Motion Picture Association

This article is about the American trade association and major film studio. For the Egyptian film production company, see Motion Picture Association (Egypt).

Credits

Compiled by
LMgamer36

Editions by
Camenati and BorderGuard87

Motion Picture Association
Founded:	1922 (102 years ago)
Formerly:	Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (1922-1945) Motion Picture Association of America (1945-2019)
Location:	United States
Website:	https://motionpictures.org/

Background

The Motion Picture Association (MPA) is an American trade association representing the five major film studios of the United States, as well as the video streaming service Netflix, and the mini-major studio Amazon MGM Studios. Founded in 1922 as the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America (MPPDA) and known as the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) from 1946 until September 2019, its original goal was to ensure the viability of the American film industry. In addition, the MPA established guidelines for film content which resulted in the creation of the Motion Picture Production Code in 1930. This code, also known as the Hays Code, was replaced by a voluntary film rating system in 1968, which is managed by the Classification and Rating Administration (CARA).

The original MPAA members were the "Big Eight" film studios: Paramount Pictures, Fox Film, Loews, Universal Pictures, and United Artists, followed by Warner Bros. in 1923, Columbia Pictures in 1924, along with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (formed by the merger of Loews, Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Productions), and RKO Pictures in 1928. Then came the 1935 merger of Fox Film and 20th Century Pictures into 20th Century Fox. Netflix was approved as a new member in January 2019, making it the first non-studio and the first streaming service to be part of the organization. The addition of Netflix also helped to maintain the number of members after the acquisition of 20th Century Fox by Disney. Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video later joined the MPA in October 1, 2024 as its seventh member, the second non-studio to do so after Netflix.

1st Logo (1946-1967)

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Visuals: Scrolling with the credits of a film is the Motion Picture Producers and Distributors of America seal, but the "PD" has been replaced by an "A", reading "MPAA". Above the seal is "APPROVED CERTIFICATE" and below the seal is the production code number of the film.

Variants:

• The styling of the logo varies by film.
• On some films, "APPROVED CERTIFICATE" does not appear on top of the seal.
  • At the credits screens of some Looney Tunes, Merrie Melodies, and DePatie-Freleng shorts released from 1951-67, the logo is shorter and is also not tilted.
• A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum (1966): The logo appears as carved on a stone on a Roman fresco depicting an orgy in process. A character in the fresco raises the logo in protest.

Technique: An still graphic.

Audio: The opening/closing theme of the movie.

Availability: Seen on practically every film produced in the United States released on the time period. On many of them, such as many Disney productions until 1967 such as Mary Poppins (1964), it can be seen at the opening credits instead of the closing credits.

2nd Logo (June 13, 1967-)

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Visuals: Scrolling with the credits of a film is the Motion Picture Association print logo (an oval with one horizontal line and several curved, vertical lines on it, resembling a global symbol, also containing a circle in the center that sports five smaller ones). Atop it is "No." followed by the production code number of the film, as opposed to below the logo previously, and below it is the text "MOTION PICTURE ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA" (with an underline, until 2019) or "MPA" (without an underline, 2019 onwards).

Variants:

• The position and font of the logo and production code number varies by film.
• On some films, the MPAA/MPA print logo is smaller.
• On The Return of the Pink Panther (1975), the logo appears in the opening credits on a vase.
• At the end of The Hunger (1983) and Return to Snowy River (1988), the logo is a still picture, moved to the center of the screen and no other logos are present.
• On some films, especially those from the 1980s, like Airplane II: The Sequel, Revenge of the Nerds and The Running Man, as well as Death Tunnel and Monster Trucks, "NO." is absent.
  • For the latter title, the company name is stacked and the underline is absent.
• On select Universal Pictures, Miramax and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer releases, such as My Life So Far, Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Valley Girl and Cocaine Bear, the text "CERTIFICATE NO." is next to the production code number atop the logo.
• Most films made before 1980 have "APPROVED" next to "NO." and the production code number. Many Warner Bros. and 20th Century Studios releases after 1980 and select Lionsgate releases also have the variant, such as Office Space (1999), Idiocracy (2006), Avatar (2009), Blood and Chocolate, The Greatest Showman, and Ford v Ferrari.
• On films, especially films made after 2014, such as Jurassic World, The Peanuts Movie, The Greatest Showman and Ready Player One, "INC." is placed beside the company name.
• On films such as most pre-2020 Pixar releases such as Cars (2006), Planes (2013), and Chang Can Dunk (2023), the production code number is placed underneath the logo.
• On DreamWorks Animation features from The Road to El Dorado up to Flushed Away, the logo is inside a white box with the exception of the code, which is set in the Optima font.
• On Hollywood Dreams, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging, The Lego Movie, The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, the 2022 films Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank, Tad the Lost Explorer and the Emerald Tablet, Call Jane, and Guy Ritchie's The Covenant, the logo is moved at the center of the screen, and no other logos are present again, similar to The Hunger and Return to Snowy River, except that it scrolls with the credits. For the first three films, it's the "APPROVED" variant. This is omitted from the film's British and Chinese prints of the fourth title, and Spanish prints for the fifth title.
• On post-2000 Paramount Pictures releases, the logo is seen after the text.
• A few films, such as American prints of The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, Diving with Dolphins, The Loud House Movie, and Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: The Movie, don't have the film's production code number.
  • In fact, aside from The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones, it's currently unknown what the MPAA/MPA number for these films are.

Technique: A still graphic, but most of the time, scrolling effects.

Audio: None or the opening/closing theme of the movie.

Availability: Seen on practically every film produced in the United States and sometimes movies from the United Kingdom.

• This logo is mostly paired with the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees logo, and/or the SAG-AFTRA logo.
• This is usually absent on international versions of some films.
• It first appeared on the American release of You Only Live Twice (1967), whereas the first film to bear the current name is Countdown (2019).
• Despite being retired, the old name is still used on a few films; the most recent examples being Chaos Walking, Chang Can Dunk, Suzume (albeit only on American prints, the Japanese prints doesn't have it), The Old Way, Champions and Knock at the Cabin.
• Many films rated by the MPAA/MPA do not have the logo, such as both parts of Justice League × RWBY: Super Heroes & Huntsmen and most foreign films such as Godzilla Minus One.
• Until the early-1980s, it was mostly used in the opening credits like with the previous logo.