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* ''Film/{{Blackbird}}'' begins with Randy's dream in which he and his crush Todd in front of the church choir singing a duet, after which they disrobe and start kissing passionately.
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* The ''Anime/KirbyRightBackAtYa'' episode "Prediction Predicament - Part I" starts with King Dedede sleeping in his castle, when he is woken up by an intense light, which turns out to be a giant red burning Kirby monster, much to his horror. He attempts to hammer the monster, but a JumpCut reveals that it was just a dream and he hit Escargoon in the head.
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* The ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddParents'' episode "Girly Squirrely" starts with Timmy and his dad at camp, with the latter winding up burning the entire forest surrounding their tent. He is then noted about his shoe being on fire, and a bus behind them explodes. Cue Timmy waking up with a start, [[ScreamsLikeALittleGirl screaming like a girl]].
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* VideoGame/ChronoCross starts with a DreamingOfThingsToCome sequence in which ther hero Serge, Kid, and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a third person]] infiltrate Fort Dragonia. He wakes up after reaching a plot-significant door.
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* VideoGame/ChronoCross ''VideoGame/ChronoCross'' starts with a DreamingOfThingsToCome sequence in which ther hero Serge, Kid, and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a third person]] infiltrate Fort Dragonia. He wakes up after reaching a plot-significant door.
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* VideoGame/ChronoCross starts with a DreamingOfThingsToCome sequence in which ther hero Serge, Kid, and [[LoadsAndLoadsOfCharacters a third person]] infiltrate Fort Dragonia. He wakes up after reaching a plot-significant door.
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* The ''WebVideo/SuperMarioLogan'' episode "Mario The Babysitter!" starts with Bowser kidnapping Rosalina, when Mario appears in a Film/{{Superman}} suit and [[WeaksauceWeakness defeats Bowser with his hair]]. When he grabs Rosalina, they both bump into a wall and Mario instantly wakes up. He is less than amused to find that it was just a dream.
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* The ''WesternAnimation/DefendersOfTheEarth'' episode "The Mystery of the Book" opens with a dream sequence in which Mandrake and Kshin are being menaced by a demonic creature named Kronos. The sequence ends with Mandrake being sent plunging into an abyss, at which point he wakes up and goes to check on Kshin, who has just had the exact same nightmare. This turns out to be a case of DreamingOfThingsToCome, as Mandrake and Kshin soon find themselves facing Kronos in the waking world.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'': The episode "There's No Camp Like Home" opens with Piglet having a nightmare about being chased by heffalumps and woozles.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'': ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'':
** The episode "There's No Camp Like Home" opens with Piglet having a nightmare about being chased by heffalumps andwoozles.woozles.
** "[=Rock-A-Bye=] Pooh" likewise opens with Piglet having a bad dream where he is going on a picnic with Pooh, Tigger, and Rabbit, only for the three of them to suddenly disappear in strange ways[[note]] Tigger bounces into the sky and doesn't come back down, Rabbit drives off in a carrot-shaped go-kart, and Pooh climbs into his own honey pot and doesn't come back out[[/note]], leaving poor Piglet all alone as a terrible thunderstorm approaches. Piglet then wakes up, [[InsomniaEpisode but winds up afraid to go back to sleep]].
** The episode "There's No Camp Like Home" opens with Piglet having a nightmare about being chased by heffalumps and
** "[=Rock-A-Bye=] Pooh" likewise opens with Piglet having a bad dream where he is going on a picnic with Pooh, Tigger, and Rabbit, only for the three of them to suddenly disappear in strange ways[[note]] Tigger bounces into the sky and doesn't come back down, Rabbit drives off in a carrot-shaped go-kart, and Pooh climbs into his own honey pot and doesn't come back out[[/note]], leaving poor Piglet all alone as a terrible thunderstorm approaches. Piglet then wakes up, [[InsomniaEpisode but winds up afraid to go back to sleep]].
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* The ''Series/StarTrekVoyager'' episode "Waking Moments" starts with four of them simultaneously, including one with [[NotWearingPantsDream Tuvok naked]], which turn out to be induced by a telepathic alien.
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' starts with Alex having a dream about the penguins going away to Monte Carlo, but however initiate warp drive in the process, causing Gloria, Marty and Melman to become old and the scenery to turn black-and-white. When he notices his old self, the latter shakes him which makes him wake up.
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* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' ''WesternAnimation/Madagascar3EuropesMostWanted'' starts with Alex having a dream about the penguins going away to Monte Carlo, but however initiate warp drive in the process, causing Gloria, Marty and Melman to become old and the scenery to turn black-and-white. When he notices his old self, the latter shakes him which makes him wake up.
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* The ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E23Demons Demons]] begins with a FlashbackNightmare for Mulder. It's not much of a surprise opening because of the standard flashback effects and the fact that it depicts him as his younger self together with his sister Samantha.
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* The ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E23Demons Demons]] Demons]]" begins with a FlashbackNightmare for Mulder. It's not much of a surprise opening because of the standard flashback effects and the fact that it depicts him as his younger self together with his sister Samantha.
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* The ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E23Demons Demons]] begins with a nightmare for Mulder. It's not much of a surprise opening because of the standard flashback effects and the fact that it depicts him as his younger self together with his sister Samantha.
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* The ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E23Demons Demons]] begins with a nightmare FlashbackNightmare for Mulder. It's not much of a surprise opening because of the standard flashback effects and the fact that it depicts him as his younger self together with his sister Samantha.
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* The ''Series/TheXFiles'' episode "[[Recap/TheXFilesS04E23Demons Demons]] begins with a nightmare for Mulder. It's not much of a surprise opening because of the standard flashback effects and the fact that it depicts him as his younger self together with his sister Samantha.
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* Subverted in the pilot of ''Series/AmericanGothic''. After the ActionPrologue, Gail has a CatapultNightmare and we are to assume the opening sequence was a bad dream of hers. But then we see that the story is on TV.
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* Subverted in the pilot of ''Series/AmericanGothic''. After the ActionPrologue, Gail has a CatapultNightmare and we are to assume the opening sequence was a bad dream of hers. But then we see that the story is on TV.
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* Subverted in the pilot of ''Series/AmericanGothic''. After the ActionPrologue, Gail has a CatapultNightmare and we are to assume the opening sequence was a bad dream of hers. But then we see that the story is on TV.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' begins with [=SpongeBob=] as the manager of the Krusty Krab, saving the day after a guy gets no cheese on his patty. The crowd hoist him over their shoulders and cheer him, but then the cheers turn into his foghorn alarm and [=SpongeBob=] wakes up.
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* ''HeartOfTheSwarm'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbeoSPqRs4 begins with]] Kerrigan (as Queen of Blades) laying waste to Augustgrad, before cutting back to her dezerged form waking up from the nightmare. [[spoiler:It's also DreamingOfThingsToCome, since the last few levels are you doing exactly that.]]
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* ''HeartOfTheSwarm'' ''VideoGame/StarCraftIIHeartOfTheSwarm'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbeoSPqRs4 begins with]] Kerrigan (as Queen of Blades) laying waste to Augustgrad, before cutting back to her dezerged form waking up from the nightmare. [[spoiler:It's also DreamingOfThingsToCome, since the last few levels are you doing exactly that.]]
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* The ''Bee and Puppycat'' episode "Food" opens with Bee dreaming she is floating in the middle of nowhere with a group of Puppycats. She touches her Puppycat, gets an electric shock and wakes up.
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* The ''Bee and Puppycat'' ''WebAnimation/BeeAndPuppycat'' episode "Food" opens with Bee dreaming she is floating in the middle of nowhere with a group of Puppycats. She touches her Puppycat, gets an electric shock and wakes up.
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* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' begins with [=SpongeBob=] as the manager of the Krusty Krab, saving the day after a guy gets no cheese on his patty. The crowd hoist him over their shoulders and cheer him, but then the cheers turn into his foghorn alarm and [=SpongeBob=] wakes up.
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* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out it wasn't a dream, the demon lord turned their bodies into statues and sent their spirits to the dream world]].
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* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' Subverted in ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI''. The game starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out it wasn't a dream, the demon lord turned their bodies into statues and sent their spirits to the dream world]].
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* ''Videogame/HalfLife2: "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and... shine." This occurs at the beginning of the second game after Gordon Freeman was put into storage stasis by G Man. Upon awakening, he is met with the mysterious and very dreamlike image of G Man, who attempts to awaken him with a cryptic message.
