Starting with LABF01 in season 20, the opening has been reanimated again, but the timing is almost exactly the same, as are the component parts. I describe some differences below. For simplicity, I am keeping the same classifications for opening types.

Contents:

The Opening Sequence

Title

Fade in: "Ahh Chorus" synthesizer pad plays. "The Simpsons" materializes out of a mist on a blue screen. Clouds part, and "The Simpsons" appears. Singers intone "The Simpsons..." The camera zooms, and we move through the letter "P" into the swoop. A three-eyed crow flies by toward the end, in some direction, and screeches. (As of LABF15, the 2nd aired of season 21, other things fly by instead. Because of this variation, the usual audio is replaced in MABF02/06 by Wizard of Oz music, the former omitting the chorus entirely!)

Season One's theme music was a bit cruder, and more... stacatto (for lack of a more descriptive term) than the version used later.

Springfield Swoop

Flying through the loop, we focus on one purple cooling tower. We see the power plant welcome sign, and Springfield Prison behind the plant. We fly over the power plant and tire yard, toward downtown Springfield. We move up the street past "Painless Dentistry / Candy Dandy" / the town square (lingering as Kearney and Jimbo cut the head off the statue, which lands on Ralph's head, prompting him to say something), then past the Android's Dungeon and Lard Lad (where the crow alights on the donut) and a humorous billboard of some kind, toward the purple / orange colored elementary school. The infamous streetlamp glitch happens as we move toward the school -- it snaps violently to the right (this is only in a handful of episodes in seasons 2-20). We move through the school window...

Season One's swoop is relatively crudely animated, and was redone. The difference in perspective is especially noticeable, for instance in the power plant's cooling towers -- which looked quite flat in Season One's opening. The newest opening spends a lot more time on the previous gags, so the pan to SES and Bart's classroom window is quicker, with slightly less time to read the gag before it's all in view.

Chalkboard Gag

Bart writes on the chalkboard. Three pieces of stick-figure art hang next to Bart. There is a clock showing 3:00 PM, and wastebasket to Bart's right. A portrait hangs on the right side of the blackboard. A bookcase full of books sits behind him. Now the portrait is of Homer as an astronaut. He hears the bell, and leaves the class--bursting out the front doors of the school, and flying gleefully past the flagpole. The sidewalk is crudely drawn, and there is no building... just a green grassy field and trees. Bart passes a three-story glass and concrete building, a four-story orange colored building, and some trees and bushes. Roughly the same but fully animated; now the sidewalk has Willie raking a pile of leaves, which Bart lands on, uncovering a drunk Barney beneath, who yells at Bart.

The sequence of Bart writing on the blackboard was actually redone. The animation was also much smoother as Bart bursts out the door, and the perspective problem is corrected.

Details on Chalkboard Gags

Homer Leaves Work

Hearing the quitting whistle, Homer gleefully removes his mask, and the glowing rod he was holding pops down his shirt. A bald man stands behind Homer, eating a sandwich that he's holding with a pair of tongs. Behind Homer is Mr. Burns on the left, and Mr. Smithers on the right. As the whistle blows, they look away from a blueprint at each other. Burns looks at Homer, then puts his watch to his ear and shakes his wrist. Behind Homer, Lenny tries to swap a "3" for a "2" on the "days without an accident" sign, but falls off his ladder onto Carl, wailing. The caution sign over Homer's head has two holes on the right side, both blank / a green light on top, and a red light on the bottom / been removed entirely.

Grocery Check-Out

Marge reads "Mom Monthly" in the check out line; Maggie is scanned. Marge is relieved to see Maggie in the cart.

"Feeble" (a "People" parody?) magazine is seen on the shelf. $847.63 is what Maggie costs. Colors are brighter, more orange than red, as in Season One.

Behind Marge are Patty and Selma with a cart full of Laramies. Preceding Maggie on the belt are a bottle of Tomacco Juice, a box of Mr. Sparkle, and a box of Krusty-Os. The price reads 243.26 before Maggie is scanned and 486.52 (double that) after. Marge looks mildly concerned, but smiles well before Maggie pops out of the bag. Pan to show Gerald sitting in his own cart and bag; the babies shake their fists at each other.

