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The Simpsons
Genre Animation
Comedy
Created by Matt Groening
Developed by James L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
Voices of Dan Castellaneta
Julie Kavner
Nancy Cartwright
Yeardley Smith
Hank Azaria
Harry Shearer
(Complete list)
Theme music composer Danny Elfman
Country of origin United States
Language(s) English
No. of episodes 400 (List of episodes)
Production
Executive producer(s) Al Jean
James L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Sam Simon
Running time 20–23 minutes
Broadcast
Original channel Fox
Picture format 480i (SDTV)
Original run December 17, 1989 – present
The Simpsons is an animated American sitcom created by Matt Groening for the
Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a satirical parody of the "Middle American"
lifestyle epitomized by its title family, which consists of Homer, Marge,
Bart, Lisa, and Maggie.
The show is set in the fictional town of Springfield, and lampoons many
aspects of the human condition, as well as American culture, society as a
whole, and television itself.
The family was conceived by Groening shortly before a pitch for a series of
animated shorts with the producer James L. Brooks. Groening sketched an
outline version of a dysfunctional family, and named the characters after
members of his own family, substituting Bart for his own name.[1] The shorts
became a part of The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987.[2] After a
three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show.
The Simpsons was an early hit for Fox, and won several major awards. Time
magazine's December 31, 1999 issue named it the 20th century's best
television series,[3] and on January 14, 2000 it was awarded a star on the
Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Simpsons is currently the longest-running
American sitcom,[4] and the longest-running American animated program.[5]
Homer's annoyed grunt "D'oh!" has been adopted into the English lexicon,
while The Simpsons has been cited as an influence on many adult-oriented
animated sitcoms.[6]
Since its debut on December 17, 1989, the show has aired 400 episodes over
18 seasons. As of March 20, 2006, it was renewed for a 19th season due to be
aired in 2007–2008, premiering on September 23, 2007.[7][8] The 18th season
finale, aired on May 20, is the 400th episode and 2007 marks the 20th
anniversary of The Simpsons franchise. A feature-length film, The Simpsons
Movie, has been produced, set for a worldwide release on July 27, 2007.[9]
Origins
Groening conceived of the idea for the Simpsons in the lobby of James L.
Brooks's office. Brooks had asked Groening to pitch an idea for a series of
animated shorts, which Groening initially intended to present as his Life in
Hell series. However, when Groening realized that animating Life in Hell
would require the rescinding of publication rights for his life's work, he
chose another approach[1] and formulated his version of a dysfunctional
family. He named the characters after his own family members, substituting
"Bart" for his own name.[1]
The Simpson family first appeared as shorts in The Tracey Ullman Show on
April 19, 1987.[2] Groening submitted only basic sketches to the animators
and wrongly assumed that the figures would be cleaned-up in production.
However, the animators merely re-traced his drawings, which led to the crude
appearance of the initial short episodes.[1]
In 1989, a team of production companies adapted The Simpsons into a
half-hour series for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The team included what is
now the Klasky Csupo animation house. Jim Brooks negotiated a provision in
the contract with the Fox network that prevented Fox from interfering with
the show's content.[10] Groening said his goal in creating the show was to
offer the audience an alternative to what he called "the mainstream trash"
that they were watching.[11] The first full-length episode was "Simpsons
Roasting on an Open Fire" in place of the intended first show, "Some
Enchanted Evening", due to problems with the animation quality in the latter
program.
