10 Fantasy Movies That Were Great Right From The Opening Scene
Exploring the captivating opening scenes of fantasy movies that set the tone and introduce the world of magic and wonder.
Introduction
Pirates of the Caribbean (Curse of the Black Pearl) - Opening Scene
Fantasy movies have a unique challenge in their opening scenes. They must introduce the tone, the main conflict, and begin world-building right away. These movies often use narration, music, and visual cues to establish the setting and themes from the start. In this article, we'll explore the captivating opening scenes of 10 fantasy movies that immediately drew viewers into their magical worlds.
Laputa the Castle in the Sky.
Castle in the Sky (1986)
Coraline Teaser
Castle in the Sky opens with 13-year-old Sheeta escaping both the pirates and agents who are fighting over her aboard an aircraft. Sheeta falls from the airborne vessel, seemingly lost. Before it is revealed that the crystal she is wearing breaks her fall, the movie transitions to its opening credits. The credits showcase the setting of Castle in the Sky while establishing the movie's themes of nature vs. technology, accompanied by pensive music that conveys tone. Sheeta is then shown being slowly lowered to the ground. The opening scene is suspenseful while also hinting at the plot.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Halloweentown
The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Pan's Labyrinth opening scene
The Tim Burton-inspired The Nightmare Before Christmas opens with just one of the movie's many celebrated songs, all written by Danny Elfman. 'This is Halloween' accomplishes several things: It is a thrilling and dramatic segue into the main plot, it introduces Halloween Town and its characters (including Jack Skellington), and it gives a taste of the rest of the movie's soundtrack. This sequence also showcases the brilliant character design and painstaking stop-motion at work in The Nightmare Before Christmas.
Peter Quill dancing on Morag in Guardians of the Galaxy
Guardians Of The Galaxy (2014)
The MCU is a blend of sci-fi and fantasy and its movies often open with an origin-story prologue, or a scene of the main villain to establish conflict. Guardians of the Galaxy technically does begin the same way, showing a young Peter Quill being taken from Earth by Yondu. However, the next scene of Peter exploring Morag accompanied by an eerie score also adheres to the tone of past MCU movies until it is abruptly interrupted by Redbone's 'Come and Get Your Love' and a bold title drop. James Gunn tells the audience immediately that this will be a different superhero movie in one of the MCU's most iconic scenes.
Young Will in POTC Curse of the Black Pearl
