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{{PageButtons|TriStar Pictures|Logo Variations=1|Trailers=1}}
Logo descriptions by Ryan Mead, James Fabiano, Matt Williams, Juniorfan88, and Gilblitz112
{{about|the company owned by Sony Pictures|the earlier company of the same name|TriStar Pictures Productions}}
Logo captures by Eric S., Logophile, CuriousGeorge60, snelfu, EnormousRat, JoeCool85, and V of Doom
Editions{{PageCredits|description=Ryan byMead, James Fabiano, Jess Williams, Juniorfan88, Gilblitz112 and SBF2004|capture=Eric S., Logophile, CuriousGeorge60, snelfu, EnormousRat, JoeCool85 and V of Doom|edits=Juniorfan88, Shadeed A. Kelly, Logophile, V of Doom, kidinbed, betamaxflyer, Vahan Nisanian, GETENT, and Kramden II, Michael Kenchington, Trevor807, Tjdrum2000 and SBF2004}}
{{Infobox company
Video captures courtesy ofPeakpasha,Eric S., TriStarPicturesTV, The Movie Dude andSagan Blob
|name=TriStar Pictures, Inc.
|image=[[File:TriStar Pictures present day logo.png]]
|founded=March 2, 1982 ({{age|1982|3|2}} years ago)
|formerly=Nova Pictures (1982-1983)<br>Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. (1983-1991)
|founder=Victor Kaufman
|key people=Nicole Brown (president)
|country=[[:Category:United States|United States]]
|parent=Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group<br>([[Sony Pictures Entertainment]])
|subsidiaries=TriStar Productions
}}
 
===Background===
'''TriStar Pictures, Inc.''' (originally spelled '''Tri-Star''') was formed on March 2, 1982 as a joint venture between [[Columbia Pictures]] (then owned by [[The Coca-Cola Company]]), HBO and CBS, hence the name of the studio. It was originally known as '''Nova Pictures''' until May 16, 1983, when its name was changed in order to avoid confusion with the [[PBS]] series ''Nova''. CBS was the first joint-owner who dropped out of the venture on November 15, 1985, and sold its interest to Columbia for $48 million. In 1986, HBO sold its shares in Tri-Star to Columbia as well, and formed [[HBO Films|HBO Pictures]].
 
On December 21, 1987, Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. was renamed Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. The Coca-Cola Company merged the operations of Tri-Star and Columbia to become Columbia/Tri-Star, of which it owned 80% of its stock. In late 1987, most of Tri-Star's releases were copyrighted under the Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. name until April 13, 1988, when it was reverted back to Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. In January 1988, CPE's stocks somewhat fell, and Coca-Cola decreased its shares in CPE to 49%. On November 8, 1989, [[Sony]] of Japan acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for $3.4 billion. On August 7, 1991, under [[Sony Pictures Entertainment]], the hyphen was officially removed from the name of TriStar Pictures.
Note: This is not to be confused with an earlier company of the same name.
 
Early on (with a few exceptions), TriStar's films were released on home video by either [[RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video]] (now [[Sony Pictures Home Entertainment]]), [[CBS/Fox Video|CBS/Fox]]/[[Key Video]] (now [[20th Century Home Entertainment]]), occasionally [[Vestron Video]]/[[Lightning Video]] (now [[Lionsgate Home Entertainment]]), or [[Thorn EMI Video|Thorn-EMI]]/[[HBO/Cannon Video]]/[[HBO Home Entertainment|HBO Video (now HBO Home Entertainment)]], among others. In 1988, following Columbia's buyout of TriStar, home video distribution of its films moved exclusively to RCA/Columbia. From 1985 to 1994, TriStar also distributed films produced by [[Carolco Pictures]] in the US and select international regions; such films were released on home video through [[International Video Entertainment]] and [[Live Entertainment|Live Home Video]] (now Lionsgate Home Entertainment), often with TriStar's logo cut. ''Cliffhanger'', which TriStar had full distribution rights to in the United States, France, Mexico, Germany, Australia and New Zealand due to Carloco providing half of the film's budget to TriStar, is the only Carolco film in which the rights were retained by the original distributor. The [[Taft Entertainment Pictures|Taft Entertainment]] films that TriStar released (such as ''The Monster Squad'' and ''The Running Man'') were acquired by [[Paramount Pictures]] after Taft merged into [[Republic Entertainment|Republic]] and then [[Viacom Productions|Viacom]]. International distribution rights to TriStar's titles were previously handled by Columbia-Warner Distributors (a partnership between Columbia and [[Warner Bros. Pictures|Warner Bros.]]) until it was absorbed into [[Columbia TriStar Film Distributors International|Columbia Tri-Star Films]] in 1988.
 
{{ImageTOC
Background: TriStar Pictures (originally spelled "Tri-Star") was formed in 1982 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures (then owned by the Coca-Cola Company), HBO, and CBS, hence the name of the studio. Originally it was known as "Nova Pictures" until the name was changed on May 16, 1983 in order to avoid confusion with PBS's hit science series Nova. CBS was the first joint-owner who dropped out venture on November 15, 1985 and sold its interest to Columbia Pictures for $48 million. In 1986, HBO sold its shares in Tri-Star to Columbia as well and formed HBO Pictures. On December 21, 1987, Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. was renamed to "Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." and Coke merged Tri-Star and Columbia to become "Columbia/Tri-Star", of which Coca-Cola owned 80% of its stock. In late 1987, most of Tri-Star's releases were copyrighted under the "Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc." name until mid-1988, when it was reverted back to "Tri-Star Pictures, Inc.", as a new entity with that name was incorporated on April 13. In January 1988, CPE's stocks fell a little and Coke decreased its shares in CPE to 49%. On November 8, 1989, Sony Corporation of Japan acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for $3.4 billion. On August 7, 1991, under Sony Pictures Entertainment, the hyphen (-) was taken off of the name to refer it to the current CamelCase-style name, "TriStar". Early on, (with a few exceptions), TriStar's films were released on Home Video by either RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), CBS/FOX/Key Video (now 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment), occasionally Vestron Video/Lightning Video (now Lionsgate Home Entertainment), or Thorn-EMI/HBO/Cannon Video/HBO Video (now HBO Home Entertainment), among other companies. In 1988, following Columbia's buyout of TriStar, Home Video distribution of films produced by the studio moved exclusively to RCA/Columbia. From 1985 until 1994, TriStar also distributed films produced by Carolco Pictures; these were released on the International Video Entertainment and Live Home Video labels (now Lionsgate Home Entertainment), often with TriStar's logo cut. Cliffhanger is the only Carolco film in which the rights were retained by the original distributor.
|TriStar Pictures (1991).png|1st Logo (April 6, 1984-May 20, 1993)
|TriStar19.jpg|2nd Logo (June 25, 1993-September 12, 2015)
|TriStar Pictures (2015).png|3rd Logo (September 26, 2015-)
}}
 
===1st Logo (April 6, 1984-May 20, 1993)===
<tabber>
Opening Variants=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:TriStar Pictures (1991).png
File:TriStar3.png
File:TriStar4.jpg
File:TriStar5.jpg
File:TriStar Pictures (1987, Open Matte) (Takem from 35mm print of ''The Running Man'').jpg
</gallery>
|-|
Closing Variants=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:TriStar6.jpg
File:TriStar7.png
File:TriStar8.jpg
File:Jacob's ladder.png
File:Bandicam 2013-07-05 10-05-34-536.jpg
File:TriStar Pictures (trailer variant, 1990s).png
File:TriStar Pictures (1991, Closing).png
File:A TriStar Release (Universal Solider).jpg
File:TriStar Husbands and Wifes3.jpg
File:vlcsnap-2022-07-02-07h46m57s799.png
</gallery>
|-|
Videos=
{{YouTube|id=peVNdkK3bAw|id2=vPNXwAzE5E4|id3=_oEMsyRo9Pk|id4=lue2SJE7nZ0|id5=DVT2nLzljnw}}
</tabber>
 
'''Visuals:''' On a dark blue/purple evening background with a pink sky, a splashed white stallion gallops into view from the left. When it gets closer to the camera, three stars coming from the left, right and bottom of the screen crash into each other, forming a "'''T'''" in the Didot font (the same font used for CBS' logo, as CBS was one of the joint owners of Tri-Star until 1985). The stallion suddenly grows a pair of wings (if viewed in HD, the wings noticeably appear on the stallion out of thin air) and "flies" over the "'''T'''". It zooms out, revealing the stacked words "'''TRI STAR'''". The text continues to zoom out. A golden outline of a triangle zooms out with the spaced-out word "'''PICTURES'''" under it, surrounding the text and the background. As this happens, the triangle outline reveals an abstract drawing of a Pegasus "jumping" over the logo.
1st Logo
(April 6, 1984-May 28, 1993)
TriStar Pictures (1984, Open Matte)TriStar Pictures (1984)TriStar Pictures (1984, Scope)TriStar Pictures (1990) (2.35:1, Super 35)Tri-Star Pictures 1984 BoldA Tri-Star Release (1984)Tri-Star Pictures (Flashpoint)Tri-Star Closing (1988)Tri-Star Pictures - LA Story (1991) Closing
Tristar 1991-1993TriStar Pictures (1991)TriStar Pictures (Closing Variant) (1992) (With Byline)
 
'''Trivia:'''
Nicknames: "The Early Pegasus", "Jumping Pegasus", "Pegasus Over Pyramid", "'80s Pegasus", "The Quiet/Loud Music", "Majestic Pegasus", "Pegasus Over a Triangle", "From Stallion to Pegasus", "The TriStar Pegasus"
*According to then-TriStar head Victor Kaufman, "one of the advisers in creating the company was Sydney Pollack, who was a famous director and actor, and he helped us put together the logo. The horse for the TriStar logo was the horse from ''The Electric Horseman'', which he directed and made with Robert Redford. And the horse from ''The Electric Horseman'' was a dark horse, so he transposed the horse to look white, and put it on the screen, and created a Pegasus and created [...] the music and everything".
*According to Elizabeth Kaye McCall's book ''The Tao of Horses'', the Pegasus was played by "T-Bone", a white Arabian gelding who was trained by Hollywood horse trainer Corky Randall. The Pegasus sequence was filmed at night in an outdoor arena that Randall frequently used. T-Bone, powdered to look whiter, was to run in an especially made L-passage flanked by black curtains. When Randall called him, he galloped through it, and jumped over a fence to reach him, creating the desired effect.
 