Lisa's Sax Solo

We pan across school orchestra room. Lisa's sax solo is high-pitched... see Lisa's Sax Solos page for more information. Largo dismisses Lisa, who walks out the door playing her sax.

People in the room (right to left):

African-American kid, brown haired boy playing bass violin (back row), blonde girl with pigtails (front row), Largo, thin, curly haired girl (back row), blue haired girl, yellow haired boy,

Back row: Lewis (cymbals?) ready to crash, small pupiled African-American boy, a well groomed boy playing tuba, thin girl with purple hair playing french horn (on shoulder?), bulgy eyed boy holding blue trombone, nasty looking buck-toothed boy with green trumpet, large girl with bulgy eyes and a large nose holding a trumpet(?), hidden student, Lewis (again?), Beethoven's bust on cabinet,

Front row: red head girl in pigtails playing clarinet (front of Lewis), boy with green glasses playing clarinet, thin girl, with a large nose playing a green horn, nerdy boy wearing glasses and a green shirt playing horn, red head girl wearing a Lisa-like dress playing clarinet, Milhouse playing horn, Sherri & Terri playing flutes, Lisa playing sax.

As with many crowd scenes, this is cleaned up. Recognizable characters include (back row, right to left) Wendell, Database, Martin, Richard, and Lewis, and (front row, right to left) Janey, Milhouse, Sherri and Terri (playing video games!), and Lisa. Largo dismisses Lisa earlier, showing her longer; at the end of her solo, she ducks inside briefly for a flourish and smiles. This part may be of variable length, and a split second longer than the previous opening.

Details on Lisa's Sax Solos

Homer Driving

Homer drives down the street, uncomfortably discovering the rod in his back. He pulls it out, and throws it from the window. It lands in front of Moe's Tavern.

Bart Skateboarding

The rod bounces away... and the dust clears. No dust now; the rod lands on Otto, sitting on a bench, who eats it (the rod). Bart comes by on his skateboard, with pursed lips in a half grin. His right foot sticks off the board, as he grabs the lamppost to help him make the corner. He skates past a pet store, and a TV store with many Krustys which he turns and faces. In passing, he grabs the bus stop sign and takes it with him. On a passing bus, a sign says "Can't get enough of that wonderful Duff."

Passengers:

Bored bus driver, (first seat) dark skinned man looking out at camera, and primmed up Bart-looking man, (second seat) red haired, white skinned lady, (third seat) man rolling his eyes, woman with light blue hair, (fourth seat) tall, spindly woman with light blue hair and a pointy nose, (last seat) stocky man with purple hair.

The people waiting take off and chase the bus as Marge and Maggie round the corner.

People waiting: A brunette scowling man, an overweight redheaded woman, an older "el Barto type", a shorter, fatter spiky haired man, and a woman with white hair in a Chinese robe.

Bart skates in with a big grin, past store with an "Open" sign as he turns corner... he makes a much better turn, with both feet on the board. He passes Helen Lovejoy, carrying bags from the Springfield Mall, passes a book store, dodges to the right, passes Apu with small barking dog on leash, dodges left, passes Moe holding towel standing in his doorway, passes an approaching Barney (who belches) on his right, passes Jacques (who's walking right) carrying a bowling ball, and dodges left. TV screens with Krusty appear in the window. Bart looks for a minute, then grins again. He passes Bleeding Gums Murphy, who's the facing street with sax around shoulder. He passes Chief Wiggum standing on the corner, who yells and shakes his baton as Bart crosses the street. The town square, with the Jebediah Springfield statue, is seen in the background. Marge's car comes from the right, and turns on to the street Bart crossed.

Note: JABF22 has Bart laughing as he leaves school and voices accompanying the people he later skateboards past; JABF17 has the voices but no laughing. Note that Maggie Roswell (one of those voices but not in every episode) was in both episodes already. Similarly, Sideshow Bob is voiced in MABF11 (a SSB episode).

