THX theaters in 2007.
* It can be found as a special feature on The Simpsons: The Complete Fifth Season DVD boxset and The THX Ultimate Demo Disc.
Editor's Note: It's quite telling how THX used this parody as an actual theatrical trailer.
== 6th Trailer (Tex) (July 3, 1996-November 7, 2006) ==
Original
The logo as it appears on the THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc.
Laserdisc
Remastered
Nickname: "Tex", "Tex 1", "Tex The Robot", "THX Broken & Fix"
Trailer: The THX logo fades in on a pitch-black background as it usually would. All of a sudden, the logo sputters and then breaks down as if due to an electrical failure. A light is switched on a light blue background as a red robot named Tex rolls in from off-camera. Tex opens a panel on the "X", grabs a jetpack, and flies off-screen, pulling out a hammer just before he goes off-screen, muttering "Oh, George..." (referring to George Lucas). Tex hammers at something on the right side of the screen, drills at something on the left side and then flies over to between the "T" and the "H", bumps the "H" out of the way, and opens another panel inside the "T". He moves a large switch inside it, causing the logo to re-activate and complete its usual sequence with the "LUCASFILM LTD." and "SOUND SYSTEM" text as the background fades back to black. Tex notices that the panel in the "X" is still open and kicks the underscore, which closes it. A black screen falls, reading "The Audience Is Listening".
Trivia: Tex was created by former Pixar CEO John Lasseter, and later became THX's official mascot.
Variants:
* The original film print of the trailer was produced in full matte; however, it would be cropped when projected and is present in digital versions of the trailer.
* On the Toy Story CAV Laserdisc - the only Laserdisc to use this trailer - the "Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance" message appears, then the trailer plays as usual, except [LASER I/ DISC] appears under the logo after getting fixed.
* After 1997, the "SOUND SYSTEM" title under the THX logo was removed in later theatrical appearances and some DVDs, though this text still appeared on disc 2 of the North American DVD release of Finding Nemo.
* On the original 2000 DVD release of Toy Story (including the Ultimate Toy Box edition and the 2001 reprint of the twin pack DVD) and the 2003 Collector's Edition of A Bug's Life, the "Mastered and duplicated for optimal video and audio performance" message from the Laserdisc variant appears. Then, the trailer plays as usual, but lacks any bylines on the THX logo.
* A rare extended version exists in which after Tex drills something, he starts to use the hand saw, hits something, and yells "Ow!" (implying that he hurt himself), muttering afterward. The rest of the trailer plays normally. This only appears on Fox Demo Disc #1, disc 2 of the North American DVD release of Finding Nemo, and the Canadian-exclusive Lucasfilm THX Surround EX DVD, with these selections implying that this was meant for Dolby Digital EX releases.
* Starting in 2005 with the North American DVD release of Toy Story 2 Special Edition, this trailer, the next one, and Cavalcade, along with the Terminator 2 version, were remastered. As a result, both the initials "LUCASFILM LTD" and "SOUND SYSTEM" are removed due to the 2002 spinoff from Lucasfilm, and the black screen that reads "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" is replaced with the THX website URL in a font similar to Chalkduster (like the "Moo Can" trailer below).
** This version also appears on Cars, except here, the screen that reads "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" is intact. It is also the enhanced color variant of the original version of that trailer.
* A Dell PC version exists on the THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc. Here, it's mostly the same, except the "SOUND SYSTEM" text isn't present and the "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" text is replaced with "BEST PICTURE. BEST SOUND." This also occurs on the next trailer as well.
FX/SFX: CGI done at Pixar Animation Studios.
Music/Sounds: The Deep Note in -1.5 lower pitch (C#) (from the Broadway DVD variant), Tex's dialogue, and sounds corresponding to the animation. Sound design was done by Gary Rydstrom, according to The THX Ultimate Demo Disc.
Music/Sounds Variants:
* On the Laserdisc version's analog left track, the first second of the Deep Note is cut. However, it is present on the Dolby AC-3 track.
* On the DVD that came with the first edition of DVD Demystified, some of the audio channels were switched around.
* International releases (such as UK/Australian/Europe DVD releases) have the logo played in high pitch/PAL speedup.
Music/Sounds Trivia: The sound when a piece of metal hits the ground after hitting Tex in the extended version was actually re-used from the sound effects created for Toy Story. The sound effect in question is in the scene when Buzz Lightyear drops a toy jack he's holding while Woody is confronting him. Contrary to popular belief, this sound effect actually debuted in Home Alone.
Availability:
* It can be found on most Pixar movies on DVD, such as Toy Story, A Bug's Life, Toy Story 2, and Cars (the last THX-certified Disney DVD as no other format of Cars uses THX), as well as some THX demo DVDs and the DVDs that come with all three editions of the book DVD Demystified by Jim Taylor.
* According to the THX Ultimate Demo Disc, the 1998 "The Audience is Listening on DVD" disc and the insert on the THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc, this trailer was released in time for the film Independence Day.
Editor's Note: This logo boasts very nice CGI for the time as well as a humorous and friendly atmosphere compared to other THX logos.
== 7th Trailer (Tex 2: Moo Can) (November 26, 1997-August 31, 2007, 2009) ==
Scope
Scope #2
Flat
Remastered
Remastered #2
Monster Cable
Nicknames: "Tex 2: Moo Can", "Tex 2", "Moo Can", "Cow", "Tex Strikes Again", "Stampede", "Tex Stampede", "Tex 2 Stampede", "Pixar THX Cow", "Monster Moo Can"
Trailer: The sequence starts with a dark gray, lifeless THX logo in a black background with a white spotlight, which fades in quickly as it usually would, unlike the previous trailer. Tex the robot, from the previous trailer, drops down from the top of the screen, landing close to the front of the camera, and has a cow-in-a-can-toy in his hand, which has a picture of a cow on a field and says "Moo" (which is in a bubble cloud, as if the cow were saying it). He then holds the can closer to show the viewers. He then tries to flip it over, but the mooing sound is very faint, and he shrugs. He then flies next to the THX logo in the background, which turns on two smaller spotlights, opens the same panel on the "X" like his previous trailer, and then pulls out a cable from it. He then returns with the can and holds the cable up with his opposite hand, revealing it to have a plug, and plugs it into the can. Tex then flips the can over again before more realistic mooing sounds were heard. Tex looks around for a few seconds as the spotlights start turning blue and the THX logo becomes silver and bright, which it starts to rise up from the middle of the screen to its usual position nearly at the top and shines. Tex smiles and nods seemingly in accomplishment when suddenly the THX logo begins to rumble and shake, as if a stampede of cows were heard. Tex sees this, jumps back in surprise, and he nervously flies off with the can and the plug. The cable then causes the logo to jolt to its left side for a moment before the plug disconnects from the can, putting the logo back to its normal position. The cable is pulled back into the logo, the panel closes, and like the last trailer, the black screen with the text "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" in a chalk font (also with a copyright info under it) falls to the screen, and one last moo is heard.
