History Main / TheTeaser

* ''WesternAnimation/TheLionKing''[='=]s title card follows a majestic scene of Simba's parents presenting him to their subjects. In the DVD commentary, the directors recall they feared audiences would not read the simplistic title card after enjoying such an epic song.
** Some Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon movies actually begin this way, starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers''. Others include ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', ''The Rescuers Down Under'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{The Hunchback of Notre Dame|Disney}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''.

Though it technically does not really set up the plot, as there is usually no lengthy continuous plot, the first sketch right before the opening credits in sketch comedy shows like ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' and ''Series/{{MADtv}}'' is also called a cold opening. (The show ''Series/Studio60OnTheSunsetStrip'' actually had an episode titled "Cold Open" in which the writing of such a sketch is a plot element.) Non-sketch entertainment programming often also uses a comedy sketch as a Cold Open.

** In ''Film/GuardiansOfTheGalaxy'', the Marvel Studios VanityPlate appears ''after'' the opening scene telling Peter Quill's origins.

* ''[[Series/{{Merlin 2008}} Merlin]]'' always opened with a teaser.

* ''{{Series/Monday Night Raw}}'' has occasionally opened with a teaser, before jumping into the title sequence. Monday Nitro, by contrast, seemed to do it every other week for awhile. Particularly when the nWo storyline was running.

** [[VideoGame/KingdomHeartsII KH2]] has [[BigBad Xemnas]] and [[DecoyProtagonist Roxas']] cryptic conversation on the Dark Beach. [[spoiler: Xemnas tells Roxas that he went to see "him". Him is Sora, the main protagonist of the series. Roxas is the Nobody of Sora. Xemnas fights Sora as a bonus boss in Kingdom Hearts Final Mix, available only on the 1.5 version in English, so the cutscene wouldn't make sense unless you know about the bonus boss.]]
** Birth By Sleep shows [[TheFaceless the back of a young man]] standing at Destiny Islands, commenting that it was "too small". Later in the game, it becomes clear this man [[spoiler: is [[BigBad Master Xehanort]] before he became a Keyblade Bearer.]]
** 358/2 Days begins with Saix's quote from Kingdom Hearts II about the Heartless while panning through Where Nothing Gathers, showing every single member of the Organization before settling on Roxas, then cutting to a scene of he and Axel wondering if he really doesn't have heart and playing the themesong...an odd subversion is that instead of a recap montage of Sora and co., they instead do a countdown of the Organization. [[spoiler: Axel is wondering if Roxas has a heart because he seems to genuinely feel emotion. A playthrough of Birth By Sleep will reveal that Roxas inherited the heart of Ventus through Sora because had Ventus' heart as well as his own, and when he became a Heartless, creating Roxas, Ventus' heart became a part of Roxas as well, which is why Roxas looks like him and can wield light despite being a denizen of darkness.]]
** Birth By Sleep is a prequel. It features no recap, but a montage of what they will go through...at one point, Terra's eyes randomly become amber in color...[[spoiler: that was an oh so subtle hint that at the end of this game he was going to go from [[http://cosplaymagiccom.x-shops.com/images/T/863-01.gif this]], [[http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/3/3c/Terra_becoming_xehanort.png to]] [[http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/7/74/Terranort_%26_Guardian.PNG this]], and then finally [[http://images.wikia.com/kingdomhearts/images/4/4d/Ansem_Render_%28Action%29_KHI.png this.]]]]

* ''VideoGame/ConkersBadFurDay'' goes so far as to not even have a title screen. Booting up the game goes through the copyrights and developer logos as one might expect, then straight to the file selection menu. The game's title and logo displays only during the story introduction sequence when starting a new playthrough, at the end of a [[HowWeGotHere How We Got Here]] opening scene. The narration of said scene even accompanies the game's title displaying with a [[TitleDrop Title Drop]] at the same time to boot.

* Most episodes of ''[[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Animaniacs]]'' usually start with "Newsreel of the Stars". When the segment retired, it used wraparound segments as a framing device. The [[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 2020 reboot]] also uses a cold open in the episode "Bun Control" as well as the first episode of the series, where a parody of "Jurassic Park" finds Yakko, Wakko, and Dot reanimated.

* ''WesternAnimation/TeenTitans'' had these, the length of it varying depending on the episode.