Bart skates by and turns the corner with a muted whoosh. He passes Sideshow Bob swinging a sword, Helen Lovejoy, Apu and his kids, Moe (at Moe's), CBG, Disco Stu (who protests, sometimes audibly - "ho!" or nothing in season 20, "oomp!" in season 21), a window of TVs showing Krusty, Eleanor Abernathy (crazy cat lady), the Rich Texan (who shoots his guns), and Wiggum (who waves his nightstick). He zooms over a manhole cover, and Moleman pops out from underneath. Marge's car slams the cover down with a clang as it comes around the corner.

Marge Driving

A smiling Marge and Maggie round the corner in a red sedan. Close up of a walleyed Maggie steering. Far shot of another tight curve (by a farm), which they make. Low shot of car approaching... Close up of Maggie steering again. Low shot of car approaching... They make another turn. Maggie looks at Marge, then looks back at the road. They look at each other, then honk the horn.

In later seasons, the car was orange in color. Now, Grampa is seen in the passenger seat during the Marge reveal (but not until then), with Maggie in the middle. When they honk he wakes up confused and loses his dentures.

Lisa On Her Bike

Close-up on Lisa wobbling back and forth on her bike, with a large stack of books in the bike basket and a guitar-shaped instrument case behind her. She hits a bump, and all the books fly into the air... restrained by bungees. She makes a right turn (to our left) down the street. She jumps off her bike in the driveway, grabbing her books and instrument case. The bike moves into the garage, the door already opening for Homer's car, as Lisa runs to the door.

Pan Across Springfield

A zip-pan left to right...

highway, streetlamp, trees, Milhouse throwing a baseball, kids playing in a yard, Nelson and thugs with kid in trashcan, Richard and Lewis, Jimbo threatening Martin, old folks in rocking chairs (The Glicks?), Patty and Selma suntanning with cone bikini tops, Kent Brockman reporting, Sherri and Terri holding hands, Herman, Grampa and Jasper holding a book singing(?), retirement castle, man reading the retirement castle sign, old folks walking out (like those that Marge sees holding hands in [7G11]), man holding thumbs up, Lou & Eddie behind a barricade, Dr. Marvin Monroe holding a clipboard, Wendell with his head out of the bus ready to vomit, Dr. Hibbert comparing notes with Monroe, blonde girl, cat-eye glass girl in street, Otto next to broken down bus, another blonde girl, bucktoothed boy from orchestra in street, strange looking mountain, a bluebird that Maude sees, Flanders house, Ned and Todd holding another bluebird, Simpsons house...

The new pan is close, with many of the same gags and objects. People include Agnes, Skinner, Chalmers, Milhouse playing ball with Richard and Lewis, Willie on his tractor, Ralph playing on Frank Grimes' grave, Martin about to be beaten by the three bullies, Squeaky-Voiced Teen, Quimby and Miss Springfield wearing each other's sashes, some sort of magician (???), the sea captain holding a 3-eyed fish, Patty and Selma still sunbathing in those suits, Cletus and Brandine with a pig, Kang and Kodos in a UFO, Burns and Smithers, Kent and a cameraman, Sherri and Terri still playing video games, Krusty smoking on a wall with "El Barto" graffiti, Bumblebee Man and Luigi watching the UFO, Eddie and Lou at the bus roadblock, Snake stealing Lou's gun, Fat Tony with Legs and Louie burying someone, Miss Hoover changing the flat tire on the broken-down bus, Wendell still leaning out of the bus (sick), kids in front including Janey, Dr. Hibbert with a clipboard (but no Monroe), Duffman, Jessica Lovejoy, Mr. Teeny and Sideshow Mel, God (whose head is off-screen) fighting the devil (who's standing on a tower), and finally Rod and Todd playing in their yard, then the Simpson house.

Driveway

Homer's car comes from left to right, makes the turn into the driveway and stops. From the right, Bart one-hops his skateboard across Homer's car. Homer gets out just in time to see Marge's car. He screams a short scream, and runs into the garage as her car pulls in behind. Looking over his shoulder frightened, he opens the door.