The Simpsons was the Fox network's first TV series to rank among a season's
top 30 highest-rated shows.[12] Its success prompted Fox to reschedule the
series to compete with The Cosby Show, a move that hurt the ratings of The
Simpsons.[13] Ullman later filed a lawsuit, claiming that her show was the
source of the series' success. The suit said she should receive a share of
the profits of The Simpsons - a claim rejected by the courts.[14]
The show was controversial from its beginning. The rebellious lead character
at the time, Bart, frequently received no punishment for his misbehavior,
which led some parents and conservatives to characterize him as a poor role
model for children[15]. At the time, former President George H. W. Bush said
, "We're going to strengthen the American family to make them more like the
Waltons and less like the Simpsons."[16] Several U.S. public schools even
banned The Simpsons merchandise and t-shirts, such as one featuring Bart and
the caption "Underachiever ('And proud of it, man!')".[16] Despite the ban,
The Simpsons merchandise sold well and generated US$2 billion in revenue
during the first 14 months of sales.[16]
Production
List of show runners throughout the series' run:
* Season 1–2: Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, & Sam Simon
* Season 3–4: Al Jean & Mike Reiss
* Season 5–6: David Mirkin
* Season 7–8: Bill Oakley & Josh Weinstein
* Season 9–12: Mike Scully
* Season 13–present: Al Jean
Executive producers
Groening, Brooks, and Simon have served as executive producers during the
show's entire history and also function as creative consultants. A more
involved position on the show is the show runner, who acts as head writer
and manages the show's production for an entire season.[17] Credited as
executive producers in the episodes' credits, runners often remain for
multiple seasons. From season five onwards, the show runner receives first
billing on the closing credit run.
Voice actors
With one exception, episode credits list only the voice actors, and not the
characters they voice. Both Fox and the production crew wanted to keep their
identities secret during the early seasons and, therefore, closed most of
the recording sessions while refusing to publish photos of the recording
artists.[18] However, the network eventually revealed which roles each actor
performed in the episode "Old Money," because the producers said the voice
actors should receive credit for their work.[19] In 2003, the cast appeared
in an episode of Inside the Actors Studio, doing live performances of their
characters' voices.
Six cast members voice The Simpsons. Dan Castellaneta performs Homer
Simpson, Abraham Simpson, Krusty the Clown, and other adult, male
characters.[20] Julie Kavner speaks the voices of Marge Simpson, Patty and
Selma[20] and occasionally plays other episodic characters. She sometimes
refuses to perform Marge's voice in public to maintain Marge's mystique.
Nancy Cartwright performs the voice of Bart Simpson and other children.[20]
Yeardley Smith, the voice of Lisa Simpson, is the only cast member who
regularly voices only one character, although she occasionally plays other
episodic characters.[20] Two male actors do not voice members of the title
family but play a majority of the male townspeople. Hank Azaria voices
recurring characters such as Moe, Chief Wiggum, and Apu[20] whereas Harry
Shearer provides voices for Mr. Burns, Smithers, Principal Skinner, Ned
Flanders and Dr. Hibbert.[20] With the exception of Harry Shearer, every
main cast member has won an Emmy for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance.
In addition to the main cast, Pamela Hayden, Tress MacNeille, Marcia
Wallace, Maggie Roswell and Russi Taylor voice supporting characters.[20]
From 1999 to 2002, Maggie Roswell's characters were voiced by Marcia Mitzman
Gaven. Karl Wiedergott has appeared in minor roles, and voices ex-president
Bill Clinton on occasion. Repeat "special guest" cast members include Albert
Brooks, the late Phil Hartman, Jon Lovitz, Jane Kaczmarek, Jan Hooks, Joe
Mantegna, Maurice LaMarche and Kelsey Grammer. Celebrity guest stars often
play stylized versions of themselves, especially in the later seasons.
The main cast has been involved in much-publicized pay disputes with Fox on
more than one occasion. In 1998, they threatened to strike, forcing 20th
Century Fox to increase their salary from $30,000 per episode to $125,000.
The series creator Groening supported the actors in their action.[21] As the
show's revenue continued to rise through syndication and DVD sales, the main
cast stopped appearing for script readings in April 2004. The work stoppage
occurred after weeks of unsuccessful negotiations with Fox, in which the
cast asked for an increase in their pay to $360,000 per episode, or $8
million over a 22-episode season. On May 2, 2004, the actors reached an
agreement with Fox.[22]
Writing
The Simpsons's writing team consists of 16 writers[23] who propose episode
ideas at the beginning of each December.[23] The main writer of each episode
writes the first draft. Group rewriting sessions develop final scripts by
adding or removing jokes, inserting scenes, and calling for re-readings of
lines by the show’s vocal performers.[24] The leader of these sessions is
George Meyer, who has developed the show since season one. Long-time writer
Jon Vitti once explained that, even though he will receive the script credit
for an episode, Meyer usually invents the best lines.[24] Each episode takes
six months to produce[25]so the show rarely comments on current events.
