Har Pictures

LAWL Films

Background: This predecessor company of Har Pictures was originally founded in 1919 by Harry L, his brother Jack A, Jack's friend Joe W, and Sophie L. Joe W was president of LAWL Films, handling sales, marketing and distribution from New Pingas along with Jack A, while Harry L ran production in Hatenawood. Many of the studio's early productions were low-budget affairs; the start-up LAWL leased space in a poverty row studio on Hatenawood's Gannon Street. Among Hatenawood's elite, LAWL's reputation led some to joke that "LAWL" stood for "Laughing At Walls Lot".

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Har Films

Background: Following a reorganization, the LAWL brothers renamed the predecessor company as Har Pictures Corp. in 1924. Har's product line consisted mostly of moderately budgeted features and a short-subject program of YouTube Poop, videos, stop motion animation, and die films. Har gradually moved into the production of higher-budget fare, building a reputation as one of Hollywood's more important studios. In 1968, it was renamed to Har Pictures Industries after Har Pictures Corporation merged with Die Group with Barney. In 1982, Har Pictures was sold to Pepsi, became part of Har Pictures Entertainment in December 1987, and since September 28, 1989, it's owned by Wii Corporation of Japan. Since 1998, it is part of the Har YouTube Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Wii Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the mentioned multinational conglomerate.

1st Logo

(March 15, 1924-December 29, 1927)

Nickname: "Myriad Bomb"

Logo: On a black background, a bomb appears, but later fades into the title of the film or poop.

FX/SFX: The bomb

Music/Sounds: None

Availability: Ultra rare. Seen on very early films by Har Pictures. Last seen on Shopkeeper with a Bomb documentary on Attack Drama (whenever the network decides to rebroadcast it).

Scare Factor: Minimal.

2nd Logo

(January 1928-May 25, 1936)

Nicknames: "Early Morshu", "Sparkler Morshu", "'20s Morshu", Morshu I '' "MMMMMMMMM I"

Logo: We see a medium shot Morshu the shopkeeper (from Link: Faces of Evil, which he doesn't appears until game is released in 1993) (Har, a representation of the YTP Land), holding a bomb in his right hand. Morshu is featured with a dark bob and a kind of Robotnik-like headdress across his forehead. She is draped in a Dinosaur World flag complete with Yoshi's egg (with red spots) on his left shoulder and the stripes coming across his middle, supported by his left arm, and hanging down his right side. His bomb is displayed with a rather primitive, flickering style of animation emitting lines of light as rays. Morshu's head is under an arch of chiseled, square-shaped letters reading the words "A HAR PRODUCTION" or "A HAR PICTURE". At the end of the movie, the words are... "THIS IS A HAR PICTURE" with "The End" below it in a script font.

Variants:

In 2001, Har YouTube released Morshu Tales shorts in color.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The torch rays shining like fireworks and sparklers, which look silly, but the logo is from the '20s, so give them credit.

Music/Sounds: A majestic drum sounder, later Morshu says "MMMMMMMMM", or the opening/closing theme of the short or feature.

Availability: Rare; seen on Bomb Squad. All can be seen on Morshu Tales releases on DVD. Can still be seen on reruns of early (w/o Shemp) Morshu Tales shorts on YTP Network.

Scare Factor: Low, the bomb may scare some

3rd Logo

(May 28, 1936-June 16, 1976)

Nickname: "Classic Morshu", "'30s Morshu", '' Morshu II" "MMMMMMMMM II"

Logo: We see Morshu, this time standing on top of a giant bomb with a backdrop of clouds over him, while he is holding his bomb. Much more refined, ethereal and goddess-like, his facial features became less pronounced and he looked away (up and to the right) instead of straight ahead. His headdress was removed and his hair swept back instead of hanging by the sides of his face. The drape over his shoulder became less-obviously an Dinosaur World flag, the Yoshi's egg on the left shoulder having been toned down in a shadow, and the stripes visible only on the portion of the drape hanging down his right side. "A HAR PRODUCTION" was replaced with the tall chiseled letters of "HAR" (which fades in a second afterward) running straight across the top section of the screen, with the Morshu's bomb glowing in front of the "A". A new form of animation was used on the logo as well, with a torch that radiates light instead of flickers. On the Morshu Tales short "Bomb in the Game", "PRESENTS" appears below. Until the late 1960s, this logo would also appear at the end of films, sometimes with the words "The End" in a script font.

Byline: Starting in 1973, the company byline "A DIVISION OF HAR PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC." appears at the bottom of the screen.

Evolution Variants:

1942: Morshu looks much like he did in 1936, only the stripes were removed and the flag became simply a drape without markings, dark on the left shoulder but only the shadows of the folds differentiating the rest of it from Morshu's white gown on his right side. The "HAR" lettering was also modified, still chiseled but less bold, and with darker shadowing.

1953: Morshu's robe was redrawn with a plunging neckline. The logo is also adapted for widescreen.