The garage door is still closed, and there's no oil stain. The door begins to open, and Homer gets out glaring at Bart, slamming the door. He dodges Lisa on her bike with a "d'oh". Lisa takes her bike up to the front door. He steps back out and screams as Marge's car approaches... He looks over his left shoulder, then his right as he runs into the garage.

Oil stain is back. The main change is that instead of running away from Marge's car and screaming, Homer is hit with the car and flattened on the hood; instead of running through the door, he is hurled grunting through it by inertia, leaving a Homer-shaped hole. Every time.

Couch Gag

The family (usually) runs in and sits on the couch... see the Couch Gags page for more information.

The couch is brown, and TV set is orange. A mouse hole is seen. The painting is a crooked nature painting of a pond. The TV set is blueish purple, and the rabbit ears are more sophisticated. The painting is a crooked sailboat pic. A mouse hole is seen. Mostly the same, but the TV is now a thin WS HD model, with the bent rabbit-ears still on top.

Details on the Couch Gags

Credits

The TV set (close-up) is orange-brown, with an antenna to the top left. Bottom of TV: Dials (3) are green and there are two buttons. (DD bb D) Dials on right of set: Two on top, blue speaker below. On top of TV ... VCR with two buttons. Rabbit ears on top. Again, a widescreen set, with four unmarked buttons on the right, speakers below. A VCR or some unit is on top still. Created by: Matt Groening. Developed by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Sam Simon. Fade out. Half the time, after the credits, the TV mount rips out of the wall, showing some ripped sparking wires and RCA connectors poking out of a hole in the wall. Glass-crashing sound and sparks are heard. (This has stopped for now; the last it fell was LABF16.)

Note: 7G02/7G07, 2F31, GABF20/HABF16, HABF04/JABF08, KABF03/10, and LABF18 deviate slightly from the norm (all but the first three episodes listed in music only). Please let me know if I've missed any! In the WS/HD opening, there are two options for music, often corresponding to whether the TV falls off.

Types Of Openings

HD/WS:  LABF01, LABF02, LABF03, LABF05, LABF07, LABF12, LABF16, LABF17, LABF18, LABF19, MABF07, MABF09, MABF11, MABF14.

[1] Accounts from the ambiguities list, capsule, syndication cuts guide, and blackboard openings list create multiple and hazy pictures of the true nature of 8F07. The general feel is that the full opening was generated, but butchered by Fox on one or more occasions. The season 3 DVD uses the full version. -mg
[2] Chad's tapes had a short opening for 8F21, but everything else (including the season 3 DVD) seems to indicate the full one. -mg
[3] The original Fox airing of 8F22 was shortened; the timing, order, and season 3 DVD suggest this one over a condensed version for subsequent airings. -mg
[4] 9F01's first US broadcast used the short opening, but all others used the full opening; see the ambiguities list for more on the Global 9F01/9F02 switcheroo. -mg
[5] As predicted, 2F32 used a full opening for its original airing, and this is also found on the season 6 DVD. Chad's version of the list had no entry for 2F32, hence my original use of a footnote. -mg
[6] The DVD versions of 7F20, 9F05, 9F09, and 9F20 have full openings and different sax solos than previously indicated on this, the sax solo list, and other sources; it seems that Fox used to run summer repeats with shortened openings to save time, and the long versions are most likely correct. -mg

HD/WS:  LABF08, LABF11, LABF13, LABF15, LABF20, MABF08, MABF13, MABF15.

[16] Strictly speaking, this is different: it goes from Lisa's solo to Homer's scream, thus skipping the first part of the driveway. For now, it's here.

HD/WS:  LABF04, LABF06, LABF09, LABF10, MABF01, MABF02, MABF03, MABF04, MABF05, MABF06, MABF10.

[17] The original US broadcast of this episode was severely shortened, and the opening was left out completely, with the first part of the episode (itself an introduction) taking its place.

[14] The original broadcast of HABF08 used an edited version of the live-action opening, but its repeat used a traditional animated opening with different components. The animated version does not match any of the other categories, though; it's like a full opening, late to start, missing the grocery check-out, and trimming part of Maggie driving. Note that this is not the way the live-action one was cut. -mg