History BookEnds / WesternAnimation

** Similarly, the "Newborn Cuties" episode "So Many Different Ways To Play" began with the camera going through Ponyland, showing it off to the viewer, before coming to Pinkie Pie reading a book, which then flashes back to the main story. The ending literally just plays this footage in reverse, to the extent that [[EpicFail the sun rises and sets in the same direction.]] [[TakeThat They just couldn't be expected to animate something new.]]

** Act 1 ends with Powder setting off an explosion that accidentally kills off most of her adopted family sans Vi. In Act 3 [[spoiler:after being responsible for the death of yet another adoptive father, she sets off a very much deliberate explosion that presumably kills off ''the entire Piltover'' council, [[SavedByCanon sans Jayce and Viktor]].]]

** The balance of the world was put out of place when Sozin left Roku to die for his own selfish goal in an erupting volcano, as shown in "[[Recap/AvatarTheLastAirbenderTheAvatarAndTheFireLord The Avatar And The Fire Lord]]", setting the seeds for the Hundred-Year War. The end of war shows the new Avatar, Aang, and the new Fire Lord, Zuko, willing to work together to rebuild the world and hence, restore balance to it.

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender'' starts with a Southern Water tribe girl and a [[{{Muggle}} nonbender]] approaching a beam of light caused by the Avatar and ''WesternAnimation/LegendOfKorra'' ends with a Southern Water tribe girl and a [[{{Muggle}} nonbender]] approaching a beam of light caused by the Avatar.

** When the show was UnCancelled, the last image of the DCAU is Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman racing towards the screen, with a final zoom in on the Bat-symbol. It isn't a perfect {{Bookend}}, but this means that the DCAU began and ended with ''Batman''.

** "Bitter Reunions" has Danny meeting Vlad for the first time, triggering a longstanding [[MythArc arc]] [[EvilCounterpart between the two]] where Vlad madly pursues [[EvilMentor Danny as his son]]. This is ultimately concluded in "Kindred Spirits" when Vlad stages his [[TrulySingleParent final, desperate plan]] to obtain Danny. He fails miserably, resulting in a VillainousBreakdown. The {{Bookend}} is that Danny calls Vlad a "crazed up fruit loop" in both episodes; the first to start the saga, the last to end it. After that, they become bitter, bitter enemies.

* Before ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' was UnCanceled for the second time, the fourth movie "Into The Wild Green Yonder" had a poetic {{Bookend}} involving the main characters entering a wormhole which took on the appearance of the pattern of lights seen at the beginning of each episode.

* In the old ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon "Porky the Gob," Porky Pig is in the Navy on a battleship. At the beginning of the cartoon, the CO is doing inspection after reveille, when a bugler sounds the mess call. The CO shouts, "Last one in the mess hall's a softie!" and everyone rushes to the mess hall; the CO trips (he would have been the "softie" but he called "Company halt", making everyone freeze in place while he took the front of the mess line). Later, in the main plot, Porky becomes a hero by capturing a pirate submarine, and is honored at an award ceremony at the end... When the bugler makes the call again, and the CO makes the same joke. This time it looks like Porky is going to get there first, but he has to rush back to get his reward, and then rush back.
** In ''WesternAnimation/TheDucksters'', the cartoon begins with Porky on a ConveyorBeltODoom. After all the abuse and Porky buying the radio station, the cartoon ends with Daffy on same conveyor.

** Similarly, the "Newborn Cuties" episode "So Many Different Ways To Play" began with the camera going through Ponyland, showing it off to the viewer, before coming to Pinkie Pie reading a book, which then flashes back to the main story. The ending literally just plays this footage in reverse, to the extent that [[EpicFail the sun rises and sets in the same direction.]] [[TakeThat I guess they just couldn't be expected to animate something new.]]

