Columbia TriStar-Home Entertainment via Its' 009th Logo

**Columbia TriStar-Home Entertainment** is .

Vlcsnap-2015-02-14-15h29m43s2.pngPrototype variant (full-screen)Vlcsnap-2012-12-08-01h39m30s245.pngFinal variant (full-screen)CTHE 2001 widescreen early.pngPrototype variant (widescreen)CTHEWidescreen.pngFinal variant (Widescreen)Cthv2001squeezed.jpgSqueezed variantCthecomingtotheaters2001.jpgComing Soon to Theaters #1Cthecomingtotheaters2004.jpgComing Soon to Theaters #2Cthenowintheaters2001.jpgNow Playing in Theaters #1Cthenowintheaters2004.jpgNow Playing in Theaters #2Vlcsnap-2015-06-06-10h25m37s579.pngComing SoonCthecomingtohomevideo2001.jpgComing Soon to Home VideoCthecomingtovhsdvd2001.jpgComing Soon to VHS & DVD #1Cthecomingtovhsdvd2004.jpgComing Soon to VHS & DVD #2CTHE 2001 now on home media.pngNow Available on Home VideoVlcsnap-2015-06-06-10h34m38s311.pngNow Available on VHS & DVD #1Cthenowonvhsdvd2004.jpgNow Available on VHS & DVD #2CTHE 2001 clip on.pngFullscreen version cropped to 16:9 that "hides" Home Entertainment from view. This is seen on trailers for certain movies.Cthecomingtotheaters2001-b.jpgComing Soon to TheatersCthenowintheaters2001-b.jpgNow Playing in TheatersCthecomingtohomevideo2001-b.jpgComing Soon to Home VideoCthecomingtovhsdvd2001-b.jpgComing Soon to VHS & DVDCthenowonhomevideo2001-b.jpgNow Available on Home VideoCthenowonvhsdvd2001.jpgNow Available on VHS & DVDCthenowondvd2001.jpgNow Available on DVD #1Vlcsnap-2015-06-06-10h43m32s484.pngNow Available on DVD #2
Nicknames: "Ultra Majestic Torch Lady-Pegasus Combo", "Part IX: End of an Era", "Last of Columbia TriStar", "Columbia Tristar IX"

**Logo**: Over the usual cloud background, we pan past an extreme close up of the Torch Lady's legs and feet (covered in the robe of course), then dissolve into a pan of the TriStar Pegasus (in the print artwork style except for the body and the legs, which are in the 1993 movie logo style, but in the same color as the Pegasus' face and wings) unfolding his wings. The pan then quickly dissolves into a shot from the center of the Pegasus unfolding his wings, albeit in a close-up fashion, and then a dissolve to the Torch Lady zooming out from her face. The logo then dissolves to reveal the Torch Lady and Pegasus side-by-side on a cloud background in their print artwork styles, with "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" slightly sliding in with "HOME ENTERTAINMENT", in a smaller font, fading in letter-by-letter.

Trivia:

* This is notable for being the last logo to use the "Columbia TriStar" brand prior to the foundation of Sony Pictures Television in 2002.
* Normally, the print logo of the original studio that released the film would be printed on the spine of a DVD/VHS, while TV releases and most non-Columbia/TriStar/Sony Pictures Classics films (such as *Sasquatch*, *The Mothman Prophecies*, *In the Cut*, *All I Want*, and *Drunken Master*) would have the CTHE print logo. However, the 2003 DVD of *Family Business* and a reprint of *My Stepmother is an Alien*, both respectively released by TriStar and Columbia, strangely have the CTHE print logo on its spine instead of the one for the original studio of release!
* On the demo VHS of *Kermit's Swamp Years*, the logo was shown, but it and the Jim Henson Home Entertainment logo are broken up by a second appearance of the FBI warning (video here), perhaps due to an editing mistake. However, this was corrected on the retail version.
* The 2005 release of *NewsRadio: The Complete First and Second Seasons* originally had the CTHE logo on its packaging as it was slated to come out as a CTHE title, but the set was delayed into the SPHE era, and as such the logo was changed on the packaging.

