Movie Info
Movie Name: The Simpsons Movie
Studio: 2oth Century Fox Animation
Genre(s): Animated/Comedy
Release Date(s): July 27, 2007
MPAA Rating: PG-13
The biggest cast you never had to pay!
The world has had enough of Springfield. When the pollution of the city kills Green Day at a concert, a dome is placed over the city to keep the pollution from spreading. It is discovered that the Simpsons are responsible for the pollution that tipped the scale, and now Springfield wants them dead. Escaping the dome, the Simpsons find themselves trying to start a new life. When it is learned that Springfield and its population are targeted for destruction, the Simpsons must spring into action to save the city they love.
Directed by David Silverman, The Simpsons Movie spins off the popular, long-running FOX animated series. The film was rumored for years and finally was released between the eighteenth and nineteenth season of The Simpsons. It was met with positive reviews and strong box office returns. The release was also joined by big tie in that played with classic Simpsons settings like Springfield (where is it?) and Kwik-E-Marts (converted stores).
Because nobody demanded it…full frontal Bart Simpson nudity!
The Simpsons Movie faces an uphill battle. Much like The X-Files: Fight the Future, it was a movie based off a continuing series. It has to feel bigger and better than the TV show, provide an original plot, and make it worth continue watching the series when the new season starts.
The story is quite fun and does feel bigger and more epic than could be told by the show…even in more than one part (which wouldn’t really work for the series). The film manages to encompass a lot of running Simpsons jokes and brings back a lot of characters for even some one-offs in the joke category. It is rather amusing that after The Simpsons Movie the plot was almost identical to the plot of the 2009 Stephen King novel Under the Dome in which a city is shut off from the world by an invisible dome (Under the Dome too became a series in 2013). I also would watch a whole series based around Spider-Pig.
Yes…It is a dome…and we are under it.
The animation and style of the show is basically is standard Simpsons animation amped up. There was a lot of debate if the movie should be live action or computer animated. Instead of changing the style, it is clean and much more computer based. The writing unlike South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut is virtually just a regular Simpsons story that doesn’t really push the boundaries…though we do get full frontal animated nudity and a big-boobed Inuit. I really didn’t need to naked Bart however.
The series voice actors do appear in the film. Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, and Harry Shearer reprise their famous roles and continue to give it their all. They are joined by Minnnie Driver, Kelsey Grammer, Edward Norton, Erin Brockovich, Isla Fisher, Tom Hanks, and Green Day.
Spider-Pig…Spider-Pig!
The Simpsons still continue to be strong even after almost twenty years. With challenges like South Park and The Family Guy, the series is more sugary sweet than other more in-your-face comedies. I am rather surprised that The Simpsons Movie didn’t come out during the 20th season, but it was still years in the making. Hope we don’t have to wait that long for The Simpsons Movie 2…D’oh!
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