'''Variants:'''
Logo: On a dark blue/purple evening background with pink skies, a splashed white stallion gallops into view coming from the left. When it gets really close, three stars coming from the left, right, and bottom of the screen crash into each other, forming a "T" in Didot font (the same font used for the CBS text as CBS was one of the joint owners of Tri-Star until 1985). The stallion grows a pair of wings and flies over the "T". It zooms out, revealing two more letters: "R", and "I", and below it is the word "STAR" reading the stacked words, "TRI STAR". The text continues to zoom out. A yellow outline of a triangle zooms out with the spaced-out word "PICTURES" under it, surrounding the text and the background. As this happens, the triangle outline reveals an abstract drawing of a Pegasus "jumping" over the logo.
*On films shot in 2.35:1 (anamorphic Panavision), the triangle and Pegsaus zoom out further to accommodate the wider ratio. VHS and fullscreen DVD releases may use either the full image or the pan-and-scan version of the zooming Pegsaus through one of the following methods:
**Focusing on the Pegasus when it appears and suddenly shifting when it jumps over the "T".
**The screen following the Pegasus.
**The screen starting in the middle and the Pegasus appearing shortly before it jumps over the "T".
**On ''Deepstar Six'' and ''Air America'', two Carolco movies in the aforementioned format (specifically in this case, Super 35), the standard logo is stretched to fit the ratio.
*On ''Iron Eagle'' and ''The Fisher King'', a 1.85:1 version of the shrinking Pegasus was used. A cropped 2.35:1 version appears on ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day''.
**An open matte version, which shows more of the top but crops out some of the sides, appears only on the 4:3 version of ''The Fisher King''. ''Iron Eagle'' used the full image in its 4:3 version, and ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' never had a known 4:3 release with the TriStar logo.
*Some anamorphic Scope films such as ''The Bear'' use the full image in their 4:3 versions. This also appears on early 4:3 prints of ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'', ''Rambo III'', ''Music Box'', and ''Narrow Margin'' whenever this logo was preserved.
*An additional variant exists where the text "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" appears on a black background after the end of the Tri-Star logo. The 1984 theme, which appears to be out of sync in this variant, also plays over it as well. This was seen on an HBO airing of ''Santa Claus: The Movie'' from December 24, 1986.
*On trailers and TV spots from 1991 to 1993, the words "'''TRI STAR'''" appear in white over a black background with a small "Pegasus Over Pyramid" logo in the upper right next to "'''TRI'''" (the films themselves used the 1984 logo and the newly-formed [[TriStar Television (1991-1999)|TriStar Television]] did use this for their logo).
*There was a logo for [[Producers Sales Organization]] that began at the end of the Tri-Star logo.
*The intro of ''[[Tri-Star Showcase]]'' has this logo edited with the horse galloping. When it jumps over the "T", it fades to the preview of the movie.
*On a TV spot for ''Places in the Heart'', the Pegasus outlining and company name appear bolder.
*On the VUDU print of ''Lock Up'', the 2011 [[StudioCanal]] logo plays, and after it ends, it cuts to the middle of the TriStar logo when the Pegasus jumps over the "T".
*On the Blu-ray release of ''Short Circuit'', the background color appears to be washed out.
*An open matte version exists on 35mm uncropped film scan prints of films such as ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'', ''The Running Man'', ''Steel Magnolias'', ''Iron Eagle'', ''The Fisher King'' and ''Cliffhanger'' (the last film to use the logo).
 
'''Closing Variants:'''
Trivia:
*May 11, 1984-September 20, 1991, January 29, 1993: Scrolling in the end credits is the same exact logo, minus the purple triangle with the gold outline color. Above it is the text "A TRI-STAR RELEASE". On some films such as ''The Natural'', ''Johnny Handsome'', ''The Freshman'', and ''Sniper'', the text "A TriStar (or Tri-Star) Release" appears below the logo. ''Flashpoint'' has the "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" text on the right of the logo. ''Sweet Dreams'', produced by [[HBO/Silver Screen Partners|HBO in association with Silver Screen Partners]], has the text "Presented by HBO Pictures in association with Silver Screen Partners" above the Pegasus logo and the "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" text below. ''Made in U.S.A'', produced by [[Hemdale Film Corporation|Hemdale]], has the text "Released through Tri-Star Pictures".
*December 11, 1991-October 16, 1992: The closing variant of the still logo from trailers and the 1991 TriStar Television logo, minus the "'''TELEVISION'''" box below "'''STAR'''" nor "'''PICTURES'''" below the triangle with "A TRISTAR RELEASE" above. Sometimes, the rectangular box is seen below the logo, but lacks the "'''TELEVISION'''" text. Starting in late 1992, there is a new version with "RELEASED BY" above the logo and a box with a Sony Pictures Entertainment byline. This was seen on ''Wind'' and ''Candyman'' (1992).
*At the end of ''Avalon'', a still version of the opening logo is seen.
*On a few Carolco films such as ''Narrow Margin'', ''Jacob's Ladder'' and ''L.A. Story'', it lacks the "A Tri-Star Release" text as it just has the print logo.
* Sometimes, on TV airings, the closing logo may be kept with the 2002 [[Sony Pictures Television]] (formerly the [[Columbia TriStar Television|Columbia TriStar Television Distribution]] logo) following afterwards or may be skipped ahead with the SPT/CTTD logo.
 
'''Technique:''' A mix of live-action, cel animation, and CGI by R/Greenberg Associates.
According to then-TriStar head Victor Kaufman: "One of the advisers in creating the company was Sydney Pollack, who was a famous director and actor, and he helped us put together the logo. The horse for the TriStar logo was the horse from The Electric Horseman, which he directed and made with Robert Redford. And the horse from The Electric Horseman was a dark horse, so he transposed the horse to look white, and put it on the screen, and created a Pegasus and created ... the music and everything ..."
According to Elizabeth Kaye McCall's book The Tao of Horses, the Pegasus was played by a white Arabian gelding named "T-Bone," who was trained by Hollywood horse trainer Corky Randall. The Pegasus sequence was filmed at night in an outdoor arena Randall frequently used. T-Bone, powdered to look whiter, was to run in an especially made L-passage flanked by black curtains. When Randall called him, he galloped through it, and jumped over a fence to reach him, creating the desired effect.
This logo was spoofed on the Family Guy S4 episode "Petergeist", where it shows Joe Swanson riding his wheelchair instead of the Pegasus, and it says "JOE SWANSON THEATRES" instead of "TRI STAR PICTURES".
 
'''Audio:''' An orchestral piece by Dave Grusin. As the horse gallops into view, three low French horn notes play and repeat. When the Pegasus flies over the "T", more enlightening trumpets play and are combined with the trombone. For the logo formation, a proud brass fanfare is heard.
Variants:
 
'''Audio Trivia:''' The fanfare was credited during the end of ''Look Who's Talking Too''.
On films shot in 2.35:1 (anamorphic Panavision), the abstract triangle and Pegsaus zooms out further back to accommodate the wider ratio. On VHS and full-screen DVD releases, they might use the full image or use the pan-and-scan version of the zooming Pegsaus by (1.) the screen focusing on the Pegasus when it appears and suddenly shifting when it jumps over the "T", (2) the screen following the Pegasus or (3), the screen starting in the middle and the Pegasus appears shortly before it jumps over the "T". On two Carolco movies in the aforementioned format (in this case, shot in Super 35), Deepstar Six and Air America, the standard logo is stretched to fit the ratio.
On Iron Eagle and The Fisher King, a 1.85:1 version of the shrinking Pegasus was used. A cropped 2.35 version was used on Terminator 2: Judgment Day. The open matte version, which shows more of the top but crops out some of the sides, appears only on the 4:3 version of The Fisher King; Iron Eagle used the full image in its 4:3 version, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day never had a known 4:3 release with the TriStar logo, though it might appear on the Australian VHS of said title.
On many Tri-Star releases in 1985, we can see the Pegasus make it half way and start to grow its wings and jump over the "T".
The text "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" appears on a black background after the end of the Tri-Star logo. The 1984 theme, which appears to be out of sync in this variant, plays over it as well. This was seen on an December 24, 1986 HBO airing of Santa Claus: The Movie.
On 1991-1993 movie trailers and commercials, the words "TRI STAR" are in white over a black background with a little "Pegasus Over Pyramid" logo in the upper right next to "TRI", while the films themselves used the 1984 logo and the newly-formed TriStar Television did use this for their logo.
There was a logo for Producers Sales Organization that began at the end of the Tri-Star logo.
The beginning of Tri-Star Showcase has this logo edited, with the horse galloping. When it jumps over the "T", it fades to the preview of the movie.
On a TV spot for Places in the Heart, the Pegasus outlining and company name appear bolder.
On the VUDU print of Lock-Up, the 2011 StudioCanal plays, and after it ends, it cuts in the middle of the TriStar logo when the Pegasus jumps over the "T".
 
