Hoyts Distribution (Australia)

Background
This is the film and video distribution arm of The Hoyts Group, an Australian cinema operator. They dropped out of the distribution business in the mid 90s but reformed in 2002. They have had joint ventures with PolyGram and have a continuing partnership with Sony and also distributed all Cannon productions. During their last years, they mainly handle distribution of Summit Entertainment films. In April 2012, Hoyts' distribution arm was acquired by StudioCanal and was rebranded StudioCanal Australia.

1st Logo (1984-1990)


Logo: We first start off with a yellow background. Then, with a flash, the word "Hoyts" in a blocky gold font zooms out. Sparkles shoot out below from left to right, causing the word "PRESENTS" to zoom up. The BG turns light blue, and the words sparkle and shine.

Variant: On a 2017 NITV/SBS on Demand print of Bush Christmas, the logo is cropped to widescreen.

FX/SFX: The zooming, sparkling, and shining of the logo, all done in neat 2D Animation.

Music/Sounds: A synth choir fanfare with sparkling sounds. The music is pitched down on Bush Christmas.

Availability: Rare; seen on old Aussie tapes from the period. Check eBay.com.au! Was also seen on Aussie film releases from the period.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1985-1993)


Logo: Against a purplish background with a grid below, some orange, red, yellow, brown and gray buildings on the right, and a red sun in the distance, we see a 3D Hoyts logo rise up letter by letter, with each letter fading to blue, except the T, which is red. As the logo is fully formed, it jarringly changes into a 2D image with two spotlights circling it, and the background turns to black. Below are the words "A FILM FROM" and "HOYTS DISTRIBUTION", which said text is in the same font as the logo above.

Variant: During the 1980s, a variant of this logo was used at the end of TV spots for movies in Australia. The text "NOW YOU'RE REALLY SEEING THINGS", in gold, rises out of some CGI squares in the middle of a lighted version of the normal scenery. The camera pans across the text as the scenery darkens and the normal animation plays at the end, but below the finished product a marquee is shown with the text "STARTS [insert day here]".

FX/SFX: The letters rising up, the transformation into 2D, & the spotlights, all done in 2D/3D Animation made by MAGI/Synthavision.

Music/Sounds: A loud, rising synth sound (think a warp-speed THX) ending with an echoing voice shouting "HOYTS!". The variant used a disco-like tune with a chorus singing "Now you're really seeing things, HOYTS!", only the ending doesn't echo as much and the rising sound isn't nearly as loud.

Availability: Very Rare. Only appeared at the start and/or end of Hoyts-distributed movies on Australian TV, as well as on MAGI/Synthavision's 1984 demo reel.

Editor's Note: This can be a little startling due to the sounds (even more so with the variant), but it is interesting with the combined 2D & 3D Animation used.

3rd Logo (1988-1993)


Logo: On a space background, several neon red outlines of the Hoyts logo zoom out, followed by several more in blue, yellow, green, and white. They then flash and turn gold. A spot of light wipes in "PRESENTS" below the logo from left to right. The logo sparkles several times to the rhythm of the music, then flashes at the end.

Trivia: The entirety of the logo is animated by Pike Productions.

FX/SFX: 2D Animation, which were starting to look dated after it's usage.

Music/Sounds: A fast-paced dance-pop tune.

Availability: Rare; seen on Aussie tapes from the period. This was also used in Hoyts cinemas at the time.

Editor's Note: None.

4th Logo (2002-2012)


Logo: On a black background, red glass squares fly at the screen. Then, we move away from them, and we see the glass squares as a red line. The red line turns blue and we zoom out. Then, more red glass squares fly out of the blue line and form a line that zooms out. Above this line we see the Hoyts logo (in blue) and below the line we see the word "DISTRIBUTION". The logo shines.

FX/SFX: Everything in excellent CGI.

Music/Sounds: Lots of electrical and low-pitched hissing sounds, with a whoosh.

Availability: Common; seen on Australian DVDs distributed by Hoyts; mainly from Summit Entertainment, released before the StudioCanal acquisition. It was also seen theatrically before movies they distributed.

Editor's Note: None.