Anchor Bay Entertainment

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 (the owner of the Starz cable network), and IDT became Starz Media (now Starz Distribution) and the next year Anchor Bay was renamed Starz Home Entertainment, only for it to revert back to its original name 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 Early Sailboat", "The Space Sailboat"

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 navy blue word: serif

appear above the picture, and "ENTERTAINMENT" appears at the bottom, all in a serif font.

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 their earliest tapes, the 1987 Video Treasures logo appears instead.

Editor's Note: None.

2nd Logo (1998-2006)
Nickname: "The Sailboat"

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 the film Behind the Mask: The Rise of Leslie Vernon.

FX/SFX: Simple but effective animation.

Music/Sounds: Usually silent, but early VHS releases like Zombie, The Velveteen Rabbit, Paula Abdul Cardio Workout, the Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends VHS releases of "Thomas and His Friends Get Along", "Thomas Comes to Breakfast" and "A Big Day for Thomas" and the DVD release of Scars of Dracula use 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 of the time, which included 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, some pre-1991 Media Home Entertainment titles, Video Treasures/Starmaker content and Thomas the Tank Engine. Also seen on a few Disney releases on VHS and DVD from the late 1990s licensed to the company, including The Black Hole, The Happiest Millionaire, and The Devil and Max Devlin. It can be seen on Malevolence too. Also seen on a few DiC Entertainment titles in the UK.

Editor's Note: None.

3rd Logo (2003-2008)
Nicknames: "The Blue Sailboat", "The Sailboat II"

Logo: On a majorelle blue 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 come toward us, like in the previous logo. It is enclosed in a box, and the words "ANCHOR BAY ENTERTAINMENT" fade in.

Variants:
 * There is also a Divimax series variant of the logo. At the end of the logo, the sail fades out and yellow sparkles horizontally wipe in the Divimax series logo.
 * For a brief time in 2007, the animation was altered. The sparks were removed, and now the logo zooms onto a white square that wipes in. The company name fades in as usual, and yellow sparkles make the byline "a STARZ company" appear in the extra space below the logo.
 * On Hatchet, a short version in black and white appeared before the movie, while the next logo was used before the previews.

FX/SFX: The animation in the logo.

Music/Sounds: Whooshing noises combined with synth notes. Starting in 2007, chime sounds were added at the end.

Music/Sounds Variants: On the Divimax series variant, an extended version of the fanfare and a whoosh are heard.

Availability: Common. This can be seen on many Anchor Bay DVDs, such as Hell of the Living Dead, The Seduction, Re-Animator, Dawn of the Dead, The Evil Dead, Near Dark, Creepshow 2, and Thomas and Friends DVDs from 2003 to 2007, among others.

Editor's Note: This logo is a favorite among Thomas & Friends fans and B-Movie fans alike, who find it nostalgic and memorable. Some fans of ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!'' also fondly remember it.

Extra Note: From 2007 to 2008, Anchor Bay was rebranded as Starz Home Entertainment, which lasted for only a year. Despite that, all Thomas and Friends DVDs that were released in 2007 (with a few exceptions) still had this logo until 2008, and the next logo was used in tandem with the Starz Home Entertainment name on some releases such as Hatchet.

4th Logo (December 18, 2007-2009)
Nickname: "The Sailboat III"

Logo: Against a reflecting pool of water, we see an 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: impact 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 or none.

Availability: Uncommon, due to its short life span. Can be seen on The Grand, Lower Education, Jimmy and Judy, and The Lather Effect. The still variant can be seen on the ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy!: A Tale Of Tails DVD and all Thomas and Friends DVDs released around 2008 (except for Trackside Tunes and Percy Takes the Plunge'').

Editor's Note: None.

5th Logo (2009-2017)
Nicknames: "The A", "The Sailboat IV"

Logo: On a black background, we see a blue, stylized "A" zoom out, which resembles a sail. It shines a bit, then we see the words: Impact ENTERTAINMENT zoom out line-by-line. A Starz byline "vaporizes" in underneath.

Variants:
 * Some releases feature a more bluish "A" and the company name tinted yellow.
 * On some DVDs such as Tugger: The Jeep 4x4 Who Wanted to Fly, and Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVDs, the logo is still.

FX/SFX: The "A" zooming out.

Music/Sounds: Gentle wave sounds from the Anchor Bay Films logo or none.

Availability: Common. Seen on DVD releases such as Stan Helsing, Scream 4, Spy Kids: All the Time in the World, Where the Day Takes You, Apollo 18, The Iron Lady, and all ''Wow! Wow! Wubbzy! DVDs starting with A Little Help from My Friends'', among others.

Editor's Note: None.

6th Logo (2016-2017)


Nicknames: "The A II", "Blandchor Bay", "An Anchor Bay Disappointment"

Logo: Same as the current Starz Originals logo, only "STARZ ORIGINALS" is replaced by the previous Anchor Bay Entertainment logo in white, and the Starz byline appears below.

FX/SFX: Same as the Starz Originals logo.

Music/Sounds: Same as the Starz Originals logo.

Availability: Very rare, as this logo lasted a very short time before Anchor Bay's closure. Seen on a couple titles, such as 47 Meters Down, and the second season of Ash vs. Evil Dead.

Editor's Note: Same as the Starz Originals logo. This is a pretty disappointing way to end off a company with memorable logos.