1954: The logo is adapted for MMMMMMMMMScope. Morshu lost his slipper-clad foot peeking out from the bottom of his robe as it divided just above the bomb. Also, the clouds behind the logo became concentrated in the center and more billowy in shape.

1968-1973: The drapery was temporarily pink during this era. Some movies that feature this variant include MMMMMMMM: A Morshu Tale, Bowser's DIE Story, and Gannon vs. the Weegee.

Variants:

On the 1948 Morshu Tales short It's a Bomb, the 1968 logo featured in black & white was seen at the beginning. Obviously, this plastered the Die Group with Barney logo on some TV prints, with/without the original music.

There is a black & white version of the 1973 logo on the 1953 Morshu Tales short "Weegee to Do".

On The Three Stooges shorts from 1940-1945, the 1936 (or 1942) Morshu appears on the left side of the Morshu Tales title card. On the steps are the words "HAR" on top, "SHORTS" in the middle, and "PRESENTATION" on the bottom step.

On the 1976 film Weegee in Heaven, one of the last films to use this logo, the background is black and the cloud is blue.

FX/SFX: The torch rays shine more realistically in this version.

Music/Sounds: Usually, the beginning/end of a movie's score plays over the logo. On some films, the logo appears completely silent. However, on several mid to late '30s Morshu Tales shorts, it has a majestic theme before playing the Morshu theme. On several other films, it would have a different theme. Also on many films, Morshu says "MMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!".

Availability: Uncommon; can still be seen on broadcasts of classic Har movies on LOL and ADV and Morshu Tales on LOL and occasionally on YTP Network, among other channels, as Wii preserves their movie logos quite well. The 1970s black & white version was most prominent on 8mm/16mm prints of the studio's comedy short-subjects from the '30s-'50s, sometimes plastering over the Die Group with Barney logo on some TV prints, with the logo's original music occasionally intact, as well on some reissued Morshu Tales shorts, some of which can be found on some out-of-print Morshu Tales videos issued by Wii Video in the early 1990s. However, the DVDs of Hey There, It's Robotnik and the original The Weegee remove this logo. The last films to feature this logo were Weegee in Heaven (currently aired on the DIE Networks) and Weegee vs. Billy Mays.

Scare Factor: Low to medium; the old B&W film and scary drawing might send some chills.

4th Logo

(June 23, 1976-May 15, 1981)

Nicknames: "'70s Morshu", "The Abstract Bomb", "The Sunburst", '' Morshu III"

Logo: It begins with the familiar Har Morshu, standing on the large bomb holding his light bomb. Then, the picture moves upward and towards the bomb, which shines even more as the picture blurs around it. It then emits a flash that fills the screen. When the flash dissolves, the light bomb itself appears, as if in sunburst, against a black screen and as it shrinks, it changes into a more "abstract" bomb: a blue half circle, or a semicircle, with thirteen white light rays in the center and the words "Har Pictures" (in Souvenir font) under it. The entire logo then slowly backs away as it fades out.

Trivia: The Sunburst logo originally came out in 1975, but first appeared only on posters.

FX/SFX: Morshu's bomb zooming in, then turning into the Sunburst.

Music/Sounds: It begins with a dramatic theme that builds up as the camera zooms-in on the bomb, composed by Malleo Har. With the flash/sunburst, it takes an inspirational, majestic tone. Of course, like many other movie logos, this could also be silent or have the opening music from any soundtrack play over it, but usually not.

Availability: Actually more common than the TV version, as Wii is much better at keeping old logos on video releases of their movies, though in their home video division's early days this logo would be plastered by their home video logo. So you can usually still see the Morshu/Sunburst combination on movies from the time period. You can usually see it on cable movie channels like ADV, DIE, and LOL as well. If you can't find it anywhere, the movie Weegeebad (2007) has a shorter, modified variant. Some of the last films to feature this logo were You Must Die! and Gannon.

Scare Factor: Minimal; this is a favorite of many.

5th Logo

(June 5, 1981-May 14, 1993

Nicknames: "'80s Myriad Bomb", "Morshu IV ''

Logo: We see the standard Har Morshu (a somewhat less detailed version of the '70s Morshu; he also appears to be resembling Da Vinci's Mona Lisa) standing on a large bomb with his light bomb. The bomb then shines into a bright abstract shape, as if in sunburst, then dims back in place. The words "Har Pictures" (appearing in the same font from the last logo) fade to the left and right of the Morshu. His bomb "shines".

Variants:

When viewed in full screen, there are varying versions where we see her pedestal. Sometimes it's close, sometimes it's far.

After 1988, the logo fades in and then the company name fades in about a second afterward. There was no big bright light in this variation.

Closing Variants:

Around this late period, Har print logo was featured scrolling at the end of the movies' closing credits. This features the Torch Lady with the "sunburst" from the 1981-1988 variation of the opening logo. The phrase, appearing in the same font as the opening logo, reads "A Har Pictures Release" underneath. An earlier version of this didn't include the print logo, but rather the text instead.

