History Main / StorybookOpening

[[folder:Anime & Manga]]
* ''Anime/CityHunterShinjukuPrivateEyes'' has its opening and ending title sequence feature panels from the "City Hunter" manga/anime, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZGuy3dEgLE here]] and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_e0XAsY6n_w here]].
* ''Franchise/DragonBall''
** Anime/DragonBallZBattleOfGods: The closing credits are set within a sequence of "Dragon Ball" pages ranging from, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DLMtAo9LCQU here]].
** ''Anime/DragonBallSuper'': The ending "Evil Angel and Righteous Devil" is set across a manga page featuring panels of DB characters, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hedfFkDkNUY here]].
* ''Franchise/JoJosBizarreAdventure'':
** ''Manga/JojosBizarreAdventurePhantomBlood'': The anime adaptation's first title sequence, "Sono Chi No Sadame", display comic panels of each member of the Joestar family, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1ZKAQzGYYSo here]].
** ''Mannga/JojosBizarreAdventureStoneOcean'': the Series Finale has the above sequence appear in reverse, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=899jjELkTcc here]], to represent [[spoiler: Pucci using his stand to attempt to rewrite history]].
* ''Anime/LupinIIITheItalianAdventure'': the title sequence is set within manga panels, to homage the franchise's manga origins, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ljfAKvpRhVo here]].
* ''Manga/TenjhoTenge'' has its title sequence start up with the main characters bursting out of manga pages, seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SCmvKDZnVoc here]].
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Comic-Book Films]]]
* In 2002 Marvel debuted a production logo made of flipping comic pages. The comic intro has proven extremely popular, with the Marvel Cinematic Universe making its own version that incorporates scripts and concept art.
** DC Comics utilized a production logo with comic art from 2005 to 2011 for its films in those periods (the ''Film/TheDarkKnightTrilogy'', ''Film/SupermanReturns'', ''Film/JonahHex2010'', ''Film/TheLosers'' and ''Film/GreenLantern2011'')..
* ''Film/FlashGordon1980'': the title sequence features comic art of Flash and his allies/enemies, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xfc_CrwiE4Y here]].
* The ''ComicBook/SinCity'' films feature opening titles made of comic panels straight from the comics.
* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' does this prior to the credits, with a copy of ''Action Comics'' and a young boy's voice recounting some of the ''Daily Planet'''s backstory.
* ''Film/PokemonDetectivePikachu'' has its closing credits set in a montage of manga pages, as seen [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tp_ZZvo8-iU here]].
** ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitansGoToTheMovies'' opened this way, parodying the Marvel logo with Teen Titan comic pages, zooming out to reveal a pigeon reading a Teen Titan comic.
[[/folder]]

* ''WesternAnimation/TheChristmasTree'' is a textbook (storybook?) example. The storybook doesn't have words or even word-shaped scribbles, just the kind of colored VideoGame/{{Tetris}}-like blocks that frequently showed up in low-budget animation before the AllCGICartoon became common.

* Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon examples, in chronological order:

* The extended edition of the ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' DVD menu.

* Used in a flashback in ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheChamberOfSecrets''.

* The ''Series/{{Highlander}}'' episode, "The Stone Of Scone" has this.

* ''VideoGame/AtelierMarieTheAlchemistOfSalburg''
* ''Film/BramStokersDracula'' for the SNES and Genesis has the player opening a book titled "Vampyres" and turning to a new page between levels. However, there are no cutscenes.

* ''VideoGame/ChronoCross''

* ''VideoGame/DarkCloud''

* ''VideoGame/GrandKnightsHistory''

* ''VIdeoGame/MaceTheDarkAge''

* ''VideoGame/{{Myst}}'' has a variant; Atrus narrates as the Myst book tumbles through a starry void, before landing in front of you on a...surface. Open the book, touch the picture, and the game begins. Since you're supposed to be in a library as the FramingDevice, one can assume that it was actually falling off a shelf, and the player picks it up to begin.
** The book is actually falling through a starry void, having been dropped into it as explained in the sequel Riven. [[spoiler:If you've played your way through the entire Myst series including Uru, you'll know that the book fell through the Star Fissure, and that the "surface" mentioned above would be the ground in the New Mexico desert. A funny FridgeLogic twist is that, if you've also read the books, you'll know that you could have picked up the Myst book, entered the Crevice nearby, and navigated your way through the caves to D'ni just like Ti'ana did in Myst: The book of Atrus. Then you could hand the book directly to Atrus where he sat, avoiding the entire first game and "winning" without ever having linked anywhere nor visited Myst island.]]
*** [[spoiler: [[FridgeLogic Assuming you could reach K'veer Island, let alone the chamber Atrus was trapped in, and knew to go there in the first place.]]]]

