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, and immediately became Starz Media (now Starz Distribution). The following year, Anchor Bay was renamed to Starz Home Entertainment, which was dropped 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.
1st Logo (1997)[]
Nicknames: "The Sailboat", "Sailboat in Space"
Logo: 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 onscreen appearance.
FX/SFX: None, with the exception of the logo swinging in and out of view, which happens on Anchor Bay's Animated Video Treasures tapes.
Music/Sounds: None or 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 (October 28, 1997-October 10, 2006)[]
Nickname: "The Sailboat II"
Logo: We see abstract drawings of a light blue body of water under a yellow sky with blue tinted clouds floating by. A navy blue sailboat in the water 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 Starz byline can be seen on Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.
FX/SFX: 2D Flashinmation.
Music/Sounds: On some releases (like the VHS of Zombie, a few Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends VHS volumes ["Thomas and His Friends Get Along", "Thomas Comes to Breakfast", "A Big Day For Thomas", and the opening and ending of "Cranky Bugs and Other Thomas Stories"], the 1998-99 VHS reissues of Ring of Bright Water, "Baby Songs," "More Baby Songs," "Baby Songs Goodnight," and Take the Money and Run, and the 2001 DVD of Scars of Dracula), it has a coastal theme consisting of seagulls and waves crashing ashore, combined with some dreamy, "underwater" new-age synth notes.
Availability: Appears on Anchor Bay releases, which include 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 (such as The Grissom Gang and Junior Bonner), some pre-1991 Media Home Entertainment titles, and StudioCanal product. Also seen on a few Disney releases on VHS and DVD from the late 1990s, including The Black Hole, The Happiest Millionaire, and The Devil and Max Devlin. It can be seen on Malevolence, too. Its last appearance was on Me, Eloise. Some Anchor Bay titles (mostly of Italian origin) were later acquired and reissued by Blue Underground, with their logo plastering over this one.
3rd Logo (August 5, 2003-2009)[]
Nicknames: "The Sailboat III" "The Blue Sailboat"
Logo: On a black 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 sailboat from the previous logo, but now 3D, come toward us, like in the previous logo. It is enclosed in a box, and the words "ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT" in the abstract font fade in.
Variants:
- On Divimax Series releases, the logo continues, but the main Anchor Bay logo fades out, and the Divimax logo wipes in.
- Starting in 2007, this logo was improved. The sparks were removed, and now the logo zooms onto a white square that wipes in. The company name fades in as usual, but there is space below the name. We see yellow sparkles bringing in the STARZ byline.
FX/SFX: The animation in the logo.
Music/Sounds: Whooshing noises combined with synth notes, which is an excerpt from KeyFx's Among Seagulls of Rogues (a.k.a. Living Lives of Freedom). The Divimax and 2007 versions add chimes at the end.
Availability: Common. This can be seen on many Anchor Bay DVDs, such as Thomas the Tank Engine DVDs from 2006-09, all eight seasons of Three's Company, and 20th Century Fox films such as The Pirate Movie.
4th Logo (May 13, 2008-2009)[]
Nicknames: "The Sailboat IV", "The New Sailboat"
Logo: Against a reflecting pool of water, we see a 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 are the words:
ENTERTAINMENT
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.
Availability: Uncommon due to its short life span. It debuted on Mad Money, and can also be seen on The Grand and Lower Learning, among others. The still version can be found on Henry Poole is Here.
5th Logo (2009-June 13, 2017)[]
Nickname: "The Sailboat V"
Logo: In a stormy part of the sea, we move along a waving sail from various sides, then release and zoom out to see a boat sailing on a calm sea surface, all in blue. The sun is on horizontally. The picture turns into the Anchor Bay logo which resembles an "A" in white/dark blue and 3D-folded, and a lens flare runs over its side. Below, there are the words:
ANCHOR BAY
F I L M S
with the Starz byline underneath.
Variants:
- There is a variant where "Films" is replaced with "Entertainment". The "A" letter is flat and robin egg blue, and zooms out.
- Some movies feature a more bluish "A" and the company name tinted yellow.
- A still version exists.
FX/SFX: The sail, the light blink.
Music/Sounds: Sail weaving sounds. None for the still version.
Availability: Common. Seen on Beyond a Reasonable Doubt, Stan Helsing, Scream 4, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Apollo 18, The Iron Lady, Girls Against Boys, Mother's Day (2010), and Free Fall, among others. The still version can be found on early releases with this logo such as Last Chance Harvey.
6th Logo (September 12-26, 2017)[]
Nickname: "Starz' Obsessable", "The Sailboat VI"
Logo: Same as the 2017 Starz Originals closing logo and its idents, but with this logo instead. The "A" is now white and the byline is updated to match the new Starz logo.
FX/SFX/Music/Sounds: Same as the 2017 Starz Originals closing logo and its idents.
Availability: Only seen on The Hatred and 47 Meters Down.
Main Page[]
- For print logos, please see Anchor Bay Entertainment
Other[]
- For more logos and images, please see Anchor Bay Entertainment/Other