During the era of Cadence Industries Corporation, Marvel Comics began to produce animated shows in 1977, joining forces with DePatie-Freleng Enterprises. In 1981, David H. DePatie sold DFE to Marvel Comics and DFE became "Marvel Productions, Ltd." as Marvel's animation division.
In 1983, Marvel Productions joined forces with Sunbow Entertainment, who ended their venture in 1987.
In 1986, Cadence Industries was liquidated and sold Marvel Entertainment Group to New World Pictures, both of which later became part of New World Entertainment. Although MEG was later sold, New World kept hold of Marvel Productions, and in 1992, the studio became part of a new division of New World, called New World Family Filmworks. A year later, the studio was renamed as New World Animation.
In 1994, New World Family Filmworks and Marvel Entertainment Group formed two joint ventures - Marvel Films and Marvel Films Animation to continue producing Marvel content for television.
In 1996, New World was sold to News Corporation; after the sale was completed in February 1997, New World itself was folded into Fox, while the Family Filmworks division (which included New World Animation and Marvel Films Animation) was folded into Fox Kids Worldwide, a joint venture between News Corporation and Saban Entertainment founded a year prior, effectively ending what was previously Marvel Productions. A few months later, this division soon merged with IFE to form Fox Family Worldwide.
In October 2001, the Walt Disney Company purchased Fox Family Worldwide, along with Saban, renaming them as "ABC Family Worldwide Inc." and "BVS Entertainment" respectively.
Today, Disney owns the libraries of Marvel Productions, with a few exceptions. Ironically, in August 2009, Disney announced its plans to acquire Marvel Entertainment, an acquisition which would be completed on December 31, reuniting Marvel with the Marvel Productions library.
Nicknames: "The Spider-Man Emblem", "The Spider-Man Logo"
Logo: On a blue or light blue background, there is text that reads:
At the top left is a white circle containing a blue circle in the center. Inside of it features Spider-Man's head inside the blue circle. The circle is surrounded by a text that says "MARVEL COMICS ANIMATION" in a different position (a la Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Television or Sunbow Productions). The closing variant is on a navy blue background having only Spider-Man's head in a white circle and the text above in center position.
FX/SFX: None.
Music/Sounds: The opening variant is usually silent, but on the closing variant, the closing theme of the show was used.
Availability: Rare for the opening variant, extremely rare for the closing variant. Seen on Marvel shows during the era.
Editor's Note: None.
Nickname: "MP"
Logo:
Variants:
FX/SFX: The "star" effects and drawing in of the logo, and the rotating lines, which may remind one of Avco Embassy's logo.
Music/Sounds: A very dramatic fanfare composed by Rob Walsh. The end theme of the show may finish over it, especially the short and still variants.
Availability: Extremely rare. Most Marvel shows of this time (The Incredible Hulk, Dungeons and Dragons, the 1981 solo Spider-Man series, Defenders of the Earth) have been updated with either a newer Marvel logo and/or a Saban logo. However, you may still see this logo on some videos of Marvel shows of this time. It also turned up when Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends was rerun on Toon Disney and Disney XD (the logo is still present on the Disney+ prints). The still variant with the DFE byline is rare, and it was seen only on The Grinch Grinches the Cat in the Hat, the last Dr. Seuss/DFE animated special. The short version also appeared on the failed Solarman pilot, made in 1986 but released on video in 1989, then aired only once on Fox Kids in 1992. The still version with the New World byline only appears on the Little People Video series of direct-to-video releases, released in 1988 by New World Video, consisting of Favorite Songs, 3 Favorite Stories, A Visit to the Farm, Jokes Riddles and Rhymes, Christmas Fun, and Fun With Words. The C&G Video/Starmaker Entertainment reissues keep this logo, as do international releases. The version without the "MP" was only seen on the Pink Panther special Pink at First Sight. The first episode of the 1981 solo Spider-Man series on Disney+ retains this logo and the ARP Films logo (as it appears to have been transferred from an aged film print); the rest of that series plasters this logo with the next one. (and is taken from videotape masters).
Editor's Note: While the logo does reek of cheesiness for its visuals and overly dramatic fanfare, the animation is still quite nice for an early '80s logo.
Nicknames: "MP II", "CGI Spidey", "The Spider-Man Logo II", "Silver Spider-Man", "Scary Spidey"
Logo: In space, we pan out through a series of orange glowing CGI bars. As the bars rotate up towards us, they are revealed to be part of the "MP" logo, done in glorious 3D (and with the "M" cut-out, not filled in). In the background, Spider-Man (also in CGI) flies up from below, and the logo is "absorbed" into his body, turning him silver. The space background turns into a "time warp mode" into a silver-black gradient background, as the words "MARVEL PRODUCTIONS LTD." rise up from the bottom-right with a trail behind them. The "MP" logo returns to the screen, as the silver Spider-Man somersaults to the top of it and takes a prowler-like stance above it as the logo takes its place on the center of the screen (Spidey's eyes return shortly after). The text takes its place below the logo. The byline, "A NEW WORLD COMPANY" fades in when the everything is finished.
Trivia:
Variants:
FX/SFX: The zooming and panning of the MP, as well as Spider-Man's actions. Amazing CGI for the time period, rendered on the Cray X-MP/48 supercomputer and a DEC VAX-11/780 mainframe. The modeling was done on an Evans and Sutherland PS-300 terminal. The animation was done on an IMI 500 display monitor. The texturing and lighting was done on a Ramtek 9460 framebuffer. The logo was recorded to 35mm film on a III PFR-80 (The company Gary and John worked at before they founded DP).
Music/Sounds: It begins with a THX-like "chord" sound with some futuristic "whooshes", then a synth note that plays deeper toward the end. At other times, the ending theme plays over it.
Music/Sounds variants:
Availability: Uncommon, bordering on rare.
Editor's Note: This logo features impressive CGI for its time and is a favorite to many.
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