Logos[]
1st logo: It's only in-credit text that reads: "A Nelvana Limited Production". For co-produced shows and TV specials, the name of the company is seen below the Nelvana text.
2nd logo: On a black background, there is an in-credit version of the Polar Bear looking up at the star, as seen on Nelvana shows from 1985-2004, either with or without an arch. "NELVANA", "NELVANA LIMITED", or "A NELVANA PRODUCTION" is seen below, sometimes with copyright info below.
3rd logo:
On a black background, a blue square with a red outline and a white star in the center flies from the top right of the screen, gradually enlarging and turning counterclockwise to fit the screen as the star multiplies into a seven star semicircle outline. The text "NELVANA" appears below the semicircle in red. The star outline shines from left to right, and the pinnacle star sends a shower of light (which starts off neon yellow, but turns neon blue) down the center of the semicircle. "NELVANA" lights up in orange, and the shower of light unfolds to the left, turning into a neon blue polar bear looking up.
Variants[]
- There are filmed and videotaped versions.
- The short version, which is more common, starts off with the stars shining and the "shower of light" animation. This plays in warp speed on Eek! the Cat before the compressed or split-screen credits. This is slowed down on some episodes of Babar, The Adventures of Tintin, and Beetlejuice.
- A longer version was seen on some theatrical releases of the era, including Babar: The Movie and Care Bears: Adventure in Wonderland. After the logo forms, the polar bear stands on its hind legs for a second before assuming its normal position, then all seven stars disappear. Depending on the film, the background will either be the usual blue (as seen on Babar: The Movie), or black (as seen on Care Bears: Adventure in Wonderland).
- The 1988 TV special Clifford the Big Red Dog has a rare gradient background variant with the logo rotating on screen from the center. Some episodes of Care Bears have this shortened.
- Later episodes of T and T had the logo quickly rotating to the left to reveal the Qintex Entertainment logo (current prints as seen on the YTV Direct YouTube channel have this variant plastered by the 6th logo).
- On Fievel's American Tails, a long version of the logo is shown on the top right corner along with the 1991 Amblin Television logo on the top left and the short 1991-2006 Universal Cartoon Studios logo on the bottom center.
- On Family Dog, this logo was shown on the left alongside with the 1991 Amblin Television logo on the right (without the switch-off part).
- On the German dubbed version of the 1993 animated special The Incredible Crash Dummies, this logo was shown on the left alongside the Lamb & Company logo.
- On some episodes of Blazing Dragons, this logo was shown on the left, alongside with the Ellipse Programme logo on the right.
- On season 4 episodes of Eek! Stravaganza (episodes with Klutter), this logo is shown in split screen on the left alongside with the 1989-1998 Film Roman logo on the right.
- The restored HD prints of The Adventures of Tintin seen on the series' foreign Blu-Ray release feature a bizarre variant of the "slowed-down" short version; here, the image has been shrunk down to the center of the screen (presumably a side effect of not having the logo's original negatives or tape to restore from and the series' conversion to widescreen).
4th logo: On a space background, there is a flash of light and the Nelvana logo appears in CGI on the background looking similar to the 1st logo, with some exceptions: the seven star semicircle has a blue chrome outline, as does the polar bear and the "NELVANA" text. A multicolored comet flies from the right, and as it passes the pinnacle star and the 2nd star to the left in the semicircle, each star lights up. Variants
- There is an extended version of this logo which has a more delayed zoom-out. It ends with the logo animating backwards. It can be found on Cardcaptors: The Movie.
- An even shorter version of the logo starting from when the comet flies from the right exists. Sometimes this is played in slow/delayed motion.
- Some episodes of Donkey Kong Country have a still shot of this logo.
- Starting in 2002, the byline "Nelvana is a COrUs Entertainment Company" was added (with "COrUs" written in its corporate font), and the logo animation was shifted up from the zoom-out.
- For international distribution, it's on a black BG and "Distributed By" and "INTERNATIONAL" (or, very rarely, "International") were chyroned in above and below the logo, respectively. A Corus Entertainment byline was added in 2002.
- The URL "www.nelvana.com" was sometimes added below or above the logo, starting in 1997.