'''Audio Variants:'''
*On some films such as ''Birdy'', ''Candyman'' (1992), ''The Muppets Take Manhattan'' (the [[Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment|Columbia TriStar]] DVD release and a Pluto TV print have the fanfare, while the Hulu, CTHV VHS print and a February 11, 2023 Film4 UK airing use the silent version), a recent [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM]] broadcast of ''Places in the Heart'' (also on the Columbia TriStar DVD release of said film), and the original theatrical release and some streaming prints of the theatrical version of ''Terminator 2: Judgment Day'' (save for the Director's Cut), the logo is silent.
**This is also used on AMC's print of ''Total Recall'' (1990), but with what sounds like the last note of the fanfare playing after the logo fades out.
*On ''The Principal'' and ''Chaplin'', the music begins a few seconds before the logo fades in.
*Sometimes, the fanfare has extra reverb after it ends.
*On the 2004 [[Lionsgate]] DVD release of ''Universal Solider'', the fanfare is barely audible, likely due to a printing error.
*On some prints of ''Rambo: First Blood Part II'' (beginning with the 2002 Artisan VHS and DVD releases) and other Carolco films, the Carolco theme is heard (one TV airing of the movie has a higher-pitched version of the fanfare). This also appeared on a 1995 Australian television broadcast of ''Iron Eagle II'' (with the 1988 theme), likely due to poor plastering. The original domestic print had the standard TriStar fanfare, as this was the version used on HBO early on, starting in 1986.
*On the U.S. Scream Factory Blu-ray print of ''Lifeforce'', the fanfare plays in a lower pitch.
*A French print of ''The Hitcher'' (1986) had this logo with the music from the [[Cannon Films]] logo, probably due to a plastering error.
*Tubi's print of ''Bat*21'' uses a master that preserved this logo but also features the 1995 [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios|MGM]] lion roar, due to a reverse plastering error.
*Current TV prints of ''Matilda'', which airs on some channels, such as TBS and Freeform in the U.S., YTV and Disney Channel in Canada, Disney Channel in Latin America and Seven Network in Australia for example, feature this logo. It uses the 1993 fanfare instead of the 1984 fanfare, like Disney Channel airings in Latin America for example, due to a reverse plastering error.
*On StudioCanal prints of ''Red Heat'', the theme plays in double high tone. If one listens closely, the PAL tone is briefly heard before going to the double high tone pitch.
 
'''Availability:''' It appears on TriStar films from 1984 through 1993.
Closing Variants:
* This logo made its first appearance on ''Where the Boys Are '84'' (released on April 6, 1984), and made its final appearance on ''Cliffhanger'' (released on May 20, 1993).
* This logo also replaces the 1993 logo on certain TV airings and prints of ''Matilda'', including TBS and Freeform in the U.S., YTV and Disney Channel in Canada, Disney Channel in Latin America, which sometimes uses the 1993 music over the 1984 logo, like Disney Channel airings in Latin America for example, likely due to a reverse plastering error.
* Many video and international theatrical releases of Carolco films remove this logo, but it's still preserved on some films, including ''Total Recall'' (on releases since 2001) and ''Cliffhanger'' (owned in the US and select international territories by Sony Pictures).
* It may have also been seen on original theatrical prints of the first ''Silent Night, Deadly Night'' film, but these particular prints have more than likely been destroyed in the aftermath of that film's controversy and subsequent withdrawal from theaters.
* It also may be found on theatrical prints of ''High Spirits'' and ''Santa Claus: The Movie''; for both films, this won't show up on current releases.
** However, it was preserved on HBO airings of ''Santa Claus: The Movie'' from the late-1980s (including a Christmas Eve 1986 broadcast), among other possible premium cable prints.
* On a couple episodes of the TV series ''Werewolf'', this was used in place of the TriStar Television logo, and was also retained on Chiller reruns, CTV Throwback prints, and DVD releases.
* It was also retained on some prints of the theatrical version of ''Lifeforce'', including prints on now-defunct FEARNet, and the original UK VHS release from [[Guild Home Video|Guild]] and the U.S. [[Scream Factory]] 4K UHD Blu-ray release (the latter after the MGM lion).
* It is also retained on the Scream Factory Blu-ray release of ''Candyman'' (with the 1997 [[Universal Pictures]] logo preceding it).
* Although the logo appears on the back cover of Second Sight's UK Blu-Ray release of ''Flight of the Navigator'', all home video and theatrical prints use the 1985 [[Walt Disney Pictures]] logo. There seems to have been some confusion with other films distributed by [[Producers Sales Organization]]. PSO self-released its own movies internationally, while signing a five-year agreement with Tri-Star for U.S. theatrical distribution. However, PSO did distribute several TriStar films internationally, such as ''Short Circuit'' and ''8 Million Ways to Die''.<ref>https://www.nytimes.com/1984/11/16/business/producers-sales-delphi-in-merger.html</ref>
* It also may have appeared on international theatrical prints of ''Wes Craven's Shocker'', ''Field of Dreams'', and ''Hamlet'' (1990), with Carolco's logo preceding it.
* The trailer logo appears on previews of TriStar films from 1991-1993, such as ''Bugsy'', ''Candyman'', ''Sniper'', ''Cliffhanger'', and ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (the latter uses the next logo on the main feature, which used the 1984 fanfare, while VHS prints used the 1993 fanfare).
 
'''Legacy:''' This logo's animation and fanfare have made it one of the most iconic film logos of the 1980s.
May 11, 1984-September 20, 1991, January 29, 1993: Scrolling in the end credits would have the same exact logo, minus the purple triangle with the gold outline color. Above the logo has the phrase "A TRI-STAR RELEASE". On some films such as The Natural, Johnny Handsome, The Freshman, and Sniper, the "A TriStar (or Tri-Star) Release" phrase is below the logo. Flashpoint has the "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" text on the right of the logo. The movie Sweet Dreams, being produced by HBO/Silver Screen Partners, has the text "Presented by HBO Pictures in association with Silver Screen Partners" above the Pegasus-over-Pyramid and the "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" text below. Made in U.S.A (produced by Hemdale) has the text "Released through Tri-Star Pictures".
December 11, 1991-October 16, 1992: The closing variant of the still logo from the movie trailers and the 1991 TriStar Television logo, minus the "TELEVISION" rectangular box below "STAR" nor "PICTURES" below the triangle with the phrase "A TRISTAR RELEASE" minus the hyphen between the TriStar name seen above the logo. Sometimes, the rectangular box is seen below the logo, but it lacks the "TELEVISION" text inside it. Starting in late 1992, there is a new version with "RELEASED BY" above the logo and the rectangular box has a Sony Pictures Entertainment byline. This was seen on Wind and Candyman.
On Avalon, a still version of the finished logo is seen after the end credits and Baltimore Pictures logo.
On a few Carolco films such as Narrow Margin, Jacob's Ladder and L.A. Story, it lacks the "A Tri-Star Release" text as it just has the print logo.
 
===2nd Logo (June 25, 1993-September 12, 2015)===
<tabber>
Opening Variants=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:TriStar Pictures (1993) Sleepless in Seattle.png
File:TriStar14.jpg
File: TriStar2001.png
File:TriStar (Seven Years in Tibet).jpg
File:Ts high school high.png
File:TriStar Pictures (1997).png
File:TriStar Pictures (2014).png
File:TriStar19.jpg
</gallery>
|-|
Closing Variants=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="150">
File:Released by TriStar Pictures - Chaplin.jpg
File:Tswn.png
File:TriStar21.jpg
File:Tristarsleeplessinseattleclosing.JPG.jpg
File:TriStar Pictures (1997, Closing).png
File:TriStar Pictures (closing, 2007).png
File:TriStar24.jpg
File:TriStar25.png
File:TriStar Pictures The Walk End Card.png
File:TriStar Pictures (1997, Rare).png
</gallery>
|-|
Other=
<center>Behind-the-scenes photographs courtesy of John Callas</center>
<gallery mode=packed heights=150>
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 1.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 2.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 3.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 4.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 5.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 6.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 7.png
File:TriStar BTS (John Callas) 8.png
</gallery>
|-|
Videos=
{{YouTube|id=oc5sdTNSGQU|id2=_ZIkjGchqs4|id3=BtWK8uBls9Q|id4=X7tJ5Hoc47M}}
</tabber>
 
'''Visuals:''' The logo starts out on a black background. Then a dark background, initially partially shown, slowly fades in and brightens to reveal that it is made up of dark cumulonimbus clouds with fog on the bottom (similar to the ones from the Columbia Pictures logo). A white flash of light then starts to glow and gets bright, as it almost fills the background. A Pegasus appears from the far distance, as it spreads its wings out and takes a few steps, causing the fog to flow. "'''TRISTAR'''", in a shiny chiseled font, slowly fades in at the top of the screen with the letters "'''T'''" and "'''S'''" in a bigger font than the other letters as the flash dims away slowly. The Pegasus stops when its wings are fully spread out and the "TRISTAR" text fully appears. The text slowly shines as the fog still flows and, starting in 1995, the company byline fades in.
FX/SFX: The wings growing on the horse, the forming of the "T", and the text zooming out.
 
'''Trivia:'''
Music/Sounds: An orchestrated piece done by Dave Grusin. As the horse gallops into view, three low French horn notes play and they repeat. When the Pegasus flies over the "T", more enlightening trumpets play and are combined with the trombone. For the logo formation, a loud brass fanfare is played.
*This logo was based on a still image that Sony had introduced alongside its sister studio Columbia on March 2, 1992. The logo was only used for home video and television until a fully animated logo debuted in the summer of 1993.
*This logo was apparently animated in 2.20:1, as even open matte presentations have this logo cropped on both sides.
*The logo bears an intentional resemblance to the Columbia logo introduced around the same period in order to reinforce the connection between the two studios.
 
'''Bylines:'''
Music/Sounds Variants:
*June 25, 1993-March 12, 1999: Bylineless
*December 15, 1995-February 21, 2014: "'''a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company'''"
**On ''Jumanji'', the byline has a blue outline.
**Starting with ''Mary Reilly'', released on February 23, 1996, the byline is bright yellow or white. However, some post-1995 films continued to use the bylineless version until 1999.
**Starting with ''Sparkle'' on August 17, 2012, the byline appears smaller and a bit darker, but slightly off-centered like in the 1996 Columbia logo. This byline was last used on ''Pompeii''; however, ''Moms' Night Out'' and ''When the Game Stands Tall'' still used this byline in tandem with the one below until August 2015.
*April 16, 2014-September 12, 2015: "'''a Sony Company'''" (seen on ''Heaven is for Real'', ''Ricki and the Flash'', ''War Room'' (the logo's final domestic appearance), and the UK theatrical version of ''The Lady in the Van'', the last film overall to use this logo). In this version, the Sony logo transitions to this logo.
 
