I love The Walking Dead’s new opening credits intro for Season 9. It reminds me a lot of what Game of Thrones had planned to do originally, mixed up with a comic feel a la The Shannara Chronicles intro (which I adored.) The new intro really gets back to The Walking Dead’s roots. It feels like a beautifully drawn comic come to life, just like the show. Here’s The Walking Dead’s new intro, which for the first time is completely different from any intro the show has had before. (Note: If you want to see Season 9 as it comes out, order it on Amazon here.)
Watch The Walking Dead's new intro right here and tell us what you think. Share on XThere were some absolutely gorgeous shots in the intro. Such as the dead tree morphine into a green, verdant tree, maybe symbolizing how the group is using the Commonwealth’s plans to create a better world. And then the tree bursts into more ravens/crows. And they’re all sitting on a tree next to the stained glass window where Rick sat while he appeared to have a fatal wound.
Then there’s that pitchfork straight into a skull, surrounded by flowers and arrows. Those flowers have to be reminiscent of Carol’s “look at the flowers” moment, but I guess it could symbolize life springing from death. The arrows, of course, remind us of Daryl.
What post-apocalyptic fan would not fall in love with scenes like these?
The beginning of the new intro is reminiscent of what the Game of Thrones producers had planned for the original intro. The original title sequence was going to show a raven flying from King’s Landing to Winterfell. They did some sketches for that for the original pilot, but it didn’t go over so well, so they started over.
I’m a sucker for nature though, so whether they’re birds in The Walking Dead or birds in a Game of Thrones teaser, I love it. 🙂
But the intro also reminds me a bit of the intro to The Shannara Chronicles, which may be one of my favorite intros of all time.
No, the two intros aren’t much alike in final form, but they’re thematic cousins. They’re both beautifully drawn and show things changing over time in a dark and desolate world. And the prominent use of a skull for a post-apocalyptic series is stunning, along with juxtaposing a verdant tree with the end-of-the-world.
My final thought: Thank God they didn’t go the Jeremiah route, which may be the worst post-apocalyptic intro of all time.
If you want to see Season 9 as it comes out, order it on Amazon here.