** Pixar examples include the first ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory1'' film, ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} 2''.

* ''WesternAnimation/AquaTeenHungerForce'' used cold openings featuring Dr. Weird, who would create experiments that would wreck havoc for the Aqua Teens in the show. This lasted one season, until Dr. Weird became a nonsensical opening. He was later replaced by the PoorlyDisguisedPilot of Spacecataz. One last Dr. Weird cold opening appeared in Season 8 episode "Allen Part One".

* Every episode of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' has a cold opening, which establishes or foreshadows the plot of the episode.

* ''Series/{{UFO}}'' uses a variation in which the opening theme tune montage plays ''without titles''. This is then followed by the opening scene, which ends with the title logo appearing as an animated overlay. The cast and production credits appear as captions in act one. One reason for this may have been the show's rotating cast, meaning that they couldn't use credits with a fixed cast list.

Also known as a Cold Opening or "Cold Open". A one to five minute mini-act at the beginning of the show, sometimes before the [[TitleSequence opening credits]], that is used to set up the episode and catch the audience's attention.

* ''Theatre/ThePhantomOfTheOpera'' begins before the Overture/Act 1 starts, with a brief Prologue set in 1919. Pieces of the (now closed) Opera House are put up for Auction. An older version of Raoul and Madame Giry bid on items that foreshadow the events of the Musical. Despite it being a SungThroughMusical, the prologue is mostly spoken, with only Raoul singing briefly in the scene.

** Pixar examples include the first ''WesternAnimation/ToyStory'' film, ''WesternAnimation/FindingNemo'', ''WesternAnimation/TheIncredibles'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}}'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Ratatouille}}'' ''WesternAnimation/WallE'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Up}}'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Cars}} 2''.

* ''WesternAnimation/TheJetsons'' had them in its original run. However, most current TV/DVD prints remove their teasers, though "The Coming of Astro" has its teaser intact.

* The Wiki/TVTropes original webseries ''WebVideo/EchoChamber'' usually uses [[TheTeaser cold opens]].

* Ice hockey podcast ''Podcast/MarekVsWyshynski'' takes The Teaser UpToEleven, as the hour-long show runs anywhere from seven to ''twenty five'' minutes before the title opening of the show is finally played.

[[index]]

* "Exit 52" is the only episode of ''WesternAnimation/RegularShow'' with a cold open, which helps set it up as a WhamEpisode.

* Frequently played with on ''WebVideo/UltraFastPony''. The teaser in "Stay Tuned" is framed like a PreviouslyOn segment in a cop show [[SomethingCompletelyDifferent the show is suddenly parodying]] and takes up most of the episode's runtime. In "Forgettershy", the teaser keeps going because the characters forgot to do the intro sequence, leading to them sticking the theme song in the middle of the climax when they finally remember. "I am Pinkie" probably sets the record for the shortest teaser ever, lasting only ''three seconds''.

** Some Franchise/DisneyAnimatedCanon movies actually begin this way, starting with ''WesternAnimation/TheRescuers''. Others include ''WesternAnimation/TheBlackCauldron'', ''WesternAnimation/TheGreatMouseDetective'', ''WesternAnimation/TheLittleMermaid'', ''The Rescuers Down Under'', ''WesternAnimation/BeautyAndTheBeast'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Pocahontas}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheHunchbackOfNotreDame'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Hercules}}'', ''WesternAnimation/TheEmperorsNewGroove'', ''WesternAnimation/AtlantisTheLostEmpire'', ''WesternAnimation/LiloAndStitch'', ''WesternAnimation/ChickenLittle'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Bolt}}'', ''WesternAnimation/ThePrincessAndTheFrog'', and ''WesternAnimation/{{Tangled}}''.

* Most episodes of [[WesternAnimation/{{Animaniacs}} Animaniacs]] usually start with "Newsreel of the Stars". When the segment retired, it used wraparound segments as a framing device. The [[WesternAnimation/Animaniacs2020 2020 reboot]] also uses a cold open in the episode "Bun Control" as well as the first episode of the series, where a parody of "Jurassic Park" finds Yakko, Wakko, and Dot reanimated.

* Every episode of ''WesternAnimation/RickAndMorty'' has a cold opening, usually to establish or foreshadow the plot of the episode.