- There is a theatrical variant. A five-pointed star flashes in the distance on a much cleaner-looking starfield and the Nelvana logo (which looks more metallic and the stars around the arch aren't as visible), which is turned on its side, flies toward the screen and flips upright. A variant on the 3rd logo's polar bear animation (with it standing on its' hind legs briefly) plays while it flips toward us. The logo sparkles a bit in the end. It was seen on two movies; 1997's Pippi Longstocking, and 1999's Babar: King of the Elephants.
- An in-credit version has appeared on Tales From the Crypt on the final episode (and the only animated one), "The Third Pig". It also appears on the 1997 Pippi Longstocking series with the AB Svensk Filmindustri, TaurusFilm, and TFC Trickompany Filmproduktion GmbH logos.
- On the Japanese dub of Donkey Kong Country, the bylineless version appears in-credit and animated in the custom ending theme.
5th logo: On a white background, there is the seven star semicircle, polar bear, and "NELVANA" text as from the previous logo but with a dark blue outline. Underneath the "NELVANA" is the URL "www.nelvana.com", and underneath that is the byline "A CORUS Entertainment Company" (written exactly like the way, only with a trademark (™) symbol next to "CORUS". Sometimes the byline will instead be stylized as "A CORUS Entertainment Company" in non-italics).
6th logo: On a black background, the text "NELVANA" (set in Gill Sans Extra Bold) is seen with a byline underneath it. A white polar bear then flies onto the screen from the bottom-left and then stops onto the text. It bumps a star onto the screen, which twinkles, and a nebula forms and dissipates behind the logo.
Bylines[]
- September 7, 2004-April 14, 2015: Because of parent company Corus Entertainment Inc.'s "growth" in its company (hence the "Inc." for incorporated), the byline reads "A Corus™ Entertainment Inc. Company" (exactly like that).
- October 18, 2005-September 24, 2018: The byline reads "A CORUS™ ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY", all in capital letters, and in the same font used in the alternate 2001 logo. The nebula is also stretched to 16:9 in this variant.
Variants[]
- A more common variant begins with the polar bear already on the text and bumping the star.
- Sometimes, no nebula is shown for both byline variants.
- On the 2004 byline variant, the polar bear locks itself back into its normal position after bumping the star.
- On Handy Manny, the words "A NELVANA PRODUCTION" appear above the polar bear. No nebula is shown.
- Starting with season 2, the nebula is shown and the 2005 byline is seen.
- On Grossology, there is a version of the 2005 byline variant in which the polar bear gets slimed. This variant was only seen on international and Qubo airings of said show, and no nebula is shown.
- There is a variation where "INTERNATIONAL", in a rounded rectangle, is sandwiched in between the company name and the 2004 byline. A superimposed version of this variant can be found on the credits for Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure.
- A still version of the 2004 byline variant exists on at least the U.S. airings of Grossology.
- There is an extremely rare still variant without the star, and it appears on current prints of the first episode of Committed.
- Some reruns of Corduroy have the logo starting after the star is bumped.
- There's a superimposed variant of the 2004 byline variant on Max and Ruby. No nebula is shown.
- On My Friend Rabbit, the logo "stalls" a bit, where the polar bear does not bump the star exactly when first seen, after that, the animation is seen as usual. The 2005 byline is seen here, also.
- The logo appeared on Beyblade G-Revolution, the game for GBA. The bear is placed to the left, and there's an "INTERNATIONAL" plate below. Another game, Bakugan: Rise of the Resistance, shows the logo in outlines.
- Sometimes, as seen on 2005-2008 episodes of Being Ian, Clash of the Titans and SD prints of the Miss Spider special The Prince, The Princess and the Bee, the logo is bylineless.
- On Qubo airings of the aforementioned series, when the star is bumped, it does not shine or the 2005 byline version freeze-frames.
- An early version of the 2005 byline variant exists, where the Corus byline is in grey.
- On Horrid Henry, the logo is in-credit. This only appears on CITV airings.
- On the DVD Horrid Henry Gets Rich Quick, "IN ASSOCIATION WITH" is above the 2005 byline variant.