** Season 6 begins with the previous season's villain struggling to understand the importance of friendship, with the finale having her finally comprehend and use the lessons learned to help [[spoiler:overthrow Chrysalis as Queen of the Changelings.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/PinkyAndTheBrain'''s segments in both ''WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}}'' and their SpinOff show itself always end with Brain's {{Catchphrase}} from the intro ("[[HereWeGoAgain The same thing we do every night, Pinky]]: try to TakeOverTheWorld!")

* ''WesternAnimation/Rugrats1991'':

** The last episode of the trilogy, "Coon vs. Coon & Friends", begins with the group criticizing Mintberry Crunch, and features this converation near the end:

'''Cartman:''' This is inhumane! There's a big bicket with Butters' poop in here, and there's nothing to eat!\\

** Senator-in-Exile Gall Trayvis' first and last[[note]]Excluding [[spoiler:him getting interviewed by Alton Kastle in [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E11CallToAction "Call to Action"]].]][[/note]] appearances on the show involve him making a broadcast that [[spoiler:lures the ''Ghost'' crew into an Imperial trap that they eventually escape, resulting in the Empire no longer being able to use it to ensnare rebels.]] In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E03RiseOfTheOldMasters "Rise of the Old Masters"]], it's [[spoiler:that Jedi Master Luminara Unduli was supposedly alive and being held at Stygeon Prime.]] In [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS1E10VisionOfHope "Vision of Hope"]], it's [[spoiler:an in-person meeting with him, as he's been an Imperial spy all along.]]
** In the early Season 3 episode [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E02TheAntillesExtraction "The Antilles Extraction"]], after getting captured during a failed attempt to escape [[AcademyOfEvil Skystrike Academy]] with several would-be defecting cadets, Sabine snarks at Agent Kallus, regarding Governor Pryce, that they've "finally found someone who can do [his] job", which he looks like he took harder than expected — [[spoiler:because he's [[HeelFaceTurn turned]] TheMole, and was having doubts in his job and efforts at the time]]. In the season finale, [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E19ZeroHour "Zero]] [[Recap/StarWarsRebelsS3E20ZeroHourPartII Hour"]], after [[spoiler:being exposed as TheMole, and subsequently getting arrested and beaten up, and then managing to escape, Kallus stops Kanan on the ''Ghost'' en route to Yavin IV to thank him and the rest of the ''Ghost'' crew for trusting him, and Kanan in return thanks him for risking everything and putting everything he knew at risk.]]

*** The episode also has a moment that doubles as a meta CallBack: The plot of the show's {{pilot episode}} is resolved by Steven making a comeback toward Garnet calling him a buttface, saying that while he's a child, she has no such excuse for acting like one. [[spoiler:The show's initial five-season MythArc ends with the BigBad calling him an immature child, with Steven jokingly responding that he ''is'' a child and asking what her excuse is, forcing her to realize that [[VillianousBSoD she isn't as perfect as she believes]].]]

*** The first antagonist that the Crystal Gems faced was a Gem Monster, but Gem Monsters gradually became less prevalent in the series as the overarching plot started to take form. But after all is said and done, the very last foe the Crystal Gems face off against in the series finale is another Gem Monster. However, this time the Gem Monster [[spoiler: is ''Steven himself'', who involuntarily transformed into a gargantuan beast after a meltdown induced by years of trauma and self-doubt catching up to him.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSuperHeroSquadShow'': Season 1's arc started, as shown in the intro, with the Infinity Sword being shattered as a consequence of ComicBook/IronMan and Doctor Doom fighting over it. In the GrandFinale, Earth was returned to normal when the Infinity Sword (this time with the Infinity Jewels) was shattered as a consequence of Iron Man and Doctor Doom fighting over it.

* The ''WesternAnimation/TomAndJerry'' cartoon "WesternAnimation/BlueCatBlues" begins and ends with Tom depressed over losing the white cat to Butch leading him to attempt to kill himself by being run over by a train. In that same end, Jerry faces the same fate when he loses his girl to another mouse and joins along with him.