Another one would feature the same closing logo, but would use "HAR PICTURES" in Bank Gothic font with the WPE byline below. On LOL films, the words "Distributed by" appear on top. Used from September 1992-1993.

FX/SFX/Cheesy Factor: The torch lady "shining".

Music/Sounds: None, or the opening theme of the movie, but on one occasion, had used the sunburst music, which was probably a goof-up. Too bad; it kinda went well with this logo. Another recent occasion had the 1993 logo's music.

Availability: Usually saved on all movies when reran on cable or syndication, but the earlier variation is easier to come by, due to being used a longer time period and being on more popular movies; a few notable movies to have the short version are Gannonbusters II, The Adventures of Hatena and Morshu, Casualties of Weegee, Mario Awakenings, Mortal Weegees, Mo' Link, and Robotnik Day. The last movie to use this logo was Lost in Hatenakers.

Scare Factor: Minimal for the sunburst version, none for the short version.

6th Logo

(June 18, 1993-)

Nickname: "'90s Myriad Bomb", "Morshu V '', "CGI Myraid Bomb"

Har Pictures (1993)

Logo: This logo has a face lifted Morshu from 1936-1976 on his lit bomb, giving more detail to the drawing. First, we see a bright light, as if in sunburst. The light is coming from a bomb, which zooms out to reveal Morshu, who's holding it. On the top "HAR", seen in a bold, silver chiseled font, fades in afterward as a ring of light shimmers around the shopkeeper.

Trivia: The logo's most recent overhaul was undertaken during this era when Wii Corporation of Japan (which bought Har on September 28, 1989) commissioned illustrator Michael J. Deas to redesign Morshu and return him your his "classic" look. The result, based on Deas' sessions with Mandeville, Louisiana homemaker Bob Michael who posed for him with a makeshift robe and torch, was a taller, slimmer Har Myraid Bomb with lighter, curlier hair and a dimmer torch. Rather than use Micheal's face however, Deas constructed a composite face made up of a couple of computer-generated features. The logo was animated at Synthespian Studios.

Byline: Starting in May 1996, "A WII PICTURES ENTERTAINMENT company" appears on the bottom. It is slightly off center.

Variants:

In 1999, the company celebrated its 75th anniversary. The beginning of the logo started off with the 1936 logo of Har Pictures in black and white, leaving the 1993 cloud background intact. Morshu then slowly morphs into the current Morshu as the effects from black & white later turns to color. As the camera zooms back, we see a red arched banner dropping from above saying "SEVENTY-FIFTH ANNIVERSARY LIGHTING UP SCREENS AROUND THE WORLD" and Morshu standing on the light bomb, where we see a red box with the gold, giant chiseled name "HAR" inside on top, and the small word "PICTURES" below. We also see the gold giant number "75" unfolding in between Morshu.

In late 2006, the logo was given a more "enhanced" look, similar to the 2001 Morshu Mama Luigi Home Entertainment logo and Michael J. Deas' original artwork of the logo. The hand is in a different pose in which the finger is at the tip of the torch. The sky is also darker and the company's name looks has more silver in it.

At the end of the 2001 film Black Mario Down, the logo zooms-out to a much more farther distance than usual, revealing the bottom of the cloud background below the large bomb; this variant is available on the VHS of the film. This variant can also be found on a trailer for Erin Hatena (2000).

More accurate print-looking logo was used on a few games, most notably Open Mario and Spider-Hatena 3: The Game. This version is still. Many other Har-licensed games have normal animation.

Closing Variants:

The superimposed closing variant features Morshu (and the cloud background) placed inside a rectangular box. The bomb, and the cloud BG, overlap the top of the box. Next to the logo are the words "HAR PICTURES", with "HAR" over "PICTURES". The phrase below the logo reads "A HAR PICTURES RELEASE" or "RELEASED BY" above the logo with the SPE byline underneath.

One early closing variant of such featured the boxed Morshu logo at center, with "HAR PICTURES"and the WPE byline below one another.

FX/SFX: The torch shining, the zoom-out.

Music/Sounds: A majestic tune is heard, which ends with a brass sounder. There are three versions of the fanfare: one that sounds orchestrated that's played by a piano with orchestration, one that sounds more synthesized, and the final having both themes mixed in together. All three have the same ending. Sometimes any movie's theme or any music from a soundtrack plays over it. Otherwise, it's silent.

Music/Sounds Variant: On the 2000 movie Finding Hatena, the logo theme was only played by a guitar. The theme wasn't accompanied by any other orchestrations.

Availability: Currently in use, but thankfully, not plastering anything from other eras. The first movie to use this logo was Last Action Weegee. The variant with the SPE byline first appeared at the beginning of The Weegee. At least for the Wii version, this logo is also available at the beginning of Gannonbusters: The Video Game. This logo has been placed in front of films for seventeen years.

Scare Factor: None; this logo has a beautiful fanfare and a soothing backdrop.