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* ''Videogame/HalfLife2: ''Videogame/HalfLife2'': "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and... shine." This occurs at the beginning of the second game after Gordon Freeman was put into storage stasis by G Man. Upon awakening, he is met with the mysterious and very dreamlike image of G Man, who attempts to awaken him with a cryptic message.
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* ''V: The Final Battle'', the second miniseries in the ''Series/{{V}}'' franchise, opened with a slow-motion nightmare in which Mike Donovan tries to escape from a Visitor ship with his captured son before he's shot to death in front of his father by a group of pursuing soldiers, prompting a CatapultNightmare.
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* ''V: The Final Battle'', the second miniseries in the ''Series/{{V}}'' ''Series/{{V1983}}'' franchise, opened with a slow-motion nightmare in which Mike Donovan tries to escape from a Visitor ship with his captured son before he's shot to death in front of his father by a group of pursuing soldiers, prompting a CatapultNightmare.
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* An episode of ''Series/NorthernExposure'' starts inside Joel's sex dream where he's RobertPalmer singing "Simply Irresistable." There's a SexyDiscretionShot fading to the opening credits when things turn steamy.
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* An episode of ''Series/NorthernExposure'' starts inside Joel's sex dream where he's RobertPalmer singing "Simply Irresistable." Irresistible". There's a SexyDiscretionShot fading to the opening credits when things turn steamy.
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ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a work or episode that starts with a (typically short) DreamSequence.
The dream is most often a CatapultNightmare or FlashbackNightmare, but if it isn't it's usually some version of PsychicDreamsForEveryone - DreamingOfTimesGoneBy, DreamingOfThingsToCome, or DreamSpying. If the dream sequence goes so long that it takes over the story, it becomes AllJustADream.
The dream is most often a CatapultNightmare or FlashbackNightmare, but if it isn't it's usually some version of PsychicDreamsForEveryone - DreamingOfTimesGoneBy, DreamingOfThingsToCome, or DreamSpying. If the dream sequence goes so long that it takes over the story, it becomes AllJustADream.
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ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - -- a work or episode that starts with a (typically short) DreamSequence.
The dream is most often a CatapultNightmare or FlashbackNightmare, but if it isn't it's usually some version of PsychicDreamsForEveryone- -- DreamingOfTimesGoneBy, DreamingOfThingsToCome, or DreamSpying. If the dream sequence goes so long that it takes over the story, it becomes AllJustADream.
The dream is most often a CatapultNightmare or FlashbackNightmare, but if it isn't it's usually some version of PsychicDreamsForEveryone
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* The third installment in the ''Film/{{Porkys}}'' series, ''Porky's Revenge!'' begins with Pee-Wee's dream/nightmare taking place at his upcoming high school graduation, where everyone is naked under their robes as a prank. His robe gets ripped off on the dias, exposing him to the whole graduating class.
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* The third installment in the ''Film/{{Porkys}}'' series, ''Porky's Revenge!'' begins with Pee-Wee's dream/nightmare taking place at his upcoming high school graduation, where everyone is naked under their robes as a prank. His robe gets ripped off on the dias, dais, exposing him to the whole graduating class.
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* ''Series/BabylonFive'': One episode starts with Ivanova dreaming that she's reported for duty on the command deck [[NakedPeopleAreFunny naked]]. She naturally has a CatapultNightmare wakeup.
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* ''Series/BabylonFive'': One episode starts with Ivanova dreaming that she's reported for duty on the command deck [[NakedPeopleAreFunny [[NotWearingPantsDream naked]]. She naturally has a CatapultNightmare wakeup.
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* ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' starts with not one but two of these, as Captain Picard is having nightmares about his assimilation by the Borg seven years prior.
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* ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' starts with not one [[DreamWithinADream but two of these, these]], as Captain Picard is having nightmares about his assimilation by the Borg seven years prior.
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* In ''Film/{{Shiri}}'', the movie starts when OP agents Yu and Lee were having lunch when they were assassinated in broad daylight by North Korean commando Lee Bang-Hee, resulting in a CatapultNightmare for the former when he realizes that he's still at work.
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* In ''Film/{{Shiri}}'', the movie ''Film/{{Shiri}}'' starts when OP agents Yu and Lee were having lunch when they were assassinated in broad daylight by North Korean commando Lee Bang-Hee, resulting in a CatapultNightmare for the former when he realizes that he's still at work.
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* ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'' begins with Pee-wee winning the Tour De France, but as the crown is about to be place on his head, an alarm is heard, prompting everyone in attendence to just up and leave; we then fade to Pee-wee waking up to the sound of his alarm clock.
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* ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'' begins with Pee-wee winning the Tour De France, but as the crown is about to be place on his head, an alarm is heard, prompting everyone in attendence attendance to just up and leave; we then fade to Pee-wee waking up to the sound of his alarm clock.
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* ''Film/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'' opens with the hero Nemo having a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.
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* ''Film/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'' opens with the hero Nemo having a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.
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* In ''Film/DressedToKill'', the opening [[BookEnds and closing]] Hitchcockian shower scenes are revealed to be [[DaydreamSurprise dream sequences]].
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* In ''Film/DressedToKill'', the opening [[BookEnds [[{{Bookends}} and closing]] Hitchcockian shower scenes are revealed to be [[DaydreamSurprise dream sequences]].
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* The first episode of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' begins with a scene involving Madoka running through a surreal building to see a girl fighting a monster that has destroyed a whole city, and a strange creature who tells her she can stop the destruction by becoming a magical girl. She then wakes up, but is surprised to meet the girl from her dream at school that day. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it's revealed that it wasn't an ordinary dream but a memory of the previous timeline.]]
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* The first episode of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' ''Anime/PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' begins with a scene involving Madoka running through a surreal building to see a girl fighting a monster that has destroyed a whole city, and a strange creature who tells her she can stop the destruction by becoming a magical girl. She then wakes up, but is surprised to meet the girl from her dream at school that day. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it's revealed that it wasn't an ordinary dream but a memory of the previous timeline.]]
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* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' starts with Huey having a dream where he told a garden party full of white people that "Jesus was black, RonaldReagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." This supposedly shatters the white man's ignorance, spark a riot. When Huey wakes up, Granddad {{Dope Slap}}s him.
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* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' starts with Huey having a dream where he told a garden party full of white people that "Jesus was black, RonaldReagan UsefulNotes/RonaldReagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." This supposedly shatters the white man's ignorance, spark a riot. When Huey wakes up, Granddad {{Dope Slap}}s him.
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* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' begins with Max on a field with Roxanne, when suddenly he transforms into his father. [[CatapultNightmare Max then wakes up and bolts up from his bed.]]
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* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' begins with Max on a field with Roxanne, when suddenly he transforms into his father. [[CatapultNightmare Max then wakes up and bolts up from his bed.]]
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* In opening scene of ''Film/TheCell'', the protagonist is riding a horse in a desert; the horse turns into a statue. The scene is revealed to be a child's dream which the protagonist (a child psychiatrist) has entered using a new technology.
* The 2008 film version of ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' starts with a PursuedProtagonist intro in which the hero is being chased by a T-Rex, culminating in him falling into a lava pit. A CatapultNightmare reveals this sequence to be a bad dream.
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* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' begins with Kate having a nightmare about her stillbirth.
* ''Film/TheRoad'' opens with the protagonist's dream of tender moments with his wife before the apocalypse.
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* The 2008 film version of ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' starts with a PursuedProtagonist intro in which the hero is being chased by a T-Rex, culminating in him falling into a lava pit. A CatapultNightmare reveals this sequence to be a bad dream.
* ''Film/TheRoad'' opens with the protagonist's dream of tender moments with his wife before the apocalypse.
* In opening scene of ''Film/TheCell'', the protagonist is riding a horse in a desert; the horse turns into a statue. The scene is revealed to be a child's dream which the protagonist (a child psychiatrist) has entered using a new technology.
* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' begins with Kate having a nightmare about her stillbirth.
* ''Film/TheRoad'' opens with the protagonist's dream of tender moments with his wife before the apocalypse.
* In opening scene of ''Film/TheCell'', the protagonist is riding a horse in a desert; the horse turns into a statue. The scene is revealed to be a child's dream which the protagonist (a child psychiatrist) has entered using a new technology.
* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' begins with Kate having a nightmare about her stillbirth.
* One episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' opens with Sam on a beach making out with Terry Farrell - but then he wakes up, discovering that it was a dream and he's actually a Navy ensign accused of murder.
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* One episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' opens with Sam on a beach making out with Terry Farrell - but then he wakes up, discovering that it was a dream and he's actually a Navy ensign accused of murder.
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* ''DragonQuestVI'' starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out it WasntADream, the demon lord turned their bodies into statues and sent their spirits to the dream world]].
to:
* ''DragonQuestVI'' ''VideoGame/ChoroQ'' starts out with Norahike having a nightmare/flashback of his best friend dying at the grand prix.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out itWasntADream, wasn't a dream, the demon lord turned their bodies into statues and sent their spirits to the dream world]].world]].
* The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura.
* ''VideoGame/DragonQuestVI'' starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out it
* The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura.
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* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' starts off in a dream to help the player design his character, to give Sora a PsychicDream, and to establish the bizarre nature of the plot.
to:
* ''Videogame/HalfLife2: "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and... shine." This occurs at the beginning of the second game after Gordon Freeman was put into storage stasis by G Man. Upon awakening, he is met with the mysterious and very dreamlike image of G Man, who attempts to awaken him with a cryptic message.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' starts off in a dream to help the player design his character, to give Sora aPsychicDream, Psychic Dream, and to establish the bizarre nature of the plot.
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' starts off in a dream to help the player design his character, to give Sora a
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* ''Videogame/HalfLife2: "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and... shine." This occurs at the beginning of the second game after Gordon Freeman was put into storage stasis by G Man. Upon awakening, he is met with the mysterious and very dreamlike image of G Man, who attempts to awaken him with a cryptic message.
* ''VideoGame/ChoroQ'' starts out with Norahike having a nightmare/flashback of his best friend dying at the grand prix.
* The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura.
* ''VideoGame/ChoroQ'' starts out with Norahike having a nightmare/flashback of his best friend dying at the grand prix.
* The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura.
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%% Examples have been alphabetized (sometimes by series before title).
%%
ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a work or episode that starts with a (typically short) DreamSequence.
The dream is most often a CatapultNightmare or FlashbackNightmare, but if it isn't it's usually some version of PsychicDreamsForEveryone - DreamingOfTimesGoneBy, DreamingOfThingsToCome, or DreamSpying. If the dream sequence goes so long that it takes over the story, it becomes AllJustADream.
The trope is commonly used in video games where the player has to choose information about themselves or answer a personality test, to make the CharacterCustomization process more immersive. In written works it's commonly a vehicle for {{foreshadowing}}, [[DreamingOfThingsToCome prophecy]], or a way to promise the readers the more fantastic elements the story can't open with. In a show or movie it can either provide [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy backstory]] or provide a confusing or surreal hook to keep the viewers watching so that they get answers.
It should be noted that among writers, at least, this is something of a DeadHorseTrope. Aspiring authors are constantly advised that opening with a dream sequence is frowned upon and even something that will get a potential agent to stop reading, perhaps second only to opening with a MorningRoutine sequence.
Compare UnwinnableTrainingSimulation, where a work starts off with what appears to be a depiction of combat or some other conflict and when the scene ends it's revealed that it was just a training exercise. In video games, this may transition into GoodMorningCrono. Also compare DaydreamSurprise, DangerRoomColdOpen and FakeOutOpening.
----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
* The manga of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' begins with the protagonist Eren having a cryptic dream, [[DreamingOfThingsToCome apparently about future events]].
* In the anime adaptation of ''Manga/TheCaseFilesOfYakushijiRyoko'', the first episode starts with someone who looks like Superintendent Ryoko Yakushiji shoot herself in the head. Assistant Inspector Junichiro Izumida wakes up and finds out that he's in his room. [[spoiler: The dream turns out to be important as references to it comes to their investigation on Shiba.]]
* The last episode of ''LightNovel/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'' opens with both Emilia and Chiho having bad dreams involving Satan. In Emilia's dream, Satan regains his full power and declares his intentions to resume his world-conquering ways, while in Chiho's dream, Maou Sadou informs her that he has to return to his own world.
* The first episode of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' begins with a scene involving Madoka running through a surreal building to see a girl fighting a monster that has destroyed a whole city, and a strange creature who tells her she can stop the destruction by becoming a magical girl. She then wakes up, but is surprised to meet the girl from her dream at school that day. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it's revealed that it wasn't an ordinary dream but a memory of the previous timeline.]]
* ''Anime/TheTowerOfDruaga'' starts with a humorous dream sequence, after main character Jil gets knocked out, with what he ''thinks'' his adventure is going to be.
* {{Downplayed}} in ''Anime/TheWindRises''; in the beginning a [[AMinorKidroduction young]] Jiro is shown to be sleeping on his bed. We then see him having a dream where he climbs to the roof of his house and start flying a plane around his town. He then sees a blimp with bombs tied to it, which then drop off and smash Jiro's plane, causing Jiro to fall to the ground. He then wakes up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* ''VideoGames/StarTrekOnline'' story ''Fanfic/{{Bait and Switch|STO}}'' and its side story ''Fanfic/ShakedownShenanigans'' both open in Captain Kanril Eleya's recurring FlashbackNightmare of her being near-fatally stabbed defending her ship against a boarding action ten years earlier.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': The intro starts with Po being [[DreamSue an uber-awesome legendary kungfu warrior...]] and then Po wakes up, revealing that that was just a dream (he's just son of a noodle cook).
* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' begins with Max on a field with Roxanne, when suddenly he transforms into his father. [[CatapultNightmare Max then wakes up and bolts up from his bed.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' starts with Alex having a dream about the penguins going away to Monte Carlo, but however initiate warp drive in the process, causing Gloria, Marty and Melman to become old and the scenery to turn black-and-white. When he notices his old self, the latter shakes him which makes him wake up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/AloneInTheDark1982'' opens with a nightmare that one of the main antagonist mental patients is having, where a normal visit to a diner turns surrealistic and lethal.
* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' starts with a FlashbackNightmare by Bruce, retelling his first encounter with bats when he was a little kid. The nature of this sequence is slightly given away by the [[FlashbackEffects echoing voices]].
* ''Film/BringItOn'' beings with Torrance and her cheerleading squad doing an awesome, boastful cheer in the school gym... then she's suddenly naked and humiliated in front of the crowd. She wakes up realizing it was just a bad dream.
* ''Film/DeathWish4TheCrackdown'' starts with the vigilante protagonist offing two bad guys, only to discover that one of them has his face. Then he wakes up, and the implications of his dream are never brought up again.
* In ''Film/DressedToKill'', the opening [[BookEnds and closing]] Hitchcockian shower scenes are revealed to be [[DaydreamSurprise dream sequences]].
* ''Film/TheGate'' opens with the main character walking into an eerie empty house, then climbing a tree which gets struck by lightning and falls down... And then he wakes up to the sound of the trees being cleared in the next lot.
* ''Film/GoodBurger'' begins with Ed taking a customer's order, before finding a bunch of hamburgers coming to life and asking him to become one them - they start hovering in the air, bringing him up into the air with them before dropping him into pit; he wakes up just as he supposedly hits the bottom to the sound of his alarm clock.
* The second scene of ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'' turns out to be a nightmare of the hero dreaming of crashing his jet fighter.
* ''Film/IvansChildhood'' starts off with a HappyFlashback dream of the protagonist, depicting a heartwarming moment with Ivan and his mother. The dream abruptly comes to an end with a scream and a CatapultNightmare by the boy.
* ''Film/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'' opens with the hero Nemo having a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.
* At the beginning of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings: The Two Towers'', Frodo has a dream that [[PreviouslyOn reminds us what happened to Gandalf at the end of Part 1]], although in this case it continues into a sequence which he [[UnreliableNarrator couldn't possibly have seen]].
* ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' opens with Gonzo's dream wherein he is denied passage on Noah's ark since there is only one of him on Earth.
* ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'' begins with Pee-wee winning the Tour De France, but as the crown is about to be place on his head, an alarm is heard, prompting everyone in attendence to just up and leave; we then fade to Pee-wee waking up to the sound of his alarm clock.
