Top Ten Opening Sequences of FiM · 4:59pm Nov 12th, 2016
Maybe I'll eventually do a top ten for the worst opening sequences, but don't quote me on that. Anyway, the opening sequence in any episode is important, it can make or break the tone. A good opening sequence doesn't just need to establish the main plot, or at least lead into its introduction, but it also needs to be enjoyable in its own right. It needs to be quick and to the point, but in the process it has to provide something that can stand on its own. So we're going to take a look at ten of the best opening sequences of the show's 143 episodes, and as always this list is not official by any means.
10. Crusaders Go Bowling ("The Cutie Pox" Season 2, Episode 6)
This entire opening sequence could've (and probably should've) been just a quick little promotional short for the show. Rather than just try some random new thing, the CMC decide to try their luck with bowling and we get to see three of the different ways ponies can do it ("Slice of Life" would include a fourth in a nod to The Flintstones), push it with their nose, buck it with their back legs, or put it in their mouth and spit it out. This also gave us a reference to the cult classic stoner comedy The Big Lebowski, and the three ponies shown in that reference would return in "Slice of Life".
9. Apple Bloom Tries On Clothes ("One Bad Apple" Season 3, Episode 4)
"One Bad Apple" didn't start off completely bad, and this opening sequence is living proof of that. Apple Bloom tries on a whole bunch of different clothes, including a typical anime school girl's outfit and a bunch of beach/pool gear (speaking of which, still waiting on that beach episode, writers). Heck, this opening sequence even ends with arguably the only really funny joke in the entire episode.
8. The CMC's New Clubhouse ("The Show Stoppers" Season 1, Episode 18)
The Cutie Mark Crusaders were in desperate need of a chance to shine in the wake of Hasbro scrapping their intended spin-off show so they could appear in FiM, especially since "Stare Master" hadn't exactly made them look good. Thankfully, this opening sequence at least managed to accomplish that, and as my rewrite of this episode hopefully proved, the focus should've been kept on the CMC fixing up the old clubhouse, rather than a whole bunch of filler material that just proved Cindy Morrow isn't good at writing comedy. I mean, between deadpan Apple Bloom and this gem of a line from Scootaloo: "TLC as in 'Tender Loving Care' or 'Totally Lost Cause'?", this opening sequence was the perfect set-up to an episode that suddenly changed direction and bombed as a result.
7. Rainbow's Dazzling Crash ("Read It and Weep" Season 2, Episode 16)
Back before we got actual RariPie episodes, we had to satisfy our appetite for the pairing with scenes like this where the two are hanging around and just having a good time together (too bad when it came time for RariPie to get actual episodes they couldn't quite capture the same magic their background interactions had, maybe next season will succeed where "Gift of The Maud Pie", "Spice Up Your Life", and "P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)" failed in terms of RariPie interactions?). It's a tad bit of a contrivence that this is the one time where Rainbow crashes badly enough to end up in the hospital (she seemed completely unphased being launched through the air and crashing into the library balcony, and equally unphased when her failed Sonic Rainboom sent her flying throw the library's open window and into a stack of books), but the interactions between Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Twilight more than make up for it.
6. Rarity Shows Off Her Collection ("Rarity Investigates" Season 5, Episode 16)
This opening sequence showed that Sassy Saddles could work really well if given the chance to play off of Rarity, and it also really gave Rarity a chance to show off a new side of herself, a side fascinated with noir detective stories and investigative work. Even Rainbow Dash's sudden arrival works to this opening sequence's advantage. There was also some clever foreshadowing to the costume Rarity would dawn as a detective later in the episode (which would sadly be ruined in "P.P.O.V. (Pony Point of View)" which really could've benefitted from remembering this episode).
5. Rainbow Dash Becomes A Wonderbolt ("Newbie Dash" Season 6, Episode 7)
. Well, Spitfire's dramatic entrance aside, this was a fine start to what would become a very disappointing episode that so many people had been waiting for for years. Heck, it even starts off with Scootaloo and Rainbow Dash, which is almost always a good thing. And Scootaloo is so adorable when she gets excited.