'''Variants:'''
On some films, such as Birdy, Candyman, The Muppets Take Manhattan (The Columbia/TriStar DVD has the fanfare while the Hulu print and CTHV VHS print are silent), a recent Turner Classic Movies (TCM) broadcast of Places in the Heart (also on the Columbia/TriStar DVD of said film), and some streaming prints of the theatrical version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (save for the Director's Cut), among others,the logo is silent.
*During this logo's early years, on trailers and TV spots, when the Pegasus is spreading out its wings, the "TRISTAR" text is fully solid, rather than transparently fading in as in the regular version. Also, it doesn't shine.
On The Principal and Chaplin, the music begins a few seconds before the logo fades in.
*On ''Sleepless in Seattle'' (the first movie to use this logo), the flash dims away earlier before the Pegasus spreads out its wings and the "TRISTAR" text appears.
Sometimes, the theme echoes after the logo ends.
*The brightness of the clouds and the color of the byline vary depending on the film.
Strangely, on the 2004 Lionsgate DVD release of Universal Solider, the fanfare is barely audible, likely due to a printing error.
*In 2007, starting with ''Daddy Day Camp'', the logo is given an "enhanced" look with the "'''a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company'''" byline in gold, to match the clouds' color.
On some prints of Rambo: First Blood Part II (beginning with the 2002 Artisan VHS and DVD release) and other Carolco films, the Carolco theme is heard (one TV airing of the movie had the high-tone version of the theme). This also appeared on a 1995 Australian television broadcast of Iron Eagle II (with the 1988 theme). This is likely due to poor plastering. The original domestic print had the standard TriStar fanfare, as this was the version used on HBO early on, starting in 1986.
A French print of The Hitcher (the 1986 version) had this logo with the music from the Cannon logo, probably thanks to sloppy plastering.
TubiTV's print of Bat*21 uses a master that preserved this logo, but also contains the MGM lion roar due to poor reverse plastering.
TBS's print of Matilda, which features this logo under strange circumstances, has the 1993 jingle playing over this instead due to poor reverse plastering.
 
'''Closing Variants:'''
*The Pegasus is placed inside the same box from the [[Columbia Pictures]] print logo introduced around the same time. Its wings overlap both ends of the box. The "'''TRI STAR'''" text from the previous logo is placed next to it, with "'''TRI'''" spaced out to fit the full width of "'''STAR'''". Below the logo is the phrase "'''A TRISTAR RELEASE'''", or "RELEASED BY" above the logo with the SPE byline underneath. Sometimes, "A TRISTAR RELEASE" isn't there. Sometimes, it's bylineless.
*One early variant of such featured the boxed Pegasus logo at center, with "TRISTAR PICTURES" (in Bank Gothic) and the SPE byline below one another. This particular closing variant appears at the end of the features ''Chaplin'' and ''Cliffhanger'', which both used the 1984 logo at the beginning and were produced by Carolco; the former may be unsurprising, since both Columbia and TriStar first introduced their new logos for their home video and television divisions a year earlier in 1992. The movie ''Wilder Napalm'' also uses this, but with the "A TriStar Release" text above.
*Starting with ''Heaven is for Real'', the Pegasus' wings have the shadows removed, and "'''A TRISTAR PICTURES RELEASE'''" is now seen underneath with the byline "a Sony Company". Sometimes, the shadows are still intact.
*After the end credits of ''The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra'', the opening logo is static, and in black-and-white.
*On a 2010 TBS airing of ''My Best Friend's Wedding'', the TriStar text is written in the same font as the preceding [[Zucker Brothers Productions]] logo.
 
'''Technique:''' A combination of live-action footage (the Pegasus and cloud background, both filmed separately) and CGI (the light beam, wings, text, and fog), directed by John Callas for Intralink Film Graphic Design. The footage of the white stallion was shot in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. The wings were created by combining real feathers with the white stallion's image via computer morphing. The cloud background was a large model shot in a studio. Behind-the-scenes stills of this logo (including alternate lighting of the cloud background and close-ups of the horse) can be seen on Callas's Facebook account.
Availability: Common.
 
'''Audio:''' A majestic arrangement of the previous logo's fanfare. It starts with an arpeggiating piano glissando, followed by a three-note descending piano and xylophone tune; on the last note, the same six opening notes from the previous logo are heard, with the delay between the third and four notes filled with a four-note tuba tune. The music rises in intensity as more instruments come in (including brass instruments and drums), ending in a majestic fanfare. Composed by Bill Johnson.
Can be found on TriStar movies from the '80s and early '90s, particularly The Muppets Take Manhattan, Birdy, Red Heat, Total Recall, Night of the Creeps, Light of Day, Side Out, Air America, The Natural, Places in the Heart,Jacob's Ladder, Short Circuit 1 & 2, Toy Soldiers (1991) (Although it's removed from the Dutch Arrow Film VHS), Volunteers (1985), Tap (1989),Steel Magnolias, The Running Man (except for the 1999 Republic Pictures DVD), Universal Soldier, The Hitcher (1986), Supergirl (1984) (USA Home Video release), Heaven Help Us, Sweet Dreams, Rad, Hook, Glory, Touch and Go (HBO/Cannon VHS only; it is unknown if it appears on the 1999 Trimark Home Video VHS release), The Monster Squad, Mountains of the Moon (the 1999 Artisan/Pioneer DVD), Head Office, Bat*21 (while it's saved on the Media Home Entertainment VHS, it's presumed missing from the MGM DVD; It is unknown if it is preserved on the Kino Lorber Blu-Ray), Q&A (Including the 20th Century Fox DVD from 2003), Every Time We Say Goodbye (though it's skipped on the Video Treasures re-issue), Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III (except the Lionsgate Ultra HD release) , L.A. Story, the first two Look Who's Talking movies, Labyrinth (though not on the Embassy video release), and Sniper, among others.
This logo made its first appearance on Where the Boys Are '84 as TriStar's first released film and then on The Natural, TriStar's first produced film and officially ended with Cliffhanger.
Strangely, this logo replaces the 1993 logo on Freeform and TBS airings of Matilda (on the latter network, the 1993 theme is heard, most likely due to reverse plastering). This also happens on Fox Family Movies airings of the said movie.
The silent version can also be found on the 1999 VHS of The Muppets Take Manhattan.
Many video releases of Carolco productions remove this logo, but it's preserved on some films, such as Pound Puppies and the Legend of Big Paw, DeepStar Six, Universal Solder, Rambo: First Blood Part II, Basic Instinct, a demo VHS of Red Heat, VUDU and YouTube streaming prints of Homeboy (1988), PlutoTV's print of Johnny Handsome (but not on the Blu-Ray release of said film nor Carolco as it only features StudioCanal, nor on the DVD, which contains Carolco only), current releases of Rambo III, and streaming prints, the 1998 Widescreen LaserDisc release and reportedly, an Encore airing of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (it is unknown if this appears on Australian VHS releases from Columbia TriStar Home Video, although the logo is found on Australian, French and Brazilian DVDs in 1999), as well as being present on the RCA/Columbia Pictures/Hoyts VHS release, and the 2012 UK theatrical re-release of Total Recall.
It was also preserved on French VHS releases of Total Recall and Hamlet (1990).
Also seen on The Kiss (including the Canadian Astral Video VHS), international prints of Fright Night Part II (including the German Blu-Ray), and on the original MGM/UA Home Video VHS release of Breakin' 2: Electric Boogaloo, a Cannon film released by TriStar originally (the current DVD version has it replaced with the 2001 MGM lion).
Also seen on the British DVD of Iron Eagle II and a foreign Blu-Ray (and some streaming prints) of Extreme Prejudice.
It is retained on the DVD release of Places in the Heart (although the CBS/FOX Home Video VHS release removes this logo).
It's also retained on Paramount's official YouTube print of Ironweed, since it uses the same master found on the Olive Films DVD and Blu-Ray, and was also intact on the Lionsgate DVD, after the third Vestron Video logo, as it used a VHS master.
It may have also been seen on original theatrical prints of the first Silent Night, Deadly Night film, but these particular prints have more than likely been destroyed in the aftermath of that film's controversy and subsequent withdrawal from theaters.
Also may be found on theatrical prints of High Spirits and Santa Claus: The Movie; for both films, don't expect this on the Media Home Entertainment VHS releases. For the latter film, there is a small chance it might be restored on the recent DVD and Blu-Ray releases from Lionsgate, and maybe non-American media, but the odds aren't very likely. However, it was preserved on HBO airings of Santa Claus: The Movie from the late-1980s (Including a Christmas Eve 1986 broadcast), among other possible premium cable prints.
Strangely, on a couple episodes of the TV series Werewolf, this was used in place of the TriStar Television logo and was even retained on Chiller reruns.
It was also retained on VOD prints of Lifeforce, including prints on now-defunct FEARNet, and surprisingly the original UK VHS release from Guild. Don't expect it on the original Vestron Video VHS, the 1997 MGM/UA Movie Time VHS or the 2000 MGM DVD (both of which include the film's international cut, where it probably wouldn't be intact at all anyway), or the U.S. Scream Factory Blu-Ray. It may be intact on the Video Treasures reprint, but the odds aren't likely.
It's also retained on the Scream Factory Blu-Ray of Candyman (with the 1997 Universal logo preceding it).
It is unknown if this was retained on VHS or DVD releases of Hyper Sapien: People from Another Star, the Scorpion DVD of Where the Boys Are '84 (don't expect it on the Blu-Ray), Love at Stake, foreign releases of They Live, or High Tide. Don't expect it on VHS releases of Flashpoint and Made in U.S.A.
The trailer logo is rare and seen on previews of TriStar films from 1991-1993, such as Bugsy, Candyman, Sniper, Cliffhanger, and Sleepless in Seattle (though the latter uses the next logo on the main feature).
Some TV airings of some movies have the closing version plastered with the Sony Pictures Television logo, while others have the closing version intact with the SPT logo playing afterwards, or sometimes not.
 
