Cold opening

[on:]

I heard it mentioned in one of the audio commentaries but i don't know what it is.

[Reply #1 on:]

It's the short animated bit before the credits that appeared in the first few episodes of S1.

[Reply #2 on:]

Like Bender using the carwash in "My Three Suns" which I saw for the first time recently.

[Reply #3 on:]

Does that include the small ads like for molten boron?

[Reply #4 on:]

no

[Reply #5 on:]

I miss the cold openings, my favorite is the one of 'Space Pilot 3000'.

[Reply #6 on:]

my favorite is the one of I, Roomate, i think

[Reply #7 on:]

My favourite is the odd sexual references (benders wash) from my three suns   

[Reply #8 on:]

I miss the cold openings too. My fave was from 'Brannigan Begin Again' where Fry and Bender are playing chess. Short and sweet, and funny 

[Reply #9 on:]

I wonder why they're called 'cold' openings? 

Anyways, I like the one at the begininng of Fry and the Slurm Factory where they're watching an ad for Slurm and he shakes his can to see if its got a cap in it and its one of his teeth. So he puts it in the pile and then he takes a sip and smiles and we see half his teeth are missing. I love that opening 

[Reply #10 on:]

Yeah, I miss them too, but I see David's point about wanting to start an episode of with a loud wake-up call (the theme).

The best cold opening was definetely the one of Leela and Fry standing in the PE ship, looking out at the stars. Suddenly a small planet appear and is squished by the windshield. Leela calmly start the whipers. Sooo funny.

[Reply #11 on:]

I really love the "Flight to Remember" opening, "looks nice." DUN DUN DUN!

[Reply #12 on:]

 

Originally posted by ghoulishmoose:
I wonder why they're called 'cold' openings?   

I believe they are called cold openings because you jump straight into a scene instead of warming up the audience with something like a theme song. 

[Reply #13 on:]

I thought they were called cold openings because they're nearly always black humour. Eg. Fry finding out he's not got long to live "Oh, dibs on his CD player!", a whole civilization getting squashed like a bug on the PE ships "wind"screen, or the Professor getting attacked by a giant bird.
Does anyone else think i'm right? I may be wrong, but there are no happy, or optomistic cold openings. That's why I think that the opening scene in Season 3's Bendless Love should have been turned into a cold opening.

[Reply #14 on:]

I like the one where the virtual chess pieces fight each other.

And going to the bot wash. I was reminded of an Amoco commercial when because it was very similar and spot-on to the opening. In the commercial, the car's wipers were even wiping during that "whoa-oa-oh" part.

[Reply #15 on:]

I liked the cold opening too.  My favorite cold opening is when Leela goes out with the guy with that tonuge.

[Reply #16 on:]

 

Originally posted by M Jackson:
I thought they were called cold openings because they're nearly always black humour.   

It's an industry term.  I've heard people talk about Law & Order always having a cold opening.

[Reply #17 on:]

 

Originally posted by Lionel Hutz Esq:
 I believe they are called cold openings because you jump straight into a scene instead of warming up the audience with something like a theme song. 

I would say that is why too, that's what I've always thought and it seems like that's what it would be.

[Reply #18 on:]

 

Originally posted by davids:
Does that include the small ads like for molten boron?

Originally posted by Xmpel:
no

@Xmpel: Why?

[Reply #19 on:]

I'd say because there's no dialogue, no characters etc., it's just not a real "scene". Err, does somebody get me?

[Reply #20 on:]

@LesbianLeela: A cold opening is traditionally a short scene involving one or more characters from the show.  The small ads are more of just a pre-episode joke, like the couch gags in The Simpsons.