Trivia: This trailer's original name was "Stampede", which was revealed in the DVD menu of Pixar's employee exclusive "Made in Point Richmond" DVD.
Variants:
* On a few alternate occasions between 1997 and 2005, the Lucasfilm Ltd. name was seen on top of the THX logo, and the THX logo has an ® symbol on it; then, the black screen falls as usual but replaces "The Audience Is Listening" with "The Best Sound... The Best Picture... You're Watching a THX Certified Feature" in a different thin chalk font (as seen in the Terminator 2 variant of the usual "Cavalcade" trailer). This is commonly seen on home media releases, while the "The Audience Is Listening" text is intact on THX-certified theaters for the theatrical version.
* In late 2005, this trailer, the previous one, and Cavalcade; including the "original" Terminator 2 version of the said trailer, were remastered and removed any mention of the Lucasfilm name (due to these trailers being made before the 2002 spinoff from Lucasfilm), the ® symbol is replaced with a ™ symbol, and the tagline is replaced with a website URL for THX ("WWW.THX.COM") in a chalk font similar to Chalkduster, and below the URL is the disclaimer: "THX is a trademark of THX Ltd. which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All rights reserved." It is currently used on the THX website and their official uploads of the trailer on Vimeo and YouTube.
** The video game Lair for PS3 uses this variant, but after the logo finishes and the black screen is dropped, creatures from the game run under the URL for THX (www.THX.com), and this trailer immediately segues into the Factor 5 logo. During said Factor 5 logo, the last "Moo" sound can still be heard. The copyright notice is also absent.
** A scope version of the remastered version exists. It only appears on the French (2 disc) Ultimate Edition DVD release of The Transporter (Le Transporteur) and the THX Demo Disc II.
* In 2009, when Monster Cable joined THX, the trailer became slightly updated. After Tex returns with the cable, the camera zooms in to reveal a Monster HDMI cable, which shines. Tex's chuckle was also heard. The camera then zooms back, and when Tex plugs it in, the graphics on the moo can change it into a Monster Moo Can via an electricity transition. "MONSTER", in its corporative 3-D font, fades in and slides up to the top at the same time as the THX logo. When the THX logo rumbles, the Monster Cable logo rumbles at the same time as the THX logo, and the black screen instead shows the Monster THX logo, with the tagline reading "Bringing the Theater Home" below it. The disclaimer is also changed during this variant.
* On the THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc, the "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" text is replaced with "BEST PICTURE. BEST SOUND.", like the previous trailer, albeit the copyright info being blacked out, with the exception of the website URL for THX.
* A full-screen version of the flat version exists (the entire trailer is letterboxed except for the tagline card that reads "THE BEST SOUND... THE BEST PICTURE... YOU'RE WATCHING A THX CERTIFIED FEATURE", which is in fullscreen), this is only used for both the US and Mexican Spanish VHS releases, as well as the United Kingdom (Region 2) & the Australian (Region 4) rental 4:3 DVD releases for Monsters, Inc. (featuring no copyright notice and a PAL speedup) and the discs from the second and third editions of DVD Demystified.
* On the THX Theatrical Trailers: The Audience is Listening and the French-exclusive Les Années Laser THX Trailers DVDs, as the tagline cuts to black, a piece of text "www.thx.com" is seen at the center of the screen, fading in and out. It was apparently the same one used in all of the trailers featured in the THX Picture and Sound Optimizer disc, albeit the copyright info being blacked out.
FX/SFX: CGI; like before, this was done by Pixar.
Music/Sounds: Same as the previous trailer, but the Deep Note is replaced by cows mooing it (if one really listens carefully, a high-pitched voice is heard towards the end of the mooing, which sounds like someone yelling "STOP!" or screaming before the sound of rumbling and shaking). The sound design is by Gary Rydstrom and Marco D'Ambrosio (who did the cow chord) according to The THX Ultimate Demo Disc. A variant of the Monster THX logo (website intro only) uses some electrical sounds from the Terminator 2 THX trailer, of which Gary Rydstrom also did the sound design. Like the previous two trailers, prints existed in all three digital sound formats.
Music/Sounds Trivia: For the mooing sounds and the cow chord, Marco D'Ambrosio recorded real cattle at Skywalker Ranch in Marin County, California.
Music/Sounds Variants:
* On some earlier home video releases that feature this trailer (like the aforementioned Monsters, Inc. VHS, Toy Story 2 Ultimate Toy Box DVD and the version on the Made in Point Richmond DVD, as well as both versions on the discs from the second and third editions of DVD Demystified), the logo is slightly louder, more mooing sounds are added in, Tex's "Huh?" when he sees the THX logo that begins to rumble and shake was removed and the moo noise heard at the end is heard later.
** On the aforementioned Monsters, Inc. VHS, the rest of this variant was heard, but like the standard variant, the last moo that was heard later is heard before "YOU'RE WATCHING A THX CERTIFIED FEATURE" appears. The audio was also compressed.
* International releases (such as UK/Australian/Europe DVD releases) have the logo played in high pitch/PAL speedup. THX-certified Japanese releases are the exception to this variant, which have the trailer being played in normal pitch for some reason.
Availability:
* Seen in THX-certified theaters for some time, though for how long remains a mystery. It debuted likely in front of Alien Resurrection, as the logo debuted on Thanksgiving weekend (in the U.S.) of that year according to several THX demo discs.
* The Lucasfilm, Ltd. byline variant can be seen on various THX-certified DVDs from 2000-05, mostly on films from Pixar (such as Toy Story 2 Ultimate Toy Box, Monsters, Inc., Toy Story 10th Anniversary Edition, and Finding Nemo) and Fox (such as Speed 2: Cruise Control and The Day The Earth Stood Still), as well as THX Demo discs (such as THX Demo Disc II), the DVDs that came with second-edition and third-edition copies of the book DVD Demystified by Jim Taylor, and even the VHS of Monsters, Inc., although Disney Channel's original print of the film plastered this with the VHS version of Broadway instead, possibly due to time compression.