'''Audio Variants:'''
*Starting with ''The Big Hit'', released on April 24, 1998, the fanfare was rearranged. This fanfare also plasters the first arrangement on the original DVD release of ''Desperate Measures''.
*Sometimes, this logo is silent (found on international prints of ''Fortress 2: Re-Entry'' and ''Cowboy Bebop: The Movie''). Other times, the opening theme of the movie plays over the logo.
*On earlier films with this logo, such as ''Jury Duty'' and some prints (such as the 1997 and 1999 DVD releases) of ''Sleepless in Seattle'', the 1984 fanfare is used.
*On the DVD releases, the BYUtv airing, and Pluto TV prints of ''Little Secrets'', the fanfare is in double high tone. The Spanish track on the 2003 DVD release, however, retains the normal pitch of the fanfare. On the UK and Australian DVD releases of said movie, the fanfare is in triple high tone, due to it being sourced from the U.S. DVD release.
 
'''Availability:''' Seen on TriStar films from 1993 to 2015. After its retirement, the 2014 version of its closing logo continued usage for three years after the next logo was introduced.
Editor's Note: The state-of-the-art animation of the time and the majestic fanfare makes this one of the most iconic movie logos of the 1980s.
*The logo made its first appearance on ''Sleepless in Seattle,'' and made its final appearance on ''The Lady in the Van''.
*The version with the SPE byline made its debut on ''Jumanji'' and would used on most subsequent releases.
*This logo was also used, for some reason, as a de-facto home video logo on 1997 VHS copies of ''The Craft'', ''Multiplicity'', ''Alaska'', and ''Fly Away Home'' (all of which were released and/or distributed by Columbia Pictures; ''Alaska'' was also produced by [[Castle Rock Entertainment]]) instead of the [[Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment|Columbia TriStar Home Video]] logo (some prints of these tapes do have the CTHV logo instead).
*This is also preserved on the Live Home Video VHS, DVD and LaserDisc releases of ''Wagons East!'' (which was the last Carolco film distributed by TriStar Pictures).
*It is also seen on international printings and U.S. video releases of ''Faster''.
*The silent version also makes an appearance at the start of Sony's PAL DVD release of ''Shocker'' before the [[Universal Pictures]] logo, plastering the previous logo. Despite Carolco having international rights, Sony released the film on DVD internationally in the mid-2000s before [[StudioCanal]] eventually regained the home video rights.
 
'''Legacy:''' This logo was praised for its effects and fanfare, and its long lifespan makes this a favorite of many.
 
===3rd Logo (September 26, 2015-)===
<tabber>
Opening Variants=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:TriStar Pictures (2015).png
File:TriStar27.png
File:TriStar Pictures (2023).png
</gallery>
|-|
Closing Variants=
<gallery mode="packed" heights="200">
File:TriStar A Beautiful Day In The Neighborhood closing.png
File:TriStar Pictures Baby Driver End Card.png
File:TriStar Pictures (2023) Closing.png
</gallery>
|-|
Videos=
{{YouTube|id=frjj900pZIA|id2=PrRxT-BE5LA|id3=9kNJYLgYKKU}}
</tabber>
 
'''Visuals:'''
2nd Logo
* 2015-2020: After the [[Sony Entertainment]] logo (albeit with motion blur added) transitions to this logo, there is the cloud formations of the previous logo shrouded in darkness, with a cerulean blue background partially illuminated by the bottom half of the screen. Then, a light shines up from the center and the clouds and background brighten, turning into full daylight. The clouds here are pure white and more ethereal in design, compared to the more realistic golden clouds from the last logo. Just as the clouds light up, there is a white stallion gallop out from the glowing light towards the camera, with the light fading out shortly afterwards. The stallion opens its wings as it runs out, revealing itself to be a Pegasus; once it stops running towards the screen, it stands up on its hind legs, showing off its full wingspan in the process. Once it has done this, the "'''TRISTAR'''" text from the previous logo (only more golden) fades in, then the byline "'''a Sony Company'''" from the previous logo fades in after that. This was last used on the Hulu original film ''Happiest Season'', released on November 25, 2020.
(June 25, 1993-September 12, 2015)
* 2022-: Starting with the release of ''The Woman King'', released on September 16, 2022, the Sony logo at the beginning is updated with a new animation based on its May 2021 identity, with motion blur added to that logo, just like before. Otherwise, the logo remains the same.
TriStar Pictures logo (early version)TriStar Pictures (1993)TriStar Pictures (1995- )TriStar Pictures (1995)
Tristar Pictures (2009)Tristar Pictures (2012)TriStar Pictures (2014)
TriStar Pictures (1993, Closing)TriStar Pictures (1993)TriStar Pictures (1993)Tristar Pictures (1997, Closing Variant)
Tristar (1993 commercial and trailer logo)TriStar Pictures (2014) Closing Logo
 
'''Trivia:'''
Nicknames: "'90s/2000s Pegasus", "Ultra Majestic Pegasus", "The TriStar Pegasus II", "CGI Pegasus"
*Two videos exist showcasing the development of the logo, with concept art, pre-renders, animation tests, etc. They can be seen [https://vimeo.com/142534307 here] and [https://vimeo.com/225340202 here].
*The logo does not have an HFR version, unlike the 2011 and 2021 [[Warner Bros. Pictures|WB]]/[[New Line Cinema|New Line]] and 2012 [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios|MGM]] logos. As a result, the 4K UHD version of ''Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk'' has noticeable judder during this and the other opening logos.
 
'''Variants:'''
Logo: We start out on a black background. Then we see part of a dark background, which slowly fades in and brightens to reveal that it is made up of dark cumulonimbus clouds with fog on the bottom. A white flash of light then starts to glow and gets bright, as it almost fills the background. A Pegasus appears from the far distance, as it spreads its wings out and takes a few steps, causing the fog to flow. "TRISTAR", in a shiny gold chiseled bold font, slowly fades in at the top of the screen with the letters "T" and "S" in a bigger font that the other letters as the flash dims away slowly. The Pegasus stops when its wings are fully spread out and the "TRISTAR" text fully appears. The text slowly shines as the fog still flows.
*On FXM's print of ''The Walk'', a 1.78:1 matted version is used.
*On most TV prints of some movies, the original scope version has been cropped to 16:9.
*On the development videos above, and on the film ''The Book of Clarence'', the Sony logo is omitted, similar to the 1993-2014 logo. On the latter, it is bylineless. Also, the first seconds of the fanfare are cut as they are part of the Sony logo in the first video of the former.
 
'''Closing Variant:''' Beginning with ''T2 Trainspotting'' in 2017, a revised version of the 1993 early closing variant is used. Here, the text is now in the same font as the opening logo and is larger.
Trivia:
 
'''Technique:''' CGI by JAMM Visual with assistance from Daffy London. Sony commissioned the updated logo to take advantage of new technologies such as 4K and IMAX 3D, which is why there's an open matte version of this logo available, unlike with the previous logo. Daffy London provided assistance on the model, rigging, layout and animation.
This logo was based on a still image Sony had introduced alongside its sister studio Columbia in 1992. The logo was only used for home video and television until a fully animated logo debuted in the summer of 1993.
This logo was animated by Intralink Film Graphic Design. The footage of the white stallion was shot in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. The wings were done by combining real feathers and digitized computing and were merged with the white stallion's image via computer morphing. The footage of the cloud background was shot from the Haleakala Crater on Maui.
This logo was apparently animated in 2.20:1, as even open matte presentations have this logo cropped on both sides.
 
'''Audio:''' The 1998 rearranged fanfare from the previous logo by Bill Johnson or the opening theme of the movie.
Bylines:
 
'''Availability:''' Seen on TriStar releases since 2015.
June 25, 1993-March 12, 1999: (Bylineless)
*It was first shown on the IMAX trailer for ''The Walk'' (most trailers use the previous logo).
December 15, 1995-February 21, 2014: "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" (first seen on Jumanji, the byline is blue.on its first appearance, but starting with Mary Reilly, released on February 23, 1996, the byline is bright yellow or white). However, some post-1995 films continued to use the bylineless version until 1999. Starting with Sparkle on August 17, 2012, the byline appears smaller and a bit darker, but slightly off centered, like the 1996 Columbia logo; last used on Pompeii. However, Moms' Night Out and When the Game Stands Tall still use the byline in tandem until August 2015.)
*The fully animated version debuted on the film itself and has been seen on TriStar releases since then.
April 16, 2014-September 12, 2015: "a Sony Company" (seen on Heaven is for Real, Ricki and the Flash, War Room, and the UK theatrical version of The Lady in the Van (the last film to use this logo). In this version, the Sony logo transitions to this logo.
 
'''Legacy:''' Considered a very worthy update of the previous logos thanks to its CGI and reuse of the 1998 fanfare.
Variants:
 
==Unused Logo==
During this logo's early years, on movie trailers and commercials, when the Pegasus is spreading out its wings, the "TRISTAR" text is fully transparent, rather than fading in as in the regular version. Also, it doesn't shine.
===Logo (1992)===
On Sleepless in Seattle (the first movie to use this logo), the flash dims away earlier before the Pegasus spreads out its wings and the "TRISTAR" text appears.
<tabber>
The brightness of the clouds and the color of the byline vary depending on the film.
Image=
A very early trailer and commercial logo has a black background with the stacked words "TRI STAR" and next to it is the box with the Pegasus in front of the cloud. This can be seen on the trailer for Rudy.
[[File:TriStar Pictures (1992).png|center|350px]]
|-|
Video=
{{youtube|id=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Blsqnnjnr8}}
</tabber>
'''Visuals:''' The words "'''TRI STAR'''" in silver is seen on a zooming starfield background. The small Pegasus over Pyramid logo is seen zooming back in their place, with the pyramid shrinking to its appropriate size.
 
'''Technique:''' CGI.
 