* The events of ''[[Franchise/RatchetAndClank Ratchet & Clank Future: Quest for Booty]]'' are told via a book from Rusty Pete towards Captain Slag, both of whom narrate the story.

* ''VideoGame/WildArms''

* ''Literature/{{Kampfer}}'': The very silly episode 12 did this.

* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' does this prior to the credits, with a copy of ''Action Comics'' and a young boy's voice recounting some of the ''Daily Planet'''s backstory.

* Disney's ''Film/TwentyThousandLeaguesUnderTheSea'' opens in this style.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingMaurice'' opens like this ... except the story is ''Mr Bunnsy Has an Adventure''. After a few sentences, CharacterNarrator Malicia slams it shut and says [[ThisIsNotThatTrope this isn't a story about cute bunnies]], it's a story about RATS! While Malicia reading ''Mr Bunnsy'' is returned to on several occasions, the last scene is Maurice closing ''Literature/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents''.
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Hoodwinked}}'' uses it not only to begin the film, but also for [[TheRashomon each of the versions of the story as told by the various characters]].
* ''WesternAnimation/TheAdventuresOfMarkTwain'' begins with a [[PlayingWithATrope variant]] where the contents of an opened storybook spill out and form the world.
* ''[[ComicBook/DCTheNewFrontier Justice League: The New Frontier]]'' starts like this. It's a very dark version, as the storybook is about the monster that's coming to destroy humanity, and the writer finishes by [[RRatedOpening committing suicide]].
* At the very beginning of ''WesternAnimation/RockADoodle'', just right after we see Chanticleer quitting his job at the farm of waking the Sun up with his crowing and moving to the city after the other farm animals make fun of him after seeing the Sun rise without him one day, the camera pulls back to show that the entire prologue (which is animated) is just a storybook a mother is telling to her young son Edmund (both played by live actors) when the evil owl is introduced for the very first time.
* Another Creator/DonBluth film, ''WesternAnimation/ThePebbleAndThePenguin'', actually did this with a songbook.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheChristmasTree'' is a textbook (storybook?) example. The storybook doesn't have words or even word-shaped scribbles, just the kind of colored VideoGame/{{Tetris}}-like blocks that frequently showed up in low-budget animation before the AllCGICartoon became common.
* ''[[ComicStrip/RupertBear Rupert]] and the Frog Song'' opens with a live-action scene in which Music/PaulMcCartney is rummaging through a trunk of old ''Rupert'' [[TheChristmasAnnual annuals]], apparently from his childhood. He leafs through one of the books, and the scene transitions to Nutwood.
* ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverseTheMovie'' opens on a storybook recapping Steven and his mother's history with the gem Homeworld through ''WesternAnimation/StevenUniverse''. [[ProsceniumReveal It turns out the book was being shown in-series]] on an intergalactic broadcast, which is how [[BigBad Spinel]] found out [[spoiler:Pink Diamond [[ForgottenFriendNewFoe wasn't coming back for her]]]]. [[{{Defictionalization}} An actual version of the storybook]] was made as a tie-in, [[SelfAdaptation written by the series' creator]].

* The extended edition of the ''Film/LordOfTheRings'' DVD menu.