* The third installment in the ''Film/{{Porkys}}'' series, ''Porky's Revenge!'' begins with Pee-Wee's dream/nightmare taking place at his upcoming high school graduation, where everyone is naked under their robes as a prank. His robe gets ripped off on the dias, exposing him to the whole graduating class.
* One level of the IntroDump in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' shows that Young River's classroom scene is really a dream/memory that River experienced while being "treated" in the Academy.
* In ''Film/{{Shiri}}'', the movie starts when OP agents Yu and Lee were having lunch when they were assassinated in broad daylight by North Korean commando Lee Bang-Hee, resulting in a CatapultNightmare for the former when he realizes that he's still at work.
* ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' starts with not one but two of these, as Captain Picard is having nightmares about his assimilation by the Borg seven years prior.
* ''Film/VanillaSky'' opens with the protagonist recounting a dream to his psychologist in which he woke up to find New York completely abandoned.
* ''Animation/WaltzWithBashir'' opens with a fast-paced and visually dynamic sequence of a pack of dogs tearing through a city. The scene turns out to be the recurring nightmare of a supporting cast member.
* The 2008 film version of ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' starts with a PursuedProtagonist intro in which the hero is being chased by a T-Rex, culminating in him falling into a lava pit. A CatapultNightmare reveals this sequence to be a bad dream.
* ''Film/TheRoad'' opens with the protagonist's dream of tender moments with his wife before the apocalypse.
* In opening scene of ''Film/TheCell'', the protagonist is riding a horse in a desert; the horse turns into a statue. The scene is revealed to be a child's dream which the protagonist (a child psychiatrist) has entered using a new technology.
* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' begins with Kate having a nightmare about her stillbirth.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Tris's Book'', the second book of the ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'' series, begins with Tris having a FlashbackNightmare about what happened at the end of the first book.
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' begins with a man checking on what's going on upstairs, only to be confronted by Wormtail, then Voldemort. Turns out it was a nightmare Harry was having. [[spoiler:A [[DreamSpying psychic nightmare]], as that was actually happening.]]
* Creator/AndreNorton's novel ''PostmarkedTheStars'': The story begins with Dane Thorson dreaming that he's crawling through steamy, greasy mud. He wakes up and finds himself not in a humid, gluey swamp but in a room in a small, cheap inn near a spaceport.
* ''Literature/{{Quarantine}}'' has a {{Justified|Trope}} instance: Cop-turned-private-investigator Nick Stavrianos has a [[BioAugmentation neural mod]] that allows people to [[ExpositionBeam implant information directly into his head]], but only while he sleeps, because the information transfer can be dangerously traumatic for a conscious brain. The end result is that the recipient wakes up feeling as if they [[TalkingInYourDreams dreamed the communication]] (although in this case, it's a one-way transfer, not a conversation). The story opens with a new client offering him a job this way.
* ''The Darkness that Comes Before'', the first novel of the ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' series, starts with a DistantPrologue describing the first Apocalypse several thousand years ago. Then it {{Time Skip}}s to the present day, and begins with a DreamSequence in which Anasurimbor Moenghus [[TalkingInYourDreams contacts the Dunyain monks in their dreams]] to tell them to send his son Kellhus to him, which kicks off the plot of the entire series.
* Several ''Literature/WarriorCats'' books start out with dreams. Many of them involve the characters [[DeadPersonConversation receiving a prophecy/warning from [=StarClan=]]] (''Midnight'', ''Twilight'', ''Tallstar's Revenge'') or speaking to other dead cats (''Sunrise'', ''Thunder Rising''). ''The First Battle'''s prologue involves Gray Wing talking to another living, dreaming cat over a great distance. There are also several "ordinary" dreams as well:
** The first chapter of ''Into the Wild'' opens with the protagonist dreaming of chasing a mouse. This inspires him, upon waking, to explore the woods: a small decision that affects the entire series.
** ''[=SkyClan's Destiny=]'''s first chapter begins with Leafstar having a nightmare about a flood.
** ''The Sight'''s prologue is Firestar dreaming a flashback of him receiving the Power of Three prophecy from Skywatcher.
** Though it is very brief, ''Fading Echoes''' first chapter opens with Dovepaw having a FlashbackNightmare of Rippletail's death.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AllyMcBeal'': In "The Blame Game" (season 1 ep. 17, if pilot is ep. 1), the opening has eponymous young lawyer and her colleague Georgia (who is also Ally's ex's wife) on a plane exchanging usual pleasantries, when the plane starts to shake and apparently rapidly crashes. It being a dream is revealed by the cut to Ally's waking up in panic. Dialogues with a trusted friend reveal that although Ally could have been influenced by the plane crash case they work on, there is also that fact that offscreen part of the dream included decapitation of Georgia and miraculous survival of Ally.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': One episode starts with Ivanova dreaming that she's reported for duty on the command deck [[NakedPeopleAreFunny naked]]. She naturally has a CatapultNightmare wakeup.
* The start of ''The Dumping Ground's'' series of webisodes "Liam's Story" opens with Liam dreaming he is a music artist. We see him learn from his agent that he's number one in the US, France, and Germany, but only number two in New Zealand. Liam sacks the agent, but tells her to get a glass of water. The agent throws a glass of water into Liam's face. He then wakes up and it turns out Jack (Liam's brother) chucked the water into Liam's face to wake him up.
* An episode of ''Series/NorthernExposure'' starts inside Joel's sex dream where he's RobertPalmer singing "Simply Irresistable." There's a SexyDiscretionShot fading to the opening credits when things turn steamy.
* ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' has a couple of episodes, including its first one, open with Troy (the red ranger) having a dream involving numerous [[Franchise/PowerRangers Power Rangers]] teams fighting a massive battle.
* ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' opens with Mack (the red ranger) on an adventure where he escapes from a plane. We then see him fall out of a hammock and turns out he was just daydreaming.
* [[OnceAnEpisode Every episode]] of ''Series/{{Providence}}'' starts this way, with protagonist Syd having a dream featuring her mother who is in limbo.
* The ''Series/SpaceCases'' episode "The Impossible Dram" opens with Catalina dreaming that she and her friends are all in a medieval court.
* ''V: The Final Battle'', the second miniseries in the ''Series/{{V}}'' franchise, opened with a slow-motion nightmare in which Mike Donovan tries to escape from a Visitor ship with his captured son before he's shot to death in front of his father by a group of pursuing soldiers, prompting a CatapultNightmare.
* ''Series/WimziesHouse'': "Am I Dreaming?" starts with Wimzie running from Jonas, both in silhouette, as Jonas continues to grow larger and larger, taunting Wimzie by saying he was never her friend and her never liked her, which turns out to be a dream, that causes Wimzie to spend the rest of the episode holding a grudge against Jonas, much to his confusion.
* ''Series/TheWonderYears'' episode "Heart of Darkness" begins with Kevin having a dream where he's in a cave but then ends up in math class wearing pajamas.
* One episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' opens with Sam on a beach making out with Terry Farrell - but then he wakes up, discovering that it was a dream and he's actually a Navy ensign accused of murder.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* The first mission of ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' is a nightmare the protagonist is having about his own impending death. Towards the end of the game, the RemixedLevel version of it is played in the waking world, although the outcome is slightly different.
* The introduction of ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' shows an odd gold-and-crystal humanoid figure flying through a cloud of bubbles that each have an object or concept in them, ''Albion'''s logo being the first. The view then leaves the scene and zooms in on a spaceship, eventually reaching Tom's cabin and showing him sitting up and saying "That strange dream again..."
* ''DragonQuestVI'' starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out it WasntADream, the demon lord turned their bodies into statues and sent their spirits to the dream world]].
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' begins with a playable dream that [[DreamingOfThingsToCome foretells an event of a later chapter]].
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' starts off in a dream to help the player design his character, to give Sora a PsychicDream, and to establish the bizarre nature of the plot.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' follows the lead with a similar dream for Roxas.
* ''HeartOfTheSwarm'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbeoSPqRs4 begins with]] Kerrigan (as Queen of Blades) laying waste to Augustgrad, before cutting back to her dezerged form waking up from the nightmare. [[spoiler:It's also DreamingOfThingsToCome, since the last few levels are you doing exactly that.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' begins with a scene of Ganondorf chasing Princess Zelda on horseback, which turns out to be a nightmare that Link is having. This ends up [[DreamingOfThingsToCome occurring for real later in the game]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' begins with Link dreaming first of [[ExpositionFairy Fi]], then of [[BigBad the Imprisoned]], despite not knowing of either.
* ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' is a subverted example: while it looks like a dream, when April visits the same location in the waking world, she can see the traces of her actions from when she was "dreaming" about it at the start of the game. In other words, it was real from the start, she just didn't realize it then.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'', Zero's storyline starts with him having a nightmare of a mysterious figure telling him to destroy the world.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' starts with a cinematic of the orcs and humans going to war (again), before it cuts to Thrall waking from his CatapultNightmare.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWare: D.I.Y.'': In the intro, Dr. Crygor dreams about playing a Nintendo Wii, when suddenly several characters come out of the TV screen and fly towards him. He wakes up and is then inspired to make the Super [=MakerMatic=] 21.
* ''Videogame/HalfLife2: "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and... shine." This occurs at the beginning of the second game after Gordon Freeman was put into storage stasis by G Man. Upon awakening, he is met with the mysterious and very dreamlike image of G Man, who attempts to awaken him with a cryptic message.
* ''VideoGame/ChoroQ'' starts out with Norahike having a nightmare/flashback of his best friend dying at the grand prix.
* The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* The ''Bee and Puppycat'' episode "Food" opens with Bee dreaming she is floating in the middle of nowhere with a group of Puppycats. She touches her Puppycat, gets an electric shock and wakes up.
* Done in ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers''' "Retarded64: the 1337 p0lice". At the start, Mario has a dream about a paradise where he flies past Wario and Toad, and lands in front of a [[BodyHorror distorted]] Peach, whom he dances with. Then the dream switches to him and Luigi reuniting together, when suddenly Luigi says he's pregnant, the complaint causing Mario to wake up with a start.
* ''WebVideo/TechnicolorDreams'' begins with Joseph asleep in bed having visions of a tornado destroying a town, which is then further destroyed and set ablaze by gangbangers, which then turns into visions of Hell, before waking up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben10}}'' has Ben transform into Wildmutt (one of his aliens) in order to rescue a boy stuck up a tree. The viewer then notices something is wrong when Ben, as Wildmutt, starts talking. The reason this is wrong is because Ben cannot talk while he is Wildmutt. The boy then transforms into Ghostfreak and then Ben wakes up.
* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' starts with Huey having a dream where he told a garden party full of white people that "Jesus was black, RonaldReagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." This supposedly shatters the white man's ignorance, spark a riot. When Huey wakes up, Granddad {{Dope Slap}}s him.
--> '''Granddad:''' Mm-Hmm. You were having that dream where you were making the white people riot!
--> '''Huey:''' But Granddad, I was telling the truth!
--> '''Granddad:''' What did I tell you boy? You'd better not even ''dream'' of telling the truth! You'd better learn to lie like your Granddaddy! I'm gonna find me a nice white man and lie to to him right now...
* The ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' episode "Frightmare" starts with Danny dreaming his life his perfect, complete with Sam being his girlfriend.
*''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'':
** One episode has Finn dream that he and the other members of the Dark Hand are playing in a band, only for Jackie to show up and beat up Finn for playing off key (that's the reason Jackie gives). Finn then wakes up.
** Another episode has Jade dream she's in school and is supposed to give a report about what she did over summer vacation. Problem: she does not have a report. She then wakes up and she sees (on a calendar) she still has a few days before school starts.
* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "[[Recap/{{JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream}} Only a Dream]]" starts with John Dee having an DreamSequence about [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] the League.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
** The series has an episode where Kim and Ron are on work experience at the Middleton Hospital. The episode opens with Ron dreaming that he is at the hospital and ends up performing an operation where he needs to swap Kim's brain with that of someone else to cure her of a disease that has left her smiling goofily.
** The fourth season's first episode opens with a reprise of the end of the third season finale "So The Drama" (except the sign on the outside reads "Not the End" instead of "The End") with Kim and Ron kissing each other, only for Kim to dissolve like sludge. Ron yells and wakes up.
* In the intro of ''Disney/LiloAndStitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'', Stitch has a nightmare about turning bad once again and causing destruction to Earth. This is because his molecules haven't been completely charged by the time of his creation.
* The ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' Season 2 two-parter finale begins with Blythe running through the International Pet Fashion Expo, trying to find her clothing kiosk as it's nearly her time to be judged. She is surrounded by her friends and the judges unprepared, until she finds herself in pajamas and holding a teddy bear and subsequently wakes up from her nightmare.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'' episode "Out Of This World" begins with Dorothy Ann having a nightmare about an asteroid crashing into Walkerville Elementary School and destroying it. She's awakened by the sound of her alarm clock.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "May The Best Pet Win!" begins with Rainbow Dash flying and seeing Twilight's pet owl Owlowiscious. Suddenly, Owlowiscious starts growing body parts of the other pets (Angel Bunny, Gummy, Winona, and Opalescence), which scares Dash so much that she actually falls into a seemingly endless black void, causing her to wake up from this nightmare.
* Not exactly at the beginning, but this trope was subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt'' episode "[[FreakyFridayFlip Newt's Ned]]", when Ned has a dream inside his ears. This is however interrupted by Newton disturbing him with loud speakers.
* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'':
** "Most Dangerous Witch" starts with a nightmare Zelda is having about Tim the Witch-Smeller.
** In the episode "Wiccan of the Sea", the CrowdSong at the start turns out to be just Sabrina's dream about summer.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** The episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E16Duffless Duffless]]" has Bart at the school science fair where his entry is a gun called the "Go Go Gun" which when zapped at people makes them do dances from the 1960s like The Monkey, which Bart demonstrates on Prinicipal Skinner, who then awards him first prize. Bart then wakes up to Lisa repeating the words "first prize" repeatedly.
** The episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E1KampKrusty Kamp Krusty]]" has Bart in class on the day before summer vacation where Skinner makes an announcement over the speakers to tell them to take out their hardware tools to destroy the school, leading to a montage of the kids destroying the school as the song "School's Out For Summer" plays in the background. The dream ends with Bart destroying the school with a wrecking ball and then being woken up and having to attend the last day of school for real.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E5WhenYouDishUponAStar When You Dish Upon a Star]]" begins with Homer dreaming he is WesternAnimation/YogiBear mauling Ranger Smith, and was about to maul Boo-Boo when Bart wakes him up to remind him that they're going to the lake. Homer goes back to sleep and dreams he's WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla mauling Mr. Peebles.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E3HomerTheHeretic Homer the Heretic]]" begins with Homer dreaming he is in a womb when a pair of hands attempt to pull him out. Fade to Marge trying to drag Homer out of bed.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' begins with [=SpongeBob=] as the manager of the Krusty Krab, saving the day after a guy gets no cheese on his patty. The crowd hoist him over their shoulders and cheer him, but then the cheers turn into his foghorn alarm and [=SpongeBob=] wakes up.
* The story "The Asparagus Of La Mancha" from the ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' episode "Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler" starts with Don Quixote (played by Archibald Asparagus) having a bad dream where he is confronted by a horde of pea soldiers that start throwing giant hamburgers at him. [[spoiler:This is one of several bad dreams that he has throughout the entire story.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'': The episode "There's No Camp Like Home" opens with Piglet having a nightmare about being chased by heffalumps and woozles.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''
** The episode "Rock-a-Bye Ed" opens with Ed having a nightmare of Johnny 2x4 as his mother ripping off his mouth and lowering him into the "Kanker pit" for annoying Sarah. This sets up the conflict of the episode, in which Ed develops a crippling fear of Johnny.
** The special "The Eds Are Coming" opens with Jimmy having a dream of living in a sunshine-and-rainbows wonderland before it turns into a nightmare when aliens attack.
[[/folder]]
----
%% Examples have been alphabetized (sometimes by series before title).
%%
ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin - a work or episode that starts with a (typically short) DreamSequence.
The dream is most often a CatapultNightmare or FlashbackNightmare, but if it isn't it's usually some version of PsychicDreamsForEveryone - DreamingOfTimesGoneBy, DreamingOfThingsToCome, or DreamSpying. If the dream sequence goes so long that it takes over the story, it becomes AllJustADream.