However, episodes occasionally mention planned events, such as the Olympics
or the Super Bowl.
Credited with 60 episodes, John Swartzwelder is the most prolific writer on
The Simpsons staff. Conan O’Brien also wrote four scripts before becoming
the host of Late Night with Conan O'Brien. English comedian Ricky Gervais is
the only celebrity to have guest written an episode,[26] although there have
been other guest writers, such as Spike Feresten, a Seinfeld writer famous
for "The Soup Nazi" episode.
Animation
International animation studios involved:
AKOM
* Exclusively produced the first two seasons of the series.
* Produced various episodes throughout the run of the series.
Anivision
* Produced animation for episodes from seasons 3–10.
Rough Draft Studios
* Produced animation for episodes from season four onwards.
U.S. Animation, Inc.
* Jointly produced "Radioactive Man" with Anivision.
* Produced "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
Toonzone Entertainment
* Produced "The Fat and the Furriest" and "She Used to Be My Girl".
Numerous U.S. and international studios have animated The Simpsons.
Throughout the run of animated short episodes on The Tracey Ullman Show, the
animation was produced domestically at Klasky Csupo.[27] Later, due to an
increased workload, Fox subcontracted production to international studios,
usually located in South Korea.[27] The U.S. studio draws character and
background layouts; whereas tweening, coloring, and filming occurs at
international studios.
For the first three seasons, Klasky Csupo animated The Simpsons in the
United States. In season four, Gracie Films switched domestic production to
Film Roman,[28] who continue to animate the show as of December 2006.
After season 13, production switched from traditional cel animation to
digital ink and paint.[29] The first episodes to experiment with digital
coloring were "Radioactive Man" and "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular"
in 1995. Animators used digital ink and paint during season twelve's episode
"Tennis the Menace". However, Gracie Films delayed using 'digital ink and
paint' for two more seasons. The already completed "Tennis the Menace" was
broadcast as made.
Characters
The Simpsons are a typical family who live in a fictional "Middle American"
town of Springfield.[30] Homer, the father, works as a safety inspector at
the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant - a position at odds with his careless,
buffoonish personality. He is married to Marge Simpson, a stereotypical
American housewife and mother. They have three children. The eldest, Bart,
is a ten-year-old troublemaker. His sister, eight-year-old Lisa, is
precociously intelligent. She takes part in left-wing activist causes and
plays the saxophone. The youngest, Maggie, is still a baby who never speaks,
but carries a pacifier in her mouth. The family owns a dog, Santa's Little
Helper, and a cat, Snowball II. Both pets have had starring roles in several
episodes. Despite the passing of yearly milestones such as holidays or
birthdays, the Simpsons do not physically age.
The show includes an array of quirky characters: co-workers, teachers,
family friends, extended relatives, and local celebrities. The creators
originally intended many of these characters as one-time jokesters or for
fulfilling needed functions in the town. However, a number of them have
gained expanded roles and subsequently starred in their own episodes.
According to Matt Groening, the show adopted the concept of a large
supporting cast from the comedy show SCTV.[13]
Setting
The Simpsons takes place in the fictional American town of Springfield,
without any geographical coordinates or references to U.S. states that might
identify what part of the country it represents. Nevertheless, fans have
tried to determine the town's location by taking the town's characteristics,
surrounding geography, and nearby landmarks as clues. As a response, the
show has become intentionally deceptive in regard to Springfield's location.
Commentators have suggested, and then ruled out, nearly every U.S. state and
region as the basis for Springfield.[31] Only once, in season 11, did an
episode "Behind the Laughter", describe the Simpsons as a "Northern Kentucky
family". However, there are many counterexamples to contradict this
statement, so it acts merely as a teaser for increasingly curious fans.
Groening has said that Springfield has much in common with Portland, Oregon,
the city where he grew up.[32] The name "Springfield" is a common one in
America and appears in over half of the states.[33] Springfield's geography,
and that of its surroundings, contain coastlines, deserts, vast farmland,
tall mountains, or whatever the story or joke requires.[34]
Themes
The Simpsons uses the standard setup of a situational comedy or "sitcom" as
its premise. The series centers around a family and their life in a typical
American town.[30] However, because of its animated nature, The Simpsons's
scope is larger than that of a regular sitcom. The town of Springfield acts
as a complete universe in which characters can explore the issues faced by
modern society. By having Homer work in a nuclear power plant, the show can
comment on the state of the environment.[35] Through Bart and Lisa's days at
Springfield Elementary School, the show's writers illustrate pressing or
controversial issues in the field of education. The town features a vast
array of media channels--from kids' television programming to local news,
which enables the producers to make jokes about themselves and the
entertainment industry.[36]
Some commentators say the show is political in nature and susceptible to a
left-wing bias.[37] Al Jean admitted in an interview that "We [The show] are
of liberal bent."[38] The writers' evince an appreciation for progressive
ideals, but the show makes jokes from across the political spectrum.[39] The
show portrays government and big business as taking advantage of the little
guy.[38] Thus, the writers often portray authority figures in an
unflattering or negative light. In the land of The Simpsons, politicians are
corrupt, ministers such as Reverend Lovejoy are indifferent to churchgoers,
and the local police force is incompetent.[40] Religion also figures as a
recurring theme. In times of crisis, the family often turns to God, and the
show has dealt with most of the major religions.[41]
The plots of many episodes focus on one particular character or on the
relationship between two characters. Common story lines have involved the
following: Homer getting a new job or attempting a get-rich-quick scheme;
Marge trying to escape the monotony of keeping house by finding employment
or taking up a hobby; Bart causing a large problem and attempting to fix it,
cover it up, or ignore it entirely; and Lisa embracing or advocating the
merits of a particular cause or group. Some episodes have focused on the
problems of secondary or tertiary characters, which a member of the Simpson
family usually helps solve.
Hallmarks
Opening sequence
The Simpsons opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable hallmarks.
Many episodes open with the camera zooming through the show's title towards
the town of Springfield. Then follows the members of the family on their way
home. Upon entering their house, they settle down on their couch to watch
television. The series' distinctive theme song was composed by musician
Danny Elfman in 1989, after Groening approached him requesting a retro style
piece. This piece, which took two days to create, has been noted by Elfman
as the most popular of his career.[42]
One of the most distinctive aspects of the opening is that there are several
segments that are changed from episode to episode. Bart writes something
different on the blackboard. Lisa sometimes plays a different solo on her
saxophone and something different happens when the family enters the living
room to sit on the couch. This last segment is often the only one of the
three gags to survive the process of shortening the opening for some
syndicated episodes and for later episodes which needed extra time. This
concept of rotating elements has been subsequently used both by Groening in
Futurama, and by others, such as a newspaper headline in American Dad.
Halloween episodes
The special Halloween episode has become an annual tradition. "Treehouse of
Horror" (1990) established the pattern of three separate, self-contained
stories in each Halloween episode. These pieces usually involve the family
in some horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting and often parody or
pay homage to a famous piece of work in those genres.[43] They always take
place outside the normal continuity of the show. Although the Treehouse
series is meant to be seen on Halloween, in recent years, new installments
have premiered after Halloween. This is due to Fox's current contract with
Major League Baseball's World Series.
Humor
The show uses catchphrases, and most of the primary and secondary characters
have at least one each.[44] Notable expressions include Homer's annoyed
grunt "D'oh!", Mr. Burns' "Excellent..." and Nelson Muntz's "Ha-ha!". Some
of Bart's catchphrases, such as "¡Ay, caramba!," "Don't have a cow, man!"
