Opening Logo Tier List
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i’ll make a part two just for blumhouse
Ayy twentiee fore
my mom is my favorite
A24 by far!
marvel!!
staples
The THX intro rattled my bones and shook my brain as a kid, and i would run and hide.
But now, I admire and have learned to love it.
Lmao it literally scared me as a kid too
i was waiting to see if he was gonna mention it!! whenever i think of studio intros i always think of that traumatizing ass THX sound. it was always somehow twice as loud as the actual movie lmao
@@dumdumm3299 THX isn't a studio though, it's an audio technology company.
@@OngoGablogian487 Honestly it’s so good that we should make an exception
@@Chudi2000 no disagreement there 😎
I miss when Marvel had the comic book images flip through the background of their logo.
They had to change it to separate themselves from non-Marvel Marvel based movies which still used that same animation. I think they one that they made for Thor the Dark World and the rest of phase two was the best. Don’t love the one with live action clips in it.
that one was incredible
It was nice, simple, matched up with the film you're about to watch and if they had to put it in front of every episode of their TV shows then I definitely wouldn't mind it as much
Same with dc
One they used from like 2013 to 2016 was perfection. Had the flipping pages, but wasn’t too self indulgent
I would've given the Paramount one extra credit for how the Indiana Jones movies use it to fade into the opening shot, that's such an iconic part of those films and instantly gets you into the adventure
Also, in Transformers movies, the way they add the sound of the robots as the stars float towards the mountain is so good.
@@At0mS8 also love that they changed the stars to rings in the sonic one
Yeah Paramount logo is an S in my book
Paramount S Tier
paramount logo is nostaligia to me and i feel very attatched to it
This is cheesy but the Columbia logo is S tier for me, the visuals and the music make me tear up a little every time, so beautiful
I would agree. It's super iconic.
yes the most underrated one
I think the personal attachment you have to the studio’s movies affects it tbh. Like in my head I know the Miramax one is mid, but every time I see it, I feel like I’m watching Pulp Fiction for the first time all over again.
for me, the Columbia logo is iconic but i don't have a single recollection for the music that plays-hell, i didn't recall the actual name of the studio either, just the iconic opening for it lmao
but that's just me
Elmer Bernstein's opening theme for Ghostbusters playing over the old Columbia logo (the music starts just as the torch is lit) is the most iconic Columbia opening for me. Though I also like the "new" logo and regular theme
I think a lot of the love for the A24 logo comes from the actual movies rather than the logo itself
their logo is also quite chic and minimalist. of course complemented by the amazing the films
They put all their power into the productions
I appreciate the hell outta A24 for being as creative as they are with their opening logos from film to film. Even their regular one scratches my brain so good
Wait there’s different logos ?
Only in the trailers I believe
@@jakobskredelangedal6059 ah thank you
The logo in Midsommar's trailer still itches me...
the ones from midsommar and mid90s ❤
It's not a production company but you should have included THX. The sound, the feeling the sound evokes, the cleanness of it. It's perfect.
It honestly stresses me out lol
@John-yi6cz agreed, it makes me feel like my head is going to explode
Kinda weird that you didn’t show S+ tier, which as we all know is comprised solely of Bad Robot Productions and their beautiful mascot in a field of wheat or whatever
BAD ROBOT!
the first time i saw the bad robot opening i was maybe 8 years old and it scared me to my core which has only made me appreciate it more as an adult
bad robot production intro goes so crazy
I WAS SEARCHING FOR THIS COMMENT OMG
Whenever I see the blue Disney opening im thinking of either the sound of inserting a VHS tape or the sound of rewinding. Good times.
ngl i could've sworn that every time the blue Disney logo popped up the music and audio had a bit of grain or warbling to it-but ever since that memory or thought first came to mind, that's what i always think when the opening rolls
the monkeypaw one is sooo good in my opinion, the first time i watched a film produced by them i thought it was a part of the movie 😭the stop motion animation is so unique, i love it
lmao that was my same reaction as well when i first saw it pop up
Same. I got really scared too bc of that reason.