The trope is commonly used in video games where the player has to choose information about themselves or answer a personality test, to make the CharacterCustomization process more immersive. In written works it's commonly a vehicle for {{foreshadowing}}, [[DreamingOfThingsToCome prophecy]], or a way to promise the readers the more fantastic elements the story can't open with. In a show or movie it can either provide [[DreamingOfTimesGoneBy backstory]] or provide a confusing or surreal hook to keep the viewers watching so that they get answers.
It should be noted that among writers, at least, this is something of a DeadHorseTrope. Aspiring authors are constantly advised that opening with a dream sequence is frowned upon and even something that will get a potential agent to stop reading, perhaps second only to opening with a MorningRoutine sequence.
Compare UnwinnableTrainingSimulation, where a work starts off with what appears to be a depiction of combat or some other conflict and when the scene ends it's revealed that it was just a training exercise. In video games, this may transition into GoodMorningCrono. Also compare DaydreamSurprise, DangerRoomColdOpen and FakeOutOpening.
----
!!Examples
[[foldercontrol]]
[[folder:Anime And Manga]]
* The manga of ''Manga/AttackOnTitan'' begins with the protagonist Eren having a cryptic dream, [[DreamingOfThingsToCome apparently about future events]].
* In the anime adaptation of ''Manga/TheCaseFilesOfYakushijiRyoko'', the first episode starts with someone who looks like Superintendent Ryoko Yakushiji shoot herself in the head. Assistant Inspector Junichiro Izumida wakes up and finds out that he's in his room. [[spoiler: The dream turns out to be important as references to it comes to their investigation on Shiba.]]
* The last episode of ''LightNovel/TheDevilIsAPartTimer'' opens with both Emilia and Chiho having bad dreams involving Satan. In Emilia's dream, Satan regains his full power and declares his intentions to resume his world-conquering ways, while in Chiho's dream, Maou Sadou informs her that he has to return to his own world.
* The first episode of ''PuellaMagiMadokaMagica'' begins with a scene involving Madoka running through a surreal building to see a girl fighting a monster that has destroyed a whole city, and a strange creature who tells her she can stop the destruction by becoming a magical girl. She then wakes up, but is surprised to meet the girl from her dream at school that day. [[spoiler:Ultimately, it's revealed that it wasn't an ordinary dream but a memory of the previous timeline.]]
* ''Anime/TheTowerOfDruaga'' starts with a humorous dream sequence, after main character Jil gets knocked out, with what he ''thinks'' his adventure is going to be.
* {{Downplayed}} in ''Anime/TheWindRises''; in the beginning a [[AMinorKidroduction young]] Jiro is shown to be sleeping on his bed. We then see him having a dream where he climbs to the roof of his house and start flying a plane around his town. He then sees a blimp with bombs tied to it, which then drop off and smash Jiro's plane, causing Jiro to fall to the ground. He then wakes up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Fan Fiction]]
* ''VideoGames/StarTrekOnline'' story ''Fanfic/{{Bait and Switch|STO}}'' and its side story ''Fanfic/ShakedownShenanigans'' both open in Captain Kanril Eleya's recurring FlashbackNightmare of her being near-fatally stabbed defending her ship against a boarding action ten years earlier.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Animated]]
* ''WesternAnimation/KungFuPanda'': The intro starts with Po being [[DreamSue an uber-awesome legendary kungfu warrior...]] and then Po wakes up, revealing that that was just a dream (he's just son of a noodle cook).
* ''WesternAnimation/AGoofyMovie'' begins with Max on a field with Roxanne, when suddenly he transforms into his father. [[CatapultNightmare Max then wakes up and bolts up from his bed.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/{{Madagascar}} 3: Europe's Most Wanted'' starts with Alex having a dream about the penguins going away to Monte Carlo, but however initiate warp drive in the process, causing Gloria, Marty and Melman to become old and the scenery to turn black-and-white. When he notices his old self, the latter shakes him which makes him wake up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Film -- Live-Action]]
* ''Film/AloneInTheDark1982'' opens with a nightmare that one of the main antagonist mental patients is having, where a normal visit to a diner turns surrealistic and lethal.
* ''Film/BatmanBegins'' starts with a FlashbackNightmare by Bruce, retelling his first encounter with bats when he was a little kid. The nature of this sequence is slightly given away by the [[FlashbackEffects echoing voices]].
* ''Film/BringItOn'' beings with Torrance and her cheerleading squad doing an awesome, boastful cheer in the school gym... then she's suddenly naked and humiliated in front of the crowd. She wakes up realizing it was just a bad dream.
* ''Film/DeathWish4TheCrackdown'' starts with the vigilante protagonist offing two bad guys, only to discover that one of them has his face. Then he wakes up, and the implications of his dream are never brought up again.
* In ''Film/DressedToKill'', the opening [[BookEnds and closing]] Hitchcockian shower scenes are revealed to be [[DaydreamSurprise dream sequences]].
* ''Film/TheGate'' opens with the main character walking into an eerie empty house, then climbing a tree which gets struck by lightning and falls down... And then he wakes up to the sound of the trees being cleared in the next lot.
* ''Film/GoodBurger'' begins with Ed taking a customer's order, before finding a bunch of hamburgers coming to life and asking him to become one them - they start hovering in the air, bringing him up into the air with them before dropping him into pit; he wakes up just as he supposedly hits the bottom to the sound of his alarm clock.
* The second scene of ''Film/{{Interstellar}}'' turns out to be a nightmare of the hero dreaming of crashing his jet fighter.
* ''Film/IvansChildhood'' starts off with a HappyFlashback dream of the protagonist, depicting a heartwarming moment with Ivan and his mother. The dream abruptly comes to an end with a scream and a CatapultNightmare by the boy.
* ''Film/LittleNemoAdventuresInSlumberland'' opens with the hero Nemo having a dream that quickly becomes a nightmare.
* At the beginning of ''Film/TheLordOfTheRings: The Two Towers'', Frodo has a dream that [[PreviouslyOn reminds us what happened to Gandalf at the end of Part 1]], although in this case it continues into a sequence which he [[UnreliableNarrator couldn't possibly have seen]].
* ''Film/MuppetsFromSpace'' opens with Gonzo's dream wherein he is denied passage on Noah's ark since there is only one of him on Earth.
* ''Film/PeeWeesBigAdventure'' begins with Pee-wee winning the Tour De France, but as the crown is about to be place on his head, an alarm is heard, prompting everyone in attendence to just up and leave; we then fade to Pee-wee waking up to the sound of his alarm clock.
* The third installment in the ''Film/{{Porkys}}'' series, ''Porky's Revenge!'' begins with Pee-Wee's dream/nightmare taking place at his upcoming high school graduation, where everyone is naked under their robes as a prank. His robe gets ripped off on the dias, exposing him to the whole graduating class.
* One level of the IntroDump in ''Film/{{Serenity}}'' shows that Young River's classroom scene is really a dream/memory that River experienced while being "treated" in the Academy.
* In ''Film/{{Shiri}}'', the movie starts when OP agents Yu and Lee were having lunch when they were assassinated in broad daylight by North Korean commando Lee Bang-Hee, resulting in a CatapultNightmare for the former when he realizes that he's still at work.
* ''Film/StarTrekFirstContact'' starts with not one but two of these, as Captain Picard is having nightmares about his assimilation by the Borg seven years prior.
* ''Film/VanillaSky'' opens with the protagonist recounting a dream to his psychologist in which he woke up to find New York completely abandoned.
* ''Animation/WaltzWithBashir'' opens with a fast-paced and visually dynamic sequence of a pack of dogs tearing through a city. The scene turns out to be the recurring nightmare of a supporting cast member.
* The 2008 film version of ''Literature/JourneyToTheCenterOfTheEarth'' starts with a PursuedProtagonist intro in which the hero is being chased by a T-Rex, culminating in him falling into a lava pit. A CatapultNightmare reveals this sequence to be a bad dream.
* ''Film/TheRoad'' opens with the protagonist's dream of tender moments with his wife before the apocalypse.
* In opening scene of ''Film/TheCell'', the protagonist is riding a horse in a desert; the horse turns into a statue. The scene is revealed to be a child's dream which the protagonist (a child psychiatrist) has entered using a new technology.
* ''Film/{{Orphan}}'' begins with Kate having a nightmare about her stillbirth.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Literature]]
* ''Tris's Book'', the second book of the ''Literature/CircleOfMagic'' series, begins with Tris having a FlashbackNightmare about what happened at the end of the first book.