* The standard Lucasfilm, Ltd. variant for home media releases debuted on the second release of Speed 2: Cruise Control, released on July 30, 2002 and was last used on the North American DVD of Toy Story: 10th Anniversary Edition, released on September 6, 2005.
* The remastered variant without a Lucasfilm byline debuted in the US exclusively on Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume Two on December 6, 2005. (internationally, it debuted on a UK DVD of Toy Story 2: Special Edition on November 28, 2005).
* The only video game to use this trailer is Lair for PS3, as a variant.
* This trailer also appears in the Pixar employees only Made in Point Richmond DVD along with the previous trailer.
* It was also seen on the French (2 disc) Ultimate Edition DVD release of The Transporter (Le Transporteur) and the Japanese DVD releases of Waterboys (ウォーターボーイズ), Check it Out, Yo!! (チェケラッチョ!!), and Swing Girls (スウィングガールズ).
Editor's Note: Another humorous and light-hearted effort from THX.
== 8th Trailer (Broadway 2000) (May 19, 1999-October 21, 2003) ==
Nicknames: "Broadway 2000", "Let's See It In THX"
Trailer: On a pitch-black screen, the text "LET'S SEE IT IN" appears in separate words zooming in to the center of the screen. Then the THX logo fades in with "LUCASFILM" at the top of it. The logo shines and the screen fades-out, with the URL "www.thx.com" quickly fading in and out.
Variant: On home media releases, as well as on demo discs, the URL is absent. This is the most commonly known version of it.
FX/SFX: The words zooming-in at the screen, the THX logo shining. Computer animation.
Music/Sounds: A shorter version of the Deep Note that begins right before the rapid pitch change. However, new voices are added to the Deep Note and drown out most of the original voices except for the lower ones.
Music/Sounds Trivia: The Deep Note in this trailer was also going to be used in the Terminator 2 THX trailer, but the audio channel tracks of the Deep Note might have been swapped for some reason.
Availability: Seen in THX-certified theaters at the time.
* Although the THX Ultimate Demo Disc claims the trailer debuted in late 1999, it was actually first shown mid-year, in front of Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace.
* This also appears on The Adventures of Indiana Jones, The THX Ultimate Demo Disc and the Lucasfilm THX Surround EX Demonstration Disc.
Editor's Note: This trailer is somewhat simple and bland compared to most of the other trailers on this page.
== 9th Trailer (Cavalcade) (August 29, 2000 (Terminator 2), May 25, 2001-May 19, 2009) ==
Scope
Flat
Terminator 2
Remaster
Nicknames: "Cavalcade", "T-1000-HX", "Sphere of Doom", "T2", "Terminator 2", Terminator 2 Cavalcade", "T2 2000 Cavalcade"
Trailer: The trailer starts with a darkly-lit environment as the screen zooms in toward a glassy light blue sphere, which has clouds rolling and lightning flickering. As the environment illuminates is that the sphere is barely hovering over a textured blue floor. Suddenly, the sphere shatters into several pieces of glass, and the sky is revealed to contain several rolling gray clouds and thunderstorms. The glass then liquefies and gathers in the center. Some lightning strikes it and forms a silver THX logo. The rain is briefly seen pouring down. Then, the environment fades to black as "LUCASFILM", spaced out to fit the width of the THX logo, fades in on top of it and a shimmering blue rectangle (the same one from the "Broadway" trailer) is drawn clockwise around the logo (like a laser). The logo fades out as the text "Digitally Mastered for Optimal Audio and Video Performance" (à la Broadway '95, set in the Futura font) fades in.
Trivia: This trailer was inspired by the T-1000 robot in Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The THX logo forming is a reference to the T-1000's ability to fix itself after receiving damage.
Variants:
* For the theatrical version of this trailer, the entire logo fades out shortly after the rectangle is drawn, skipping the "Digitally Mastered..." part. This also appears on the DVDs of The Final Countdown, Fox Demo Disc #1, and The THX Ultimate Demo Disc (in 1.85:1 ratio).
* For the scope version of this trailer, the glass pieces look more stretched out.
* A 4:3 matted version exists, but only for full screen DVDs. This has never appeared on VHS.
* In late 2005, this trailer, along with the first two Tex trailers, were currently remastered and the "LUCASFILM" text was removed, most likely due to the 2002 split from Lucasfilm as mentioned above. A www.thx.com web address now appears at the end of the trailer in place of the Digitally Mastered message. Below the URL address is the disclaimer: "THX and the THX logo are trademarks of THX Ltd. which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All rights reserved." The Terminator 2 variant of this trailer also became remastered in 2006.
* On the DVD release of Terminator 2, a metallic rectangle with the Terminator 2 logo carved out appears from the Time Sphere (which is a blue orb of electricity), zooming towards the camera. Then, the rectangle gets shot into pieces of metal by the T-800 with the shotgun, as seen on the reflection. The pieces then turn into liquid metal like the T-1000, gathering from the center, and then forms a silver THX logo. After the rectangle is drawn, the words "DIGITALLY" and "MASTERED" (set in the Eurostile Extended Bold font), along with the registered trademark symbol, may fade in above and below the THX logo (à la Broadway '95), respectively, both replacing the word "LUCASFILM". The THX logo then fades out, and then it contains a message reading "The Best Sound. The Best Picture. You're watching a THX certified feature.", which fades in one by one as each text fades out before the other. Strangely enough, the copyright info for Lucasfilm Ltd. is strangely absent.
** Also, the Deep Note in this variant (the Terminator 2 variant) is the same as the Broadway 2000 version.
** This is also on the 2006 initial Blu-ray release and the 2009 Skynet Edition Blu-ray release of this film, except with some differences: the logo has been remastered, along with Tex, Tex 2 and the normal "Cavalcade" trailer, the THX logo fades into the standard one, both the words "DIGITALLY" and "MASTERED" (à la Broadway '95) are replaced with "CERTIFIED" (which was spaced out to fit the width of the THX logo and is below it), and a "www.thx.com" web address with a copyright notice for THX appears; which served as the basis of Cavalcade. It only appears on the 2000 Ultimate Edition and 2003 Extreme Edition DVD releases, the 2006 initial Blu-ray release, and the 2009 Skynet Edition Blu-ray release of this film. It is unknown if this is the early variant of that trailer, which is why it is the Terminator 2 variant.