I like how, in Wendell and Wild, they had it smoothly transition into the first establishing shot of the movie
The Warner logo is so iconic to me, especially how it's used in the later Harry Potter movies, zooming through it right to an establishing shot. And the transition to New Line is also pretty great.
how did Karsten miss that Film 4 is a strip of films with multiple frames who start to run through a projector, gradually speeding up?
“we’re going downstairs for some reason…?”
Yeah, Film4 is iconic for me. And I know I'm down for a weird time.
And how the fuck did he not realise why the Universal logo is in front of the Earth? "What does this mean? What are you trying to say, everything?" I cried.
Lets not forget that Pixar made a short film just about the desk lamp...its that iconic
I think the lamp came _from_ the short, right? I dunno, don't take my word for it.
@@dontpanic5278 Yes, Luxo Jr. (The short film about the lamp) came out in 1986, and they made it their logo shortly after. Guess they must have realized after that short came out just how instantly recognizable that lamp was.
@@dontpanic5278 Yeah, the short came first and then years later they decided to make that their logo, since it was one of the first Pixar films.
@@michaelvessel4604 ah thanks for the correction
The previous Pixar logo was a square with a circle. representing a Mac processer, I believe
You could make part two with New Line, Annapurna, Legendary, Blumhouse, Twisted Pictures, Bad Robot, United Artists, Indian Paintbrush, Gaumont, Searchlight, Screen Gems, Amblin, Lucas Film, Dimension… Hell, you could even throw in Happy Madison for fun.
regency & pathe are other ones
syncopy
mubi ??
Scott Free
Orion
I really wish that Lionsgate hadn’t changed their opener to the one that it is now. The old one where you were going through the cogs and gears of the lock and then the gate would open and boom, it’s Lionsgate was really great. This new one is pretty good but feels to Universal-adjacent to be unique. They’ve sort of got a monopoly on the whole Space thing. Would definitely love to see a sequel to this video honestly, there’s a bunch more that are worth covering. I’d like to throw Village Roadshow into the ring for sure, that’s another one that has a lot of great variations to it, even if the originalish from the early 2000’s is kinda bland.
I remember seeing the old Lionsgate opening logo when I went to go see all of the Hunger Games films in theaters and I really liked their logo for the films. I haven't seen as many Lionsgate films, so I don't really know when they started changing their logo.
i miss that old Lionsgate logo so much
i was sad not to see the old version included. i don’t know why but it’s stuck with me almost as much as the big hitters like disney and fox
My main memories of that logo were the 2007 TMNT movie, and I think they distributed the 80's series at the time as well since I recall seeing it on my DVD of season 6.
Lionsgate's new logo reminds me of Relativity Media's logo more than anything else.
I’d throw the Amblin Entertainment logo in S tier. The imagery of E.T. and Elliot on the bike over the moon is obviously ICONIC, the zoom out and the forming of the Amblin letters is very simple but charming, and I love that little detail of the bike’s wheels stopping their spin as the image of the bike holds in position in the center of the moon. Plus if you see it with the rare John Williams theme, it gives it a sense of wonder and adventure which is on brand for Spielberg and his company.
The way Warner Bro. uses its logo for The Matrix is seared into my mind
Green. The Score. Transitioning to the matrix code.
Iconic.
Was looking for this. Plus as much as WB has been controvercial for a few years. Back in the day if you saw that opening sequence on TV, you knew the movie was gonna be good.
The Harry Potter movies for me. So incredibly iconic.
2000s animated films as well with Bugs Bunny on the logo.
I liked the Batman and Robin variant, where the logo turned into ice.
The perfect accompaniment to that Family Guy clip where it’s unclear when the movie is actually going to start
One of the production companies’ logos shows in full, and then it plays Karsten ranking it, and that continues until the video is over… and *then* the actual production company/companies’ logos who actually produced the film plays 😂
I didn't realize how passionate I was about film company logos until your Universal take. I fully expected it to be S tier lol
Right? It’s easily the best of the big studio logos
Jordan Peele's company Monkey's Paw has quickly become one of my favorites. Especially with the stop-motion version they did for Wendell and Wild.
YES KARSTEN YOU ALWAYS HAVE THE BEST IDEAS!