* Used in the 1937 Shirley Temple version of ''Heidi'' for the opening credits and first paragraph.
* Used in the Laurel and Hardy version of ''Film/{{Babes in Toyland|1934}}'', but cut from many prints. Mother Goose sings a song about Toyland and flips the pages of a book that shows all the main characters in live action, ending with Stan and Ollie.
* ''Film/{{Elf}}'' not only has a storybook in its prologue, opening credits, and closing scene, but the menus on the DVD resemble pop-up books.
* ''Film/SnowWhiteAndTheThreeStooges'' opens this way, with the Stooges having fun at points.
* In the extended version of Creator/DavidLynch's ''Film/Dune1984'' one of the first shots after the opening credits is a shot of a copy of the original book by Frank Herbert.
* In ''Film/TheSmurfs2'', Narrator uses a pop-up book to tell the story of how Smurfette came to be at the beginning of the movie.
* The 2016 version of ''Film/{{The Jungle Book|2016}}'' doesn't have a storybook opening, but it does have a storybook closing, with the book being [[BookEnds the very same one that opened the original animated classic]].
* The Creator/DisneyChannel original movie ''Film/{{Descendants}}'' "modernizes" this using a computer tablet in its opening.
* ''Film/SupermanTheMovie'' does this prior to the credits, with a copy of ''Action Comics'' and a young boy's voice recounting some of the ''Daily Planet'''s backstory.
* ''Film/ThirteenWomen'' begins with a copy of the novel on which it is based opening to show a page explaining about the power of suggestion, complete with references to a psychology journal. The movie proper then starts.
* ''Film/TheReturnOfSherlockHolmes'' opens with a shot of ''[[Literature/SherlockHolmes The Return of Sherlock Holmes]]'' by Sir Creator/ArthurConanDoyle, which opens to display the cast list for the film.
* ''Film/TheQuest'' doesn't have a Storybook Opening, but ends with a Storybook ''Closing'' for some inexplicable reason.

* ''Film/BedtimeStory1964'' opens with a popup book showing some of the movie's locations, with Freddy shown as a wolf spying on a woman from behind a tree.

* ''VideoGame/{{Skully}}'' starts with a book with Skully on it's front cover flipping open, which leads to the title screen. [[spoiler:After Skully's HeroicSacrifice and with Terry making amends with his siblings, the book then closes before the credits]].

* ''WesternAnimation/HazbinHotel'' begins with [[AntiAntiChrist Princess Charlie]] reading [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I0tobM9b_9I ''The Story of Hell''.]]

* ''VisualNovel/RadicalDreamers'': This UsefulNotes/SuperNintendo Stellaview game uses it as well. One of the few examples where the story is related through (it is implied) the text of the book itself. ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' does the same thing, only since it isn't a text-based game, the example isn't quite as unusual.

* ''VideoGame/OdinSphere'': The story of is contained within a series of books a young girl is reading one afternoon. Each character's NewGamePlus is simply Alice closing the book at the end and starting again from the beginning.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheAmazingMaurice'' opens like this ... except the story is ''Mr Bunnsy Has an Adventure''. After a few sentences, CharacterNarrator Malicia slams it shut and says [[ThisIsNotThatTrope this isn't a story about cute bunnies]], it's a story about RATS! While Malicia reading ''Mr Bunnsy'' is returned to on several occasions, the last scene is Maurice closing ''Literature/TheAmazingMauriceAndHisEducatedRodents''.

* ''VideoGame/{{Atelier}} Marie''

* The extended edition of the ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings'' DVD menu.

* The 2016 version of ''[[Film/TheJungleBook2016 The Jungle Book]]'' doesn't have a storybook opening, but it does have a storybook closing, with the book being [[BookEnds the very same one that opened the original animated classic]].

-->-- '''Buck Cluck''' [[SelfDeprecation mocking Disney's use of the trope]], ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle''

-->-- ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'', '''Buck Cluck''' {{def|ied Trope}}ying and {{lampshad|e Hanging}}ing the Storybook Opening and [[SelfDeprecation mocking Disney's use of the trope]]

* ''LightNovel/{{Kampfer}}'': The very silly episode 12 did this.

-> ''"Oh, no, no, not the book. How many have seen "opening the book" before? Close the book; we're not doing that."''

-> ''"Oh, no, no, not the book! How many have seen "opening the book" before? Close the book. We're not doing that."''

** Subverted by ''WesternAnimation/{{Shrek}}'', which opens with the title character reading a FairyTale... and then [[OnlyUsefulAsToiletPaper ripping out a page as toilet paper]].