**Variants**:

* On the trailer for *Little Secrets*, "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" is removed. This is because the 4:3 fullscreen variant has been cropped into a 16:9 widescreen form.
* The rest of the top parts of the logo's aspect scaling is not seen on the VHS version, making the rendered footage appear a little bit tall with part of the top cropped off. It was re-adjusted for the DVD version, particularly the widescreen variant.
* On both versions, the color timing differs.
* The VHS version usually cuts to black at the end on U.S. titles without trailers (and on demo VHS tapes between the Hi-Fi Stereo logo and second appearance of the FBI warning), as well as on VCDs and DVDs with the theme. This variant would pop up before the later trailer variant on the very last tapes to use it, such as *Secret Window* and *The Wubbulous World of Dr. Seuss: The Cat's Musical Tales*. In the United Kingdom, almost every VHS title has the logo fading out at the end but a few of them, such as *Bear in the Big Blue House: The Summer of Love*, have it cutting to black. It also appears on the retail VHS of *Soul Assassin* (containing previews), but it cuts directly to the Winchester Films logo before the film.
* After the trailers on demo videotapes, a shortened version of the logo is played between the trailers and FBI warning. Depending on the era of the tape, either the 2001 or 2004 variant is used.
* On the first trailer of *Kermit's Swamp Years*, the logo is identical to the DVD variant except that the saturation matches the VHS variant and with bobbing effect from the bob de-interlacing filter.
* On most Columbia TriStar DVDs from 2001-05, the logo is in warp-speed.
* The print logo has the typical boxes, with "COLUMBIA TRISTAR" above and "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" below; it's all on a white background. This logo appeared on a pair of TV-DVD promos from TV releases of the era, and also at the end of the documentary *People Like Us: Making Philadelphia* on the 2004 Anniversary Edition DVD of *Philadelphia*.
* VHS releases from 2004-05 have a shortened version of this logo with a trailer bump, but with the DVD music. This premiered on *Secret Window* after the full VHS variant; other titles with it include *Spider-Man 2*, *13 Going on 30* (first printing only), *White Chicks*, *Christmas with the Kranks*, *The Forgotten*, the Sony re-release of *Left Behind: The Movie*, *Fahrenheit 9/11*, and *Deadbirds*. The very last titles with this, such as *Submerged*, *D.E.B.S.*, and *Hitch*, have its first occurrence follow the SPHE logo.
* On the demo VHS of *Love and a Bullet*, due to a processing error after the HiFi Stereo logo, the beginning of the logo where the first notes and the clicking sound heard are edited out.
* There is a 2.35:1 scope version. This appears on the 2001 UK DVD release of *Dirty Dancing*, with the VHS music, and on a red band home video trailer for *The Crimson Rivers*, with the trailer's own audio.
* On some VCDs, such as *Metropolis*, *Riding in Cars with Boys*, and *Ghosts of Mars*, a cropped 16:9 version is used, with the VHS music.
* On a home video trailer for *Following*, which appears on the 2001 VHS and DVD releases of *Memento*, the logo fades in already formed, with the light emanating from the Torch Lady's torch as the only animation. This variant marks the logo's very first appearance on DVD.
	+ A "squeezed" version of this (the widescreen variant squished into a 1.33:1 frame) appears at the start of the trailer for *When Strangers Appear*, which can be found on the 2002 demo VHS of *True Blue*.
* On the VHS release of *Roughnecks: Starship Troopers Chronicles - The Tesca Campaign*, an even shorter version is used, starting right before the "Coming Soon to Home Video" clip-on fades in.
* On the DVD release of *Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within* (one of the first DVDs to contain the fully animated logo), the logo irises out until only the Torch Lady's face is shown, which then fades to the start of the main menu.
* On the trailer for *Starship Troopers 2: Hero of the Federation*, the logo starts with the fourth and third shots playing in the opposite order (albeit sloppily edited, as you can briefly see the fade from the second to third shot once it cuts there), before cutting to the final shot.

Trailer Variants: On VHS tapes with previews from this era, letters would appear on top of the screen, in the form of one of the following:

* Coming Soon to Theaters
* Now Playing In Theaters
* Coming Soon to Home Video
* Now Available on Home Video
* Coming Soon to VHS & DVD
* Now Available on VHS & DVD
* Coming Soon to DVD
* Now Available on DVD

A male announcer (Greg O'Neil) reads the clip-on, and a trailer follows. However, during the previews, the logo is shortened to both shots of the Pegasus and the second shot of the Torch Lady, presented in letterbox and with the text on the black bars.

International Trailer Variant: On early Australian releases, the logo plays normally and in the top right of the screen letters appear spelling "COMING SOON." Tapes with this include *Charlie's Angels*, *Wicked*, and *Vertical Limit*.

**FX/SFX**: Of course, what's mentioned in the description doesn't cover the entire logo. Throughout the animation, the logos are artistically stylized, with mosaic and pixelization effects being used through the logo and a scrolling Matrix-like wall of typography appearing throughout. Also, the designers of the logo, Montgomery/Cobb, retouched the face of the Torch Lady and the wings of the Pegasus to make them look more realistic. The dissolves are done gradually, almost like wipes, and the logo seems to be divided up into five sections during the animation, before coming together as an actual logo at the end. The logo looks quite nice and artistic as a result.

**Music/Sounds**: There were two different jingles:

* VHS (and most VCDs/some DVDs): Composed by Machine Head of Venice, California, the clicking noise comes first, it begins with a wonderful synthesized fanfare that is very majestic, fitting the majestic feel of the logo. Also, it would be interesting to note that the logo was considered one of the longest, clocking in at nearly 20 seconds, until others such as Hendring Limited, Photo-Video, The ABM Group, and Hammer Video Home were discovered.
* DVD (and most Thai VCDs/later VHS tapes): Begins with a shorter acoustic guitar tune that rises into a triumphant theme with bells, strings, a piano and a small chorus.

**Music/Sounds Variants**:

* At the start of the trailer reels on VHS tapes, the clicking noise normally heard at the beginning of the VHS version is absent.
* On *Kermit's Swamp Years*, the audio is synced within the 2001 Jim Henson Home Entertainment logo which extends the audio with the sped up track of the Jim Henson Interactive logo to perform the complete jingle. In order for this to occur, this logo goes right into the Henson logo. *Bear in the Big Blue House Live* has the jingles separated, which allows the Jim Henson logo to start its jingle after the logo dissolves.
* On trailers featuring this logo, the trailer music plays over the logo.
* On the *Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within* variant, wind is heard in place of the music.
* A silent version appears on the DVD of *Punch Drunk Love* (where it follows the MPAA rating screen, which usually appears just after hitting "Play Movie" on the main menu of most DVDs).
* On the 2002 DVS VHS of *Spider-Man*, Miles Neff says the following over the logo: "In a painting, a woman stands on a tiered pedestal. A winged white horse gallops under a dawning blue sky. The woman wears a Roman toga and holds a torch aloft. The winged horse and the woman stand side-by-side over the words, 'Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment.'"

Music/Sounds Trivia: The Maroon 5 track "Must Get Out" features a similar ending to the VHS theme, but played with different instruments.