* On the intro to The THX Ultimate Demo Disc menu, as the rectangle is drawn, the logo moves far away to fit room for the menu options.
* A still frame of the bylineless variant is used on the opening of the 2007 PlayStation 3 game flOw.
FX/SFX: The sphere exploding, the thunderstorm, the THX logo forming from the sphere's pieces, the border drawing itself. CGI animation created by Van Ling.
Music/Sounds: First, there are sounds of rainfall, and then thunderclaps/electric shocking sounds, followed by glass shattering, then the Deep Note. A laser-like sound is heard as the rectangle is formed, followed by some wind noises.
Music/Sounds Variants:
* On PAL DVD releases, the logo is heard in a higher pitch.
* On the Terminator 2 variant, the music from the aforementioned film is heard which fades into the Deep Note used in the "Broadway 2000" trailer; the sound design and mix are by Gary Rydstrom at Skywalker Sound according to the credits of the T2 Ultimate Edition DVD.
Availability:
* The T2 version was first seen on the Terminator 2: Judgment Day "Ultimate Edition" DVD, released on August 29, 2000, with the regular version appearing in most THX-certified theaters starting on May 25, 2001 with Pearl Harbor.
* Seen on several THX DVDs, such as Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace, Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones, Alien Quadrilogy, From Hell, Re-Animator, La Mentale, 36th Precinct (36 Quai des Orfèvres), The Incredibles, Bayside Shakedown 2, THX 1138 (fittingly enough), the 2004 Star Wars Trilogy DVD set, and X-Men 1.5; in THX-certified theaters, and on the video games NBA 09: The Inside, MLB 08: The Show, and MLB 09: The Show.
* It's also the intro to the menu of The THX Ultimate Demo Disc.
* The final appearance of the Lucasfilm byline variant was Star Wars: Clone Wars Volume One, released on March 22, 2005.
* The remastered variant with the THX website URL and no Lucasfilm byline appears on the French DVD releases of Ghost Rider and L'Ennemi Intime, as well as most THX certified DVDs released by Wild Side Video, and even the HD DVD release of Pan's Labyrinth (Le Labyrinthe de Pan).
Editor's Note: This logo has a dark atmosphere, but also has very incredible CGI all around.
== 10th Trailer (Shrek) (November 2, 2001?, late 2000s) ==
Nickname: "Shrek"
Trailer: The THX logo starts up as normal, but just as the Deep Note starts to get loud, the logo suddenly falls down revealing Shrek and Donkey (voiced by Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy respectively) creating the Deep Note with a wind chime, a xylophone, a bagpipe, a kazoo and an accordion. The two realize they've been exposed, before looking at each other and smiling awkwardly as Shrek raises the logo (which is apparently a cardboard cut-out) back up. The Deep Note starts again (albeit less loud than before) and the logo shimmers in green from left to right. While the Deep Note is playing, Donkey comes out and plays the kazoo over the last few seconds. Shrek whispers at him, and the two walk off-screen. The screen fades to black as the words "illuminate your senses" fade in on the top and shine, a smaller THX Certified Cinema logo in the middle, and copyright info on the bottom.
Trivia: The trailer was originally animated in 2001. The "LUCASFILM" text above the THX logo is visible for a split second when Shrek lifts it up, due to an editing mistake. This trailer was initially supposed to premiere in late 2001 when THX was still part of Lucasfilm.
FX/SFX: The trailer itself, and the animation involving Shrek and Donkey. CGI by Pacific Data Images and DreamWorks Animation.
Music/Sounds: The Deep Note (the descending part at first with it falling over), the instruments, Donkey saying "Uh-oh...", Shrek whispering "Donkey!", and Donkey's response: "Okay, okay! Chill, Shrek." Mike Myers and Eddie Murphy reprise their respective roles as Shrek and Donkey from the film.
Music/Sounds Trivia: Donkey's "Uh-oh..." is taken from an early part of the first Shrek film when he realizes he ran out of fairy dust while he is trying to escape Lord Farquaad's guards.
Availability: This was initially supposed to premiere on November 2, 2001, the date of Shrek's home video release, but was pulled at the last second. It was theorized that Disney threatened to cut ties with THX over the trailer since this was the same day their film Monsters, Inc. opened in theaters (Disney has denied this), but THX themselves stated it was due to not wanting to be associated with a specific film at the time. It eventually debuted online in 2006 to promote Shrek the Third, with the trailer also appearing on the film itself theatrically in UK cinemas (and possibly other films). It was later uploaded to the company's YouTube channel as well.
Editor's Note: Another humorous effort from THX. Of note, they would not release another movie-specific theatrical trailer until the release of Horton Hears a Who! in 2008.
== 11th Trailer (Bounty) (October 7, 2003-2004?) ==
Nickname: "Bounty"
Trailer: On a black background is out-of-focus movie clips on a THX logo. Some of these clips include Star Wars: Episode I, Alien and Jurassic Park. The logo then starts to shine as the blue outline from the Broadway trailer appears around the screen and the words "CERTIFIED CINEMA" appear under the THX logo. Everything except the blue outline fades out and is replaced by the THX website URL on the top, copyright notices on the bottom and the phrase "20 Years of Making Great Movies Come Alive."
Variant: On flat prints, the "thank you" text takes up three lines, whereas on scope prints, it takes up two. The studios mentioned in this text include American Zoetrope, Lucasfilm Ltd. (listed here as THX was no longer owned by them), Miramax Films, New Line Cinema, Paramount Pictures, 20th Century Fox, and Universal Pictures.
FX/SFX: The clips playing on the THX logo, and the shining at the end. Computer animation.
Music/Sounds: In this order, sound/dialogue clips from the following movies are heard:
* Apocalypse Now Redux
* Jurassic Park*1 *2
* Die Hard*2 (John McClane (Bruce Willis): "Well, well, well.")
* Jurassic Park (again)*1 *2 (the T-Rex's roar)
* Nightmare on Elm Street*2 (LD)
* Star Wars: Episode I*1 *2 (Sebulba's podracer)
* Fight Club*1 *2
* Alien*2
* Star Wars: Episode I (again) *1 *2 (the clashing of lightsabers)
* Pulp Fiction *2 (LD) (Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson): "And I will strike down upon thee with-")
* Back To The Future trilogy (Dr. Emmett Brown (Christopher Lloyd): "1.21 gigawatts!")
