Top 3 Opening Movie Credits -- Non-Disney Version

I've already discussed the best opening credits of Disney movies, but how about non-Disney movies? There are a few with opening credits that are worth noting below. But due to the vagaries of the internet, these videos could disappear at any time.

The Great Race

This one is long. The filmmakers knew they had something good, as funny as the rest of the movie, which is really saying something. A turn-of-the-century slide show with rinky-tink music gets you laughing before Tony Curtis or Jack Lemmon ever get onto the screen.

Those Magnificent Men in Their Flying Machines

Here's another farce about a crazy race, this time through the air. The movie starts with some goofy vignettes starring Red Skelton, and then morphs into a memorable song accompanied by animation that's more entertaining than most of the movies you can see any day.

The Pink Panther

There have been many versions and sequels in The Pink Panther franchise, none of which really appeals to me. But the opening titles of the first film are glorious, even spawning the classic cartoon series. And it's all to the tune of a Henry Mancini theme. Win-win. Come to think of it, so is The Great Race.

You may have noticed a recurring theme, namely that these movie credits are all animated. I like animation; so sue me. Those are my top three picks for best (non-Disney) opening film credits.

Take the Quiz -- Zorro Theme Song Lyrics

Tales of a Tabletop Gamer -- Sketchy Tales: Disney Edition

Sketchy Tales is a variation on the old party game Telephone. Each player picks a card with a secret Disney character on each side. He chooses a character and must draw that character performing the action found on a separate card in only thirty seconds. The drawings are all passed around the table so the next player can write his guess as to what he thinks the drawing represents. The guesses are also passed around the table for the next player to draw from. When a series of drawings and guesses gets back to the original artist, everyone can see how far the end result deviates from the first drawing.

I chose Maleficent for my character and drew her running from a swarm of bees. As the drawing passed around the table, Maleficent's horns started looking like a pair of rabbit ears, so my sister thought it must be Judy Hopps (never mind that she thought the bees were Doris from Meet the Robinsons). All very amusing, until I revealed my Maleficent card, flipped it over, and showed that the character on the back, the one I could've picked, was Judy Hopps.