Anchor Bay Entertainment (2008-2017)

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Credits

Descriptions by
Kris Starring, Muzzarino, EnormousRat and Nameless_Guy

Captures by
Wyraachur, Shadeed A. Kelly, Eric S., Muzzarino, V of Doom, MariluHennerArtist45, CooleyBoy10, Derrick Anderson, EnormousRat and others

Editions by
Wyraachur, Shadeed A. Kelly, Eric S., Muzzarino, V of Doom, MariluHennerArtist45, CooleyBoy10, Derrick Anderson and others

Video captures courtesy of
thememorylandchannel, Eric S., retro vhs trailers, EnormousRat, laughingduck1000, KSE LLC and Logo Archive Premiere

Background

Anchor Bay Entertainment was a home video and production company originally formed in May 1995, when both Video Treasures and Starmaker were purchased by the Handleman Company and merged into Anchor Bay. It remained a part of Handleman until 2003, when it was sold to IDT Entertainment. In 2006, IDT was purchased by Liberty Media (the owner of the Starz cable network), and IDT became Starz Media (now Starz Distribution); the following year, Anchor Bay was renamed to "Starz Home Entertainment", only for it to revert back to its original name in 2008. In March 2011, The Weinstein Company purchased 25% of Anchor Bay. In 2016, Lionsgate reached an agreement with Starz to acquire the company for $4.4 billion. A year later, Anchor Bay was folded into Lionsgate's home media division.

Anchor Bay Entertainment (first era)

1st Logo (1997)

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Nicknames: "The Early Sailboat", "The Space Sailboat"

Logo: A part of the opening of Anchor Bay's Animated Video Treasures tapes. We see a still framed picture of a navy blue sailboat on a light blue body of water under a yellow sky with blue tinted clouds floating by. Above the frame are the words "ANCHOR BAY", and "ENTERTAINMENT" appears at the bottom.

Trivia: This had been used as a print logo since May 1995, but this is its earliest known on-screen appearance.

FX/SFX: The logo swinging in and out of view, which happens on Anchor Bay's Animated Video Treasures tapes.

Music/Sounds: the music of the program.

Availability: Appears on Anchor Bay's Animated Video Treasures tapes, in which this logo is intact on DVD. Even though the logo was shown on the box art of their earliest tapes, the 1987 Video Treasures logo appears on-screen instead.

2nd Logo (1998-2006)

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Nickname: "The Sailboat"

Logo: This is an animated version of the first logo, We see abstract drawings of a light blue body of water under a yellow sky with blue tinted clouds floating by. the same navy blue sailboat from the previous logo moves toward us. When we see the boat at a comfortable distance, the screen fades white with a framed picture of the sailboat on the water in the center of the screen. The company name then appears, taking on the appearance of the print identity seen in the first logo. The words wave in place as if they were seen underwater before taking on a normal appearance.

Variant: A still version of this logo with a Starz byline can be seen on the film Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

FX/SFX: The boat moving torward and the text fading in. None for the still version.

Music/Sounds: Usually silent, but early VHS releases like Zombie, The Velveteen Rabbit, Paula Abdul Cardio Workout, among other VHS releases, and the DVD release of Scars of Dracula use a coastal theme consisting of seagulls and waves crashing ashore, combined with some dreamy, "underwater" new-age synth notes.

Availability: Uncommon.

• Appears on Anchor Bay releases of the time, which included a few video nasties (most of which were originally released on Betamax and VHS by Wizard Video), re-releases of ABC Pictures International/ABC Motion Pictures films, some pre-1991 Media Home Entertainment titles, Video Treasures/Starmaker content and Thomas the Tank Engine.
• Also seen on a few Disney releases on VHS and DVD from the late 1990s licensed to the company, including The Black Hole, The Happiest Millionaire, and The Devil and Max Devlin. It can be seen on Malevolence too.
• Also seen on a few [[|DIC Entertainment|DiC Entertainment]] titles in the UK.

3rd Logo (2003-2008)

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  2007-2008 Starz version

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  Divimax Series version

Nicknames: "The Blue Sailboat", "The Sailboat II"

Logo: On a majorelle blue water background, we see a big explosion which showers us with 0's and 1's, accompanied by orange flashes. With a rippling effect, we see the previous logo playing, the background fades into a box like in the previous logo while we go back to the same background. and then the words ANCHOR BAY are above the box, and ENTERTAINMENT are below, both in the same font as the previous two logos.

Variants:

• There is also a Divimax series variant of the logo. At the end of the logo which is in widescreen, the sailboat fades out and yellow sparkles horizontally wipe in the Divimax series logo.
• For a brief time in 2007, the animation was altered. The sparks were removed, and now the logo zooms onto a white square that wipes in. The company name fades in as usual, and yellow sparkles make the byline "a STARZ company" appear in the extra space below the logo.
• On Hatchet, a short version in black and white appeared before the movie, while the next logo was used before the previews.