* Lord of the Rings trilogy *1 (the Nazgul's screech)
* The Fast and the Furious
* Speed *1 *2
After this, the -1.5/low-pitched Deep Note from the "Tex" and "Broadway" (DVD variant) trailers starts playing as the final sound clips play from:
* Alien (again)*2
* Ghost (Molly Jensen (Demi Moore): "Now, just let the clay slide between your fingers.")
* The Mask*2 (LD) (The Mask (Jim Carrey): "Sssssssssmokin'!")
Sound Design was by Gary Rydstrom and Steve Boeddeker of Skywalker Sound.
*1 denotes Skywalker Sound title *2 denotes THX-certified title
Availability: This was only seen in THX theaters from late 2003 to early 2004; licensing issues have probably prevented this trailer from being used again, as THX doesn't own the rights to the clips featured. Scans of the trailer can be found on YouTube, however.
Editor's Note: A nice way to celebrate 20 years of THX, despite being short-lived.
== 12th Trailer (Science) (October 25, 2005-early 2010s) ==
Nickname: "The Science of Sensation", "Science"
Trailer: The first element shown is a pitch-black screen, but then there is the words "THE SCIENCE OF SENSATION" (in capital letters) coming at us each two words at a time (like the "Broadway 2000" trailer) and as a purple flare appears under the 'O', the words suddenly fade out by spreading apart. Then, the THX logo and the text "CERTIFIED CINEMA" appears, with a faint shine where the 'O' used to be. The logo shines with a flare coming down on the "T". WWW.THX.COM and the copyright at the bottom appear.
Trivia: This trailer was originally created for use with digital cinema projectors, not only for the use of the tagline, but also including a flare so it can immerse the viewer with a sharper and cleaner picture in the auditorium before a film would start.
Variants:
* A 4:3 version is used on full-screen DVDs and on the international VHS releases of Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, which simply shows "CERTIFIED" under THX.
* Certified DVDs show "CERTIFIED DVD" under THX.
* On some select certified games, the trailer is abridged, and "GAME" replaces "CINEMA".
* Despite this trailer's objective, a 35mm version was still created, as the digital cinematic transition was still underway at the time of the logo.
FX/SFX: The words zooming, the flare appearing, the THX logo shining. CGI animation.
Music/Sounds: A remastered Deep Note, some shining sounds, and whooshes. In this remastered Deep Note, some voices are reminiscent of the newer ones from the Broadway 2000 version, and some of the voices reach their final pitches before the others do.
Music/Sounds Trivia: The audio used in this trailer made an appearance in a parody in Over the Hedge (the glimmer is heard briefly, if one listens closely).
Music/Sounds Variants:
* The Deep Note is abridged on the game variant.
** Additionally, on Scarface: The World is Yours, the Deep Note starts after the sound of a chainsaw is played. This same version appears on MAG for PlayStation 3, but without the chainsaw sound.
Availability: After the logo first appeared to THX newsletter subscribers on May 11, 2005, it officially premiered on the theatrical release of Star Wars Episode III - Revenge of the Sith due to it being an all-digital production, and seen in some theaters for some time after.
* It can be seen on many DVD releases as well such as Titanic: Special Collector's Edition, Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith, and the Japanese DVD of Lorelei: The Witch of The Pacific Ocean (debut).
* The game variant appeared on Jak X: Combat Racing, NBA 07 (PS3 only), Scarface: The World is Yours, MLB 06: The Show, and MAG (at an even more abridged pace).
* The VHS version only appears on international VHS releases of Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith, mostly in PAL regions; but a Mexican-Spanish release has it in NTSC encoding.
* It was also used on the Monster Music DVDs of 3 Doors Down Away from the Sun and Peter Cincotti: Live in New York as well as the French DVD releases of Land of the Dead, Mr. and Mrs. Smith, Ong-Bak (2 Disc Ultimate Edition), Banlieue 13 (2 Disc Ultimate Edition), Danny the Dog (2 Disc Ultimate Edition) and Sin City. This also appears on the Monster Music SuperDisc DVDs of Ray Charles: Genius Loves Company, A Charlie Brown Christmas: Vince Guaraldi Trio and 40 Years: A Charlie Brown Christmas when you select the THX Optimizer option.
* This also makes a surprise appearance on the French DVD of Cinderella Special Edition.
Editor's Note: On home media releases, it could catch people off-guard the first time if they were expecting the DVD version of the Broadway trailer thanks to the unsettling nature of the trailer. That said, it's one of the more unimpressive THX logos out there.
== 13th Trailer (Ziegfeld) (2006-early 2010s) ==
Nickname: "Ziegfeld", "Broadway 2006"
Trailer: On a black background is the metallic outlines of the THX logo that fades in. Then, the shiny silver color fades inside the THX logo. It then glows and makes a big shine with some sparkles. Then, below the THX logo is the disclaimer: "THX and the THX logo are trademarks of THX Ltd., which may be registered in some jurisdictions. All Rights Reserved."
Variant: At the beginning of an LG video on THX-certified TVs, the metallic outlines fade in quicker, the shiny silver color fades in slower, and the shine of the THX logo isn't as bright.
FX/SFX: The glowing, sparkling, and shining of the THX logo. CGI produced by Eyestorm Productions (who also made the "Amazing Life" trailer).
Music/Sounds: The -1.5/low-pitched Deep Note from Broadway (DVD variant) and Tex trailers.
Availability: This was only used on a few home media releases, and can be seen on THX Demo Disc II, MLB 07: The Show, the French DVDs of Abandonnée and Rolling Stones: Shine a Light (the latter having it hidden on title 13), and whenever a user starts up a THX-Certified TiVo DVR.
Editor's Note: Probably the most unimpressive THX trailer, as it just fades in and out.
