December 31, 2025
WRITTEN BY: BODE
If, like so many people, you binge-watched the first half of Stranger Things’ final season the moment it dropped on Netflix last month, you were in for a bit of a treat. In case you didn’t notice, each episode started with a custom “upside down” version of the classic TUDUM intro. If you know anything about me, you know I get a kick out of stuff like this.
I already have a bit of a niche fascination with production logos, going all the way back to my childhood. For me, the booming sounds of the 20th Century Studios opener always builds great anticipation for whatever I am about to watch. To take it even further, I love reading stories of how Columbia Pictures’ Torch Lady and MGM’s Leo the Lion became the ever-present mascots they remain to this day. You can honestly trace through the history of Hollywood (and especially the studio system) to see how they’ve evolved, from simple title cards during 1910s and 1920s, to cel animation and matte paintings from the 1950s to the 1980s, to photorealistic CGI that has been a major part of this century’s films. There’s an art to these things, which is why the best ones can make the strongest impressions.
Personally, I love it when a filmmaker adapts these iconic logos to fit a specific production, sometimes in how they look but also in how they sound. It can perfectly set the tone of what’s to come before the very first scene, line of dialogue, or even opening credit. That’s what this feature is for: to highlight some of the most memorable logo variants — or, at least, my personal favourites.
But before we get into it, an article like this would be hard to put together without websites like Audiovisual Identity Database or YouTube channels like Ifrequire. These online resources have made it a mission to find all kinds of logos, bumpers, intros, and more. If you already had an interest in this sort of thing, or if this article sparks a new interest, consider subscribing and supporting what they do. They are essentially public media archives, which are increasingly at risk in this day and age.
So, without further ado…
UNIVERSAL PICTURES - SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD (2010)
I’ll always take a chance to wax rhapsodic about Edgar Wright’s Scott Pilgrim vs. The World because it’s one of my favourite films of all time. I was especially thrilled when I got to do so for Bitesize as part of our Top Five Flops list earlier this year. I won’t repeat a lot of what was written in that blurb (you can check it out HERE), but what I failed to mention was how I immediately fell in love with the film when a Super Nintendo-inspired version of Universal’s 1997 logo graced the screen. Complete with composer Nigel Godrich’s pixelated cover of Jerry Goldsmith’s classic theme, it gives the audience a perfectly clear idea of the film’s video game-esque nature before segueing right into it.
WARNER BROS. - HARRY POTTER FRANCHISE (2001-2011)
Like many of my generation, I grew up with the Harry Potter films as they came out, and I marveled as various filmmakers (Chris Columbus, Alfonso Cuaron, Mike Newell, and David Yates) charted the adventures of the titular hero over the course of 10 years. As the stories got progressively darker thematically, the series’ colour palette adjusted accordingly over time. That included the WB shield, which went from its signature gold-and-blue vibrancy in the early goings to a grey-on-black version that grew increasingly rusted with each instalment, most of which soared through an increasingly gloomy sky. You can’t help but respect the commitment.
METRO-GOLDWYN-MAYER - STRANGE BREW (1983)
If you’re a Canadian comedy nerd, chances are you have fondness for the stylings of Bob and Doug McKenzie, the bumbling siblings that Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas created on SCTV. Moranis and Thomas ended up parlaying the popularity of those characters into a feature film that they also wrote and directed, which is a cult classic, and it’s one that immediately grabs your attention from its unique take on the MGM logo. As a sweeping dolly move reveals, Bob and Doug are more involved than one would expect, and it sets up much of the clever shenanigans that will follow.
COLUMBIA PICTURES - SPIDER-MAN: INTO THE SPIDER-VERSE (2018)
There’s no shortage of great custom variants of the Columbia Pictures logo, but I’d be damned if I didn’t highlight Into the Spider-Verse as one of the greatest ones. Created by Devastudios, a Santa Monica-based animation and branding company that has created countless logos for various studios, it’s a glitchy reimagining that takes the Torch Lady from her standard look to the many variations throughout the studio’s history. This includes the very first iteration in 1924, followed by versions from 1928, 1936, and 1976, not to mention unique variants from 1965’s Cat Ballou and even 2009’s Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs (which was, of course, helmed by Spider-Verse producers Phil Lord and Chris Miller). I can’t just commend it for its sheer creativity, though, because it’s also worthy of praise for how it thematically fits with the movie itself. Keep that glitch in mind; it won’t be the last time you see it.
20TH CENTURY FOX - ALIEN 3 (1992)
Unlike some of the other entries on this list, the custom logo that plays in front of David Fincher’s divisive Alien threequel is more of an audio variation than a visual one. Re-orchestrated by composer Elliot Goldenthal, Alfred Newman’s classic fanfare starts off like usual before interrupting itself with the second-to-last note growing increasingly distorted. Strings and horns wail in sheer intensity before transitioning into the opening sequence. No matter what you think of the film from that point forward, there’s no denying that it’s a chilling take on a nostalgic theme, and it effectively reels you into what’s to come. It’s also worth noting that 2024’s Alien: Romulus pulls a similar move in tribute, with the logo actually turning green and becoming static shocked as the fanfare wails like it did decades ago.
PARAMOUNT PICTURES - COMING TO AMERICA (1988)
Paramount’s iconic mountain has brought forth some clever variations over its very long history as a legacy studio, such as for the Indiana Jones movies (sans the Disney-released The Dial of Destiny), Event Horizon (which features a great re-orchestration of the 1976 fanfare by composer Michael Kamen), and South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut (where the logo fades into a similarly shaped animated mountain before panning into the titular town). But I would say that the variant that opens the Eddie Murphy classic Coming to America stands out just as much, as it cleverly uses the 1986-2002 mountain, which was created with a mixture of CGI and live-action models, as a way to take audiences into the fictional African nation of Zamunda, one of the film’s main settings. The Amazon-distributed 2021 sequel pulls a similar trick with the current logo for its introduction, and while it’s a nice way of keeping up tradition after a 43-year wait, the emphasis on CG makes it a little less effective in my eyes. Admittedly, the fact that I found that film a grave disappointment probably doesn’t help.
DISNEY - TRON: LEGACY (2010)
The classic Disney castle becomes part of the Grid. That may sound simple and obvious, but I can’t begin to express how cool it was to witness the first time I saw this sequel, especially in 3D. For what it’s worth, the recently released Tron: Ares pulls a similar move, only this time it’s in red to represent the Dillinger Grid featured in that entry. It’s just as cool.
WARNER BROS. - THE LEGO MOVIE (2014)
I mean, if you’re making a LEGO movie, it would be a missed opportunity if you didn’t LEGO-ize the logo of the studio bankrolling the entire project. Luckily, it was in the hands of directors Phil Lord and Chris Miller, so they achieved this relatively easy task. Like the Columbia Pictures variant that opens Into the Spider-Verse, it cleverly illustrates the fun that’s to come. Given that the duo seems to have a knack for logo variants, I wish they had done custom variants for the two Jump Street movies they helmed. Perhaps they would have made this list, too (if they were cool enough, of course).
A24 - MID90S (2018)
This might be the lowest budgeted variant on the list, but like most A24 movies, Jonah Hill’s directorial debut, Mid90s, didn’t cost a ton to make. However, owing to the spirit of skater culture, you make the most of what you have. Similar to Strange Brew’s custom MGM variant, this is another live-action attempt, with the A24 logo being formed by several skateboards lying on the street before being run over by some of the characters we’ll meet. I’m admittedly not the biggest fan of the film, but I can’t deny it’s a clever and practical way to kick things off.