I couldn't have put it better myself. I really enjoyed the lively, bouncy style of that pilot, and the first couple of seasons in general (although to a much lesser degree). It really bugs me that Groening is so strongly against fun animation. The show could have a whole other dimension of enjoyment if he weren't so adamant that the movement be as stiff and lifeless as possible.
(On the other hand, I do have a lot of respect for the man. He's clearly done much more good than bad, even though he perhaps gets more credit than he should.)
This new intro shows pretty much everything that's wrong with the show today-- the stiff animation; overuse of in-jokes; pointless, redundant character cameos shoved into every scene, etc... and since it follows the template of the original, it gives us the opportunity to see just how awful the show has gotten in a really simple, direct comparison to the beginning of the series. One thing I don't understand is how they like to add all these shadows and stuff to these characters who were conceived as, and meant to be, crude-looking, flat characters. If they want to make the show look nicer, do it by actually having fun, entertaining animation, not by trying to change the characters' designs.
In case you can't tell... I hate the new intro. Along with pretty much everyone else in this thread, it seems... :ack:
