The Simpsons Movie

[Chairman Kaga]

If they don't start this movie with a theatrical full length Itchy and Scratchy cartoon like the WB shorts of old I think they are truly missing out on a great opportunity.

[RogueScribner]

If they don't start this movie with a theatrical full length Itchy and Scratchy cartoon like the WB shorts of old I think they are truly missing out on a great opportunity.

I concur!


BTW, what do you figure the rating will be? PG? PG-13?

[Chairman Kaga]

If they can fit some moderating swearing in and keep the dialogue funny I figure they will make it a PG-13 but I don't think they will simply jam harsher language in there if it isn't somehow "funnier".

[RogueScribner]

I wasn't thinking language so much as certain situations they may pursue. Meh, it'll probably be PG. The Simpsons isn't exactly known for being hardcore.

[Chairman Kaga]

Yeah i did not consider "situations". What the MPAA considers acceptable seems to be fluctuating a bit lately. I guess the studio would shoot for a PG-13 if the plot really pushed something that the MPAA considered edgy.

[Amy88]

Will the same team be doing the music? I love it when they break into song.

[RogueScribner]

Will they spring for Danny Elfman to do the score, or stick with Alf Clausen? Questions, questions.

[buster00]

Bumped in light of the piece from the main site containing WORK-IN-PROGRESS CLIPS from the upcoming film, as shown at the Con!

And the spirited TalkBack therein...

Me, I think it's gonna be hi-friggin-larious! Check out the clips before Fox torches 'em off the YouTube!

[Chairman Kaga]

I love the animatic.

[MiltonWaddams]

When the Family Guy came back, I thought "I hope it's not all changed". Then I watched an episode and thought "Oh good, it's still the same.". Then 5 more episodes.. and it's still the same. Then three more, and it's still the same.

People aren't saying the Simpsons isn't as funny because that's the trendy thing to do (WTF DOES THAT EVEN MEAN), they're saying it's not as funny because it's just not as funny. You used to tune in knowing it will be a great episode, not hoping it won't suck. Everybody takes that too far, with everybody assuming that all of the new episodes are absolutely worthless, they're not. They're just not the comedy gold that we used to rely on for so many years.

Also, I hope the movie is the end of the Simpsons, finish when you have some dignity.

[Proinsias]

Which shows will stand the test of time? South Park is too topical to still be enjoyable in another 10 years (unless you get the references). Family Guy is a simple show. You know exactly what you're gonna get with it and it may enjoy an extended life in syndication 10 years from now.

But The Simpsons? It will always be on and it will always be watched. It's humor is often stupid, but hardly ever crass or mean-spirited (though my favorite episode is the Frank Grimes one!). Families can watch it together while they eat dinner. The show is enjoyed by all ages, whereas SP and FG have more focused audiences.

50 years from now, people will still know The Simpsons, just like people nowadays know I Love Lucy and The Honeymooners. Will they know Family Guy and South Park?

I think South Park will be remembered 50 yrs from now. Family Guy? I give it 2 more years before the rest of Hollywood gets fed up with Seth McFarlane ripping off their work, word for word....and then they will eat him alive, absorbing him back into the collective concious that is the primordial ooze of L.A.

But South Park, if anything, evolved what Simpsons created. And sure it's almost too topical, but so is the Daily Show and it will be remember for years to come as evolving how most young Americans get their news. Plus, Parker and Stone do a good job of mixing "normal" episodes in every season. Anyone remember "Ginger Kids?"

When all is said and done, I think SP will very much be remembered in 50 yrs, right beside The Simpsons. Not only that, but I believe Eric Cartman will be remembered as one of the great American cartoon characters. He is the modern day Archie Bunker, only taken to insane, sadistic extremes. He embodies all that's evil and ignorant in America, and he's only in the 4th grade. And, he will have your parents killed, then trick you into eating them just b/c you fooled him out of 10 bucks.

Things like this are remembered forever.

(Cartman voice) Hyar ! Hyar!

[AtomicHyperbole]

The animatic is SUPERB. They're obviously animating overseas as it's basically keyframed out completely. No stone left unturned. It was like this on The Cramp Twins... completely insane to work on, but it really gave total control over what the director wanted. The timing is first-rate as usual, and I swear I saw the hand of the friend of mine who's working on it. Dammit, I'd love to work on that... ok, the last thing I did (see sig) was a bit insane. So that's something.

[Doc Holliday]

The Simpsons still has its moments fools! Done better than any other show to reign as supreme as it did for as long as it did.

I won't be seeing it in a theatre - but most likely will pick up the DVD. Who knows - maybe the longer format will give it a fresh lease of life. At the very least all the ancillary characters will get a better chance to shine - to this day one of my fave Simpsons episodes ever was that collection of shorts about all the background characters. I'm looking forward to some good Skinner, Comic-Book Guy, Frink, Mo Barney and Krusty beats.

The Beavis and Butthead movie was good - and their stock had been dropping way before that movie got made (after considerably fewer seasons too)

[Shane]

The last couple seasons have been less than impressive. I hope they do pull this off. Part of me likes the idea, part of me thinks it is over and dead, and this is just beating a dead horse. I hope it is great.

[Fried Gold]

John Schwarzwelder is involved again. This is a good thing.

[unikrunk]

Did anyone find anything in either of the clips to be funny?

I did not see anything that merits 'Movie'. It just looked a like another lame episode of a very tired and floundering series.

/now a Futurama movie, on the other hand...

