The Simpsons Movie

Sorry for the slow posting. I have had personal problems lately. I have been oversleeping, which affects my credibility. I am struggling with the art direction of my thesis, and I am still losing motivation. And to top it off, I haven't animated anything in months, because I don't have all my resources, and I feel like I'm the only one of my peers who isn't at least practicing.



I have just seen The Simpsons Movie twice, although the first viewing gave me enough of an impression. What can I say? I love the old Simpsons, and I love Matt Groening’s style. But the movie: it just comes off as one of the better episodes of the Simpsons in recent years. All in all, it was a good movie, not a great movie.

Anyone who knows me knows that I have a severe problem with the Simpsons since season 9. Around the time producer Mike Scully took over, the show changed from being original and character based to being a repetitive series of sight gags. Homer and Bart’s characters changed severly in ways I disliked: Homer being mean spirited and obnoxious and Bart simply being misunderstood. I miss the days when Bart was an outspoken and fun loving little menace, and Homer was a loving husband and father whose head always seemed to be elsewhere.

In the movie, Homer’s obnoxious nature is explosive, and finally causes the family to endure great hardships. Homer’s beloved pet pig leads to his irresponsibly damaging the Springfield lake with a silo of pig crap. As a result, Springfield is placed under glass by the government to prevent national contamination. The family manages to escape the dome, but not after losing their house and achieve the maximum anger of Springfield’s citizens.

Angry mobs are something that have always suited the Simpsons, and is something that I often look forward to in Springfield.

My problems.
Patty and Selma (two of my favorite characters) had no role in the movie, not even a speaking part, which would have been sufficient.


Most of the animation was no different than the show, with the exception of a few choice moments. Notably a removed smear of Marge Simpson.



I wish the movie was more character based, and less about making fun of itself. All in all, it is simply a movie about the Simpsons being a movie. That gets tiring.

On a side note, I’d like to say that I really enjoyed the Green Day cameo. Very charming.