** Kid Flash makes his first appearance in the pilot episode running circles with Franchise/TheFlash. His death scene in the second season finale has him doing the same.

%% This page has been alphabetized. Please add new examples in the correct order. Thanks!

[[caption-width-right:350:[[Recap/StevenUniverseS1E1GemGlow It all started]] [[Recap/StevenUniverseFutureS1E20TheFuture and ended]] with Cookie Cats.]]

!!Shows with their own pages

!!Other shows

[[{{Bookends}} Then again, is it possible to end a long-running series?]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/GravityFalls'', the first episode begins with Dipper giving a monologue and ends with Dipper writing a journal entry that starts with the sentence "If you go on enough road trips chances are, you've seen a certain bumper sticker: WHAT IS THE MYSTERY SHACK?" [[spoiler: The final episode ends with him similarly monologuing, beginning by saying "If you've ever taken a road trip through the Pacific Northwest, you've probably seen a bumper sticker for a place called Gravity Falls."]]

* The ''WesternAnimation/HouseOfMouse'' animated shorts [[HalfwayPlotSwitch "How to be a Waiter" and "How to Wash Dishes"]] begin and end with WesternAnimation/{{Goofy}} being a waiter and washing dishes, respectively.

* Both seasons of ''WesternAnimation/LegionOfSuperheroes'' work like this. First, Superman returns to the Kents' kitchen and muses that just as promised by Bouncing Boy, he's back just in time for dinner: the same dinner they smelled cooking when they left for TheFuture.

* The last episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', [[Recap/ArthurS25E4BlabbermouthAllGrownUp "All Grown Up"]], ends with the opening scene of the very first episode, [[Recap/ArthurS1E1ArthursEyesFrancinesBadHairDay "Arthur's Eyes"]]; in this case, the scene from "Arthur's Eyes" is shown as still panels from a now grown-up Arthur's recently finished graphic novel about his childhood.

* The ''WesternAnimation/FostersHomeForImaginaryFriends'' finale ends with the beginning of the theme song (where the house is being drawn) in reverse, to pretty much say, "It's over".

** "Operation: L.I.C.E." began with the Kids Next Door treehouse being infested with [[BigCreepyCrawlies monstrous mutated hair-eating lice after the Delightful Children from Down the Lane swapped out Numbuh 5's real hat with one infested with the nasty insects while she infiltrated their mansion to steal tortilla chips, and ended with the Kids Next Door infesting the Delightful Children's mansion when [[ATasteOfTheirOwnMedicine they steal Lenny's real football helmet and replace it with one with lice]].

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Rugrats}}'':

* ''WesternAnimation/{{Arcane}}''

* ''WesternAnimation/AvatarTheLastAirbender''

* ''WesternAnimation/BatmanTheAnimatedSeries''

In most WesternAnimation series, [[{{Bookendsr} Remember that seasons can always begin and end at any time.]]

[[{{Bookends}} Remember that seasons can always begin and end at any time.]]

* ''WesternAnimation/CodenameKidsNextDoor'': After a short flashback, "Operation: T.R.E.A.T.Y." begins with Numbuh 1 staring forlornly at an old picture of him and [[ArchEnemy Chad Dickson]] (then-Numbuh 274), sadly wondering why his former friend and mentor went rogue. Right afterwards, his team arrives and tries to convince him to raid a supply ship with them, to which he refuses. The episode ends with Nigel straightening out that same exact picture, [[spoiler:having finally learned [[FakeDefector the truth]] about Chad]], and once again has him staring at it sadly, [[spoiler:[[WeUsedToBeFriends the truth having changed nothing between them]]]]. His team then arrives, asking him to raid another supply ship -- except this time, they refuse to take no for an answer.