I was a Dreamworks kid instead of Disney and Pixar, every time I saw their logo playing, I just knew I’m gonna like the movie already
the reason you feel the OG disney logo is intentionally nostalgic, (is cuz it is) but also it’s got that IBM lines through the castle, plus the blue is like a remotely softer color then what your old TV would display when there’s no signal. or like when the VHS is first starting to reel ya know!
The New Line Cinema one is S tier! When I was a kid watching the LOTR films I always thought the film strips were ladders, and I loved how they just barely missed the square as they fell down
Underrated part of MGM's is their motto in Latin around the edge of the Lion, Ars Gratia Artis, which means "Art for art's sake." Which symbolized that art should be free of any political or social requirements, and just be. Which is especially interesting when you consider how long MGM has been around, and some of the crazy shit its been through in America.
it says "Art for art's sake" in MGM's updated logo that now also names Amazons ownership of the company.
You gotta add Jerry Bruckheimer Films for part 2 with the road and the lightning striking the tree. Underrated opening logo imo!
Tbh I like the old Marvel logo (the comic book flippy one) a lot. It was quick, iconic and paid tribute to the source material without being too self-indulgent. Plus, it had a darker shade of red which made it feel more cinematic.
The new logo is soooo long and self-congratulatory that I view it more as the "Marvel theme song" rather than a production company logo, which is fitting since they play it before EVERY EPISODE OF THEIR TV SHOWS. Like jesus at least the Netflix shows understood to speed that shit up to get you into the show.
I thought it had a charm when we first started seeing it in theaters but now we've seen it so much that I'm kinda sick of it lol. Wanna go back to the comic book flippy days
As a graphic designer A24 has one of the best logos animations point blank.
wholeheartedly agree, absolutely beautiful
I remember when I was a little kid and I was obsessed with the history of movie studio logos. It was weird.
I always appreciate the WB ones cause they make an effort to integrate it into the film like A24.
Criterion logo needs no update, it’s so simple, clean and will age very well
The funny thing about the MGM logo is you always remember the lion's roar being more triumphant than it actually is
The '80s version of the TriStar logo was better; the modern version uses it's association with Columbia too prominently. I am quite fond of the '70s Warner Communications logo; which uses a simple W (\\') in red on black, zooming in through the red to reveal a duplicate logo in white (I think it was designed by Saul Bass?), it worked really well as the original logo for 'The Shining'; segueing into the opening fly-over shot of that film!
TriStar will always be my favorite. Ever since I was a kid I was obsessed with it.
anytime i see that HBO logo pop up, i know i am about to watch a very entertaining tv show
Finally some logo appreciation
I really think Regency should be on this list. Such a banger.
Also, the movies are mostly subpar, but I really enjoy the modern Sony drop before the Columbia intro.
Yes! That Sony noise is so satisfying even if you know it’s attached to like fucking Slenderman or some awful shit like that.
You’re so right that that OG Disney logo has mad nostalgia. Which is why I hate so much that they changed the streaming version of old movies eg Toy Story to have the “modern” 3D version and it ruins the entire experience for me. Also the theatrical version of the Netflix logo is S tier for me, while the Tv version is like a D.
I don't mind the modern Disney logo, but I definitely prefer the classic blue logo. The simplicity of it was very nice and I easily prefer the music of it compared to the new one. I might be biased given that I was born in 1996 and grew up watching their movies on VHS (especially the Disney Renaissance films during the 90s when I was around for the first few years of my life).
@@Lauren_210 I actually do prefer the new logo on new Disney animated movies… But can’t stand them adding it to old movie that didn’t originally have that logo.
@@closeben Yeah, I definitely feel they should keep the old logo for the movies that original had it at the time and have the new logo for the movies that began incorporating it/use it now. I will say that I love how Nostalgia Critic/Doug Walker keeps the tradition of using the classic blue logo for his Disneycember reviews every year but uses modernized music over the logo right before each review starts (even though he did also use the original music with it as well for the first year or two of his DIsneycembers). It's like he combines the two together, which is nice.
Wtf how can a logo ruin a whole movie
@@henrikbaum It puts a damper on the whole experience and just reminds me that this great piece of art is now owned by a greedy corporation.
