Universal Animation Studios

Universal Cartoon Studios is the animation production arm of Universal Studios established in 1990 as a division of Universal Family Entertainment. In 2005, it was renamed to Universal Animation Studios.

Universal Cartoon Studios

Contents 1st Logo (September 14, 1991-March 21, 2006) 2nd Logo (January 6, 1998-August 6, 2004)

Universal Animation Studios

Contents   Logo (February 10, 2006-)

Universal Cartoon Studios

1st Logo (September 14, 1991-March 21, 2006)

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Visuals: The 1990 Universal Pictures logo proceeds as normal, albeit without "UNIVERSAL" coming from behind and circling the globe. While the globe zooms out and moves into its center position, a cartoon version of the biplane from the 1920s Universal logo (which is a yellow-orange biplane with a red face and light blue wheels; nicknamed Jetty), appears from behind the globe and flies around it and turning through with her tongue sticking out. She leaves a trail of smoke, which turns into "UNIVERSAL", in its similar corporate font from the 1990-1997 Universal Pictures logo with its gradient texture on it and is stretched up vertically (with the "R" backwards). Then, Jetty the Weak Jet Plane enters the bottom of the globe and flies through it, but doesn't turn this time, leaving another trail of smoke, which also turns into "CARTOON STUDIOS" in rainbow colors and in a Mickey Mouse-like font (named Ashley Crawford). As the globe and the words are in position, Jetty comes into the middle of the globe and comes to a screeching halt with surprise, realizing and noticing the "R" in "UNIVERSAL" is flipped backwards. Then, she takes a few steps back, giggles for a bit over her mistake, and flips it around, causing it to spin briefly before stopping in its correct position. Then, she floats and looks at the camera and happily looks at the "R" before she floats down, then she looks back at the camera.

Trivia: The part where Jetty flies through the globe making the trail of smoke, which turns into the words, is a homage to the 1923 and 1927 Universal Pictures logos.

Variants:

• A variant where the animation of Jetty and the text are slightly shifted up a bit and also has the white emboss sharp-like effect on it exists, which is seen on direct-to-video movies including The Land Before Time sequels (with the exception of The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock which uses the 2nd logo instead, and The Land Before Time IX: Journey to Big Water which uses the standard version of the logo and cuts to black).
• The logo fades out early when Jetty looks at the "R" before she floats down. This variant was typically used with the first variant, and is also seen on a few shows like Wing Commander Academy, The New Woody Woodpecker Show (some episodes use the standard version), and season 2 of Savage Dragon.
• On Back to the Future: The Animated Series and Fievel's American Tails, there is a prototype variant of the first variant where the globe and the starfield are a bit darker.
  • Sometimes on the latter show, the words "CARTOON STUDIOS" are stretched a little horizontally.
  • On Back to the Future: The Animated Series, the prototype variant of the logo is shown in the top left corner along with the 1991 Amblin Television logo on the top right, the Zaloom/Mayfield Productions logo on the bottom left, and the BIG Pictures logo on the bottom right, and it begins with the part where Jetty flies around the globe on the bottom and ends at the part where she giggles.
  • On Fievel's American Tails, the prototype variant of the logo is shown in the bottom middle corner along with the 1991 Amblin Television logo on the top left and the 1985 long version of the Nelvana logo on the top right, and it starts and ends at the same points as the BTTF variant.
    • On later episodes starting with "The Legend of Mouse Hollow", the logo animation stops when Jetty takes a few steps back as she's about to look at the "R", leaving the animations for the Amblin Television and Nelvana logos to finish.
• A videotaped version of the first variant also exists, where the logo has a better quality look and is also a bit darker, which was seen on HBO prints and currently seen on iTunes and Netflix prints of The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island, and it is also currently seen on Netflix prints of The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure and The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving as well.
• A short version of the logo exists, which begins with Jetty realizing the "R" in "UNIVERSAL" is backwards. Sometimes, it begins with Jetty coming in the center and stops, or begins when Jetty is giggling. An extremely short version also exists, which only shows Jetty flipping the "R".
• On VHS releases, the first "S" in "STUDIOS" turns purple while Jetty giggles about the "R", which is due to the VHS chroma effect.
• On The Land Before Time X: The Great Longneck Migration, The Land Before Time XI: The Invasion of the Tinysauruses, and The Adventures of Brer Rabbit, the first variant of the logo looks a bit darker, and it is also a bit enhanced.
• On Shelly Duvall's Bedtime Stories and the first four episodes of Monster Force, the standard logo is still.
• On the Monster Force episode "Prisoner of Kaliaga", the logo freezes one second after Jetty flips the "R".
• On the sixth episode of The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, the standard version of the logo is seen on the right while the Harvey Entertainment logo is on the left. This variant is plastered by the Harveytoons logo with that company's disclaimer underneath on the DVD release.
• On A Wish for Wings That Work, a still artwork version of the logo also exists, which appears on the right along with the print Amblin Television logo. The word "UNIVERSAL" is stretched a bit farther and "CARTOON STUDIOS" is straight, and all have a yellow gradient color and there's a bit of smoke behind Jetty. It was also a print logo that was used on covers of VHS and DVD releases. This was designed and illustrated by Eric Semones.
• On Universal Kids prints of The Land Before Time VIII: The Big Freeze and Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein, the logo plays in warp speed with the ending theme of the respective films, which is a result of time compression.