== 14th Trailer (Tex 3: Action) (June 9-November 23, 2006) ==
Nicknames: "Tex 3", "TEX Action", "Tex 3: Action", "The Car", "Tex Strikes Yet Again" "The BMW"
Trailer: On a gray background, there is a clapperboard on screen. The clapperboard claps and then disappears off-screen. The camera then zooms out and turns, revealing the background to be a gray BMW car with the iconic "kidney grille". Tex flies on-screen and stops in front of the car, giving a "stop" signal. Tex mutters "Uh oh..." then tries to fly away but ends up getting sucked into the car. He gets flung around the car's engine uncontrollably and is eventually able to stop and regain his balance. He then looks up and sees part of the engine spraying. After spraying for a few seconds, it explodes, and Tex gets covered in black ash. Another part of the engine then pushes Tex up, and he gets chased by another explosion. He manages to escape from the car just in time, but then he loses control and hits the THX logo off-screen. He then stands back up, shakes his arms and foot, looks back at the THX logo, and does a "Ta-dah!" pose. A copyright notice fades in and out on the bottom right.
Variants:
* On the 2006 DVD and HD-DVD of Brave Story, this logo is formatted in 1.78:1, whereas the Blu-ray is 1.85:1, as compared to the version in District B13 and THX Demo Disc II, which is in scope.
* A 35mm variant exists for theaters using 35mm projectors.
FX/SFX: The clapperboard, Tex flying around the engine and into the THX logo. CGI animation likely produced by Pixar, who is also known from animating the previous two Tex trailers.
Music/Sounds: A man saying "And...action!" when the clapperboard is on-screen, Tex's voice, some car sounds, and other sound effects, and the -1.5/low-pitched Deep Note from his first trailer.
Availability: Seen on THX-certified DVD players in some cars manufactured around this time. Briefly seen in theaters too; it's said to have premiered on Cars (which would be very fitting). This was spotted on the 2006 DVD of District B13, as well as the Japanese releases of Brave Story on DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-ray.
Editor's Note: As with the other Tex trailers, this is yet another humorous effort from THX. However, the way the car boots up and the close-up of the car could also be jarring to some. It is a shame, though, that this was short-lived.
== 15th Trailer (Amazing Life) (November 21, 2007-May 22, 2012) ==
Nickname: "Amazing Life"
Trailer: The sequence starts out with an octagon shape figure rising out of a silver surface (à la a ripple effect), and forms into another figure, which looks like petals from a flower (it in fact is a blue passion flower) from the top. Inside the "flower" is a crown shape figure that has wings on top of it, slowly spinning around, producing the held organ note sound, as the screen zooms in on it. Then, the scene changes. Following this is another set of wings that also spin around, but faster. A ring is spinning around with it and goes down towards the bottom of the screen, producing the buzzer. And the scene changes again. The same set of wings from the first scene is shown, once again spinning slowly, with shades seen on the left side of the screen. As the scene changes again, a tulip is seen zooming in towards the camera as it opens up its front, producing the deep brass sound. Then the screen zooms in on a mushroom as it bumps up a bit and makes drum beats. Then a set of butterflies fly by (with some stopping in the front center of the screen), producing some flapping sound is the flowerhead-like plant with dragonfly wings as petals, it pushes one-by-one clockwise, making dolphin chirping sounds, then there is a lotus seed head opening and closing its holes as it makes a melody played on a glockenspiel. Intact with the drumbeats of the jingle, there is a variety of mushrooms as they "beat" and bump up the drumbeats, and then the scene changes to swirly-like circles that vibrate, as the screen zooms from one to another, making the bass horn stab. The screen zooms into another tulip, making another deep brass sound, and suddenly, the camera flies over all of the above-mentioned items. As the camera tilts toward the front and zooms back is that the plant-covered structure is actually the THX logo. The plants then retract back, revealing the silver color of the logo; this version looks slightly (but also noticeably) different than the other trailers of the past. The logo zooms back as the copyright info fades in on the bottom.
Variant: On the 2008 DVD of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (and the 2008 DVD reprints of the other three Indiana Jones films), the Japanese BD of The Magic Hour, and the Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy, this logo is formatted in 2.35:1 as compared to most other releases (2008 BD of Crystal Skull, Avatar, etc.) containing the trailer in 1.78:1.
FX/SFX: CGI animated, designed and produced by Eyestorm Productions (who also made the "Ziegfield" trailer).
Music/Sounds: A variety of instruments playing in sync with each plant, performed by Low in the Sky. This ends with a less noisy version of the Deep Note, accompanied by the swoosh. Unlike the previous THX trailers, the music starts at the ending note (blended into the background instrumentation at first) and comes to a quick end rather than fading out smoothly. Mixed by Gary A. Rizzo at Skywalker Sound.
Availability:
* Seen in most THX-certified theaters starting in late November 2007, and THX DVDs/Blu-rays from 2008-2012 such as Star Wars: The Clone Wars, The Magic Hour (ザ・マジックアワー) (Japan only), Shine a Light (France only), Outlander: Le Dernier Viking (Outlander) (France only), Largo Winch (France only), Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection (2008 reprints of the 2003 DVDs originally containing Broadway 2000, as well as the first home release to feature this trailer), and the 2008 BD of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of The Crystal Skull.
* On Avatar, Red Tails, and Star Wars: The Prequel Trilogy (Blu-ray only), it appears at the end.
* Seen online as well.
* Also seen at the end of the THX Optimizer video on THX-certified TiVos, which are no longer manufactured as of 2013.
Editor's Note: A creative and beautiful effort from THX, thanks to the animation and the music.
== 16th Trailer (Horton) (March 14, 2008) ==
Nickname: "Horton"
Trailer: On a black background is an odd speck talking in a familiar voice to Horton (from Horton Hears a Who; voiced by Jim Carrey). It turns out to be Mayor Ned McDodd (voiced by Steve Carell), the mayor of Whoville, trying to hear him:Horton: "Come in, Mr. Mayor. Can you hear me?"
Ned: "Uh, not quite!"
Horton: "How about now? Is this better?"
Ned: "Ye-yeah... Yeah, sort of."
Horton: "Hello? Am I getting through?"
Ned: "Kinda losing you..."Then, immediately after the Mayor says the last line, Horton quickly drops the THX logo, startling him. Horton then appears on the right side of the screen shouting "HOW ABOUT THIS?! IF I GET UP REAL CLOSE, CAN YOU READ ME?!" knocking the mayor off-screen, then followed by the Deep Note. Horton turns to the audience laughing, winks, and then goes off-screen. The THX logo shines as usual. The screen transitions to a message reading "THE AUDIENCE IS HEARING" (spoofing the usual tagline, with "HEAR" in the same font as the movie's logo). Finally, the mayor peeks out of the left side of the screen with his clothes blowing.