* ''Literature/HarryPotterAndTheGobletOfFire'' begins with a man checking on what's going on upstairs, only to be confronted by Wormtail, then Voldemort. Turns out it was a nightmare Harry was having. [[spoiler:A [[DreamSpying psychic nightmare]], as that was actually happening.]]
* Creator/AndreNorton's novel ''PostmarkedTheStars'': The story begins with Dane Thorson dreaming that he's crawling through steamy, greasy mud. He wakes up and finds himself not in a humid, gluey swamp but in a room in a small, cheap inn near a spaceport.
* ''Literature/{{Quarantine}}'' has a {{Justified|Trope}} instance: Cop-turned-private-investigator Nick Stavrianos has a [[BioAugmentation neural mod]] that allows people to [[ExpositionBeam implant information directly into his head]], but only while he sleeps, because the information transfer can be dangerously traumatic for a conscious brain. The end result is that the recipient wakes up feeling as if they [[TalkingInYourDreams dreamed the communication]] (although in this case, it's a one-way transfer, not a conversation). The story opens with a new client offering him a job this way.
* ''The Darkness that Comes Before'', the first novel of the ''Literature/SecondApocalypse'' series, starts with a DistantPrologue describing the first Apocalypse several thousand years ago. Then it {{Time Skip}}s to the present day, and begins with a DreamSequence in which Anasurimbor Moenghus [[TalkingInYourDreams contacts the Dunyain monks in their dreams]] to tell them to send his son Kellhus to him, which kicks off the plot of the entire series.
* Several ''Literature/WarriorCats'' books start out with dreams. Many of them involve the characters [[DeadPersonConversation receiving a prophecy/warning from [=StarClan=]]] (''Midnight'', ''Twilight'', ''Tallstar's Revenge'') or speaking to other dead cats (''Sunrise'', ''Thunder Rising''). ''The First Battle'''s prologue involves Gray Wing talking to another living, dreaming cat over a great distance. There are also several "ordinary" dreams as well:
** The first chapter of ''Into the Wild'' opens with the protagonist dreaming of chasing a mouse. This inspires him, upon waking, to explore the woods: a small decision that affects the entire series.
** ''[=SkyClan's Destiny=]'''s first chapter begins with Leafstar having a nightmare about a flood.
** ''The Sight'''s prologue is Firestar dreaming a flashback of him receiving the Power of Three prophecy from Skywatcher.
** Though it is very brief, ''Fading Echoes''' first chapter opens with Dovepaw having a FlashbackNightmare of Rippletail's death.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Live-Action TV]]
* ''Series/AllyMcBeal'': In "The Blame Game" (season 1 ep. 17, if pilot is ep. 1), the opening has eponymous young lawyer and her colleague Georgia (who is also Ally's ex's wife) on a plane exchanging usual pleasantries, when the plane starts to shake and apparently rapidly crashes. It being a dream is revealed by the cut to Ally's waking up in panic. Dialogues with a trusted friend reveal that although Ally could have been influenced by the plane crash case they work on, there is also that fact that offscreen part of the dream included decapitation of Georgia and miraculous survival of Ally.
* ''Series/BabylonFive'': One episode starts with Ivanova dreaming that she's reported for duty on the command deck [[NakedPeopleAreFunny naked]]. She naturally has a CatapultNightmare wakeup.
* The start of ''The Dumping Ground's'' series of webisodes "Liam's Story" opens with Liam dreaming he is a music artist. We see him learn from his agent that he's number one in the US, France, and Germany, but only number two in New Zealand. Liam sacks the agent, but tells her to get a glass of water. The agent throws a glass of water into Liam's face. He then wakes up and it turns out Jack (Liam's brother) chucked the water into Liam's face to wake him up.
* An episode of ''Series/NorthernExposure'' starts inside Joel's sex dream where he's RobertPalmer singing "Simply Irresistable." There's a SexyDiscretionShot fading to the opening credits when things turn steamy.
* ''Series/PowerRangersMegaforce'' has a couple of episodes, including its first one, open with Troy (the red ranger) having a dream involving numerous [[Franchise/PowerRangers Power Rangers]] teams fighting a massive battle.
* ''Series/PowerRangersOperationOverdrive'' opens with Mack (the red ranger) on an adventure where he escapes from a plane. We then see him fall out of a hammock and turns out he was just daydreaming.
* [[OnceAnEpisode Every episode]] of ''Series/{{Providence}}'' starts this way, with protagonist Syd having a dream featuring her mother who is in limbo.
* The ''Series/SpaceCases'' episode "The Impossible Dram" opens with Catalina dreaming that she and her friends are all in a medieval court.
* ''V: The Final Battle'', the second miniseries in the ''Series/{{V}}'' franchise, opened with a slow-motion nightmare in which Mike Donovan tries to escape from a Visitor ship with his captured son before he's shot to death in front of his father by a group of pursuing soldiers, prompting a CatapultNightmare.
* ''Series/WimziesHouse'': "Am I Dreaming?" starts with Wimzie running from Jonas, both in silhouette, as Jonas continues to grow larger and larger, taunting Wimzie by saying he was never her friend and her never liked her, which turns out to be a dream, that causes Wimzie to spend the rest of the episode holding a grudge against Jonas, much to his confusion.
* ''Series/TheWonderYears'' episode "Heart of Darkness" begins with Kevin having a dream where he's in a cave but then ends up in math class wearing pajamas.
* One episode of ''Series/QuantumLeap'' opens with Sam on a beach making out with Terry Farrell - but then he wakes up, discovering that it was a dream and he's actually a Navy ensign accused of murder.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Video Games]]
* The first mission of ''VideoGame/AceCombatAssaultHorizon'' is a nightmare the protagonist is having about his own impending death. Towards the end of the game, the RemixedLevel version of it is played in the waking world, although the outcome is slightly different.
* The introduction of ''VideoGame/{{Albion}}'' shows an odd gold-and-crystal humanoid figure flying through a cloud of bubbles that each have an object or concept in them, ''Albion'''s logo being the first. The view then leaves the scene and zooms in on a spaceship, eventually reaching Tom's cabin and showing him sitting up and saying "That strange dream again..."
* ''DragonQuestVI'' starts with a trio of heroes entering a demon lord's castle, getting their asses kicked, and then one of the three wakes up, starting the game. [[spoiler: Turns out it WasntADream, the demon lord turned their bodies into statues and sent their spirits to the dream world]].
* ''VideoGame/FireEmblemAwakening'' begins with a playable dream that [[DreamingOfThingsToCome foretells an event of a later chapter]].
* ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsI'' starts off in a dream to help the player design his character, to give Sora a PsychicDream, and to establish the bizarre nature of the plot.
** ''VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII'' follows the lead with a similar dream for Roxas.
* ''HeartOfTheSwarm'' [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MVbeoSPqRs4 begins with]] Kerrigan (as Queen of Blades) laying waste to Augustgrad, before cutting back to her dezerged form waking up from the nightmare. [[spoiler:It's also DreamingOfThingsToCome, since the last few levels are you doing exactly that.]]
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaOcarinaOfTime'' begins with a scene of Ganondorf chasing Princess Zelda on horseback, which turns out to be a nightmare that Link is having. This ends up [[DreamingOfThingsToCome occurring for real later in the game]].
* ''VideoGame/TheLegendOfZeldaSkywardSword'' begins with Link dreaming first of [[ExpositionFairy Fi]], then of [[BigBad the Imprisoned]], despite not knowing of either.
* ''VideoGame/TheLongestJourney'' is a subverted example: while it looks like a dream, when April visits the same location in the waking world, she can see the traces of her actions from when she was "dreaming" about it at the start of the game. In other words, it was real from the start, she just didn't realize it then.
* In ''VideoGame/MegaManX4'', Zero's storyline starts with him having a nightmare of a mysterious figure telling him to destroy the world.
* ''VideoGame/WarcraftIII'' starts with a cinematic of the orcs and humans going to war (again), before it cuts to Thrall waking from his CatapultNightmare.
* ''VideoGame/WarioWare: D.I.Y.'': In the intro, Dr. Crygor dreams about playing a Nintendo Wii, when suddenly several characters come out of the TV screen and fly towards him. He wakes up and is then inspired to make the Super [=MakerMatic=] 21.