Technique: Live-action model work mixed with traditional animation by Spaff Animation Incorporated.

Audio: A whimsical fanfare that later takes a comical tone when Jetty appears. This was composed in the key of F major by Michael Tavera.

Audio Trivia: An arranged excerpt version of the logo music was also used in the Kids' WB! series ¡Mucha Lucha! episode "All Creatures Masked and Small", where Rikochet (voiced by Carlos Alazraqui) explains the truth about fleas. The first two seasons of ¡Mucha Lucha! featured music made by Michael Tavera.

Audio Variants:

• Starting in 1995, an alternative version of the fanfare is heard. The music was reorchestrated and sound effects were also added (buzzing when Jetty flies around the globe, tires squealing when she stops, a chipmunk laugh when she giggles, and a wobbly sound when the "R" spins). This was first used on The Land Before Time III: The Time of the Great Giving and would go into full use starting in 2001.
• On the DVD version of The Land Before Time IV: Journey through the Mists, there is a remixed version of the alternative fanfare with the sound effects intact.
• On Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein and The Land Before Time: More Sing-Along-Songs, the alternative music is a bit out-of-sync.
• Sometimes, the ending theme of the show plays over the logo.
• On the sixth episode of The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper, the music from The Harvey Entertainment Company logo is used.

Availability:

• Seen on sequels of The Land Before Time franchise starting with The Land Before Time II: The Great Valley Adventure and ending with The Land Before Time XI: The Invasion of the Tinysauruses.
• After the 1997 Universal logo was introduced, the logo was then seen at the end of the movies starting with The Land Before Time V: The Mysterious Island. The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock has the 2nd logo instead (see below).
• It is also seen at the end of the Balto sequels (Wolf Quest and Wings of Change), Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet Frankenstein, and Alvin and the Chipmunks Meet the Wolfman, among others.
• The short version is preserved at the end of animated shows like Problem Child, Exosquad, The New Woody Woodpecker Show (where it appeared before the credits to fit in with Fox Kids' credit squeezing), Wing Commander Academy, Earthworm Jim, Beethoven: The Animated Series, Monster Force, Savage Dragon, and the first six episodes of The Spooktacular New Adventures of Casper.
• The still version was also seen on Shelley Duvall's Bedtime Stories on Showtime and the first four episodes of Monster Force.
• The extremely short version was seen on Vor-Tech: Undercover Conversion Squad.
• The last movie to use the logo was The Adventures of Brer Rabbit.

