CinéGroupe

Credits

Descriptions by
Henrynguye5

Captures by
Henrynguye5

Editions by
Henrynguye5

Video captures courtesy of
LogicSmash, Broken Saw and ClosingLogosHD

Background

CinéGroupe was a Canadian animation studio, founded in Montréal, Québec in 1974 by Jacques Pettigrew and Michel Lemire. The company did not use a logo until 1987. CinéGroupe's creative team was responsible for the production of over 1,000 half-hours of animation and live action family entertainment programs and has received over 40 international awards including a Daytime Emmy and several Geminis. As of today, the company is currently dormant.

1st Logo (March 12, 1987-December 26, 1997)

Visuals: On a background consisting of a cloudy purplish sky and multi-colored dots covering the ground, the camera zooms out from two silver reels, with purple film rolling in them, like a projector. As the camera zooms out, there is a one-legged blue bird with a filmreel in its beak, being projected on a floating screen. The bird comes out of the screen in a 3D effect. The filmreels flip around with a flash of light, while the bird flies to the left of the new text:

CINÉ
GROUPE

The text is in a Gotitch font with the U/P and the N/E connected. When the logo's perspective is on the progress onto the right, the logo freezes.

Variant: On pre-2000 prints of The Secret World of Santa Claus, the logo is placed underneath the Marathon Productions logo.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A somewhat relaxing synth tune, mostly consisting of warbling. There's also a high-tone version. On the first episode of The Secret World of Santa Claus, none.

Availability: It was seen on Just for Kids releases of Ovide and the Gang, as well as Sharky & George, Eye of the Wolf, Moon Glow, The Little Flying Bears (Croatian releases remove this logo and it goes straight to the opening intro instead), Sea Dogs, Team S.O.S., pre-2000 prints of The Secret World of Santa Claus, and the failed Link pilot.

2nd Logo (July 18, 1998-December 14, 2000)

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Visuals: Over a black background, the logo starts with the bird from the previous logo, with a white dot in the near center of the viewer's right. The bird pulls on the dot which causes an orange cloudy cloth-like background to spring up like a piece of cloth (which looks like a sunset, or the background of the "Badlands" star system in Star Trek). The bird then leans upwards and opens its beak to catch a filmreel. The text "CINÉGROUPE", in the same style as before but in the Helvetica Bold font, "bounces" into place next to the bird. The bird slightly leans over the logo, and blinks with the filmreel in its beak.

Variants:

• A short version exists that starts as the orange background appears.
• Sometimes, there's an English version which has "CINE GROUP" instead of "CINÉGROUPE". Here, the U and P are not connected.
• In the logo's early life, the bird lands to the dot before pulling it. That's the case with the French version, but not with the English version.
• At the end of Kit and Kaboodle, a still version of this logo is seen at the top, with the Cambium Productions and One Entertainment logos being placed on the bottom left and right sides of the screen.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A dramatic eight-note synth theme, then a hit and an electric guitar tune with a "ding" when the bird blinks. This was composed by Anthony Rozankovic.

Audio Variant: At the end of Kit and Kaboodle, the show's closing theme plays over the still version of this logo.

Availability: Seen on some shows during this period, such as Canadian prints of both Jim Button and Bad Dog, the first season of The Kids from Room 402, Kit and Kaboodle, and Mega Babies. This was used in tandem with the next logo for that logo's first few months.

3rd Logo (September 26, 2000-September 19, 2003)

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Visuals: Over a dark bluish-black background, the logo starts with various filmstrips with the new logo on them. Letters are seen swirling around. A big "C" comes from the left, swiveling to the center. It zooms forward as the filmstrips disappear, leaving it on a black background with a spotlight lighting up a portion of the ground. The "C" moves up into the spotlight as various letters become "CinéGroupe", now being set in a bold Verdana font underneath it. The "C" now has a simplified version of the bird, minus the bird's wings and the filmreel in the bird's beak, in the center. The words then flash in the center as blue electricity moves to the left and right, turning the words from a darker gray color to a blue color.

Variants:

• A short version starts with the big "C" coming into view.
• A shorter version exists, just showing the word turning blue.
• An early variant exists where the same animation happens in the beginning, ending with a different finished product. The background has more light (which resembles a dark, cloudy night sky), and the words are a much darker blue color, which doesn't produce electricity.
• A short version of the early variant was seen on most prints of Wunschpunsch, the first 18 episodes of Season 2 of The Kids from Room 402, and newer post-2000 prints of The Secret World of Santa Claus, plastering the first logo. On the latter show, the logo is in the same spot, below the aforementioned Marathon Productions logo.
• A "Distributed by" version of the shorter variant was seen on at least some prints of The Ripping Friends, and for a split-second on DVD prints of the show's first episode. On that variant, the words "Distributed by", in a white-blue gradient, and in Arial Bold, are placed above of the logo.
• A still version of the early variant is seen at the end of Edward.
• A still version of the later variant is seen at the end of Edge of Madness.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A majestic synth theme with a swoosh for the big "C" swiveling, and electricity sounds for the letters turning from black to blue (which are omitted in the early version).

