Tobis Entertainment

Background

In 1972, a former employee of Tobis Film, Horst Wendlandt, founded a new company with the same name, though it's unconnected with the original studio. In 2000, StudioCanal bought a 60% stake in Tobis, renaming it "Tobis StudioCanal" and creating a short-lived production subsidiary lasting until 2002, when the company became independent again.

Tobis Entertainment (first era)

Contents 1st Logo (March 6, 1973-2000) 2nd Logo (Otto - Der Neue Film custom variant) (July 16, 1987) 3rd Logo (Otto: der Katastrophenfilm custom variant) (March 23, 2000)

Tobis StudioCanal

Contents 1st Logo (2000-2001) 2nd Logo (2000-2002)

Tobis Entertainment (second era)

Contents 1st Logo (2002?-2021?) 2nd Logo (August 26, 2021-)

Tobis Entertainment (first era)

1st Logo (March 6, 1973-2000)

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Visuals: On a black background, a line is drawn. Then four letters rise from it, reading "TOB S", in which every letter lacks a bottom portion (except for the "B", which has a transparent one). A cartoon rooster flies in and watches around, standing between the "B" and the "S". The background becomes gradient blue and the letters turn black (except for the "B" once again, which has its bottom portion stay the same color). The bird then lays a small egg, which forms an "I". Then the rooster walks away, and the logo shines and turns to gold.

Variant: An early variant has "TOB S" wiping in from the background with a grainy effect. The animation is also more primitive. The letters stay black the entire time and never turn gold. The background may be beige or plain blue. One of the last films to use this variant was "Bei mir liegen Sie richtig" (1990).

Trivia: Studio founder Horst Wendlandt was reportedly very reluctant about the PANs Studio revamp, as he thought the rooster was giving the studio good luck. As a result, PANs reanimated the logo in a way that was almost identical to before.

Technique: Cel animation, with the later version adding some CGI. The early version was done by Geyer-Werke Berlin, while the later version was done by PANs Studio.

Audio: A violin note, followed by a very old-sounding dramatic fanfare. Halfway through, the rooster crows. The early version doesn't have the violin note.

Audio Trivia: The fanfare is taken from the opening theme to the 1936 Charlie Chaplin movie Modern Times. Chaplin gave the company permission to use it for their logo.

Availability: Seen on older German movie releases. It was spotted on Theory of Flight. It was also spotted on an Albanian dub of For A Few Dollars More, followed by the MGM logo.

Legacy: It has been significant to German cinema culture, thanks to the taken fanfare, abstract rooster, and said rooster laying an egg, which they are incapable of doing in real life. The popularity and longevity for this logo made its concept return in 2002.

2nd Logo (Otto - Der Neue Film custom variant) (July 16, 1987)

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Visuals: On a white background, the word "TOB S" from before emerges from it, with the bottom of the "B" being represented by lines. An elephant appears running, and drifts and stops on the place of the "I". The elephant kisses the "B", as it later turns red and a heart appears floating above the elephant. The elephant's trunk raises, facing the heart and making the "I".

Technique: Cel animation.

Audio: A violin note (similar to the beginning of the previous logo), deep string/drum hits when the elephant runs, a braking sound, the kiss and the elephant's sound, as the fanfare turns into a calm note with a "shining" synth.

Availability: This was used only as a custom variant on Otto - Der Neue Film.

3rd Logo (Otto: der Katastrophenfilm custom variant) (March 23, 2000)

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Visuals: The signature "TOBIS" text from the previous two logos emerges by sliding in from a clear blue surface. The camera stops zooming back, and the reflection of the "B" fades in on that surface. An elephant appears illuminated by a spotlight, moving with jumps. The elephant then looks at the screen. It starts jumping to the left, and then to the bottom of the screen. The elephant then starts to jump at the camera while yelling "Yah!", making it crash with the screen and a shattering glass effect happens.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A 2-note dramatic string theme when the logo appears, with a dark sounder when the reflection appears. The sounds of jumping, the elephant yelling, and the glass breaking during the rest of the logo.

Availability: This only appeared on Otto: der Katastrophenfilm.

Tobis StudioCanal

1st Logo (2000-2001)

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Visuals: Over a black background, there is the "TOBIS" logo with the 2000-2011 StudioCanal logo on the bottom right of it fading in. After a few seconds, it fades to black.

Technique: A still, printed image.

Audio: None.

Availability: This was spotted on the German theatrical releases of some movies like Sweet November and Chicken Run, the latter of which would end up on the BMG Video DVD release of the film there. It also appears on a TV spot there of said film.

2nd Logo (2000-2002)

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Visuals: On a white background, a rooster (possibly a Rhode Island red) struts in from the left, panting. He continues to strut across the screen as the white text "TOBIS" appears over his body in its traditional font. The text turns orange when the rooster walks away from it. When the rooster is close enough to walking offscreen to the right that only his tail is showing, the 2000-2011 StudioCanal logo fades in to "TOBIS"'s bottom right. The rooster walks offscreen.

Technique: Live-action with digital graphics.

Audio: None or the opening theme.

Availability: Unknown. ^[Examples?]

Tobis Entertainment (second era)

1st Logo (2002?-2021?)

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Visuals: On a sky blue-white gradient background, the screen zooms away from a shadow of a rooster walking on the shadow of "TOB S", again without the bottom parts. When the rooster's foot walks past the gap between the "B" and the "S", he stops for a bit to crow and flaps his wings. Then he lays an egg, which forms the "I" upward, lacking a bottom like the other letters. Then the rooster flies away, shedding some feathers, and the text "TOBIS" unveils itself and becomes gold. Then the logo shines.

Variant: There is a short version of the logo that starts when the logo shines.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A country-style tune that is (sort of) synced up to the rooster's movements, which stops for a second when the egg is laid. A stock rooster crowing sound and flapping is also heard.

Availability: Unknown. Seen on German movie releases. ^[Examples?] The short version can be seen on trailers.

Legacy: Although the concept was reused from the first logo of the first era, the atmosphere is calmer than before, likely to not freak people out.

2nd Logo (August 26, 2021-)

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Visuals: On a dark background with a dim spotlight lighting the floor, a new rooster (which has a larger tail, shinier feathers, and overall looks more bantam-like than before; it is possible that he is an Old English Game) flies down onto a short golden "T" rising from the ground. He struts across the upper halves of "O" and "B" as they rise up in a similar manner. Half of "S" also rises, and he keeps one foot on "B" and puts the other on "S". Squatting down and flapping his wings, he lays a golden egg, which stretches up into the "I". He crows, and then flies away, as "TOBIS" rises from the ground, the "B" being shown in full like before and the spotlight adjusting to shine on the text. The logo shines.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A country-style piano theme vaguely similar to the previous logo's soundtrack, as well as a ding when the rooster lays the egg and the rooster crowing. Once the rooster flies away, a bombastic 6-note orchestral theme plays.

Availability: Seen on their newer releases from the company, such as The Magic Flute and The Father.