Just hearing the MGM lion and then hearing the James Bond theme after it is perfection
It's a crime the Jerry Bruckheimer one was left out, straight banger
Every time I see the Universal logo, I immediately say the joke from MST3K. “It’s the nicest weather earth has ever had.”
the blumhouse intro always gets me. achieves all the horror aspect and gets me creeped out even before the film starts
The Universal logo before Jurassic Park always gets me hyped. New one is just okay. Twentieth Century Fox is a great one.
Ok but the old lionsgate logo was badass - especially the horror variant, oooo
THANK YOU! I have been waiting for someone to make this exact video bc I think about it far too often
“We’re in the clouds… get outta town.”
Lol
Making a studio logo tier-list and going "Who is she again?" to the Columbia logo tells me you shouldn't have even bothered making this list.
The new Walt Disney opener makes me so emotional every time, it’s so magical
These are called “idents”. A music+visual identity. The new MUBI ident is also very well made, created by the team at Pentagram 😊
I really like the RKO opening, they have that radio static sound that gets me all excited for the movie
Colombia is S tier for me because I immediately associate it with Danny Elfman’s spiderman theme
I can already tell this one is a banger thanks Karsten
Bro failed to mention that the Columbia logo with the Raimi Spider-Man music is above S tier.
My professor in my current design class designed the focus features logo and it was interesting hearing his take about it
Oh and my dads company did the marvel opening 🤭 been fucking served
Can't believe you left out Jerry Bruckheimer Films. What an iconic tree
I was waiting for Bad Robot and Indian Paintbrush to be there but missed em. Great list though, I was surprised how much I agreed with you on your rankings haha
idk i really like that the ghibli logo is a still image! the movies are already going to be incredibly animated so its a nice contrast. it's great in its simplicity like that, like "yeah we're ghibli, we know that you know this is going to be great".
The old Marvel opening logo with just the pages flipping was so much better.
the Tom and Jerry MGM gags are like genuinely so good i love them so much
AYO where's the Blumhouse opening?? That's iconic af
I kinda want your tierlist on the film companies themselves. Which companies produce and distribute consistently good films in your opinion.
I know it is not a production studio but that THX sting was always a banger in the theater.
"it's ok it's nothing great... It's pretty special"
Love seeing Monkeypaw included, he's produced and helped write stuff, so it's cool to see it show up in something like Candyman 2021 (which I quite liked)
i immediately thought of monkeypaw production when i saw the title of your video, it was such an haunting and beautiful thing to see and it really put me in the mood for the movie
0:33 - 20th Century Fox
0:57 - Walt Disney Pictures
1:47 - Summit Entertainment
2:08 - A24
2:59 - Marvel Studios
3:49 - Columbia Pictures
4:18 - The Criterion Collection
4:49 - DC Films
5:11 - New Walt Disney Pictures
5:29 - Dreamworks (this is really sad because they changed it not long after he praised it from simplicity)
5:50 - Focus Features
6:18 - Warner Brothers
6:48 - StudioCanal
7:16 - Illumination Entertainment
7:47 - HBO
8:29 - Lionsgate
9:00 - Film4
9:17 - MirrorMax
9:39 - Neon
10:11 - Netfilx
10:53 - Paramount
11:13 - Pixar
11:55 - TriStar
12:37 - Universal Studios
13:15 - MGM
13:46 - Monkeypaw Production
14:18 - Studio Ghibli
My relationship with the DreamWorks logo opening is fuzzy. I'm nostalgic about the really old version, set against a bright blue sky with a rainbow wordmark, but all the later versions blend together. There's always one more iteration of the sequence then I remember. Like, 'Oh, does the moon turn into a D in this one?' 'Are we not starting at the view of the lake?' 'How long has the boy whipping the fishing line around been a thing?'
The 1980s Tristar logo actually turned me into an aspiring filmmaker.
This is a great concept for a video. I’ve always liked the bad robot one
The Columbia opening is iconic to me solely because of Charlie's Angels (2000) and how we go through the clouds to then get into the plane, the same way i immediately think of Scooby-Doo (2002) for Warner Bros. When it comes to Disney the old one gives off more of a fairytale feel whereas the new one just reminds me of the theme park. Also i'm glad to see someone else hates the Marvel logo - the purple one for Agatha in Wandavision was an upgrade i guess?
