Universal's centennial plans include restoring 13 classic titles

The studio will extensively restore 13 of its most popular titles: All Quiet on the Western Front, The Birds, Buck Privates, Dracula (1931), Dracula Spanish (1931), Frankenstein, Jaws, Schindler’s List, Out of Africa, Pillow Talk, Bride of Frankenstein, The Sting and To Kill a Mockingbird. 

To Kill a Mockingbird will get a 50th anniversary home entertainment release this month, including its first Blu-ray release. Later this year, there will be a 30th anniversary home entertainment release of E.T.: The Extra-Terrestrial.

Universal has also unveiled a new logo tied to the centennial [pictured], and the animated logo will debut ahead of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax in February.

Other activities include the launch of a website http://Universal100th.com, social media campaigns via Tumblr, Facebook, Twitter, Foursquare and Pinterest, special events including at international film festivals, theme park activities, promotions and more throughout the year.

“This is a proud moment for all of us who’ve had the privilege of working at Universal Pictures,” said Ron Meyer, Universal Studios President and COO. “Our centennial is designed to bring special memories back to longtime movie lovers and fans, and to engage new audiences with our extraordinary library of films for the first time. Our goal, a hundred years later, is to preserve, restore, and continue the iconic legacy of this studio for generations to come.”

Universal Pictures, a division of Universal Studios (owned by NCBUniversal), has over the years worked with filmmakers including Alfred Hitchcock, Steven Spielberg, Robert Zemeckis, Martin Scorsese, Ron Howard, Peter Jackson, Spike Lee, John Hughes, and Judd Apatow. On April 30, 1912, Universal Film Manufacturing Company filed its certificate of incorporation with the state of New York. In 1915, Carl Laemmle officially opened Universal City, the largest film production facility in the world.