Trivia: A THX "Broadway" parody found in the 1990 film Repossessed also has the tagline read "The Audience Is Hearing".
FX/SFX: The characters moving, and the THX logo dropping. CGI by the now-defunct Blue Sky Studios.
Music/Sounds: The characters talking, sound effects corresponding to the animation, and the 2005 Deep Note.
Availability: It was only seen in THX-certified theaters to help promote Horton Hears a Who!, and also appeared in front of the film itself in said theaters. Also seen on the THX website.
== 17th Trailer (Broadway 3D) (November 24 or December 17, 2010-October 16, 2012) ==
Nickname: "Broadway 3D", "Broadway 2010"
Trailer: On a deep cloudy background is a light tunnel of many rainbow colors as well as a shadow in the distance. The shadow then emerges to reveal a silver and shining THX logo as well as a crystal blue rectangle outline from the Broadway trailers, which zoom slowly at the camera. A small copyright notice is seen below the THX logo.
FX/SFX: CGI by Van Ling, who also made the "Cavalcade" trailer.
Music/Sounds: The 2005 Deep Note.
Availability: Can be found on the THX Calibrator disc, 3D movies in cinemas and 3D Blu-ray releases, like the 3D Blu-ray of Avatar (to date, the very last certified THX home media release with logos on it) and the theatrical premiere of Tron: Legacy.
== 18th Trailer (Musical Wisps) (2012) ==
Nickname: "Musical Wisps"
Trailer: On a black background, there is a blue trail of light that is flying around. It flies to an atmosphere with a purple hue. A pink, blue, purple and green trail of light follows the blue trail and flies around with it. A closeup shot of the two trails of light flying is then seen. The rainbow trail of light makes some shapes with its light, while the blue trail flies around the shapes and makes some mini shockwaves. The screen then cuts to a white background but is revealed to be the back of the blue trail of light in the purple atmosphere. The rainbow trail of light joins the blue trail and the two trails fly towards the THX logo, which is seen in the distance. Everything is in slow motion for a split-second, and then the two trails quickly charge towards the THX logo and reveal it. This version looks noticeably different from the other trailers of the past, due to the THX logo being noticeably thinner than normal. The THX logo shines as the two trails of light into the bottom line of the logo and causes a bright light to appear. This bright light takes up the entire screen.
FX/SFX: CGI.
Music/Sounds: Sound effects accompanying the atmosphere, followed by the Deep Note.
Availability: It was a prototype logo that was found on THX's website for a short time.
== 19th Trailer (Eclipse) (April 4, 2015-) ==
Nicknames: "Eclipse", "The Other Side", "Dark THX", "See you on the other side", "Eclipse of Doom"
Trailer: The sequence starts in a shooting starfield. Then, a large black eclipse fades in, glows, and spins. Then, many shiny white/black sticks and veins appear all over the eclipse, representing the iris of the human eye, and the screen zooms further into it as the sticks and veins move around and form in different ways. Suddenly, a large shock wave appears in the middle and the screen zooms through it, revealing the THX logo, which is black and has a dark shine on it. The text "see you on the other side" wipes in underneath the THX logo.
Variants:
* There is also a longer 45-second version in which some of the sticks and veins move around slower, and we zoom through the large ring faster. It can be seen here.
* There's an even longer 60-second version seen exclusively in the Warren chain of cinemas, which is preceded by a "Warren Cinemas presents" card. It is similar to the 45-second version, except much slower.
* A 4K resolution version exists.
* With Razer's acquisition of THX, a few modifications were made to this trailer. First, there is the text "THX IS EVOLVING" fade in at the beginning of the logo. A few seconds later the text fades out. Another line of text fades in, this time saying "HELLO". Below is Razer's print logo. After the text fades out the trailer continues as normal until the THX logo zooms in to the screen. The text "CERTIFIED BY" wipes in above the logo. The "see you on the other side" slogan wordmark is omitted and the copyright notice fades in during the logo and not after the logo.
* A variant of the "CERTIFIED BY" version was spotted before every show of Beyoncé's "Formation World Tour", in a partnership with THX on providing the highest level of audio quality at concerts for the duration of the tour.
FX/SFX: The zooming in of the eclipse. CGI by independent Norwegian design studio Two-Shots Production (now "Vortex Film").
Music/Sounds: A new version of the Deep Note, also done by James Andy Moorer. It sounds more synthesized than before, and is even louder than before. It starts off with the synths ascending and descending over and over again until they rapidly change their pitches. During the rapid pitch change, the clashing pitches of the lower synths cause a "rumbling" sound as the Deep Note gets louder, and the final pitch gets louder and louder as more and more synths join them at the final chord. The highest synths on the final chord create a synth organ-like sound, while the lowest synths create a deep humming sound. Mixed by Gary A. Rizzo, Lora Hirschberg and Gary Rydstrom at Skywalker Sound.
Music/Sounds Variant: In the longer versions, after the synths switch back and forth between ascending and descending, the louder synths are stretched out until the final chord.
Availability: Debuted online.
* Most likely seen in theaters with newer movies like Furious 7.
* The normal 30-second variant has been reported to have been seen on Terminator Genisys.
* The Razer variant was only seen as a promotional video on Vimeo titled "THX Is Evolving" (however, it could possibly hint at future usage for THX-certified products).
* The 60-second variant is extinct and was only used in the Warren chain of cinemas.
Editor's Note: The logo gained notoriety for the much louder Deep Note, and thus is sometimes thought to be the scariest THX trailer of them all due to this (especially the Warren Cinemas variant). Although newer THX trailers have been made since this one, the new Deep Note has yet to make another appearance, as said trailers instead use the old -1.5 pitch Deep Note.
== 20th Trailer (Sphere) (2015-) ==
Nickname: "Sphere", "4K EXP"
Trailer: On a black background, the phrase "The Audience is Listening" fades in. It disappears by sliding to the right. The background becomes a bluish green gradient. A black line with light blue marks slides to the right of the screen and starts to gently shake. It becomes liquid and breaks up into small circles. The screen zooms through the liquid. Multiple grouped lines start swirling around in a circular motion, then forms into a 4-layered sphere. A light blue glow surrounds the sphere. It becomes liquid and opens up, revealing blue electric lines. It later explodes to fill the background with black, then zooms out in the form of the THX logo. It later fills up with metallic material, making it look normal. Some of the light blue lines remain, then later disappear completely. Finally, two copyright notices appear:
* THX and the Deep Note sound are trademarks of THX Ltd. registered in certain jurisdictions. All rights reserved.
