The Simpsons
The only main title in television built to be different every week: the chalkboard, the saxophone solo and the couch gag all change, so the sequence is a format rather than a film.
The Simpsons rebuilt its titles: two distinct opening sequences are catalogued here across seasons 1–21, each running 90 seconds.
At 90 seconds at its longest, it opens well above the 58-second median for animation sequences in this catalogue.
It arrived on Fox in 1989, when America's Most Wanted, Married... with Children and 21 Jump Street were also on the network.
Only 139 of the 2,618 shows catalogued here changed their titles at all; The Simpsons did so once.
All 2 opening title sequences
Seasons 1–20
90sThe original standard-definition opening, used for two decades.
Season 21
90sRebuilt in high definition and widescreen — new artwork throughout, and Springfield gains detail the old frame had no room for.
More animation opening titles from the 1980s
1 sequence
Pingu
A Swiss claymation penguin speaking an invented language, so it needed no dubbing to sell anywhere.
- Season 1
1 sequenceDuckTales
One of the most durable theme songs ever written for television, over a minute of ducks solving problems with money.
- Season 1
1 sequencePostman Pat
A rural postman and his black and white cat, stop-motion, with a theme everyone in Britain can finish.
- Season 1
1 sequenceInspector Gadget
A Peter Sellers impression with helicopter arms, and a theme that is In the Hall of the Mountain King with the serial numbers filed off.
- Season 1
1 sequenceFireman Sam
A Welsh fire station in stop-motion, made in Welsh first and dubbed into English second.
- Season 1
1 sequenceThe Real Ghostbusters
The film continued as a cartoon, keeping the theme and adding Real to the title because another studio already had the name.
- Season 1