and "Eat my shorts!" appeared on t-shirts in the show's early days.[45]
However, Bart rarely used the latter two phrases until after they became
popular through the merchandising. The use of many of these catchphrases has
declined in recent seasons, and one episode mocked catchphrase-based humor
in "Bart Gets Famous" where Bart achieves fame on the Krusty kids' show for
saying "I didn't do it."[46]
The show's humor also turns on cultural references that cover a wide
spectrum of society so that viewers from all generations can enjoy the
show.[47] Such references, for example, come from movies, TV, music,
literature, science, and history.[47]
Whenever possible, the animators also put jokes or sight gags into the
show's background via humorous or incongruous bits of text in signs,
newspapers, and elsewhere.[48] The audience may often not notice the visual
jokes in a single viewing. Some are so fleeting that they become apparent
only by pausing a video recording of the show.[48]
Influences on culture
Influences on language
A number of neologisms that originated on The Simpsons have entered the
popular vernacular.[49] The most famous is Homer's annoyed grunt: "D'oh!."
So ubiquitous is the catchphrase that it is now listed in the Oxford English
Dictionary,[50] but without the apostrophe. The first listed usage comes not
from The Simpsons, but from a 1945 BBC radio script in which the writers
spelled the word "dooh." Dan Castellaneta says he borrowed the phrase from
James Finlayson, an actor in early Laurel and Hardy comedies, who pronounced
it in a more elongated and whining tone.[51] The director of The Simpsons
told Castellaneta to shorten the noise so that it became the well known
exclamation in the TV series.[51]
Other Simpsons expressions that have entered popular use include "excellent"
(drawn out as a sinister "eeeexcelllent…" in the style of Charles Montgomery
Burns), Homer's triumphant "Woohoo!" and Nelson Muntz's mocking "HA-ha!"
Groundskeeper Willie's description of the French as "cheese-eating surrender
monkeys" was used by conservative National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg,
in 2003, after France's opposition to the proposed invasion of Iraq, and
quickly spread to other journalists.[52]
Influence on television
The Simpsons was the first animated program in prime time since the
Flintstones in the 1960s. During most of the 1980s, pundits considered
animated shows as appropriate only for kids, and animating a show was too
expensive to achieve a quality suitable for prime-time television. The
Simpsons changed this perception.[27] The use of Korean animation studios
doing in-betweening, coloring, and filming made the episodes cheaper. The
success of The Simpsons and the lower production cost prompted television
networks to take chances on other animated series.[27] This development led
to a 1990s boom in new, animated prime-time shows, such as South Park,
Family Guy, King of the Hill, Futurama and The Critic.[27] South Park later
paid homage to The Simpsons with the episode "Simpsons Already Did It." (The
Simpsons returned the favor with a scene at the beginning of "Bart of War.")
The Simpsons also influenced live-action shows and inspired Malcolm in the
Middle, which debuted January 9, 2000 in the time slot after The Simpsons.[6][53]
Malcolm in the Middle featured the use of sight gags and does not use a
laugh track like most sitcoms. Ricky Gervais has called The Simpsons a major
influence on his British comedy The Office, which also dispenses with a
laugh track.[54]
Critical reactions and achievements
Awards
The Simpsons has won dozens of awards since it debuted as a series,
including 23 Emmy Awards, 22 Annie Awards and a Peabody. On January 14, 2000
the Simpsons won a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. In a 1998 issue
celebrating the 20th century's greatest achievements in arts and
entertainment, Time magazine named The Simpsons the century's best
television series.[3] In that same issue, Time named Bart Simpson to the
Time 100, the publication's list of the century's 100 most influential
people.[55] Bart was the only fictional character on the list. In 2002, The
Simpsons ranked #8 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.[56] In
2000, Entertainment Weekly magazine TV critic Ken Tucker named The Simpsons
the greatest television show of the 1990s. Furthermore, viewers of the UK
television channel Channel 4 have voted "The Simpsons" at the top of two
polls: 2001's 100 Greatest Kids' TV shows, and 2005's 100 Greatest Cartoons,
with Homer Simpson voted into first place in 2001's 100 Greatest TV
Characters.