'''Audio:''' The music theme of the video.
Closing Variants:
 
'''Availability:''' It was seen on a video showing Sony Pictures Entertainment's plans for Culver City. It is unknown whether or not it was an abandoned attempt for a new theatrical logo or was made solely for promotional purposes.
It's the same current print logo that appeared on movie trailers during its early years, and looking similar to the last print logo. The Pegasus is placed inside a box, with a cloud background overlapping the top. Its wings overlap both ends of the box. Below the logo is the phrase "A TRISTAR RELEASE", or "RELEASED BY" above the logo with the SPE byline underneath. Sometimes, "A TRISTAR RELEASE" isn't there. Sometimes, it's bylineless.
One early variant of such featured the boxed Pegasus logo at center, with "TRISTAR PICTURES" (in Bank Gothic MD BT) and the SPE byline below one another. This particular closing variant happened to appear at the end of the features Chaplin and Cliffhanger, which both used the old logo at the beginning, although the latter was the last movie to use the old logo at the beginning; though this may be unsurprising, since both Columbia and TriStar first introduced their new logos for their home video and television divisions a year earlier in 1992. The movie Wilder Napalm has the "A TriStar Release" text above.
Starting with Heaven is for Real, the Pegasus' wings have the shadows removed, and "A TRISTAR PICTURES RELEASE" is now seen underneath with the byline "a Sony Company".
 
==References==
{{reflist}}
 
{{Movie-Navbox}}
FX/SFX: The light beam forming the Pegasus, the fog flowing, the text fading in and shining. Very nice animation that still looks good more than 20 years later.
{{Navbox-Sony}}
 
{{American film logos}}
Music/Sounds: We hear French horns playing the same opening notes as the last logo, but the music rises in intensity as we hear more and more instruments come in, ending in a very majestic fanfare. This was composed by Bill Johnson. Starting with the film Godzilla, released on May 20, 1998, the fanfare has been rearranged.
[[Category:Sony Pictures Entertainment]]
 
[[Category:Sony Corporation]]
Music/Sounds Variants:
[[Category:TriStar Pictures]]
 
[[Category:Columbia Pictures]]
On earlier films with this logo, such as Jury Duty and some prints (such as the 1999 DVD release) of Sleepless in Seattle, the 1984 fanfare plays.
[[Category:Film logos]]
Sometimes, this logo is silent (found on the international prints of Fortress 2: Re-Entry and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie). Other times, there's music from any music soundtrack playing over the logo.
[[Category:United States]]
On Little Secrets, the logo is high-pitched.
[[Category:American film logos]]
 
[[Category:Logos made by R/Greenberg Associates]]
 
[[Category:Logos made by Intralink Film Graphic Design]]
Availability: Common. It's seen on many TriStar releases during this period.
[[Category:Logos made by JAMM Visual]]
 
[[Category:Logos with music by Dave Grusin]]
The bylineless version can be found on all 1993-1995 releases including Sleepless in Seattle, Weekend at Bernie's II, Look Who's Talking Now, Philadelphia, Mr. Jones, Mixed Nuts, Legends of the Fall, Jury Duty and Magic in the Water. It was also used on some post-1995 films such as Desperate Measures, 3 Ninjas: High Noon at Mega Mountain, and Baby Geniuses.
[[Category:Logos with music by Bill Johnson]]
The version with the Sony Pictures byline made its debut on Jumanji and would be used on all 1995-2014 films such as Matilda, Jerry Maguire, My Best Friend's Wedding, As Good as it Gets, The Mask of Zorro, Madeline, Godzilla and many others.
[[Category:English-language logos]]
Strangely, this logo is seen on 1997 VHS prints of The Craft, Multiplicity, Alaska, Fly Away Home, AVON VHS copies of Matilda, later copies of the 1993 VHS of Close Encounters of the Third Kind and 1997 reissue releases of Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Matilda, and Annie (1982)instead of the Columbia TriStar Home Video logo (some prints of these tapes do have the CTHV logo instead).
This is also preserved on the LIVE Home Video VHS, DVD and laserdisc releases of Wagons East! (which was the last Carolco film distributed by TriStar Pictures).
The 1984 music is replaced with the 1993 music on early VHS prints of Sleepless in Seattle.
Seen on international printings of Faster and on US video releases.
Matilda has this logo plastered with the previous logo on Freeform, TBS, and Fox Family Movies airings in bizarre cases.
 
 
Editor's Note: This logo is beautiful and has held up over the years, including the music and mind-blowing CGI.
 
 
 
3rd Logo
(September 30, 2015- )
TriStar (2015)Tristar Pictures (2015, Open Matte)
 
Nicknames: "2010s Pegasus", "Ultra Majestic Pegasus II", "The TriStar Pegasus lll", "CGI Pegasus II", "Christian Pegasus"
 
Logo: After the 2014 Sony logo transitioning to this logo, we see the clouds of the previous logo, only this time, less improved. Then, a light shines up and the clouds brighten, turning into full daylight. Then, we see a Stallion run towards us and later spreading its wings by becoming a Pegasus. It stands up on its hind legs and shows off its wings. Once it has done this, the "TRISTAR" text from the previous logo (only more golden) fades in, then the byline "a Sony Company" from the previous logo fades in after that.
 
Trivia:
 
The logo was designed by JAMM Visual of Santa Monica, California. Sony commissioned the updated logo to take advantage of new technologies such as 4K and IMAX 3D, which is why there's an open matte version of this logo available, unlike with the previous logo.
Two videos exist showcasing the development of the logo, with concept art, pre-renders, animation tests, etc. They can be seen here and here.
The logo does not have an HFR version, unlike with the 2011 WB/New Line and 2012 MGM logos. As a result, the 4K UHD version of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has noticeable judder during this and the other opening logos.
 
Variant: On FXM's print of The Walk, a 1.78:1 matted version is used.
 
FX/SFX: The light shining, and the Pegasus running toward us as the night time turns into the daylight, and the texts fading in, as well as the combination of the elements of the 1993 logo and the Pegasus in the 1984 logo. It's all very nice CGI.
 
Music/Sounds: The 1998 rearranged fanfare from the previous logo.
 
Availability: Common. First shown on the IMAX trailer for The Walk (most trailers use the previous logo). The fully animated version debuted on the film itself. Currently seen on recent/new films produced and/or distributed by the company since The Lady in the Van.
 
Editor's Note: A suitable successor to the previous logo, although some are disappointed as they think it had more potential.
 
[[Category: Movie Logos]] [[Category: Sony Corporation]]

Latest revision as of 04:23, 27 October 2024



Background

TriStar Pictures, Inc. (originally spelled Tri-Star) was formed on March 2, 1982 as a joint venture between Columbia Pictures (then owned by The Coca-Cola Company), HBO and CBS, hence the name of the studio. It was originally known as Nova Pictures until May 16, 1983, when its name was changed in order to avoid confusion with the PBS series Nova. CBS was the first joint-owner who dropped out of the venture on November 15, 1985, and sold its interest to Columbia for $48 million. In 1986, HBO sold its shares in Tri-Star to Columbia as well, and formed HBO Pictures.

On December 21, 1987, Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. was renamed Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. The Coca-Cola Company merged the operations of Tri-Star and Columbia to become Columbia/Tri-Star, of which it owned 80% of its stock. In late 1987, most of Tri-Star's releases were copyrighted under the Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc. name until April 13, 1988, when it was reverted back to Tri-Star Pictures, Inc. In January 1988, CPE's stocks somewhat fell, and Coca-Cola decreased its shares in CPE to 49%. On November 8, 1989, Sony of Japan acquired Columbia Pictures Entertainment for $3.4 billion. On August 7, 1991, under Sony Pictures Entertainment, the hyphen was officially removed from the name of TriStar Pictures.

Early on (with a few exceptions), TriStar's films were released on home video by either RCA/Columbia Pictures Home Video (now Sony Pictures Home Entertainment), CBS/Fox/Key Video (now 20th Century Home Entertainment), occasionally Vestron Video/Lightning Video (now Lionsgate Home Entertainment), or Thorn-EMI/HBO/Cannon Video/HBO Video (now HBO Home Entertainment), among others. In 1988, following Columbia's buyout of TriStar, home video distribution of its films moved exclusively to RCA/Columbia. From 1985 to 1994, TriStar also distributed films produced by Carolco Pictures in the US and select international regions; such films were released on home video through International Video Entertainment and Live Home Video (now Lionsgate Home Entertainment), often with TriStar's logo cut. Cliffhanger, which TriStar had full distribution rights to in the United States, France, Mexico, Germany, Australia and New Zealand due to Carloco providing half of the film's budget to TriStar, is the only Carolco film in which the rights were retained by the original distributor. The Taft Entertainment films that TriStar released (such as The Monster Squad and The Running Man) were acquired by Paramount Pictures after Taft merged into Republic and then Viacom. International distribution rights to TriStar's titles were previously handled by Columbia-Warner Distributors (a partnership between Columbia and Warner Bros.) until it was absorbed into Columbia Tri-Star Films in 1988.



1st Logo (April 6, 1984-May 20, 1993)

Visuals: On a dark blue/purple evening background with a pink sky, a splashed white stallion gallops into view from the left. When it gets closer to the camera, three stars coming from the left, right and bottom of the screen crash into each other, forming a "T" in the Didot font (the same font used for CBS' logo, as CBS was one of the joint owners of Tri-Star until 1985). The stallion suddenly grows a pair of wings (if viewed in HD, the wings noticeably appear on the stallion out of thin air) and "flies" over the "T". It zooms out, revealing the stacked words "TRI STAR". The text continues to zoom out. A golden outline of a triangle zooms out with the spaced-out word "PICTURES" under it, surrounding the text and the background. As this happens, the triangle outline reveals an abstract drawing of a Pegasus "jumping" over the logo.

Trivia:

  • According to then-TriStar head Victor Kaufman, "one of the advisers in creating the company was Sydney Pollack, who was a famous director and actor, and he helped us put together the logo. The horse for the TriStar logo was the horse from The Electric Horseman, which he directed and made with Robert Redford. And the horse from The Electric Horseman was a dark horse, so he transposed the horse to look white, and put it on the screen, and created a Pegasus and created [...] the music and everything".
  • According to Elizabeth Kaye McCall's book The Tao of Horses, the Pegasus was played by "T-Bone", a white Arabian gelding who was trained by Hollywood horse trainer Corky Randall. The Pegasus sequence was filmed at night in an outdoor arena that Randall frequently used. T-Bone, powdered to look whiter, was to run in an especially made L-passage flanked by black curtains. When Randall called him, he galloped through it, and jumped over a fence to reach him, creating the desired effect.