I'm all about TSG Entertainment. A bronze Oddyseus shoots an arrow through twelve bronze axes. Sign me right up.
Surprised you didn't have FilmDistrict in the list. It's very nice, feels imaginative, and kind of what I want to see when I go to the theater
i was literally just about to comment this
“It’s supposed to be the world it’s supposed to be everything” .. it’s supposed to be UNIVERSAL
Was Karst not aware that the Illumination opening sequences change for each movie?
Its obvious you didnt come to this with a passion for logos. What the freaking heck
Karsten fangirling over the Dreamworks logo gives me life.
I would argue A24's logo isn't fully contemporary at all - that was the whole point of using the film grain/choppy shutter speed. That logo could've been pulled from any decade 1970s and onward.
Karsten: *sees skies and clouds on an opening logo*
Also Karsten: That's definitely and S tier!
You forgot the logo for 1492 Pictures! Loved that one ever since I saw the first Night at the Museum movie on DVD in 2007. Same goes for 21 Laps.
I still cant believe that Disney thought it was a good idea to put the whole Marvel opening in front of EVERY episode of their shows. That alone sends it straight to F.
I was so disappointed as a child when I realized that the 20th Century Fox logo wasn’t even a real place
even though A24 got put into B tier, I would give it some extra brownie points if the custom A24 title cards for each trailer were put into account. Some of them are so creative; loved the ones with the apples falling into the A24 logo for Men, and the sheep herded into the logo in Lamb
very good editing on this one, kitch!!! enjoyed it thoroughly
The travesty of leaving the production opening god of Happy Madison off is a travesty
Universal for sure is one of my S tier picks, it’s grandeur is just so awesome, the letters going across the earth, the modern version especially where we are on the night side of the earth, the city lights glowing, the horizon showing sunlight shining through, it’s just gorgeous. Even without the theme, it hits hard, but the theme is that icing on the cake.
Karsten when he realizes why we dont see the Miramax logo anymore: 😬😬😬
Also, it's pretty weird that he doesn't ever mention 2001: A Space Odyssey in Illumination, since that logo pretty much references that very movie.
Hey. Hi. 20th Century Fox should be in S Tier. That has the most iconic intro tune plus the gravitas and dramatics of it all makes you know you are about to watch a FUCKING MOVIE. Show some god damn respect
I would add, Blumhouse and Ghosthouse to the list cause they are pretty awesome!
Every single frame of Studio Ghibli films is painstakingly hand-crafted to give the illusion of motion. It makes sense their logo is just one still, simple image; preparing you for the wild ride you are about to embark on.
I know they're not as iconic, but I really like the new FilmNation opening, and especially the Mubi opening with all the light sources forming the 7 dots
When I was a kid some 20 years ago I was OBSESSED with the MGM lion. I would rent VHS tapes from the local library just to watch the MGM logo. Some would be super special and have extra roars. I remember All Dogs Go To Heaven had a lot of roars. I remember their circlejerk movie That's Entertainment! had one extra roar. I remember one time gutting my old friend's VHS collection to see if any of the movies he had were from MGM just so I can see the logo. He had none, and we ended up watching the Pokemon movie. What a simple but majestic logo
Same here when i was a kid some 17 years old 06/2006-06/2023 before i saw the Warner Bros. logo and other logos, I was obsessed with the 20th Century Fox logo. I would watch my Fox DVD's just to see the 20th Century Fox logo.
Paramount with the superimposed Transformers audio is orgasm tier.
You are such a kid at heart and love the animation production companies lmao
I would’ve included the OLD Marvel logos as well, because they’ve gone through multiple interactions. I agree about the NEWEST logo, but the old ones that simply show the comic pages flipping is pretty sick
I’m so glad finally someone made a video on this.
The Universal and 20th Century Fox logos are by far, my favourite logos of all time!
I really like the variations with disneys and marvels intros
Thoughts on village roadshow?! So satisfying to watch it on the big screen
Pixar, Neon, and A24 are my favorites. I know it's gonna be a good movie if they show up