Background: Running Lion Films is a company that was founded by Michael Collier in 1976, but didn't use any logo until 1984. The company distributes many comedy and horror projects, as well as romance, drama, action and suspense projects. It is currently owned by EOCharge Entertainment Group.
1st Logo (1984-1985)
Nicknames: "The Shapes", "The Lion"
Logo: On a black background, many shapes zoom out and form a lion. Two pupils of it emit some stars while the words "RUNNING LION FILMS" zoom in slowly a la Viacom's V of Doom.
FX/SFX: Good animation for the time.
Music/Sounds: We hear two pinging notes, then a whoosh.
Availability: Ultra rare, since most of their films made during the time are now hard-to-find, but could be seen on films from 1984-1985, such as Thunder, Crash, Gone and others.
Scare Factor: Low.
2nd Logo (1985-1988)
Nicknames: "The Ribbon", "The Lion II", "The Lion and Ribbon in Space"
Logo: On a space background, a ribbon comes out from the bottom of the screen and moves around the screen while it forms the word "RLF". Then, "RLF" morphs into the words "Running Lion Films" with the lion above it. A byline fades in below the words.
Bylines: Naturally, this logo has a byline:
1985-1987: "A e8 Entertainment Company"
1987-1988: "A LPM Entertainment Group Company"
Variants:
Sometimes, there is no byline at the bottom of "Running Lion Films".
On the 1986 film Alien Children, the logo has a green tint.
There is also a in-credit version.
On the 1988 film AKON, the logo plays like normal, but after the logo is formed, Alias Kongo Oddo Naps (AKON for short) kicks the lion and words and they both scream. Then, the film plays normally.
On Russian films, the word "Running Lion Films" is replaced by "Бегущий лев Фильмы" and there is no byline.
FX/SFX: Nice CGI.
Music/Sounds: None, or a majestic theme. On some cases, the opening theme of the film is heard.
Availability: Rare, but could be seen on films that air in theatres or on Running Lion TV, such as Crash II, Blown Away, Ninja Kids and others. The AKON version is only seen on AKON.
Scare Factor: None. Low for the AKON variant, because of Alias Kongo Oddo Naps kicking the words and lion.
3rd Logo (1988-1996)
TBA!
4th Logo (1996-2005)
TBA!
5th Logo (2005-2013)
Nicknames: "The Globe", "The Lion V"
Logo: On a space background, we see the model of Earth being revealed by a sun. We zoom out and a moon joins next to Earth and meet forming a flash, which brings up a black background. Suddenly, a yellow rectangle zooms out and the lion from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th logos appears on it, along with the words "Running Lion Films" below.
FX/SFX: Amazing CGI.
Music/Sounds: A abridged version of the 1997 Universal Pictures logo's music.
Music/Sounds Variants:
On the film The World of Sound Systems, instead of hearing the normal music, we hear the THX Deep Note. This variant is nicknamed "The Deep Note Logo".
On the film Not Another 64-Bit Movie, the Nintendo 64 startup music is heard instead.
Availability: Common. Can be seen on films such as Boy's Best Friend. Also plasters the 1st and 2nd logos on a few HV releases from films including them.
Scare Factor: None, a well made logo. High for that version with the Deep Note.
6th Logo (2013-)
Nicknames: "The Lion VI", "The City", "Lion in the City", "Running Lion in the City", "FilmDistrict Parody"
Logo: We start in an empty hall and move through the window. There we see a huge city with skyscrapers and several clips from films, sometimes varying, on their walls passing by. The camera flies down to the street full of cars and move along the ground to reveal a lighted square, and above the square fading in is a black square and a "window" of the interior of a majestic cathedral, with the word "RUNNING LION FILMS" at the bottom of the "window" with the lion above the words. During the logo's last seconds, the camera slowly pans up showing the cathedral "window" move seamlessly along with the rest of the scene.
FX/SFX: Everything. Brilliant CGI.
Cheesy Factor: The only cheesiness is that the whole logo copies the FilmDistrict logo.
Music/Sounds: A calm fanfare.
Availability: Current. It appears on newer Running Lion releases including I Hate Being A Baby, Fred the Horrid Boy and others.
Scare Factor: Low. Not the best movie logos, but fans of the FilmDistrict logo may like this.