Variants:

  • On films shot in 2.35:1 (anamorphic Panavision), the triangle and Pegsaus zoom out further to accommodate the wider ratio. VHS and fullscreen DVD releases may use either the full image or the pan-and-scan version of the zooming Pegsaus through one of the following methods:
    • Focusing on the Pegasus when it appears and suddenly shifting when it jumps over the "T".
    • The screen following the Pegasus.
    • The screen starting in the middle and the Pegasus appearing shortly before it jumps over the "T".
    • On Deepstar Six and Air America, two Carolco movies in the aforementioned format (specifically in this case, Super 35), the standard logo is stretched to fit the ratio.
  • On Iron Eagle and The Fisher King, a 1.85:1 version of the shrinking Pegasus was used. A cropped 2.35:1 version appears on Terminator 2: Judgment Day.
    • An open matte version, which shows more of the top but crops out some of the sides, appears only on the 4:3 version of The Fisher King. Iron Eagle used the full image in its 4:3 version, and Terminator 2: Judgment Day never had a known 4:3 release with the TriStar logo.
  • Some anamorphic Scope films such as The Bear use the full image in their 4:3 versions. This also appears on early 4:3 prints of Rambo: First Blood Part II, Rambo III, Music Box, and Narrow Margin whenever this logo was preserved.
  • An additional variant exists where the text "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" appears on a black background after the end of the Tri-Star logo. The 1984 theme, which appears to be out of sync in this variant, also plays over it as well. This was seen on an HBO airing of Santa Claus: The Movie from December 24, 1986.
  • On trailers and TV spots from 1991 to 1993, the words "TRI STAR" appear in white over a black background with a small "Pegasus Over Pyramid" logo in the upper right next to "TRI" (the films themselves used the 1984 logo and the newly-formed TriStar Television did use this for their logo).
  • There was a logo for Producers Sales Organization that began at the end of the Tri-Star logo.
  • The intro of Tri-Star Showcase has this logo edited with the horse galloping. When it jumps over the "T", it fades to the preview of the movie.
  • On a TV spot for Places in the Heart, the Pegasus outlining and company name appear bolder.
  • On the VUDU print of Lock Up, the 2011 StudioCanal logo plays, and after it ends, it cuts to the middle of the TriStar logo when the Pegasus jumps over the "T".
  • On the Blu-ray release of Short Circuit, the background color appears to be washed out.
  • An open matte version exists on 35mm uncropped film scan prints of films such as The Muppets Take Manhattan, The Running Man, Steel Magnolias, Iron Eagle, The Fisher King and Cliffhanger (the last film to use the logo).

Closing Variants:

  • May 11, 1984-September 20, 1991, January 29, 1993: Scrolling in the end credits is the same exact logo, minus the purple triangle with the gold outline color. Above it is the text "A TRI-STAR RELEASE". On some films such as The Natural, Johnny Handsome, The Freshman, and Sniper, the text "A TriStar (or Tri-Star) Release" appears below the logo. Flashpoint has the "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" text on the right of the logo. Sweet Dreams, produced by HBO in association with Silver Screen Partners, has the text "Presented by HBO Pictures in association with Silver Screen Partners" above the Pegasus logo and the "A TRI-STAR RELEASE" text below. Made in U.S.A, produced by Hemdale, has the text "Released through Tri-Star Pictures".
  • December 11, 1991-October 16, 1992: The closing variant of the still logo from trailers and the 1991 TriStar Television logo, minus the "TELEVISION" box below "STAR" nor "PICTURES" below the triangle with "A TRISTAR RELEASE" above. Sometimes, the rectangular box is seen below the logo, but lacks the "TELEVISION" text. Starting in late 1992, there is a new version with "RELEASED BY" above the logo and a box with a Sony Pictures Entertainment byline. This was seen on Wind and Candyman (1992).
  • At the end of Avalon, a still version of the opening logo is seen.
  • On a few Carolco films such as Narrow Margin, Jacob's Ladder and L.A. Story, it lacks the "A Tri-Star Release" text as it just has the print logo.
  • Sometimes, on TV airings, the closing logo may be kept with the 2002 Sony Pictures Television (formerly the Columbia TriStar Television Distribution logo) following afterwards or may be skipped ahead with the SPT/CTTD logo.

Technique: A mix of live-action, cel animation, and CGI by R/Greenberg Associates.

Audio: An orchestral piece by Dave Grusin. As the horse gallops into view, three low French horn notes play and repeat. When the Pegasus flies over the "T", more enlightening trumpets play and are combined with the trombone. For the logo formation, a proud brass fanfare is heard.

Audio Trivia: The fanfare was credited during the end of Look Who's Talking Too.

Audio Variants:

  • On some films such as Birdy, Candyman (1992), The Muppets Take Manhattan (the Columbia TriStar DVD release and a Pluto TV print have the fanfare, while the Hulu, CTHV VHS print and a February 11, 2023 Film4 UK airing use the silent version), a recent TCM broadcast of Places in the Heart (also on the Columbia TriStar DVD release of said film), and the original theatrical release and some streaming prints of the theatrical version of Terminator 2: Judgment Day (save for the Director's Cut), the logo is silent.
    • This is also used on AMC's print of Total Recall (1990), but with what sounds like the last note of the fanfare playing after the logo fades out.
  • On The Principal and Chaplin, the music begins a few seconds before the logo fades in.
  • Sometimes, the fanfare has extra reverb after it ends.
  • On the 2004 Lionsgate DVD release of Universal Solider, the fanfare is barely audible, likely due to a printing error.
  • On some prints of Rambo: First Blood Part II (beginning with the 2002 Artisan VHS and DVD releases) and other Carolco films, the Carolco theme is heard (one TV airing of the movie has a higher-pitched version of the fanfare). This also appeared on a 1995 Australian television broadcast of Iron Eagle II (with the 1988 theme), likely due to poor plastering. The original domestic print had the standard TriStar fanfare, as this was the version used on HBO early on, starting in 1986.
  • On the U.S. Scream Factory Blu-ray print of Lifeforce, the fanfare plays in a lower pitch.
  • A French print of The Hitcher (1986) had this logo with the music from the Cannon Films logo, probably due to a plastering error.
  • Tubi's print of Bat*21 uses a master that preserved this logo but also features the 1995 MGM lion roar, due to a reverse plastering error.
  • Current TV prints of Matilda, which airs on some channels, such as TBS and Freeform in the U.S., YTV and Disney Channel in Canada, Disney Channel in Latin America and Seven Network in Australia for example, feature this logo. It uses the 1993 fanfare instead of the 1984 fanfare, like Disney Channel airings in Latin America for example, due to a reverse plastering error.
  • On StudioCanal prints of Red Heat, the theme plays in double high tone. If one listens closely, the PAL tone is briefly heard before going to the double high tone pitch.

Availability: It appears on TriStar films from 1984 through 1993.

  • This logo made its first appearance on Where the Boys Are '84 (released on April 6, 1984), and made its final appearance on Cliffhanger (released on May 20, 1993).
  • This logo also replaces the 1993 logo on certain TV airings and prints of Matilda, including TBS and Freeform in the U.S., YTV and Disney Channel in Canada, Disney Channel in Latin America, which sometimes uses the 1993 music over the 1984 logo, like Disney Channel airings in Latin America for example, likely due to a reverse plastering error.
  • Many video and international theatrical releases of Carolco films remove this logo, but it's still preserved on some films, including Total Recall (on releases since 2001) and Cliffhanger (owned in the US and select international territories by Sony Pictures).
  • It may have also been seen on original theatrical prints of the first Silent Night, Deadly Night film, but these particular prints have more than likely been destroyed in the aftermath of that film's controversy and subsequent withdrawal from theaters.
  • It also may be found on theatrical prints of High Spirits and Santa Claus: The Movie; for both films, this won't show up on current releases.
    • However, it was preserved on HBO airings of Santa Claus: The Movie from the late-1980s (including a Christmas Eve 1986 broadcast), among other possible premium cable prints.
  • On a couple episodes of the TV series Werewolf, this was used in place of the TriStar Television logo, and was also retained on Chiller reruns, CTV Throwback prints, and DVD releases.
  • It was also retained on some prints of the theatrical version of Lifeforce, including prints on now-defunct FEARNet, and the original UK VHS release from Guild and the U.S. Scream Factory 4K UHD Blu-ray release (the latter after the MGM lion).
  • It is also retained on the Scream Factory Blu-ray release of Candyman (with the 1997 Universal Pictures logo preceding it).
  • Although the logo appears on the back cover of Second Sight's UK Blu-Ray release of Flight of the Navigator, all home video and theatrical prints use the 1985 Walt Disney Pictures logo. There seems to have been some confusion with other films distributed by Producers Sales Organization. PSO self-released its own movies internationally, while signing a five-year agreement with Tri-Star for U.S. theatrical distribution. However, PSO did distribute several TriStar films internationally, such as Short Circuit and 8 Million Ways to Die.[1]
  • It also may have appeared on international theatrical prints of Wes Craven's Shocker, Field of Dreams, and Hamlet (1990), with Carolco's logo preceding it.
  • The trailer logo appears on previews of TriStar films from 1991-1993, such as Bugsy, Candyman, Sniper, Cliffhanger, and Sleepless in Seattle (the latter uses the next logo on the main feature, which used the 1984 fanfare, while VHS prints used the 1993 fanfare).

Legacy: This logo's animation and fanfare have made it one of the most iconic film logos of the 1980s.

