Toei Company

Credits

Descriptions by
Eric S.mr3urious, Edc4, TVB and TheLogoFan2004

Editions by
TVB

Video captures courtesy of
shimomov, DaVinci30, MarkStarCrashes, TheH-Man, Eric S., and Edc4

Background

Toei Company is a Japanese film company founded in 1949 during the dismantling of the traditional Japanese film industry, as a result of some of the oldest elements of motion picture producers Makino, Tokyo Film Distribution, and Ohizumi Films. In its early years, Toei preferred to build local cinemas in villages and near train stations more than make good movies. In 1956, Toei established an animation division, Toei Animation Company Limited at the former Tokyo-Ōizumi animation studio, purchasing the assets of Japan Animated Films. In 1960, Toei established Daini Toei (later New Toei) to produce and distribute more gendaigeki films, where it's being a genre of Japanese drama that deals with contemporary life. The company is also best known for producing television shows (mainly coming from the Tokusatsu genre) such as the Kamen Rider and Super Sentai series.

1st Logo (1950s?)

Logoː Just the Toei logo (which consists of a triangle with the kanji letters "東映" (which means "TOEI")) seen in the middle of the screen with the company name in kanji on a stormy background.

FX/SFXː Live-Action.

Music/Soundsː TBA.

Availabilityː Extinct.

2nd Logo (1950s?-1958?)

File:Toei 2.jpg

Logoː Same as last time, but the logo and text are in 3D against a rocky wall.

FX/SFXː Live-Action.

Music/Soundsː TBA.

Availabilityː Extinct.

3rd Logo (1958?-2001)

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Nicknames: "The Seashore", "The Triangle", "Waves and Rocks"

Logo: We see a shot at sea with some rocks and waves crashing ashore. Then, when big waves form, the Toei logo in a superimposed style, zooms in.

Variants:

• Originally, the logo appeared in B&W.
• On early prints of the logo, the words (also in Japanese text) "COMPANY, LTD." are seen below the logo.
• On some English export prints, the logo is translated into English, with the words "A TOEI COMPANY, LTD. Picture".
• Other English export prints have the text "A TOEI PICTURE" pop in a split-second after the logo settles.
• English export prints of The Bullet Train (Shinkansen Daibakuha) have another variant with the text "TOEI COMPANY LTD." appearing underneath the logo.
• When ToeiScope premiered, the logo would appear with the letters "TOEI SCOPE" surrounding the logo.
• The logo may be completely still on some films.
• On a Greek VHS of The Golden Bird, there is a blue tint to the logo, due to film quality master.
• On The Fugitive From The Past (1965), there is a name on the logo translated to "Toei W106 Operation".
• There is a variant seen on the 1958 movie Hakujyaden in which two "fireworks" explode on a blue background, which is followed by the Toei logo (in yellow) zooming up.
• On the Dragon Ball fire safety video Gokū no Shōbōtai (Goku's Fire Brigade), the Toei logo is a gold model on a black background.
• The film Mechanical Violator Hakaider (the Director's Cut) opens with The Toei logo panning to the left to the prison in the opening scene
• On a Soviet Russian print of Nobody's Boy (1977), the logo is replaced by the text "TOЗЙ КOMПAHИ янония", and the background is still.

FX/SFX: The live-action background and zooming of the logo.

Music/Sounds: The sound of waves crashing, silent, or the opening theme of the film. The Hakujyaden variant uses a patriotic fanfare. New Line co-productions have a dramatic, western-sounding fanfare continuing to said company's first logo, composed by such names as Tony Sushima and Takeo Watanabe.

Availability: Very common. Seen on Toei releases from the late 50s to 2001. Sometimes it is removed or plastered with local distributors logos on export prints, but is often retained. Common films that have this are the Dragon Ball films, the Sonny Chiba Street Fighter films (the New Line Home Video releases, and public domain prints of the first two films, retain them, with the theatrical R-rated versions using the truncated versions of their opening themes as heard over the New Line Cinema logo on original American release prints), Animal Treasure Island, The Bullet Train, The Fugitive From The Past, and Karate Bullfighter. It can also be found on YuYu Hakusho: The Golden Seal, which they distributed on behalf of Studio Pierrot. The variant that says "A TOEI PICTURE" appears on the English version of Shogun's Ninja. The Thorn EMI release of Roaring Fire has the variant with the text "TOEI COMPANY, LTD. Presents" fading in below. It is not known if it appeared on any prints of Fist of the North Star but all known versions currently available do have an in-credit reference to Toei at the beginning of the film. Don't expect it to appear on current prints of the Kadokawa Shoten-produced films that they distributed. It may have been on older prints of Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind but no evidence has shown up as of yet. It was also probably seen on the earliest prints of Castle In The Sky and Kiki's Delivery Service but has since been replaced on most home video releases of both films with the current Studio Ghibli logo.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (2001- )

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Nicknames: "The Seashore II", "The Triangle II", "Waves and Rocks II", "The New And Improved Seashore", "Wall Of Clouds/Water"

Logo: A light appears and reveals a "wall" of clouds/water, which takes over the entire screen. A black Toei logo is revealed on the wall for a few seconds. The words "TOEI COMPANY LTD." emerge from the water at the bottom side of the screen, and the "wall" crossfades to the seashore from the previous logo and the cyan Toei triangle zooms in, and while it does so it turns back to its white color. The seashore fades out, leaving the text and triangle on a black background.

Variants:

• Since the 2010's, the wall looks more like it's made of water, and the Toei logo isn't revealed on it.
• Dragon Ball Super: Broly: The trailers have the Toei logo in green, to represent Broly's green Saiyan aura.
• Dragon Ball Super: Super Hero: The trailers have the Toei logo in red, to represent the Red Ribbon army.
• Kamen Rider × Kamen Rider OOO & W Featuring Skull: Movie War Core: The Toei logo is colored red, yellow, green and purple, the colors of the Kamen Riders Double (green and purple) and OOO (red, yellow and green).
• One Piece Film: Gold: The trailer has the Toei logo in gold.
• One Piece Film: Red: The trailer has the Toei logo in Uta's colors of red and white.
• Sailor Moon Eternal: The feature was divided into two films. The first film's trailer had the Toei logo given a sparkly pink appearance, while the second film's trailer has the logo shaded moonlight silver.
• Sailor Moon Cosmos: The trailer the has the Toei logo in crystal (with a star-filled sky seen through it) against a black background.
• Tokusou Sentai Dekaranger: The Movie: The Toei logo pans to the left, leading into the opening scene on the beach.
• Mechanical Violator Hakaider: The Toei logo pans to the left, to the prison in the opening scene.
• Kamen Rider Saber + Kikai Sentai Zenkaiger Super Hero Senki: The Toei logo plays tokusatsu sound effects, then the ocean freezes into ice and pans left to the Agastya Base, leading into the opening scene.
• Evangelion: 3.0+1.0 Thrice Upon a Time: The Toei logo used is the 1950s Toei logo.

FX/SFX: The light, the "wall", the words emerging, the fading, the live-action background and triangle zooming in. Advanced animation for the early 2000s that still holds up today.

Music/Sounds: Same as before.

Availability: Currently in use. Films that have this are all modern Super Sentai and Kamen Rider films and the Special Edition of Battle Royale among others. This also appears on Japanese releases of American co-productions, such as the 2017 Power Rangers film.

Editor's Note: None.