What 2010 Cartoons Had The Best Animated Opening Sequences?

Sunlight streaming through my window and a cup of cold coffee once turned a Saturday into a discovery spree of openings that still make me grin. Back in 2010 the cartoon world felt refreshingly bold, and a few intros from that year stand out as tiny masterpieces of tone-setting and worldbuilding. 'Adventure Time' kicks things off with pure, youthful magic: the jingly, memorable theme plus those surreal, montage-like shots that sell the show's weirdness and heart in under a minute. It’s playful, mysterious, and somehow instantly iconic — the kind of opener that made me pause whatever I was doing and watch the whole sequence again.

Not far behind, 'My Little Pony: Friendship Is Magic' uses a warm, uplifting theme and bright, welcoming imagery to signal a show that’s both silly and emotionally earnest. The opening is tight storytelling: you get character introductions, a sense of place, and the emotional promise of friendship in a neat package. Meanwhile 'Young Justice' brings something totally different — cinematic, heroic, and packed with stakes. Its orchestral approach and dynamic montage promise drama and team dynamics, and it nails the superhero ethos without spoiling plot beats.

I also loved what 'Regular Show' and 'Generator Rex' were doing around then — one leaning into absurd, off-kilter humor with an 80s-tinged soundtrack, the other going for slick, action-oriented visuals. Even 'Transformers: Prime' gave us a moody, cinematic intro that felt like a movie trailer. All those openings worked as quick promises: here's the tone, here's the cast, now come along. They were little contracts between creators and viewers, and signing them felt like the start of an adventure every time — still does, really.