* ''Videogame/HalfLife2: "Rise and shine, Mr. Freeman. Rise and... shine." This occurs at the beginning of the second game after Gordon Freeman was put into storage stasis by G Man. Upon awakening, he is met with the mysterious and very dreamlike image of G Man, who attempts to awaken him with a cryptic message.
* ''VideoGame/ChoroQ'' starts out with Norahike having a nightmare/flashback of his best friend dying at the grand prix.
* The opening cutscene of ''VideoGame/TheElderScrollsIIIMorrowind'' is a dream the PlayerCharacter is having before being awakened on the prison ship. In it, you see various landscapes of Vvardenfell and receive some cryptic guidance from a mysterious woman, who eventually turns out to be the Daedric Prince Azura.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Web Original]]
* The ''Bee and Puppycat'' episode "Food" opens with Bee dreaming she is floating in the middle of nowhere with a group of Puppycats. She touches her Puppycat, gets an electric shock and wakes up.
* Done in ''Machinima/Supermarioglitchy4sSuperMario64Bloopers''' "Retarded64: the 1337 p0lice". At the start, Mario has a dream about a paradise where he flies past Wario and Toad, and lands in front of a [[BodyHorror distorted]] Peach, whom he dances with. Then the dream switches to him and Luigi reuniting together, when suddenly Luigi says he's pregnant, the complaint causing Mario to wake up with a start.
* ''WebVideo/TechnicolorDreams'' begins with Joseph asleep in bed having visions of a tornado destroying a town, which is then further destroyed and set ablaze by gangbangers, which then turns into visions of Hell, before waking up.
[[/folder]]
[[folder:Western Animation]]
* An episode of ''WesternAnimation/{{Ben10}}'' has Ben transform into Wildmutt (one of his aliens) in order to rescue a boy stuck up a tree. The viewer then notices something is wrong when Ben, as Wildmutt, starts talking. The reason this is wrong is because Ben cannot talk while he is Wildmutt. The boy then transforms into Ghostfreak and then Ben wakes up.
* The first episode of ''WesternAnimation/TheBoondocks'' starts with Huey having a dream where he told a garden party full of white people that "Jesus was black, RonaldReagan was the devil, and the government is lying about 9/11." This supposedly shatters the white man's ignorance, spark a riot. When Huey wakes up, Granddad {{Dope Slap}}s him.
--> '''Granddad:''' Mm-Hmm. You were having that dream where you were making the white people riot!
--> '''Huey:''' But Granddad, I was telling the truth!
--> '''Granddad:''' What did I tell you boy? You'd better not even ''dream'' of telling the truth! You'd better learn to lie like your Granddaddy! I'm gonna find me a nice white man and lie to to him right now...
* The ''WesternAnimation/DannyPhantom'' episode "Frightmare" starts with Danny dreaming his life his perfect, complete with Sam being his girlfriend.
*''WesternAnimation/JackieChanAdventures'':
** One episode has Finn dream that he and the other members of the Dark Hand are playing in a band, only for Jackie to show up and beat up Finn for playing off key (that's the reason Jackie gives). Finn then wakes up.
** Another episode has Jade dream she's in school and is supposed to give a report about what she did over summer vacation. Problem: she does not have a report. She then wakes up and she sees (on a calendar) she still has a few days before school starts.
* The ''WesternAnimation/JusticeLeague'' episode "[[Recap/{{JusticeLeagueS2E5And6OnlyADream}} Only a Dream]]" starts with John Dee having an DreamSequence about [[CurbStompBattle curb-stomping]] the League.
* ''WesternAnimation/KimPossible'':
** The series has an episode where Kim and Ron are on work experience at the Middleton Hospital. The episode opens with Ron dreaming that he is at the hospital and ends up performing an operation where he needs to swap Kim's brain with that of someone else to cure her of a disease that has left her smiling goofily.
** The fourth season's first episode opens with a reprise of the end of the third season finale "So The Drama" (except the sign on the outside reads "Not the End" instead of "The End") with Kim and Ron kissing each other, only for Kim to dissolve like sludge. Ron yells and wakes up.
* In the intro of ''Disney/LiloAndStitch 2: Stitch Has a Glitch'', Stitch has a nightmare about turning bad once again and causing destruction to Earth. This is because his molecules haven't been completely charged by the time of his creation.
* The ''WesternAnimation/LittlestPetShop2012'' Season 2 two-parter finale begins with Blythe running through the International Pet Fashion Expo, trying to find her clothing kiosk as it's nearly her time to be judged. She is surrounded by her friends and the judges unprepared, until she finds herself in pajamas and holding a teddy bear and subsequently wakes up from her nightmare.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheMagicSchoolBus'' episode "Out Of This World" begins with Dorothy Ann having a nightmare about an asteroid crashing into Walkerville Elementary School and destroying it. She's awakened by the sound of her alarm clock.
* The ''WesternAnimation/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagic'' episode "May The Best Pet Win!" begins with Rainbow Dash flying and seeing Twilight's pet owl Owlowiscious. Suddenly, Owlowiscious starts growing body parts of the other pets (Angel Bunny, Gummy, Winona, and Opalescence), which scares Dash so much that she actually falls into a seemingly endless black void, causing her to wake up from this nightmare.
* Not exactly at the beginning, but this trope was subverted in the ''WesternAnimation/NedsNewt'' episode "[[FreakyFridayFlip Newt's Ned]]", when Ned has a dream inside his ears. This is however interrupted by Newton disturbing him with loud speakers.
* ''WesternAnimation/SabrinaTheAnimatedSeries'':
** "Most Dangerous Witch" starts with a nightmare Zelda is having about Tim the Witch-Smeller.
** In the episode "Wiccan of the Sea", the CrowdSong at the start turns out to be just Sabrina's dream about summer.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'':
** The episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E16Duffless Duffless]]" has Bart at the school science fair where his entry is a gun called the "Go Go Gun" which when zapped at people makes them do dances from the 1960s like The Monkey, which Bart demonstrates on Prinicipal Skinner, who then awards him first prize. Bart then wakes up to Lisa repeating the words "first prize" repeatedly.
** The episode "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E1KampKrusty Kamp Krusty]]" has Bart in class on the day before summer vacation where Skinner makes an announcement over the speakers to tell them to take out their hardware tools to destroy the school, leading to a montage of the kids destroying the school as the song "School's Out For Summer" plays in the background. The dream ends with Bart destroying the school with a wrecking ball and then being woken up and having to attend the last day of school for real.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS10E5WhenYouDishUponAStar When You Dish Upon a Star]]" begins with Homer dreaming he is WesternAnimation/YogiBear mauling Ranger Smith, and was about to maul Boo-Boo when Bart wakes him up to remind him that they're going to the lake. Homer goes back to sleep and dreams he's WesternAnimation/MagillaGorilla mauling Mr. Peebles.
** "[[Recap/TheSimpsonsS4E3HomerTheHeretic Homer the Heretic]]" begins with Homer dreaming he is in a womb when a pair of hands attempt to pull him out. Fade to Marge trying to drag Homer out of bed.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSpongeBobSquarePantsMovie'' begins with [=SpongeBob=] as the manager of the Krusty Krab, saving the day after a guy gets no cheese on his patty. The crowd hoist him over their shoulders and cheer him, but then the cheers turn into his foghorn alarm and [=SpongeBob=] wakes up.
* The story "The Asparagus Of La Mancha" from the ''WesternAnimation/VeggieTales'' episode "Sheerluck Holmes and the Golden Ruler" starts with Don Quixote (played by Archibald Asparagus) having a bad dream where he is confronted by a horde of pea soldiers that start throwing giant hamburgers at him. [[spoiler:This is one of several bad dreams that he has throughout the entire story.]]
* ''WesternAnimation/TheNewAdventuresOfWinnieThePooh'': The episode "There's No Camp Like Home" opens with Piglet having a nightmare about being chased by heffalumps and woozles.
* ''WesternAnimation/EdEddNEddy''
** The episode "Rock-a-Bye Ed" opens with Ed having a nightmare of Johnny 2x4 as his mother ripping off his mouth and lowering him into the "Kanker pit" for annoying Sarah. This sets up the conflict of the episode, in which Ed develops a crippling fear of Johnny.
** The special "The Eds Are Coming" opens with Jimmy having a dream of living in a sunshine-and-rainbows wonderland before it turns into a nightmare when aliens attack.
[[/folder]]
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