MR The Simpsons Movie

Here's something I really wanted to review here for a while.
 

For more Matt Groening-related reviews, check these other pages below!

Futurama Season 1 / Futurama The Game
Bender's Big Score / The Beast with a Billion Backs / Bender's Game

Movie: The Simpsons Movie
Directed by David Silverman
Release date 2007
Genre Animated adventure/comedy
Country USA

It took The Simpsons over 20 Seasons to finally get their movie. Some would say it was 10 years too late, or too little too late. The Simpsons have aired on Fox for over 24 Seasons now so far, and counting.

But at least technology got the time to catch up to allow the studios behind the production such as Gracie Films & Rough Draft Studios to manage to pull it off all things considered.

To make this big screen adaptation come true, they had to really put care into this project. Production on The Simpsons' first full length feature (so far!) began as early as 2001. But they attempted to make a Simpsons movie several times earlier than that in the 1990s actually, but never managed to get a script big enough to support an hour long feature. For example they even thought about adapting a 4th Season episode, Kamp Krusty, into the film itself. The voice cast was properly signed for the project in the early 2000s. That is when work on the script began and when they started working on the ideas for the film.

To pull this off, Matt Groening and co. reunited most of the crew from the TV series, even those who had already left for other ventures. When they had several ideas for the different plotines, Groening himself developed those into a proper film, and many rewrites later it started taking form into what we ended up with. Animation could began in 2006. The Movie was directed by David Silverman, working with many veterans from the show  such as James L. Brooks, Al Jean, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti.

The Movie wasn't just an extended episode..

It's the first time the Simpsons were shown in widescreen, with most of the work being done with computers. It really brought the Simpsons into the HD age.

Sure, it's a pretty classic sort of environmentalist story that ties the film, but it is also a plot device that always work with the series (the Nuclear Plant, the satire of Industrialisation...).

This time Homer Simpson ends up getting the entire town of Springfield in trouble. After a rock concert, popular international musician die in the Springfield lake. Which gets the attention of the rest of America. Springfield is in worst state than ever. Homer saves a lil' pig he names Spider-pig. Meanwhile the disaster got the attention of President Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is decided Springfield will be contained under a giant dome to protect the rest of the world. The citizens of Springfield turn against Homer and his family. Long story short, the Simpsons end up fugitives!

The movie features several other sub-plots. Marge gets frustrated by all of Homer's shenanigans over the years, Bart searches a new father figure in Ned Flanders, and Lisa feels betrayed by her dad. Homer has to set things right for family and the rest of Springfield's sake!

The entire voice cast returned for the Simpsons' big debut on the silver screen.

This includes the regular actors from Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden to Tress MacNeille! Most the giant cast of characters from the show have at least one line at one point or another.

All characters make an appearance, the movie includes most of the cast in some pretty impressive scenes the TV series couldn't never dream to pull off before.

The movie maintains the tone and look of the classic cartoon series, amped up by the big budget here.

The animation looks great, quality animation that blends seamlessly with the computer graphics. The Simpsons look as crisps (and yellow) as ever. The movie is quite colorful, Homer and the others never looked better!

It a well crafted Simpsons adventure. You'll get plenty of the big laughs the show's popular for. Clever writing, the best ideas the show hadn't seen in years.

The movie even features some fun little cameos (although they don't take the center of attention). Green Day and even Tom Hanks make a cameo! There were actually several other cameos planned, but they were all cut during the production (like Edward Norton).

The music was composed by Hans Zimmer on this occasion. Danny Elfman's theme is present as usual. But the entire score received a lot of care. It's symphonic and quite epic! Many themes would later be used again either on the show or in the video games.

The movie went on winning over 500 million $USD at the Box Office in its initial run (!!!) and made even more after that internationally and on home release. It received several nominations such as Best Comedy Film or Animated Feature.

Overall, it's a fantastic animated movie!

Really fun, well crafted, never gets old. If you want to see some of the best stuff the Simpsons' been in years, catch up the movie! It had the spark some said the series' been missing this last decade as well as the means, the attention and the quality the old seasons never got the chance to have.

This is a full feature film, not just a slightly polished simple TV movie. Even if the basis of the story might sound like something we've seen so many times in the past - Homer ruins things badly, they must set things right again for the sake of the family and the rest of the community - it is "The Simpsons Movie" for all intends and purposes.

In my eyes, it's not just a great animated comedy, but surely one of the best movies 20th Century Fox' produced in the last few years.

I give it:

3 / 3 Felixes!