Toei Animation

Background

Toei Animation is a Japanese animation studio partially owned by Toei Company. It was established in 1956 at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio by purchasing the assets of Japan Animated Films. By the mid-60's, the company began producing anime for television. The company also produces feature-length anime films, based on well-known stories and their TV series. Toei Animation is famous for adapting such manga series as Dragon Ball, One Piece, and Sailor Moon, and for popularizing Digimon. The studio also made overseas work for US companies such as Marvel Productions, and Hanna-Barbera among others. Pero, the protagonist of the studio's 1969 film The Wonderful World of Puss 'n Boots and its two sequels: 1972's Ringo Goes West/Ringo Rides West and 1976's Puss 'n Boots: Around the World respectively serves as the company's mascot.

Note:

Before 1996, films and television series produced and distributed by the company had the Toei Company logo.

Contents

1st Logo (1984, US)	2nd Logo (August 6, 1993)	3rd Logo (December 14, 1996-2017)	4th Logo (September 7, 2013-)	5th Logo (2016-)

1st Logo (1984, US)

Visuals: There is a small line-art version of Pero (which was used starting in 1981 as a corporate logo) in reverse video, with the text "Produced in Association with" above and "TOEI DOGA" below, all in the Transformers credits font. Below all this is a Sunbow Entertainment copyright notice, in a compressed sans-serif.

Technique: A superimposed graphic.

Audio: The end theme of The Transformers.

Availability: Only seen on early season 1 episodes of The Transformers.

2nd Logo (August 6, 1993)

Visuals: On a white background with a blurred picture of a rainbow, there's the metallic "Toei Animation" text appearing on top of the screen in an arc formation. On the bottom, the yellow Japanese text saying "公式ビジュアルガイド" (which means "Official Visual Guide") appears.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: None.

Availability: Was only seen on Dragon Ball Z: Plan to Eradicate the Saiyans (OVA).

3rd Logo (December 14, 1996-2017)

Visuals: On a space background, bubbles with images on them (mostly on nature, like the red tulip, a sunflower, a pelican, a gecko, a parrot and some fishes) form together and morph into Pero's head, with the colors matching his appearance in the Puss'n Boots films. The background transitions into the multicolored starburst background and to white, and the head zooms out to make way for the "TOEI ANIMATION" text to zoom out into the screen.

Variants:

In some films that were produced in a 1:33:1 (4:3) full-screen aspect ratio, the logo is letterboxed. At the end, the black bars from the top and bottom move out.
On Yes! Precure 5 GoGo! - Okashi no Kuni no Happy Birthday, the logo after being animated, zooms out while fading and becoming superimposed on a red curtain that leads into the movie's beginning.
A short version, which starts after the head has finished forming, is occasionally used.
An all-red logo, with the wording 'Since 1956' and a registered trademark symbol was used in the end credits of the short-lived 4Kids dubs of One Piece and Ojamajo Doremi (Magical Doremi).
On shows like Digimon Fusion, a variant is used which starts just as Pero's face forms.
A filmed version of the logo is used on several of their films.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A triumphant orchestral fanfare ending with a timpani roll. In most cases, it'll use the last part of the show's ending theme, or a descending sparkling noise ending in 4 bell tolls.

Audio Variant: On Tamagotchi: Honto no Hanashi, there are bubble sounds, followed by a "ta-da!" sound effect originally taken from Fun and Fancy Free (and used as a stock sound effect in Cartoon Trax Volume 1) and a girl saying "Yippee!".

Availability:

The logo was first shown on the Kindaichi Shōnen no Jikenbo movie released in December 1996.
The 2nd variant listed here is the most common, as it appears on Japanese prints of the Digimon movies.
The 1st variant listed here can be seen in Interstella 5555: The 5tory of the 5ecret 5tar 5ystem.
The 'Since 1956' variant can be found on episodes of the 4Kids One Piece and Magical Doremi dubs, though on the former, it alternates between that one and the short version of the animated logo.
The short version of the logo can be found on episodes of Dragon Ball Z Kai when aired on Nicktoons in the US, Kix! in the UK, and the longer closing variant can be found on episodes of Digimon Fusion and also used as a longer opening variation that's currently seen on Sailor Moon Crystal.
Also appears on Hulu prints of Dragon Ball and Netflix prints of Dragon Quest: The Adventure of Dai.
Despite the next logo replacing it, this logo currently remains as a print logo.

Legacy: A well-known logo amongst anime fans.

4th Logo (September 7, 2013-)

Visuals: A red streak is seen in the middle as it bolts to the left and to the right to form the text "TOEI ANIMATION" written in a type of Japanese-like font used on some anime shows. The logo then changes to white as the byline "SINCE 1956" in Myriad appears below.

Variant: At the end of some shows, a print version of the logo is seen super-imposed over the end credits.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: A whoosh plays as it's followed by an ominous sound.

Audio Variant: For the in-credit variant, it's the end theme of the show.

Availability:

Seen at the start of Harlock: Space Pirate and Knights of the Zodiac among other films and shows.
This logo is currently in tandem with the next logo since 2016 as an alternate logo.

5th Logo (July 3, 2016-)

Visuals: There are 2 variants for this logo:

Regular: On a space background, the screen zooms out and reveals the earth with an atom on it. While Pero (in CGI) jumps down and poses, the golden text "TOEI ANIMATION" with an energy blast flies along with a more shining copy of it. The earth then turns into a blue circle with the atom shape containing Pero inside it, a rainbow filmstrip gets formed around the globe, and the flying text slides below the logo, forming "TOEI ANIMATION" in a crystallized fashion. At the same time, the logo emits a powerful, sparkling energy that makes some golden stars around the logo, which brightens.
Extended: On a cloudy background, the screen zooms out from Pero's face and spin around, then the camera hovers above Pero, revealing a filmstrip. Pero then jumps out of the filmstrip, draws out his sword and flies to the right, while another filmstrip slides from the left and both filmstrips turn into a part of the atom. The animation then continues as normal.

Variant: A 60th anniversary exists. The golden words "60TH" and "ANNIVERSARY" move into their position surrounding the blue globe with Pero and the crystal "TOEI ANIMATION" text just fades in and its smaller to make way for the slogan "夢は世界とともに" (translated in English as "Sharing dreams with the world"). Also, the sparkling is less powerful.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: Two whooshes with a pounding sound, played along with an orchestral note.

Audio Variant: The long version contains a filmstrip sound (similar to the 2012 Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer logo), followed by a glitter sound when Pero uses his wand, a Dragon Ball Z sound when Pero flies with 2 whoosh sounds, and finally, the sounds mentioned before. On one occasion, instead of the 4 mentioned sounds, there were 3 whooshes and a glitter sound when the golden stars appear.

Availability:

This was first seen on episode 50 of Dragon Ball Super and it was used at the beginning of every show produced by the studio since then.
Used in tandem with the previous logo until a year later.
Also seen on newer prints of Dragon Ball Z Kai: The Final Chapters.

Legacy: A well-known logo amongst anime fans.