2nd Logo (January 6, 1998-August 6, 2004)

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Visuals: The finished product of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo is shown, with the globe still rotating and the glow shining. Below the globe, the text "UNIVERSAL CARTOON STUDIOS" (in gold) fades in. Like the movie logo, a small copyright reading "©1997 Universal City Studios, Inc." appears at the bottom-right in the Gill Sans typeface.

Variants:

• Sometimes, the logo doesn't feature the text underneath the globe. Plus, the logo also fades in and out.
• Like in the movie and TV logos, a small copyright appears at the bottom-right until 1999.

Technique: CGI by Picturemill.

Audio: A short version of the movie counterpart's theme composed and conducted by Jerry Goldsmith, only this time, the French horn theme plays alone, and the two percussion hits are also played by the orchestra.

Audio Variant: On the Fractured Fairy Tales short The Phox, The Box, and the Lox, the logo is silent.

Availability:

• Seen on The Land Before Time VI: The Secret of Saurus Rock, An American Tail: Treasure of Manhattan Island, and Hercules and Xena: The Battle For Mount Olympus.
• The version without the text is seen on An American Tail: Mystery of the Night Monster.

Universal Animation Studios

Logo (February 10, 2006-)

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Visuals: The first element shown is a more animated version of the "UNIVERSAL" text revolving around the earth as it appears from the blackness to view from the left side (unlike the right side in the movie counterpart's logo), causing the globe to shine and the glow to appear behind it. The text shines once while it revolves. However, it continues to revolve after the fanfare is over, and the globe and the text gets squeezed so tight that the glow behind the globe disappears and the "UNIVERSAL" text spins around the earth really, really fast. When it stops spinning, the globe is animated and colored even more vividly and the "UNIVERSAL" text is now white with an orange border. Then, "ANIMATION STUDIOS", in orange, appears traveling from behind the globe letter-by-letter, making a stop under the logo. Then, a comet appears from the top-right side and flies around the earth, causing the glow to appear again behind the globe. The globe shines.

Variants:

• On Curious George (2006 film), the logo is brighter. Also, the text (and the outlines on it) is in lime green. It's likely an early variant.
• On The Land Before Time TV series (including DVD releases), the shorter variant starts with the logo already formed, and the comet going around the earth is intact.
• On Curious George (the TV series), a still artwork version of the logo is seen.

Technique: CGI produced by Riverstreet Productions and animated by Blur Studio.

Audio: It starts with the last portion of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo theme by Jerry Goldsmith, then some squeezing sounds and whooshes as the globe spins around. When the globe becomes animated, there is a muted trumpet note, four synth notes (each with a "wah" effect), and a majestic bell tune with a big whoosh noise as the comet flies by that ends with a choir. This was composed by Gregory Smith and Made Music Studio.

Audio Variants:

• On Curious George (2006 film), there is an additional sound for the "ANIMATION STUDIOS" text running in (a woodblock being struck multiple times) and George (voiced by Frank Welker) is heard chattering at the end after the music finishes.
• In other cases, it uses the closing theme of any show.
  • On the DVD prints of Curious George, the very end of the show's theme song (with George's chattering and the sound of him turning the page) is heard.
• On The Land Before Time: The Great Day of the Flyers, the sound effects are different. Also, it has the instrumental version of "Flip, Flap and Fly" ending over it.

Availability:

• This logo first appeared at the end of the Curious George film and is also seen on its direct-to-video/streaming sequels: Follow that Monkey!, Back to the Jungle, Royal Monkey, Go West, Go Wild and Cape Ahoy.
• It is also seen at the end of these The Land Before Time sequels: The Great Day of the Flyers, The Wisdom of Friends, and Journey of the Brave.
• The short version was seen on the The Land Before Time TV series.
• The still artwork version is seen on the Curious George TV series.

Walter Lantz Productions Don Bluth Entertainment Amblimation

Universal Animation Studios