Your favorite Cartoon opening themes

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allisonxriot

New member
Sorry if this had been done before, but here we go.

So what are some of your favorite opening credit themes? I always thought Invader Zim (I really liked the more headbanging if you'd describe it that way, feel of the cartoon. It just sounded awsome and something you could listen to over and over) and South Park (It's just plain catchy, something you would catch yourself singing or humming to) had pretty good songs. Same with the Rocko's modern life theme (I just liked the way the song sounded. It was composed well and it was nice tot he ears).
 
Futurama has a great opening theme that took 3 months to make, iirc.

Also, The Simpson's alternate endings to their opening theme have always been delightful to watch.
 
We promise to be good :)

Oh, and I also loved the Inspector Gadget opening theme, where it showed all the cool stuff he could do with his mechanical-ness. Man, that was a classic.
 
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (80's, although the current series is pretty catchy as well). Man, that theme song really got you pumped up to watch the show, especially back in the day. Who didn't get excited when you saw the Turtles springing out of the van as April watched in the sideview mirror?
 
Some of my faves:

Ewoks-It had a exotic, world-beat-esque sound to it which made it very fetching.

Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers-it captured the essence of the show brilliantly, plus it was one of the finer examples of 80's rock.

Galaxy High School-super cool and catchy. One of the few "explain the premise" themes that was also a just plain good song.

Men in Black: The Series-the cartoon show's theme was better than the movie's theme, IMO.

The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley-wacky, but catchy.
 
Droids: the Adventures of R2-D2 and C-3PO- very 80s techno, and also very cool.

Mission Hill- a great instrumental piece by the band Cake. I liked Mission Hill's closing theme also.
 
Oddly enough, I like the Family Guy theme. Heck of a lot better than I like the show. And (yes, I'm a broken record) I like the World of Quest theme. Arrogant (and yet likeable) little Nestor and cranky old Quest singing about each other ("My pal Quest does whatever I want!" "Man, I've really gotta lose that little runt!") *snort* Love it. And Teen Titans. I don't know why I like that one. I just do. And I like the Pucca theme. Cool guitar riff and "Wall of Sound" followup. Really, really decent.
 
Batman: The Animated Series (1992-1995): Any real fan of Batman loves this intro. Danny Elfman and the Late Great Shirley Walker really nailed this intro. Like I said, It always felt like a awesome three hour animated movie whenever I watched an episode. the Batman and Robin intro was great also. Though this one's better. On the series note, if Tim Burton worked on the show......it would've been the Greatest Animated Series Ever. Period.

Batman The Animated Series Intro

Superman: The Animated Series (1996-2000): The theme to the song was another great Shirley Walker score. The theme fits Superman more than any other theme On the intro part, I wished that Paul, Bruce and the rest had more time to finish the animation in the intro, though.

Superman: TAS Intro (1996)

The New Batman/Superman Adventures (1997-2000): Though not better than Batman's, this fused both worlds of Batman and Superman. The first part of the theme song fells like Batman: TAS' theme, while you'll get a couple of seconds later, you'd feel like if Shirley remixed the Superman intro. Then the rest blends in together smoothly.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_JQ_spwuH_o

Heck, I even made a parody of it with Eek! The Cat!The New Eek!/Thunderlizards Adventures (1994-1997)

The Batman (2004-2008, Not the seasons with Robin and Batgirl):
A good modernized theme with the guitar playing. Pretty catchy. Sadly, the series itself wasn't that good.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gVRID0uHKc

The Twisted Tales Of Felix The Cat (1995-1997)

Although, I didn't too much like the old Felix, the theme song was kicking. Freaking Rock mixed with the elements of the Looney World of Felix and his friends. Speaking of Rock....

Twisted Tales of Felix Theme Song

Grim & Evil (2001-2003, Not Evil Con Carne's or Billy and Mandy's)

After a very long "evil laugh contest" between Grim and Hector, the intro gets to the real part, which is short, though, but still good. Real kickbutt theme right here.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJj4m0-4ddk

Eek! That Cat/Eek! Stravaganza (1992-1993/1994-1997)

Almost every Fox Kids fan knew how this intro started. The first part was like a parody of Superman's theme (kind of). Then we'd get all Rock-N-Roll in the middle. It was the right intro for Eek.

Eek! The Cat Intro (1992-1993)



The Terrible Thunderlizards (1993-1997)

The Terrible Thunderlizards Intro (1993-1994)

Dee Snider puts the Rock into this theme song with some Metal in the mix. Sounded like Alice In Chains.


The Best of both worlds (A Remix of Eek's theme song).

Eek! And The Terrible Thunderlizards Intro (1993-1994)


They're Animany. Totally Insaney. Here's The Show's Namey. And it's not the Animaniacs.