Audio Variants:

• The shorter version has a three-note version of the music, and the electricity sounds.
• There is an extended version of the theme.
• On French-Canadian Unis TV airings of the first 20 episodes of the third and final season of Big Wolf on Campus, the logo's theme is in a lower pitch. This is due to the use of an European French master, which has the theme in its' normal pitch, but was slowed-down to accommodate the frame-rate of 23.976 FPS the show was shot in, instead of a Canadian French master.
• On international prints of the series finale of the aforementioned program, the logo's theme is in a higher pitch. When Unis TV aired that episode, the theme is now back in its' normal pitch.
• On the first episode of season 3 of that program, the theme is in-sync with the swoosh for the big "C" swiveling, but is out of sync with the electricity turning the letters blue. It's also true with the remaining 20 episodes of season 3, but although the theme is now out of sync with the swoosh for the big "C" swiveling, it is now in-sync with the electricity turning the letters blue.
• On Edward, the show's closing theme plays over the still version of this logo.
• On both Edge of Darkness and some prints of The Ripping Friends, the logo is silent.

Availability: This was seen in tandem with both the previous and next logos until December 14, 2000, and September 19, 2003, respectively.

• It was seen on Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat, the final 12 episodes of Season 2 of The Kids from Room 402, the first season of What's with Andy?, and the third and final season of Big Wolf on Campus.
• It should be preserved on DVDs of their shows during this time frame.
• The rare "Distributed by" version of this logo was seen at the end of some prints of The Ripping Friends, and was even spotted at the end of DVD prints of the show's first episode, albeit, seen for a split-second, going straight to the Animagic logo.
• At the beginning of the first two videotapes of Sagwa (and on the Sagwa's Storybook World DVD), it appears after the Sesame Workshop logo and the next four videotapes (alongside the Cat Tales and Celebrations and Feline Friends and Families DVDs) have it in-between the PBS Kids "Dot" logo and the aforementioned SW logo; although this logo is still seen on the show itself, the remaining two videotapes (and the Great Purr-formances DVD) have the next logo at the beginning and end of both videotapes and that DVD, plastering this logo.
• The early variant was seen at the end of Lion of Oz (this logo's debut), most prints of Wunschpunsch (German prints don't have this at the end; it goes straight to the Saban International logo, followed by the ARD logo), the Princess Sissi PC game Princess Sissi's First Great Adventure, the first 18 episodes of Season 2 of The Kids from Room 402, and newer post-2000 prints of The Secret World of Santa Claus, while the still version of both the early and later variants were seen at the end of Edward (the final program to have this logo) and Edge of Madness, respectively.

4th Logo (February 9, 2002-March 25, 2008)

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Visuals: On a black background, a teal blue sphere quickly flies past the camera, and the rest of the CinéGroupe logo "wavers" into existence. The word "CINÉ" is now a shade of teal blue, with a block for the acute on the E, while "GROUPE" is white, and are in a bold Microgramma font, and the bird is now even more simplified, without its' legs and the "C" surrounding it. The logo tilts up as the sphere makes contact with the rest of the logo and creates a lens flare, and the sphere becomes the "eye" of the bird. The logo then simply shines at the end.

Variants:

• On Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension, either "A CINÉGROUPE PRODUCTION" (in English) or "UNE PRODUCTION CINÉGROUPE" (in French) in the Impact font is seen above the logo.
• Short versions of the logo exist on most shows, such as Canadian prints of both The Tofus and season 2 of What's with Andy?.
• On Bratz: The Video - Starrin' & Stylin', the logo is still and in-credit.
• A warp-speed version exists. This could be spotted on 11 Somerset.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A waving electronic tune (the variant uses a zip-esque note instead or sometimes blended in for the long version).

Audio Variant: On Daft Planet, Seriously Weird, Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension, and the first episode of Season 3 of Tripping the Rift, their shows' respective closing themes play over the logo.

Availability: This was used in tandem with the previous logo until September 19, 2003.

• Seen on shows such as Galidor: Defenders of the Outer Dimension (this logo's debut), Tripping the Rift (and its' accompanying movie) and the final two seasons of What's with Andy?.
• It also appears at the beginning of the last two Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat video tapes from the period (and on the Great Purr-formances DVD), plastering the previous logo (though that logo still appears on the show itself), and on Pinocchio 3000.
• The in-credit version appears at the end of Bratz: The Video - Starrin' & Stylin'.
• The logo also appears on the Game Boy Advance video games Tom and Jerry in Infurnal Escape, Dora the Explorer: The Search for Pirate Pig's Treasure, and Dora the Explorer: Super Spies.