Run length achievements
On February 9, 1997, The Simpsons surpassed The Flintstones with the episode
"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" as the longest-running, prime-time,
animated series in America. In 2004 The Simpsons replaced The Adventures of
Ozzie and Harriet (1952 to 1966) as the longest-running animated or live
action sitcom, in the United States.[4] In October 2004, Scooby-Doo briefly
overtook The Simpsons as the American animated show with the highest number
of episodes.[57] However, network executives in April 2005 again cancelled
Scooby-Doo, which finished with 371 episodes, and The Simpsons reclaimed the
title with 378 episodes at the end of their seventeenth season.[5] In May
2007 The Simpsons reached their 400th episode at the end of the eighteenth
season. While The Simpsons has the record for the number of episodes by an
American animated show, some foreign animated series have surpassed The
Simpsons. For example, the Japanese anime series Doraemon has over 600
episodes to its credit.[58]
The year 2007 marks the 20th anniversary of the Simpsons franchise, which
began as skits on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. With its 19th year
(2007-2008), the series will be only one season behind Gunsmoke's US
primetime, scripted television record of 20 produced seasons.[4] However,
Gunsmoke's episode count of 635 episodes far surpasses The Simpsons, which
would not reach that mark until its 29th season, under normal programming
schedules.
Criticism of declining quality
For many years, critics' reviews of new Simpsons episodes praised the show
for its wit, realism, and intelligence.[11][59] However, in the mid-90s, the
tone and emphasis of the show began to change. Some critics started calling
the show tired.[60] By 2000, some long-term fans had become disillusioned
with the show and pointed to its shift from character-driven plots to what
they perceived as an overemphasis on zany antics.[61][62]
In 2003, to celebrate the show's 300th episode "Barting Over", USA Today
published a pair of Simpsons related articles: a top-10 episodes list chosen
by the webmaster of The Simpsons Archive fansite,[63] and a top-15 list by
The Simpsons' own writers.[64] The most recent episode listed on the fan
list was 1997's "Homer's Phobia"; the Simpsons' writers most recent choice
was 2000's "Behind the Laughter." In 2004, Harry Shearer criticized what he
perceived as the show's declining quality: "I rate the last three seasons as
among the worst, so season four looks very good to me now."[65]
Despite this criticism, The Simpsons has managed to maintain a large
viewership and attract new fans. However, the first season had an average of
13.4 million viewers in the U.S.,[12] compared to the 17th season, which
ended with an average of 9.2 million viewers.[66] In an April 2006
interview, Matt Groening said, "I honestly don't see any end in sight. I
think it's possible that the show will become too financially
cumbersome...but right now, the show is creatively, I think, as good or
better than it's ever been. The animation is incredibly detailed and
imaginative, and the stories do things that we haven't done before. So
creatively there's no reason to quit."[67]
Merchandise
The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion dollar merchandizing
industry.[16] The title family and supporting characters appear on
everything from t-shirts to posters. On April 24, 2007 it was officially
announced that a The Simpsons Ride will be implemented into the Universal
Studios Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood. It is scheduled for a
Spring 2008 opening.[68] The Simpsons has inspired special editions of
well-known board games, including Clue, Scrabble, Monopoly, Operation, and
The Game of Life, as well as the trivia games What Would Homer Do? and
Simpsons Jeopardy!.[69] Several card games such as trump cards and The
Simpsons Trading Card Game have also been released.
Numerous Simpson-related publications have been released over the years. So
far, nine comic book series have been published by Bongo Comics since
1993.[70] The Simpsons and Bart Simpson comics are also reprinted in the
United Kingdom, under the same titles, with various stories from the other
Bongo series reprinted in the main Simpsons comic. The comics have also been
collected in book form; many other Simpsons books such as episode guides
have also been published.
Music is featured in The Simpsons, with characters breaking into song during
the course of the series. Collections of original music featured in the TV
series have been released on the albums Songs in the Key of Springfield and
Go Simpsonic with The Simpsons. Several songs have been recorded with the
purpose of a single or album release and have not been featured on the show.
The best known single is "Do the Bartman", which was co-written by Michael
Jackson[71] and became an international success. In the United Kingdom,
"Deep, Deep Trouble" was released as a follow up to "Do The Bartman". The
albums The Simpsons Sing the Blues and The Yellow Album contained cover
versions of songs, as well as some originals.