**Availability**: Common on VHS, VCD, and DVD releases from the era. Some of them are still in print.

* The first releases to contain the logo were *Circus* and *Agent Red*, while the trailer variants first appeared three weeks later on *Finding Forrester*. Other titles that have it include numerous *Berenstain Bears* and *Dragon Tales* releases from the time, *Underworld*, *Hellboy*, *Mr. Deeds*, the first two *Spider-Man* movies, *Radio*, *Lone Star State of Mind*, and pre-SPHE season sets of *The King of Queens*, *Sanford and Son*, *The Jeffersons*, *All in the Family*, *Good Times*, and *Seinfeld*, among others.
* Tapes featuring this logo without the clip-on at the top include *Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Fun to Learn, Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Nature’s Treasures and* *Jay Jay the Jet Plane: New Friends, New Discoveries*, reissues of *Places in the Heart* and *Under Suspicion*, previewless prints of titles such as *The Animal*, *Not Another Teen Movie*, *Black Hawk Down*, *Daddy Day Care*, *Panic Room*, *Spider-Man* and *Half Past Dead*, and *Sunshine State*, which features it after the opening previews, in-between the Surround Sound logo and modified screen. It was also used on demo tapes, which had the main feature's original trailer directly following the logo.
* The VHS theme was for the most part exclusive to its format, but has been spotted on the R1 DVD of the Jeffrey Blitz documentary *Spellbound*. It is also seen on the Region 2 DVDs of *Charlie's Angels (2000)*, *The Order*, *China Moon*, *The Princess Bride*, *Cromwell*, and a 2004 printing of *S.W.A.T (2003)*. It also appears (in widescreen) on the R4 DVD release of *Born Free & Living Free*. VCDs with it include *Snatch* and *Bad Boys II*. Thai VCDs mostly used the DVD music, but the VHS theme can be heard on *In the Line of Fire*, *Vertical Limit*, and *Legends of the Fall*.
* Conversely, the DVD theme has made appearances at the end of the VHS of *Jay Jay the Jet Plane: Soaring Sky High* (among other titles; not counting the first three), and at the beginning of some 2002-04 Australian tapes, such as *America's Sweethearts* and *Secret Window* (others, such as *Spider-Man 2*, still use the VHS version); the complete second music variant with the jingles synced only appears at the start of *Kermit's Swamp Years*. On U.S. tapes, this variant also appears (in widescreen form) on demo tapes from 2004-05 such as *Lightning in a Bottle*.
* On DVDs released prior to the last quarter of 2001, the 8th logo was used. The DVD music was first heard on the first wave of Superbit releases (*Air Force One*, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, *Desperado*, *The Fifth Element*, and *Johnny Mnemonic*), while the first regular DVDs to use it were *Monty Python and the Holy Grail: Special Edition*, *Jabberwocky*, *On the Waterfront*, *Funny Girl*, and *Goldwyn: The Man and His Movies*.
* Strangely, this logo was not seen on the 2001 VHS releases (containing trailers) of *The Animal*, *A Knight's Tale*, and *Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within*; it just goes straight to their widescreen "Coming Soon to Home Video" bumper. Likewise, some tapes, such as *Auto Focus* and *Big Girls Don't Cry*, only use one clip-on.
* In regards to the trailer variants, the "HOME VIDEO" clip-ons were last seen on *National Security* and the demo VHS of *Punch-Drunk Love*, while the "VHS & DVD" clip-ons premiered on *Tears of the Sun*.
* In the U.S., some of the last titles to use the DVD variant include *Leon: The Professional: Deluxe Edition* and *Seinfeld: Season 4*, and it may have last appeared on *NewsRadio: The Complete First and Second Seasons* (see "Trivia" for more).
* On UK videotapes, titles with previews have the VHS version appear before the warning screen, while some 2002-2005 re-releases without previews under the manufacturing of Universal Pictures UK have it afterwards.
* Surprisingly, the VHS version still appeared on French Canadian tapes even during the SPHE era, such as *Hellboy* and *Stealth*, as well as on the U.S. VHS reissues of *Revelation* and *Judgment*, neither of which contain any previews.

Editor's Note: It's a popular logo now that the widely hated "Split Boxes" have been put to rest. A nice fanfare and great logo concept makes this logo a winner.