* ''WesternAnimation/BigCityGreens'':
** Season 2 started and ended at Big Coffee, the finale now under the ownership of Gloria.
** "Green Christmas" begins with a PanFromTheSkyBeginning and ends with a PanUpToTheSkyEnding, both which involve the Greens' house.
** Season 1A ended with Cricket getting a job at Big Coffee; Season 2C began with Cricket getting fired.
** "Gargoyle Gals" begins and ends with Tilly watching Cricket play with Remy.
** "Fill Bill" begins with the greens arriving at Sea Fusïon and ends with them getting kicked out.
** "Green Streets" begins with Cricket skipping across the front lawn happily; the episode ends with him picking up trash from the lawn looking sad.
** "I, Farmbot" begins with Cricket and Bill buying the Farmbot from Overhaüls and ends with them returning it.
** "Winter Greens" starts and ends at Remy's mansion.
** "Bleeped" has Gramma shout "Blort!" at the beginning and end.
** "Animation Abomination" starts and ends with Cricket and Tilly watching ''Kingdom of Lore''.
** "Country Side" begins with Cricket and Remy waking up in the kids' bedroom on Remy's first full day in the country, causing a ruckus, and annoying Tilly who can't sleep, and ends with the boys back in their room grounded that evening, causing another ruckus, and Tilly is now in her own separate bedroom where she can finally sleep in peace.
** "Pen Pals" starts and ends with Tilly sitting down to get ready to write to Andromeda, complete with a close-up of her pen being clicked open.

** The final season begins with Twilight struggling to adjust to her eventual role as the new ruler of Equestria, and it ends with her fully assuming the position.

** "The Inmates of Summer" starts and ends with SpongeBob and Patrick bursting into tears.

[[BookEnds Remember that seasons can always begin and end at any time.]]

''Note that some BookEnds can be spoilers, so beware.''

** When the show was UnCancelled, the last image of the DCAU is Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman racing towards the screen, with a final zoom in on the Bat-symbol. It isn't a perfect Bookend, but this means that the DCAU began and ended with ''Batman''.

** "Bitter Reunions" has Danny meeting Vlad for the first time, triggering a longstanding [[MythArc arc]] [[EvilCounterpart between the two]] where Vlad madly pursues [[EvilMentor Danny as his son]]. This is ultimately concluded in "Kindred Spirits" when Vlad stages his [[TrulySingleParent final, desperate plan]] to obtain Danny. He fails miserably, resulting in a VillainousBreakdown. The BookEnd is that Danny calls Vlad a "crazed up fruit loop" in both episodes; the first to start the saga, the last to end it. After that, they become bitter, bitter enemies.
** There was also a couple of Book Ends in the first and last episodes of the series. In the first episode, Danny was contemplating telling his parents about his powers but ultimately decided to keep it secret, then in the final episode, they learn the truth. There was also one with Danny and Sam's relationship. In the first episode, they begin the long spanning arc of them denying they were dating. In the final episode, they finally got together.

* Before ''WesternAnimation/{{Futurama}}'' was UnCanceled for the second time, the fourth movie "Into The Wild Green Yonder" had a poetic Book End involving the main characters entering a wormhole which took on the appearance of the pattern of lights seen at the beginning of each episode.

[[BookEnds Then again, is it possible to end a long-running series?]]

* In the old ''WesternAnimation/LooneyTunes'' cartoon "Porky the Gob,", Porky Pig is in the Navy on a battleship. At the beginning of the cartoon, the CO is doing inspection after reveille, when a bugler sounds the mess call. The CO shouts, "Last one in the mess hall's a softie!" and everyone rushes to the mess hall; the CO trips (he would have been the "softie" but he called "Company halt", making everyone freeze in place while he took the front of the mess line). Later, in the main plot, Porky becomes a hero by capturing a pirate submarine, and is honored at an award ceremony at the end... When the bugler makes the call again, and the CO makes the same joke. This time it looks like Porky is going to get there first, but he has to rush back to get his reward, and then rush back.