2nd Logo (June 25, 1993-September 12, 2015)

Behind-the-scenes photographs courtesy of John Callas

Visuals: The logo starts out on a black background. Then a dark background, initially partially shown, slowly fades in and brightens to reveal that it is made up of dark cumulonimbus clouds with fog on the bottom (similar to the ones from the Columbia Pictures logo). A white flash of light then starts to glow and gets bright, as it almost fills the background. A Pegasus appears from the far distance, as it spreads its wings out and takes a few steps, causing the fog to flow. "TRISTAR", in a shiny chiseled font, slowly fades in at the top of the screen with the letters "T" and "S" in a bigger font than the other letters as the flash dims away slowly. The Pegasus stops when its wings are fully spread out and the "TRISTAR" text fully appears. The text slowly shines as the fog still flows and, starting in 1995, the company byline fades in.

Trivia:

  • This logo was based on a still image that Sony had introduced alongside its sister studio Columbia on March 2, 1992. The logo was only used for home video and television until a fully animated logo debuted in the summer of 1993.
  • This logo was apparently animated in 2.20:1, as even open matte presentations have this logo cropped on both sides.
  • The logo bears an intentional resemblance to the Columbia logo introduced around the same period in order to reinforce the connection between the two studios.

Bylines:

  • June 25, 1993-March 12, 1999: Bylineless
  • December 15, 1995-February 21, 2014: "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company"
    • On Jumanji, the byline has a blue outline.
    • Starting with Mary Reilly, released on February 23, 1996, the byline is bright yellow or white. However, some post-1995 films continued to use the bylineless version until 1999.
    • Starting with Sparkle on August 17, 2012, the byline appears smaller and a bit darker, but slightly off-centered like in the 1996 Columbia logo. This byline was last used on Pompeii; however, Moms' Night Out and When the Game Stands Tall still used this byline in tandem with the one below until August 2015.
  • April 16, 2014-September 12, 2015: "a Sony Company" (seen on Heaven is for Real, Ricki and the Flash, War Room (the logo's final domestic appearance), and the UK theatrical version of The Lady in the Van, the last film overall to use this logo). In this version, the Sony logo transitions to this logo.

Variants:

  • During this logo's early years, on trailers and TV spots, when the Pegasus is spreading out its wings, the "TRISTAR" text is fully solid, rather than transparently fading in as in the regular version. Also, it doesn't shine.
  • On Sleepless in Seattle (the first movie to use this logo), the flash dims away earlier before the Pegasus spreads out its wings and the "TRISTAR" text appears.
  • The brightness of the clouds and the color of the byline vary depending on the film.
  • In 2007, starting with Daddy Day Camp, the logo is given an "enhanced" look with the "a SONY PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" byline in gold, to match the clouds' color.

Closing Variants:

  • The Pegasus is placed inside the same box from the Columbia Pictures print logo introduced around the same time. Its wings overlap both ends of the box. The "TRI STAR" text from the previous logo is placed next to it, with "TRI" spaced out to fit the full width of "STAR". Below the logo is the phrase "A TRISTAR RELEASE", or "RELEASED BY" above the logo with the SPE byline underneath. Sometimes, "A TRISTAR RELEASE" isn't there. Sometimes, it's bylineless.
  • One early variant of such featured the boxed Pegasus logo at center, with "TRISTAR PICTURES" (in Bank Gothic) and the SPE byline below one another. This particular closing variant appears at the end of the features Chaplin and Cliffhanger, which both used the 1984 logo at the beginning and were produced by Carolco; the former may be unsurprising, since both Columbia and TriStar first introduced their new logos for their home video and television divisions a year earlier in 1992. The movie Wilder Napalm also uses this, but with the "A TriStar Release" text above.
  • Starting with Heaven is for Real, the Pegasus' wings have the shadows removed, and "A TRISTAR PICTURES RELEASE" is now seen underneath with the byline "a Sony Company". Sometimes, the shadows are still intact.
  • After the end credits of The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra, the opening logo is static, and in black-and-white.
  • On a 2010 TBS airing of My Best Friend's Wedding, the TriStar text is written in the same font as the preceding Zucker Brothers Productions logo.

Technique: A combination of live-action footage (the Pegasus and cloud background, both filmed separately) and CGI (the light beam, wings, text, and fog), directed by John Callas for Intralink Film Graphic Design. The footage of the white stallion was shot in a hangar at the Santa Monica Airport. The wings were created by combining real feathers with the white stallion's image via computer morphing. The cloud background was a large model shot in a studio. Behind-the-scenes stills of this logo (including alternate lighting of the cloud background and close-ups of the horse) can be seen on Callas's Facebook account.

Audio: A majestic arrangement of the previous logo's fanfare. It starts with an arpeggiating piano glissando, followed by a three-note descending piano and xylophone tune; on the last note, the same six opening notes from the previous logo are heard, with the delay between the third and four notes filled with a four-note tuba tune. The music rises in intensity as more instruments come in (including brass instruments and drums), ending in a majestic fanfare. Composed by Bill Johnson.

Audio Variants:

  • Starting with The Big Hit, released on April 24, 1998, the fanfare was rearranged. This fanfare also plasters the first arrangement on the original DVD release of Desperate Measures.
  • Sometimes, this logo is silent (found on international prints of Fortress 2: Re-Entry and Cowboy Bebop: The Movie). Other times, the opening theme of the movie plays over the logo.
  • On earlier films with this logo, such as Jury Duty and some prints (such as the 1997 and 1999 DVD releases) of Sleepless in Seattle, the 1984 fanfare is used.
  • On the DVD releases, the BYUtv airing, and Pluto TV prints of Little Secrets, the fanfare is in double high tone. The Spanish track on the 2003 DVD release, however, retains the normal pitch of the fanfare. On the UK and Australian DVD releases of said movie, the fanfare is in triple high tone, due to it being sourced from the U.S. DVD release.

Availability: Seen on TriStar films from 1993 to 2015. After its retirement, the 2014 version of its closing logo continued usage for three years after the next logo was introduced.

  • The logo made its first appearance on Sleepless in Seattle, and made its final appearance on The Lady in the Van.
  • The version with the SPE byline made its debut on Jumanji and would used on most subsequent releases.
  • This logo was also used, for some reason, as a de-facto home video logo on 1997 VHS copies of The Craft, Multiplicity, Alaska, and Fly Away Home (all of which were released and/or distributed by Columbia Pictures; Alaska was also produced by Castle Rock Entertainment) instead of the Columbia TriStar Home Video logo (some prints of these tapes do have the CTHV logo instead).
  • This is also preserved on the Live Home Video VHS, DVD and LaserDisc releases of Wagons East! (which was the last Carolco film distributed by TriStar Pictures).
  • It is also seen on international printings and U.S. video releases of Faster.
  • The silent version also makes an appearance at the start of Sony's PAL DVD release of Shocker before the Universal Pictures logo, plastering the previous logo. Despite Carolco having international rights, Sony released the film on DVD internationally in the mid-2000s before StudioCanal eventually regained the home video rights.

Legacy: This logo was praised for its effects and fanfare, and its long lifespan makes this a favorite of many.

3rd Logo (September 26, 2015-)

Visuals:

  • 2015-2020: After the Sony Entertainment logo (albeit with motion blur added) transitions to this logo, there is the cloud formations of the previous logo shrouded in darkness, with a cerulean blue background partially illuminated by the bottom half of the screen. Then, a light shines up from the center and the clouds and background brighten, turning into full daylight. The clouds here are pure white and more ethereal in design, compared to the more realistic golden clouds from the last logo. Just as the clouds light up, there is a white stallion gallop out from the glowing light towards the camera, with the light fading out shortly afterwards. The stallion opens its wings as it runs out, revealing itself to be a Pegasus; once it stops running towards the screen, it stands up on its hind legs, showing off its full wingspan in the process. Once it has done this, the "TRISTAR" text from the previous logo (only more golden) fades in, then the byline "a Sony Company" from the previous logo fades in after that. This was last used on the Hulu original film Happiest Season, released on November 25, 2020.
  • 2022-: Starting with the release of The Woman King, released on September 16, 2022, the Sony logo at the beginning is updated with a new animation based on its May 2021 identity, with motion blur added to that logo, just like before. Otherwise, the logo remains the same.

Trivia:

  • Two videos exist showcasing the development of the logo, with concept art, pre-renders, animation tests, etc. They can be seen here and here.
  • The logo does not have an HFR version, unlike the 2011 and 2021 WB/New Line and 2012 MGM logos. As a result, the 4K UHD version of Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk has noticeable judder during this and the other opening logos.

Variants:

  • On FXM's print of The Walk, a 1.78:1 matted version is used.
  • On most TV prints of some movies, the original scope version has been cropped to 16:9.
  • On the development videos above, and on the film The Book of Clarence, the Sony logo is omitted, similar to the 1993-2014 logo. On the latter, it is bylineless. Also, the first seconds of the fanfare are cut as they are part of the Sony logo in the first video of the former.

Closing Variant: Beginning with T2 Trainspotting in 2017, a revised version of the 1993 early closing variant is used. Here, the text is now in the same font as the opening logo and is larger.

Technique: CGI by JAMM Visual with assistance from Daffy London. Sony commissioned the updated logo to take advantage of new technologies such as 4K and IMAX 3D, which is why there's an open matte version of this logo available, unlike with the previous logo. Daffy London provided assistance on the model, rigging, layout and animation.

Audio: The 1998 rearranged fanfare from the previous logo by Bill Johnson or the opening theme of the movie.

Availability: Seen on TriStar releases since 2015.

  • It was first shown on the IMAX trailer for The Walk (most trailers use the previous logo).
  • The fully animated version debuted on the film itself and has been seen on TriStar releases since then.

Legacy: Considered a very worthy update of the previous logos thanks to its CGI and reuse of the 1998 fanfare.

Logo (1992)

Visuals: The words "TRI STAR" in silver is seen on a zooming starfield background. The small Pegasus over Pyramid logo is seen zooming back in their place, with the pyramid shrinking to its appropriate size.

Technique: CGI.

Audio: The music theme of the video.

Availability: It was seen on a video showing Sony Pictures Entertainment's plans for Culver City. It is unknown whether or not it was an abandoned attempt for a new theatrical logo or was made solely for promotional purposes.

References

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