Brand New FUNimation

Date: 2005 May 18 21:12

Posted by Jeremy

FUNimation Productions, Ltd, which has brought numerous anime titles such as Dragonball Z, Yu Yu Hakusho and most recently Fullmetal Alchemist to American audiences, announced on its website earlier this month that they will be changing their name, following the recent purchase of the company by the Navarre Corporation. "Nothing major," according to the announcement, "just a name that more accurately reflects our company's evolution."

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The company is now known as FUNimation Entertainment, Ltd. They also have a new logo, a blue rectangle with a red dot on the side and the new FUNimation name in white with a star beneath it, complete with a notice of it now being a Navarre Corporation company. This is slightly different from the original logo, the standing blue rectangle with the red dot set in the middle connected by a white star and the original FUNimation name next to it in black, and could be a bit more eye-catching.

Navarre is a leading distributor of propriety and non-propriety home entertainment media, including PC software and video games, major label and independent music and DVD video. The corporation announced their intent to purchase FUNimation back in January, and closed the deal recently. FUNimation’s change in name, as well as the new logo, reflects the new position within the Navarre family.

In regards to the changes, FUNimation president and CEO Gen Fukunaga said, "FUNimation Entertainment is a name that better encompasses our business model and expanding focus. We are still a production company, but we have evolved into much more. FUNimation is a brand management company, a licensing company and one of the nation’s leading independent home video companies."

The changes in FUNimation’s name and logo are planned to be implemented immediately. The first public display of the new look will be at this year’s Licensing Show in New York City on June 21.