Eek! Stravaganza Intro (1994-1996)

Eek! Stravaganza Short Intro (1996-1997)


The Mask (1995-1997 and the syndicated intro)

The Mask Intro (1995)

The Mask: The Animated Series--Syndicated Opening

Forget Jim Carrey as The Mask, Rob Paulsen nailed it for the two years. This....Is The MASK!! Smoking!


As I was 19 years old, I used to like the Gummi Bears theme song. Now, I just skip the intro and head onto the show.
 
Never cared for the syndicated intro. Hopefully if the series ever sees a full DVD release beyond the one measly disc of two episodes that Wal-Mart had packaged with Son of the Mask when it was released, they'll use the CBS intro for the whole series.
 
I don?t have a favorite theme song, though I usually prefer theme songs that are merely instrumental; I?m not sure why, but I typically dislike theme songs that contain lyrics.
 
One of the coolest intros ever is Duckman, which appropriately looks like a pulp comic book and has constantly changing backgrounds. It's one of those which is fun to slo-mo to catch all the action. The seedy detective-flavored theme is catchy, too.

The Simpsons is always fun due to its plethora of couch gags keeping things fresh. And of course, the Danny Elfman theme is now a legendary part of pop culture.

Ren & Stimpy's opening theme is awesome; I can listen to it over and over again. And even though the opening video was just clips from "Big House Blues", they worked wonderfully with the music, and at any point in the song, I can recall what clip is used at that exact moment.

Angry Beavers has a fun intro, with the two beavers fighting each other through an ever-changing abstract landscape. Upbeat trumpet-heavy tune, too.

Tiny Toons and Animaniacs have not only memorable music and quotable lyrics but great storyboarding with all the action that happens in a minute of time.

I used to like Family Guy's opening but after seeing it hundreds of times I'm now officially sick of it. I actually prefer it when they have special title cards in its place, like the "Road to..." episodes.
 
Gummi Bears- I was never into the show that much but the theme was so awesome

New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh- I don't know. It always sounded like some professional singer

Futurama- I love the beat
 
As a child of the 80s, I have much love for the themes composed by Haim Saban and Shuki Levy. For those that were too young to know or too old to care (as well as those inbetween), they comprised the bulk of theme songs for DiC, including Inspector Gadget, Heathcliff, Beverly Hills Teens, Dennis the Menace, Dinosaucers, ALF, C.O.P.S., and M.A.S.K., Ruby-Spears shows like Punky Brewster and Saturday Supercade, and Filmation shows like Masters of the Universe and She-Ra. When Saban launched his own production company, it didn't surprise me that they continued the hits with Kidd Video, Samurai Pizza Cats, Tom Sawyer, Super Dave, Grimm's Fairy Tale Theater, and a few live-action shows you might have heard of. The style was always a simple yet fun melody that could be recognized every time you heard it. Quintessential 80s nostalgia.

The theme song to Galaxy High is probably one of the best vocal theme songs ever composed for an animated series. Lyrically-speaking, it's a story theme that essentially tells the plot of the vastly underrated sci-fi comedy about a pair of students (Doyle, the high school athletic star, and Amy, the smartest girl in school lacking in popularity) who are chosen to represent Earth at an interstellar high school only to find their fortunes reversed (Amy's intelligence makes her very popular while Doyle finds himself struggling to adapt to new surroundings). Great show. Great theme too.

Rugrats had an odd, but quirky theme to me, but I liked the "rug-rug-rug-rug"-y music boxiness about it. Needless to say, wasn't a fan of the newer theme it had adapted. Feel the same thing about theme songs to The Completely Mental Misadventures of Ed Grimley and Camp Candy. Not quite normal animation themes, which is why they're pretty good to this day.

I appreciate the works of the late Shirley Walker. Though Batman: The Animated Series' original theme was largely a recomposition of Danny Elfman's theatrical score, Ms. Walker already made her mark with creating a unique score in every episode, often creating signature themes for each character, from the deviously circus-like ramp of The Joker to the cold, distantly tragic sound of Mr. Freeze. Of course, Ms. Walker composed a trio of theme songs for the DCAU, the majestic Superman theme that almost eclipse whatever John Williams had done for the character (almost, but not quite), the equally heroic Batman-Superman Adventures theme which rightfully places two of the most iconic characters in comics history among the kings, and the regal Justice League theme which seems like the summoning of knights to the battlefield. I'm also fond of the second theme song to Static Shock, which blends a urban feel with a Walkeresque atmosphere, and Batman Beyond's chaotic yet unique theme song, basically signifying that order will come from the chaos.

Ms. Walker's colleagues at Warner Bros. Animation, particularly the late Richard Stone, also contributed a lot of great themes in animation. Tiny Toon Adventures, Taz-Mania, Animaniacs, Freakazoid, and Pinky and the Brain were fun and evocative of the spirit behind each of the series.
 
The only one I can think of at the moment: "Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog". Fantastic orchestrated blending of "In the Hall of the Mountain King" and "Flight of the Bumblebee".
 
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