4. Petunia's Cutie Mark ("The Fault in Our Cutie Marks" Season 6, Episode 9)
Well, this opening sequence confirmed pirates and dinosuars exisit in Equestria (and don't any of you dare make that Mr. Freeze joke), and it seems the CMC now have quite the reputation in Ponyville if Petunia's parents consider them experts on cutie marks. Some people pointed out this is like parents struggling to figure out what to do with their goth child, while others have speculated about how Petunia's parents' cutie marks could mean they were actual pirates (more than likely the dad's a fencing coach or player, and the mom is either a scuba diver/treasure hunter or runs a jewelry shop). Heck, some people even made jokes about how Petunia's parents thought she was a murderer.
3. Twilight and The CMC ("Twilight Time" Season 4, Episode 15)
It was great to see the CMC were indeed getting older, as their voice actors aged (Michelle and Claire were actual children when the show began, while Madeline was a teenager), and see them interacting with someone besides their big sisters for a change. Twilight deserves massive credit for being able to resist Scootaloo's adorable pleading face (really, try saying no to a face like that, i dare you!), and it's impressive how after three and a half seasons of not doing any magic at all, Sweetie Belle managed to master it pretty easily by the time this episode ended. Too bad the bit with Apple Bloom and her potions never went anywhere.
2. The Big Finish ("Princess Twilight Sparkle" Season 4, Episode 1)
"Princess Twilight Sparkle" had a lot to prove, especially to those who were worried about what alicorn Twilight would mean for the show. Thankfully, this opening sequence retconned Twilight being able to fly perfectly, giving her an actual struggle to overcome. And showing that, just because she was now an alicorn princess, Twilight wasn't going to completely change, and neither was the show. They were still going to be what we loved from them, and the two parter this opening sequence kicked off would go on to prove that the show could handle the changes made to the status quo at the end of Season 3.
1. Elements of A Good Cheer ('Sonic Rainboom Season 1, Episode 16)
Come on, you all knew this was going to be number one! I mean, we all remember this opening sequence, and for good reason. It gave us the famous Fluttershy "yay" (fun fact: her inhaling is Pinkie's gasp from "Friendship is Magic Part 1" reversed, here it makes sense since Pinkie and Fluttershy are both voiced by Andrea Libman). We have Rainbow and Fluttershy's conversation that sounds a lot different taken out of context ("Loss of control", "Screaming and hollering", and "Passion"), some good back and forth between them, and the perfect conclusion and joke. How could this ever be anything but number one when it comes to opening sequences?
And there you have it, come back tomorrow when we look at the Top Ten Potential New Members of The CMC
For me, the top four are:
1. The opening to Newbie Dash (a fantastic opening to an even more fantastic episode)
2. The opening to No Second Prances
3. The opening to To Where and Back Again.
4. The opening to the Crystalling
The rest tend to blur together, since I tend to not separate the opening from the rest of the episode in terms of judgement.
here are mine:
Season one:
The Ticket Master
Winter Wrap-up
Sonic Rainboom
A Dog and Pony Show
The Cutie Mark Chronicles
Party of One
Season two:
Luna Eclipsed
The Cutie Pox
Family Appreciation Day
Baby Cakes
A Friend in Deed
It's About Time
Dragon Quest
Mmmystery on the Friendship Express
Season three:
Sleepless in Ponyville
Spike at your Service
Magical Mystery Cure
Season four:
Daring Don't
Pinkie Pride
Somepony to Watch over me
For Whom the Sweetie Belle Tolls
Leap of Faith
Season five:
Make new friends but keep Discord
The Lost Treasure of Griffionstone
Do Princesses Dream of Magic Sheep
Brotherhooves Social
Crusaders of the Lost Mark
The One where Pinkie Pie Knows
Season six:
Newbie Dash
A Hearth's Warming Tale
The Saddle Row Review
Stranger than Fanfiction
Dungeons and Discord
The Fault in our Cutie Marks
Every Little Thing She Does
Top Bolt
4299327 Aside from the openings to "Dragon Quest" and "Every Little Thing She Does", that's a pretty good list.