- There is a strange filmed variant of the full 2005 byline variant that was spotted on a Polish 35mm print of Franklin and the Turtle Lake Treasure.
7th logo: On a starry background in which the stars move about, there is the polar bear from before with the words "NELVANA" also in the same font as before. A shooting star comes from near-lower left side of the screen and it goes by the polar bear, leaving a shiny star, which reveals itself to be the one in the previous logo. During all this, the byline "A CORUS ™ ENTERTAINMENT COMPANY" is seen below.
Variants[]
There exists an extended version that animates just like the 4th logo's extended version, but cheaper looking and having the text move into place.
8th logo: On a blue background, there is the polar bear in blue with a white outline and the new "nelvana" text in white being drawn out. The star is at the bottom of the bear, jumps up and spins, then lands. The polar bear bumps it, causing the colors to reverse.
Variants[]
- A shorter version exists.
- A still version exists as well, with a Corus byline.
- An in-credit opening version exists.
- On a the French dub of season 7 episodes of Max & Ruby (and possibly others), A French version has the byline "Une compagnie de Corus
Music/Sounds[]
1st logo: The closing theme of the show.
2nd logo: Either the beginning or the ending theme of the movie, probably silence, or probably the ending theme of the show.
3rd logo:An ascending whoosh and a dramatic synth theme, followed by a thunderclap and a humming noise as "NELVANA" lights up. For most of Nelvana's '90s shows, the end theme played over it, it was silent, or (rarely) the standard theme played.
Music/Sounds Variants[]
- The gradient background variant used a mystical twinkling sound with a thunderclap. Some specials, and shows distributed outside Canada and the U.S. used this variant, although the original broadcasts of My Pet Monster had this version's music playing over the standard logo.
- On Care Bears: Adventure in Wonderland, some whooshing sounds with wind chimes and a dreamy synth theme plays.
- On Babar: The Movie, a "WHOOSH" sound plays, followed by some haunting "chime" sounds, then a second "WHOOSH". But it is muted on the VHS release for some reason.
4th logo: The end theme of a show, the generic network theme, or silence. In 2002, the haunting theme from the theatrical variant of the previous logo was used. Sometimes, only the first "WHOOSH" was used, or the last "WHOOSH" would be cut out. This was mainly used on the extended variant of the logo, but the third variant was also used on the standard long version on a 2004 Nicktoons airing of Pelswick.
5th logo: None. In other cases, the end theme of a show or the generic network theme.
6th logo: Usually, the end theme of a show or the generic network theme plays over, but sometimes this logo has its own music, a nice guitar theme with a child laughing towards the end.
Music/Sounds Variants[]
- Shows plastering the 1985 logo may use the dramatic synth theme or the mystical twinkling theme instead of the normal music. This appears on newer prints of T and T and My Pet Monster.
- For the Grossology variant, the first three notes of the guitar theme is heard, but it's interrupted by the sound of slime splashing and dripping.
- In some cases, the logo is silent.
7th logo: Same as the 4th logo. In some cases, it can be the end theme of the show.
8th logo: A dreamy synth tune or the end theme of the show.
Scare Factor[]
1st logo: None.
2nd logo: None to low, depending on the logo variant, but generally it's boring.
3rd logo: Low to medium. The zooming TV and the synth may get to some, but this is a favorite of many, especially ones that grew up with children's programming during this time. None to low for the other variants.
4th logo:
- Regular Variants: None to minimal. Great CGI, nothing to worry about.
- Long Version: Minimal to low. The sudden whoosh noise, music, In addition to the polar bear zooming in at the end may startle a few. Nonetheless, it’s a great logo.
- With the Babar: The Movie music: Low.
5th logo: None. It's a clean, but boring logo.
6th logo: Depends on the variant:
- Regular Variant: Low. The sudden light nebula in the background may freak some out, but it's an okay logo. However, it may be annoying to some due to its omnipresence. The darkness may also scare some people.
- Grossology Variant: Low to medium, due to the slime being so sudden. The slime might also gross some out.
- With the 1985 music: Low to medium.
7th logo: None. It can be raised to low if you were expecting the 4th or the 6th logo, but it's harmless.
8th logo: None.
Video[]
