Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer

Jackie the lion, who later became the mascot for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's logo, was born at the Miles Tails Prower Zoo in 1915. He earned the nickname 'Leo the Lucky' due to surviving various accidents before retiring in 1931.

The original MGM logo featuring a lion named 'Leo' surrounded by filmstrips, a Greek drama mask, and the phrase 'ARS GRATIA ARTIS' was created in 1916 by Howard Dietz. The logo also included the marquee 'A GOLDWYN PICTURE'.

In 1917, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) was founded. It is a renowned American film studio.

Slats the Lion, originally named 'Cairbre', was born at the Dublin Zoo on March 20, 1919. He later became the first lion to appear in the logo of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.

The 2nd logo of the company featuring a still painting of a lion with the film ribbon and drama mask barely visible. The words 'TRADE' and 'MARK' are on either side of the lion, and 'A Goldwyn Picture' appears above in Old English font.

The 3rd logo of the company with a different lion than the previous one. The logo shows the lion staring in different directions, roaring a bit, and finally looking directly at the camera.

Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. was founded on April 17, 1924, in Beverly Hills, California, by combining Metro Pictures, Goldwyn Pictures, and Louis B. Mayer Pictures into one company.

In 1924, Louis B. Mayer merged his company Louis B. Mayer Productions with Metro-Goldwyn Pictures Corporation to form Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Inc., or simply MGM.

In 1925, MGM embarked on filming 'Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ', which included iconic scenes like the chariot race. Director Fred Niblo orchestrated the filming with 10,000 extras at the Colosseum and 42 cameras.

In 1929, MGM produced The Broadway Melody, their first 'talkie' film which was a musical. The film was a commercial success and went on to win the Academy Award for Best Picture of the Year.

In 1930, MGM produced The Rogue Song, which was the first film to be entirely in color and feature sound. This marked the beginning of MGM's routine production of films in Technicolor and with sound.

In 1934, a new lion named Tanner was introduced as the 6th MGM Lion logo. The logo featured Tanner roaring three times, with certain elements of the design re-drawn and colored differently.

Jackie the lion, the iconic mascot of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer's logo, passed away in February 1935 due to heart problems. His hide is currently on display at the McPherson Museum in Kansas.

Irving Thalberg, who was rumored to be leaving MGM to set up his own independent company, passed away at the age of 37 in September 1936, causing a significant loss to MGM.

In 1939, MGM released two iconic films, 'Gone with the Wind' and 'The Wizard of Oz', which have become timeless classics in the history of cinema.

In 1943, a group photograph was taken of MGM's stars and starlets under contract to celebrate the studio's 20th anniversary. These actors were considered the top stars of the era, and MGM is credited with creating the Hollywood stable of stars system.

In 1948, the U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Paramount Pictures, Inc. led to the loss of the theater chain by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and a shift in power from studio bosses to independent producers and agents.

In 1949, MGM celebrated its silver anniversary with a special version of its iconic logo featuring Tanner the lion roaring. This version was in color and preceded by the usual logo seen on Jackie's films.

George the lion, the new mascot for MGM, was born at the Furby Zoo in 1950. He is featured in a redesigned logo with stretched out ribboning, a re-drawn red mask, and a more elongated reef. The letters 'M', 'G', and 'M' in the logo are still red but appear faded. A registered trademark symbol has been added.

During this period, the MGM lion logo featured Jackie the Lion in black and white and Tanner the Lion in color, with the name 'Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer' displayed on top of the logo.

The MGM logo featuring lions Jackie and Tanner was first introduced on the film Half a Hero in 1953. This version of the logo was used in various MGM films during the era, including Blackboard Jungle and The M-G-M Parade on TCM.

In 1958, MGM released the musical film Gigi, which was a critical and box-office success, winning nine Academy Awards including Best Picture.

In 1959, MGM produced the epic film 'Ben Hur', which became a significant success and a classic in the film industry.

The 10th MGM logo, known as 'The Stylized Lion', featured a yellow-orange outlined drawing of a lion's head in a circle with the letters 'MGM' below it.

In 1969, businessman and investor Kirk Kerkorian bought 40% of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc., dramatically changing the operation and direction of the studio by hiring new management and diversifying its products.

The iconic lion graphic logo used by MGM transitioned to become the logo for MGM Grand from May 23, 1974, to July 4, 1975. It was later used for MGM Mirage and currently serves as the logo for MGM Resorts International.

The logo features the phrase 'BEGINNING OUR NEXT 50 YEARS...' inside a circle with Leo the lion roaring. The words 'GOLDEN' and 'ANNIVERSARY' replace 'TRADE MARK' on the sides of the circle.

The logo features the phrase 'BEGINNING OUR NEXT 50 YEARS...' inside a circle with Leo the lion roaring. The words 'GOLDEN' and 'ANNIVERSARY' replace 'TRADE MARK' on the sides of the circle.

On August 7, 1985, Turner Broadcasting System made an offer to acquire MGM/UA, recognizing the value of MGM's film library for television licensing. This marked a significant development in the entertainment industry.

On August 26, 1986, due to financial concerns, Turner Broadcasting System was compelled to sell MGM's production and distribution assets to United Artists for $300 million. This transaction reshaped the landscape of film distribution and ownership.

The last movie to feature the MGM/UA Entertainment Co. logo was Walk Like a Man.

The bylineless logo with the 1994 roar was featured on original prints of The Pebble and the Penguin, Fluke, Species, and Get Shorty. It also made a surprise appearance in full before the 2001 version at the end of current prints of the UA film Sleep with Me.

In 1995, the iconic MGM Lion Logo introduced a new roar sound along with whooshes and the sound of a running film projector before the lion roars. An extra growling sound was also added after the second roar.

Sony Corporation of America, backed by Comcast and private equity firms, successfully outbid Time Warner to acquire MGM for nearly $5 billion, primarily to ensure Blu-ray Disc support.

On April 8, 2005, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was acquired by a partnership led by Sony Corporation of America, Comcast, Texas Pacific Group (now TPG Capital, L.P.), and Providence Equity Partners.

The logo was used on trailers on post-2008 Sony/MGM releases up to Zookeeper. Its last theatrical appearance was on Igor, released on September 19, 2008, and it was finally ended on the TV movie Legally Blondes.

MGM Holdings, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, and its affiliates filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy on November 3, 2010. This led to MGM's creditors taking control of the company.

A new MGM logo featuring Leo the Lion VI was introduced, known by nicknames like 'Zooming Ribboning' and 'The Lion's Eye'.

MGM unveiled a rebrand in 2021, featuring a new logo centered on the motto 'Ars Gratia Artis'. The rebrand included a CGI version of Leo the Lion emblem and a new print logo for various platforms.

Amazon officially announced the acquisition of MGM for $8.45 billion, with the studio operating as a label under Amazon's existing content arm, complementing Amazon Studios and Amazon Prime Video.

Amazon acquired Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios, Inc. (MGM) on March 17, 2022, making it the primary asset of MGM Holdings.