* This THX trailer is the property of THX Ltd. All rights reserved.
Variants:
* 4K releases show the THX 4K logo instead of the "Audience is Listening" phrase.
* One version seen during a behind-the-scenes making of the trailer shows the words "see you on the other side" in place of the copyright notice.
FX/SFX: The liquid and electric lines. CGI by Uwe Schweer-Lambers of Human Workshop, all created in the span of one month.
Music/Sounds: First, the beginning half of the 2005 Deep Note plays, then gets interrupted by whooshes, liquid sound effects, and a low synth note, followed by a choir. During the glow, the Deep Note resumes, followed by another whoosh, and an explosion.
Music/Sounds Trivia:
* Most of the sound effects for the trailer were recorded by Gerrit Elbrink of Human Workshop using real-life objects and instruments.
* The trailer's audio was originally recorded in low resolution stereo, and later mixed in Dolby 7.1 by Herman Piette of Cinemeta in Amsterdam. The Deep Note was added in post-production.
Music/Sounds Variant: During the "making of" video, there was no Deep Note.
Availability: First seen on the Human Workshop website. May appear on 4K displays or demo discs.
== 21st Trailer (Genesis/Tex 4) (August 20, 2019-) ==
Nickname: “Genesis", "Tex IV”
Trailer: A large purple smoke cloud explodes on the screen, and the camera zooms out to reveal a nebula. The sequence continues to zoom out through the space-like background as a mountain range appears below. The mountains then appear reflected in a waterdrop on a dragonfly's wings. The dragonfly beats its wings in slow-motion clearing the waterdrops, and flies through a new background, featuring some plants that appeared in the "Amazing Life" trailer. The camera dips down into a pool of water and emerges to reveal a city at night, as a helicopter flies past. The city is revealed to be inside a snowglobe on a table of various items. The camera pans back to reveal two similar tables with blue holographic domes on them. Then, Tex appears from the left and flies to a table in the front and loads up a similar holographic dome over the table and flies off. The camera continues to zoom out, revealing that Tex is aboard a star cruiser of some sort. The ship makes a light-speed jump, and the camera pans through the space station the ship was docked at. It is then revealed that the space station is in the shape of the THX logo, which becomes a more traditional silver color. The space background fades to blue, and then everything gradually fades out.
Trivia:
* This trailer was created to commemorate THX's 35th anniversary; production began in April 2018.
* THX chose the official name for this trailer in a Twitter poll. "Genesis" won with 43% of the vote; the other three options were "Emerge", "Transform" and "Evolve".
* If one looks closely on the right side of the city scene, there are three billboards:
** One has the THX logo in a blue rectangle outline (à la Broadway), accompanied by "THE AUDIENCE IS LISTENING" text below it.
** Another has Tex with "Get Certified" written on the right, a parody/homage to GEICO's billboard advertisements.
** Yet another has a white THX text accompanied by a white wavy ribbon on a red background, which is a parody / homage to Coca-Cola's advertising.
* A book on the right of the snowglobe contains the original score of the Deep Note written by James Andy Moorer.
Variants: At the THX Ultimate Cinema, once the THX logo is shown it continues to zoom away and a blue box (a la Broadway) surrounds it, the text "ULTIMATE CINEMA" fades in, then it fades to black.
FX/SFX: CGI by Andrew Kramer (who also owns Video Copilot) and American Meme.
Music/Sounds: Sounds accompanying the environments, along with descending sounds invoking the Deep Note. When the sequence starts panning through the space station, there is the Deep Note (similar to the 2005 version), with multiple stop-starts during the early stages. The stop-starts get faster and faster until the Deep Note converges into a single sound.
Music/Sounds Variants:
* There is a reworked version composed by Loud Color in Los Angeles. On the THX section, it says that they crafted original sounds with synthesizers, foley, granular synthesis and complex effects. They also utilized immersive VR and 3D mixing techniques to give a clear sense of space and environment.
* On the THX Ultimate Cinema variant, the 2005 Deep Note is respectively used.
Availability: Debuted on THX's YouTube and Twitter pages, and also appears in THX-certified theaters such as the THX Ultimate Cinema.
Editor’s Note: This is a great trailer by THX, thanks to the incredible CGI, references to past trailers such as "Broadway" and "Amazing Life", and the appearance of Tex.
== 22nd Trailer (Tex vs. The Robot/Tex 5) (June 25, 2020-) ==
Nicknames: "Tex V", “Tex vs. The Robot”
Trailer: In a glassy room in the same spaceship from the "Genesis" trailer, Tex and a drone named Bob attempt to place an orb in a socket, in front of a window with a floating THX logo in the background. When Tex tries inserting the orb the first time, the THX logo flashes a little, and the orb pops out of the socket. When Tex is distracted trying to fix a small door that has somehow opened, Bob starts playing with the orb like a basketball right before Tex tries to grab it. Bob finally loses the orb as it rolls towards the screen, while he follows it off, hitting the camera in the process. The camera then topples and various things fall off-screen, such as a ladder, while Tex is noticeably shocked. Tex flies over and fixes the camera as what appears to be a fire extinguisher-like object flies over him and hits the floor. The orb then rolls towards him as Bob then falls to the floor beside him and loses power. Tex flies over and fixes Bob back up. Tex is about to place the orb into the socket, but notices Bob is visibly sad. They compromise and Tex lets the drone slam dunk the orb into the socket, which causes the THX logo to power up and light up. Both robots move to the side as the camera zooms up to the THX logo. They then fist pump. the screen fades to the THX print logo, the text "SPATIAL AUDIO" fades underneath it.
Variant: A prototype or alternate version appears on EyeBelieve's Vimeo channel. The ending of the trailer is slightly different, with the Deep Note being the 2005 version instead of the low-pitched/-1.5 Deep Note. After that, a strange "powering off" sound effect plays, cutting it off.
FX/SFX: CGI by EyeBelieve.
Music/Sounds: Whirring of the flying drones, pinging, balls flying and hitting things, robotic grunts, a slamming noise and then the Deep Note (-1.5/low-pitched).
Availability: Premiered on THX's YouTube channel, likely used as a demo of THX's Spatial Audio technology.
Editor's Note: A very good use of THX Spatial Audio. Use headphones for this one.