Top Fifteen Opening Sequences of FiM · 3:20pm Oct 29th, 2018
Season 8 brought about a few interesting opening sequences that I think were worth talking about, and ultimately I felt like they didn't quite justify bumping off some other contestants for a Top Ten list. So I expanded it to a Top Fifteen list, and this is what we have. As always, feel free to disagree. If you're curious here's the top ten version, from a season ago. Let's see what changed.
15. Field Trip to Cloudsdale (School Raze, Part 1 Season 8, Episode 25)
Why it's on the bottom: I must admit "School Raze" started off on a fairly interesting note and a promising premise. Starlight and Rainbow Dash taking the students on a field trip to Cloudsdale while Twilight is busy managing stuff in her office and keeping the school running smoothly. If not for Cozy Glow and how they're shoving her in your face about how she's so nice and helpful just to make her revelation as a villain later on seem more shocking, this opening sequence would be perfect. Also, why does it seem like the bad stuff always happens to Yona?
14. Spike and Rarity Visit Peewee (Molt Down Season 8, Episode 11)
Why it's not higher: It turns out that the reason why they showed Spike giving Peewee back to his family in pictures, was because the writers actually forgot he existed and had to hastily explain why he wasn't in "Just for Sidekicks". It was nice to be able to see him again after all this time, and he foreshadows what's going to happen with Spike. We also get a little bit of Sparaity when Rarity calls Spike "Precious Pants" and offers to get him a cream for his stone scale. Although, I have to correct Rarity on one thing. It wasn't the shampoo from Zecora that gave her a bad experience, it was remover potion. And that was because Zecora didn't label her bottles. This sequence would be higher if not for the fact the phoenix feathers here are used for the subplot later on of Rarity losing her hearing. It's not a bad subplot, but the humor in it can feel kind of reaching and it would've been nice to see Spike and Smolder hang out more until the climax.
13. Crusaders Go Bowling ("The Cutie Pox" Season 2, Episode 6)
Why it moved up: It only really moved up because it's not on the bottom anymore. This entire opening sequence is one of those self contained ones that could've worked great as a stand alone short. The CMC actually decide to stick to something for a while and give it a try. We see the three ways ponies can bowl (maybe a fourth way involves unicorns using their magic, and considering wings have become like hands it might be possible for pegasi to use them to hold the ball), with their nose, with their back legs, and with their teeth. Ironically, when we saw bowling again in "Slice of Life", we got a Flintstones reference with Dr. Hooves (complete with the sound effect). Come to think of it, how come we've never had a bowling episode? That could be an interesting concept.
12. Rarity Shows Off Her Collection ("Rarity Investigates!" Season 5, Episode 16)
Why it moved down: Back when Sassy Saddles and Canterlot Carousel looked like concepts that were going to stick around, this opening sequence did a lot to make Sassy Saddles look better. And she and Rarity played off each other pretty well. Ultimately though, we'd get a better RarityxSassy opening sequence in a couple of seasons and so this one had to move down. It's kind of a shame that scenes like this are the most we've ever seen of Canterlot Carousel and Sassy Saddles since they were introduced to us.
11. Keeping Carousel Boutique Running/Rarity's Breakdown ("Forever Filly" Season 7, Episode 6)
Why it moved down: I really do hope this isn't the last we'll ever see of Canterlot Carousel and Sassy Saddles, they deserve far better. I guess you can chalk them up to casulties of the changing of the guard that began in Season 5 and continued into Seasons 6 onward. Sassy plays off of Rarity so well that you have to wonder why she's never been the focus of an episode since her redemption at the end of "Canterlot Boutique". I already talked a lot about why this sequence works so good, how it helps to make Rarity's part of the story sympathetic and relateable, and how somehow I doubt this is the first time Sassy has witnessed one of Rarity's dramatic breakdowns. Though this opening sequence also kind of draws attention to two questions: Is early to mid 20's the equivalent of a mid-life crisis in Equestria? And how come it's Rarity who has all these memories of Sweetie Belle and yet nothing seems to involve their parents?
10. Spike Learns to Fly ("Father Knows Beast" Season 8, Episode 24)
Why it was added: Yeah, it's kind of drawing on/ripping off an opening sequence we'll see later on in this list, but considering by now it's establishing that Spike and Twilight are family I'm not too bothered by it. And yes, I know I wrote a fanfic that this opening made not canon, but that doesn't play much of a factor in my opinion of this sequence. I even like how Smolder is able to tell Spike what he's doing wrong and then offer to help him. It really shows how the two have drawn closer over the course of the season. Apparently, some people want the two of them to be revealed as siblings or something, to which I'm not interested in. There's also a bit of motherly Twilight when she asks Spike at the end if he thinks being raised by ponies has affected him at all. It's something that the episode could've addressed if it wasn't intent on just being "Dragon Quest" with slightly different window dressing.
9. The CMC's New Clubhouse ("The Show Stoppers" Season 1, Episode 18)
Why it moved down: The CMC have definitely come a long way from this opening sequence and this episode. I'm kind of bummed Sassy Scootaloo never took off, Scootaloo is an excellent deadpansnarker (she and Sweetie Belle are tied for the best "B.S. detecting" faces). And seeing Applejack on the receiving end of some good old fashioned slapstick is a nice touch. It's a case of an opening sequence being better than the episode itself.
8. Twilight and the CMC ("Twilight Time" Season 4, Episode 15)
Why it moved down: After Season 8 dropped the ball on the TwilightxCMC interactions with "Marks for Effort" it really helps to remember a nicer time for them. A time when the CMC started to mature as characters and start branching out more. I can tell you now why Hasbro never made Scootaloo plushies with the squeaky noise she makes here, millions of people would die of heartattacks from the adorableness. And it seems Twilight is insanely strong willed if she can say no to such a face (I guess maybe she experience from raising Spike). I still have to wonder why the fandom isn't making a meme out of "Aw, you're okay.", ever since LittleshyFiM discovered the exploitable line I was so sure it would take off.