In a promotion for the The Simpsons Movie, twelve 7-Eleven stores were
transformed into Kwik-E-Marts and sold various The Simpsons related products
such as "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O" cereal, "Pink Movie" doughnuts with
sprinkles and "Squishees".[72]
DVDs
Many episodes of the show have been released on DVD and VHS over the years.
When the first season DVD was released in 2001, it quickly became the
best-selling television DVD in history, although it would later be overtaken
by the first season of Chappelle's Show.[73] In particular, seasons 1-9 have
been released on DVD in America (Region 1), with more seasons expected to be
released in the future, Europe (Region 2) and Australia/New Zealand/Latin
America (Region 4). Seasons 1-7 have also been released in Japan (Region 2).
Video games
The video game industry was quick to adapt the characters and world of
Springfield into games. Some of the early notable games includes Konami's
arcade game The Simpsons (1991) and Acclaim Entertainment's The Simpsons:
Bart vs. the Space Mutants (1991). More modern games include The Simpsons
Road Rage (2001), The Simpsons Hit & Run (2003) and The Simpsons Game
(2007). Two Simpsons pinball machines have been produced; one after the
first season, and the other still available.
Film
There had been talk of a possible feature-length Simpsons film ever since
the early seasons of the series. James L. Brooks originally thought that the
story of the episode "Kamp Krusty" was suitable for a film, but encountered
difficulties in trying to expand the script to feature-length.[74] For a
long time, various difficulties such as lack of a suitable story and an
already fully engaged crew of writers delayed the project.[67]
20th Century Fox, Gracie Films, and Film Roman have now produced an animated
The Simpsons film for release on July 27, 2007.[9] The film has been
directed by long-time Simpsons producer David Silverman and written by a
team of Simpsons writers that includes Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al
Jean, George Meyer, Mike Reiss, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti, David Mirkin,
Mike Scully, Matt Selman, and Ian Maxtone-Graham.[9] Production of the film
occurred alongside continued writing of the series despite long-time claims
by those involved in the show that a film would enter production only after
the series had concluded.[9] After winning a Fox and USA Today competition,
Springfield, Vermont hosted the film's world premiere.[75]
References
* Richmond, Ray; Antonia Coffman (1997). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to
our Favorite Family. Harper Collins Publishers, p. 178. ISBN 0-00063-8898-1.
* Turner, Chris. Planet Simpson: How a Cartoon Masterpiece Documented an Era
and Defined a Generation. ISBN 0-679-31318-4.
1. ^ a b c d BBC. (2000). 'The Simpsons': America's First Family (6 minute
edit for the season 1 DVD) (DVD). UK: 20th Century Fox.
2. ^ a b Richmond, p. 14
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Further reading
* Alberti, John (ed.) (2003). Leaving Springfield: 'The Simpsons' and the
Possibility of Oppositional Culture. Wayne State University Press. ISBN
0-8143-2849-0.
* Brown, Alan; Chris Logan (2006). The Psychology of The Simpsons. ISBN
1-932100-70-9.
* Gray, Jonathan (2006). Watching with The Simpsons: Television, Parody, and
Intertextuality. ISBN 0-4153-6202-4.
* Irwin, William; Mark T. Conrad; Aeon Skoble (eds.) (1999). The Simpsons
and Philosophy: The D'oh! of Homer. Chicago: Open Court. ISBN 0-8126-9433-3.
* Keller, Beth L. (1992). The Gospel According to Bart: Examining the
Religious Elements of The Simpsons. Regent University. ISBN 0-8126-9433-3.
* Keslowitz, Steven (2003). The Simpsons And Society: An Analysis Of Our
Favorite Family And Its Influence In Contemporary Society. Hats Off Books.
ISBN 1-58736-253-8.
* Pinsky, Mark I. The Gospel According to The Simpsons: The Spiritual Life
of the World's Most Animated Family. ISBN 0-664-22419-9.
* Pinsky, Mark I.; Samuel F. Parvin. The Gospel According to the Simpsons:
Leaders Guide for Group Study. ISBN 0-664-22590-X.
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