Apple Films

Credits

Descriptions by
LongLiveRock, Hoa, bigladiesman and PAV123

Captures by
Eric S. and Supermarty-o

Video captures courtesy of
Peakpasha, Chuck Stenberg and Maria Laura Perez

Background

Created in 1967 as part of The Beatles' Apple Corps, this company only released a few films. Apple Corps still exists, primarily to oversee control and licensing of Beatles-related assets and the Apple Records back catalog.

1st Logo (December 26, 1967-April 1974)

Nicknames: "Special Apple", "Hand-Drawn Apple", "The Fab Four Logo", "The Yoko Ono Logo", "Red Apple", "Apple of Doom"

Logo: On a moving space background (which even shows a nebula), a hand drawn-looking red apple (unlike the Apple Corps Ltd. logo, which is green) moves in from the right while rotating and places itself on the left of the screen. It stays there while rotating for about five seconds until it starts peeling. The part being peeled forms a spiral which ends forming the words "films" in a handwritten font (it also has a filmstrip pattern applied to it). The peeled part of the apple shows the words "AN APPLE". Overall, we get the phrase "AN APPLE film".

Variant: A "still" version exists. The only movement we get is the space background briefly moving.

FX/SFX: All prety decent traditional cel animation for the time.

Music/Sounds: We start with some electronic computer/space-like sounds, then when the apple starts moving in, a rocking, state-of-the-art electric guitar & percussion-driven tune is heard. When the apple is peeling itself, we hear a "WHOOSH"-like sound fading in until it completely muffles the guitar tune, and gets louder over the finished logo. Finally we hear the electronic sounds again.

Music/Sounds Variants:

• On Son of Dracula and some other films, after we hear the beeps again after the whoosh, we hear what seems to be the sound of a cuckoo clock.
• At least once, the "cuckoo clock" sound was heard on the full version of the logo.
• On the still version, we only hear the electronic and "cuckoo" sounds.

Availability: Ultra rare. Can be seen on the DVD releases on their 1970s films: Born to Boogie, Concert for Bangladesh, and Son of Dracula.

Legacy: The general cheesiness of the logo and the loud electronic sounds are likely to scare many unaware viewers. The cuckoo clock sound may also startle you, but the guitar tune is very nice, though.

2nd Logo (1994-2012, November 25-27, 2021)

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Nicknames: "Green Apple", "The Silent Company Textless Dark Logo", "Special Apple II", "Dark Room For An Apple" "Tame Apple"

Logo: On a black background, the Apple Corps green apple fades in and it slowly zooms in. After a few seconds, the apple fades out while zooming-in.

Variants:

• On some films such as both re-issues of Yellow Submarine, either the text "Apple Films Ltd." or "An Apple Corps. Ltd. Film", or even "Apple Presents" appears below the apple.
  • On the second case, the image of the apple is brighter.
• On The Beatles: Get Back, it is in-credit and the text "Apple" is underneath the logo.

FX/SFX: The zooming-in of the green apple. Sometimes, it's a still logo.

Music/Sounds: None.

Availability: Rare. Seen on Magical Mystery Tour and possibly other films from the era. Also seen at the end of the 1999 and 2012 re-issues of Yellow Submarine and The Beatles: Get Back on Disney+.

Legacy: This is a favorite among Beatles fans.