7. Spike The Distraction ("Celestial Advice" Season 7, Episode 1)
Why it moved down: With two new opening sequences still yet to be added, this one had to move down to make room. I still like everything about it that I talked about last time, including the fun meta joke about Spike turning into Rarity because Cathy Wesluck voiced G3 Rarity (and ironically, Tabitha St. Germain I believe voice G3 Rainbow Dash). I'm almost certain there are fan edits of Spike pulling Starlight close to make it so that he kissed her. And I'm still kind of bummed we've never gotten a full episode of Spike and Starlight interacting (unless you count "The Crystalling" which even then they were part of the B plot), they have such great chemistry.
6. Celestia's Onceversary ("Horse Play" Season 8, Episode 7)
Why it was added so high: A.k.a Princess Celestia being adorable. I know some people were probably a little put off to see Celestia acting so unroyal, but I like it. I like that we get to see behind her royal mask and see her as a pony like everyone else, it makes her feel like more of a character. And now we know that Celestia is probably just very long lived instead of immortal and she actually isn't tied to the sun, she's just the only one who can move it without burning up all her magic (and the same would appear to be true with Luna for the moon). I don't fault Twilight for casting Celestia in the lead role of the play either, it's one of those decisions that sounds like a good idea on paper and you don't always stop to think if maybe that's where it should stay.
5. Rainbow Dash Becomes A Wonderbolt ("Newbie Dash" Season 6, Episode 7)
Why it moved down: A.k.a The one where Spitfire does a superhero landing (don't ask me how her legs don't break because of that). It's a nice start to an episode that ended up being a massive letdown and the biggest dud of Season 6. Plus, some sisterly Scootaloo/Rainbow Dash moments are always nice, and that's something that hasn't changed even after Season 8. There's not much else to say really, I like this opening sequence but I find there are others that are better than it.
4. Petunia's Cutie Mark ("The Fault in Our Cutie Marks" Season 6, Episode 9)
Why it moved down: Who else originally thought that the two adult ponies seen in this episode were Scootaloo's parents because of the way they originally said "Our daughter" when referring to Petunia? I know I did. And yes, the correct term for Petunia's interest is palentology (the study of dinosaurs and other extinct creatures) rather than archeology (the study of ancient civilizations). It's easy to see why the parents thought she'd be a pirate given their cutie marks are two fencing swords in the shape of a x and a pearl respectively (most likely the dad's a fencing instructor and the mom is either a deep sea diver or a jeweler). Ultimately, this intro is one that serves as a reminder of a direction the CMC seemed like they were going to go in (Cutie Mark Counseling) but for whatever reason it didn't pan out (alongside directions such as the CMC not doing things as a group, the CMC helping other creatures, and the CMC running their club as a business).
3. Trixie's Magic Show ("Road to Friendship" Season 8, Episode 19)
Why it was added: The opening sequences are always at their best when they're these little self-contained things that can still help to draw attention to the focus of the episode, in this Starlight and Trixie's bond. It's also surprising to see Cadence and Flurry Heart in the audience (and Flurry continues to be adorable), as well as Twilight. It would seem that she and Trixie have finally buried the hatchet for good. Plus, Trixie is now capable of teleporting at least for short distances. Though I do have to question how they can pluck a random pony from the audience to stuff in the trunk in Trixie's place. That's the kind of thing you'd probably want to request a volunteer for.
2. The Big Finish ("Princess Twilight Sparkle" Season 4, Episode 1)
Why it stayed the same: The top two spots remain the same on this list, because there's still much about them that holds up to this day. In this case, this was the very first scene we saw after a long hiatus, and it did a lot to show that Twilight's princess status and new wings were changes that the show was going to address instead of ignoring. Plus, this was I think the first time we really saw Rainbow Dash and Twilight interact together. In terms of scale and importance, this one was much bigger than when Spike was trying to learn how to fly at the beginning of "Father Knows Beast", which is why that one got added a little lower on the list.
1. Elements of A Good Cheer ('Sonic Rainboom Season 1, Episode 16)
Why it stayed on the top: What else is there to say about this opening sequence? It's memorable, iconic, and even has some out of context statements that can sound like our characters are talking about something other than a good cheer. I believe I already mentioned how Fluttershy's inhaling is Pinkie's gap reversed (it makes sense since they share the same VA) and how her "Yay" here became the standard censor bleep of the fandom. There are still human and Turret versions of this opening that you can find on YouTube, and I think you can also find this one in foreign languages. An opening as memorable and influential as this one deserves to stay on the top.
And there you have it. Come back tomorrow when we'll rank all the writers of FiM from worst to best, and then I might update my mane eight rankings after "The Best Gift Ever".
The thing that upset me about the Peewee part was that I thought Peewee was going to be involved in that roc incident.
Now I'm upset he's just there just to ease our mind that he isn't dead or something.
I was also kinda hoping Peewee would become Spike's new pet or something
Speaking of pet phoenix's, is Philomena still alive?
4959998 I think so, at least going on secondary canon.
What about The Crystal Empire?
4969689 Part 1 is on my worst openings list. It's an example of why you don't use the pronoun game in a speech without specifying what the pronoun is. LittleshyFiM gives a prime example of how the word "It" could be used out of context for something completely unrelated and Celestia wouldn't know. There is zero reason for the crypticness other than because the plot says so.
4969747
Yeah, but she probably specified that it is the code word for it is only King Sombra. Not everything needs to be explained. And at the very least, it was interesting and gets you excited for the rest of the episode. I don't know if it's just me, but I got chills several times during my watches of it.