- The Netflix opening sound, akin to a “ta-dum,” is one of the most familiar parts of the experience associated with the streaming service, along with its logo and opening animation.
- In a new interview, a Netflix vice president said the streaming service almost went with a different, much quirkier choice for its opening sound.
- The shortlist of candidates included the sound of bubbles underwater, as well as goats bleating, with the latter apparently regarded as a humorous counterpart to MGM’s famous lion roar at the start of movies.
The Netflix opening sound referred to within the company as the ‘ta-dum,’ is as recognizable at this point as the company’s bright red logo. It’s now a four-year-old sound at this point, debuting back in 2015 after having been created by Oscar-winning sound designer Lon Bender. Four years later, in 2019, Netflix added a new twist on that opening visual to accompany the “ta-dum.” It’s the now-familiar animation of vertical beams of coloured light that seem to shoot toward the viewer, morphing into the explosion of colour from the original image of the letter “N.” “Starting today,” Netflix said at the time, “there’s a new logo animation before our originals. It shows the spectrum of stories, languages, fans, & creators that make Netflix beautiful — now on a velvety background to better set the mood. And before you ask: No, the sound isn’t changing.” About that sound, though let’s just say, it was almost very, very different from what you hear today. Netflix vice president of product Todd Yellin said as much during an interview for the Twenty Thousand Hertz podcast, explaining that there was actually a shortlist of sounds that were also considered including the sound of bubbles underwater, as well as goats bleating.