FX/SFX: The animation in the logo.

Music/Sounds: Whooshing noises combined with synth notes. Starting in 2007, chime sounds were added at the end.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the Divimax series variant, an extended version of the fanfare and a whoosh are heard.

Availability: Common.

• This can be seen on many Anchor Bay DVDs, such as Hell of the Living Dead, The Seduction, Re-Animator, Dawn of the Dead, The Evil Dead, Near Dark, Creepshow 2, and Thomas and Friends DVDs from 2003 to 2007, among others.
• Despite the rebranding to Starz Home Entertainment, all Thomas and Friends DVDs that were released in 2007 (with a few exceptions) still had this logo until 2008.

Starz Home Entertainment

1st Logo (2006?)

Logo: On a dark background with red smoke (or fire) in the middle, we see a logo similar to the Starz Productions and Starz Animation logos of the time, only black and with "HOME" and "ENTERTAINMENT" being seen below "STARZ". The logo slowly zooms out.

FX/SFX: The background and the logo zooming out.

Music/Sounds: The opening theme of the trailer.

Availability: Ultimately rare, though it was recently discovered. It has only been spotted so far in a trailer for Highlander: The Search for Vengeance, along with the Manga Entertainment logo.

2nd Logo (2007-2008)

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Nickname: "The Starz Logo"

Logo: Pretty much the same as the Starz Media logo, but the word "starz" is lowercase, the symbol is seen above the text, the text is centered, and "MEDIA" is replaced with "HOME ENTERTAINMENT" in a different font.

FX/SFX: None.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare.

• Can be seen on a few British Manga Entertainment releases such as Naruto, Bleach, and Death Note. On some releases, the then-current Anchor Bay logo proceeds after that.
• Also appears on the UK DVD of Inspector Gadget's Biggest Caper Ever!.
• Very certain prints of a few Thomas and Friends DVDs around this time also had this logo.

Anchor Bay Entertainment (second era)

1st Logo (December 18, 2007-2009)

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Nickname: "The Sailboat III"

Logo: Against a reflecting pool of water, we see an image of a sailboat, with a filmstrip in place of the right mast, against drawings of the sea and sky behind the sailboat. Once again, it is enclosed in a box. While it is zooming out, a black box wipes in and encloses the sailboat. Above the sailboat is the company name in Impact font, with "ANCHOR BAY" in sky blue and with missing hyphens in the "A"s. A second later, the byline "a starz company" fades in below.

Variant: A still version on a black background exists.

FX/SFX: Zooming and wiping effects.

Music/Sounds: The last notes from the previous logo or none.

Availability: Uncommon, due to its short lifespan.

• Can be seen on The Grand, Lower Education, Jimmy and Judy, and The Lather Effect.
• The still variant can be seen on the Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: A Tale Of Tails DVD and all Thomas and Friends DVDs released around 2008 (except for Trackside Tunes and Percy Takes the Plunge, in which the regular version is used.)
• This logo was also used in tandem with the Starz Home Entertainment name on some releases such as Hatchet.

2nd Logo (2009-2017)

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Nicknames: "The A", "The Sailboat IV"

Logo: On a black background, we see a stylized "A" zoom out, which resembles a sail. It shines a bit, then we see the words "A N C H O R B A Y ENTERTAINMENT" zoom out line-by-line. A Starz byline "vaporizes" in underneath.

Variants:

• Some releases feature a more bluish "A" and the company name tinted yellow.
• On some DVDs such as Tugger: The Jeep 4x4 Who Wanted to Fly, the logo is still.

FX/SFX: The "A" zooming out.

Music/Sounds: Gentle wave sounds from the Anchor Bay Films logo or none.

Availability: Common. Seen on DVD releases such as Stan Helsing, Scream 4, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Where the Day Takes You, Apollo 18, The Iron Lady, and all Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVDs starting with A Little Help from My Friends, among others.

3rd Logo (2016-2017)

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Nicknames: "The A II", "Blandchor Bay", "An Anchor Bay Disappointment"

Logo: Same as the 2016 Starz Originals logo, only "STARZ ORIGINALS" is replaced by the previous Anchor Bay Entertainment logo in white, and the Starz byline (in 2016 form) appears below.

FX/SFX: Same as the Starz Originals logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Starz Originals logo.

Availability: Very rare, as this logo lasted a very short time before Anchor Bay's closure. Seen on a couple titles, such as 47 Meters Down, and the second season of Ash vs. Evil Dead. This also appeared on the Tubi streaming print of the 2012 film, Bait.