[ThisIsTheGirl]

At the very least all the ancillary characters will get a better chance to shine - to this day one of my fave Simpsons episodes ever was that collection of shorts about all the background characters. I'm looking forward to some good Skinner, Comic-Book Guy, Frink, Mo Barney and Krusty beats.

Damn right - and bring back Disco Stu!!!!

[Fried Gold]

Disco Stu.....doesn't advertise.

[RaulMonkey]

Did anyone find anything in either of the clips to be funny?

I did not see anything that merits 'Movie'. It just looked a like another lame episode of a very tired and floundering series.

/now a Futurama movie, on the other hand...

The whole thing seemed funnier to me because of the Con audience laugh track. That's something they should seriously consider a la certain seasons of THE FLINTSTONES.

[tfactor]

"why does everything I whip end up leaving me?"

ihomerilash

Hey listen I may not see this movie while its in theatres and I may not pay for it on DVD, but on sundays you can buy any two foot long subway subs and get a 3rd one FOR FREE! only at participating subway location and not valid with any other coupon, gift cards or senior citizen discount.

just thought you should know

EDIt: edited for raul

[RaulMonkey]

"why does everything I whip end up leaving me?"

lol

Hey listen I may not see this movie while its in theatres and I may not pay for it on DVD, but on sundays you can buy any two foot long subway subs and get a 3rd one FOR FREE! only at participating subway location and not valid with any other coupon, gift cards or senior citizen discount.

just thought you should know LOL

See, it even works in writing--that movie quote seemed funnier because of the ensuing "lol," and I fixed your post so that it seems ten times as hilarious.

LOL

[buster00]

Did anyone find anything in either of the clips to be funny?

I did not see anything that merits 'Movie'. It just looked a like another lame episode of a very tired and floundering series.

/now a Futurama movie, on the other hand...

The whole thing seemed funnier to me because of the Con audience laugh track. That's something they should seriously consider a la certain seasons of THE FLINTSTONES.

I despise cartoons that have a laugh track. Hanna-Barbera was the worst offender -- not just "Flintstones," but "Scooby-Doo" and half their 70's output.

Who the fuck were they trying to fool? Did they expect us to believe it was drawn in front of a live studio audience?

[Chairman Kaga]

buster is anything with a laugh track good?

[RogueScribner]

Looks like I missed out on seeing the vid clips. Oh well.

[buster00]

buster is anything with a laugh track good?

Oddly enough, porno. Try it sometime!


That and grindhouse-style slasher flix.

[Bob Samonkey]

Looks like I missed out on seeing the vid clips. Oh well.

Here is one, quickly!!!

And another

[Pudie]

wooo! Thanks bob!

[RogueScribner]

Thanks for the links, Bob! I actually laughed a couple of times at the mob clip.

[sleepflower]

Hmm I am very dubious, Im sure they would choose funny clips to show people. Looks like somew opf the worst for timing and laughs out of any of the simpsons material. The first clip had me feeling I had seen this all before. I want to see something NEW in a movie. I want a MOVIE not a feature lenght episode. I like how the halloween specials were particularly self aware, or even in one episode when they said don't worry, in the next episode iot would be like this never happened.

The second clip didn't do it for me either, but that was all down to timing and the joke felt cheap. I love the simpsons, but I want to see something new and special. They should have done this a long time ago when they had new places to take the show.

Not even sure it was the best idea to have homer as the main character as this seems to be.

[thebostonlocksmith]

I'll watch it. As long as the rapmaster 3000 is reintroduced

"return to your homes, and to your places of bus-iness-es"

[RaulMonkey]

[quote= "unikrunk"]Did anyone find anything in either of the clips to be funny?

I did not see anything that merits 'Movie'. It just looked a like another lame episode of a very tired and floundering series.

/now a Futurama movie, on the other hand...

The whole thing seemed funnier to me because of the Con audience laugh track. That's something they should seriously consider a la certain seasons of THE FLINTSTONES.

I despise cartoons that have a laugh track. Hanna-Barbera was the worst offender -- not just "Flintstones," but "Scooby-Doo" and half their 70's output.

Who the fuck were they trying to fool? Did they expect us to believe it was drawn in front of a live studio audience?[/quote]

Maybe they showed the completed episodes to a live audience and recorded their laughter to be overlaid later--that's what they do on sitcoms when they film scenes on location.

Seriously though, I know H-B's shit was bogus, but it doesn't matter if you believe the laughter you're hearing was sincerely inspired by what you're seeing. It's a herd response, and even if you're not actually moved to laughter because all of the people on the track are laughing, it can totally change how you perceive the show--for the better.

[Chairman Kaga]

buster is anything with a laugh track good?

Oddly enough, porno. Try it sometime!


That and grindhouse-style slasher flix.

Hmm I that sounds good.

[Ribbons]

I confess that laugh tracks on sitcoms actually do make me perceive the show as funnier than it actually is. I watch The Soup on E! every weekend and I had an epiphany the other day that, remove the "crew's" "spontaneous" on-set laughter and the show wouldn't seem nearly as funny.

It's a fine line though. Sitcoms that overplay the laugh track, especially ones that aren't funny at all, are very hard to sit through. Every canned laugh is like fingernails on a chalkboard. In a lot of cases, the show would be better off without it. When there's canned laughter after every mundane sentence or slightly witty remark you start to think "You wanted me to laugh at THAT? Yikes."

[Al Shut]

My anticipation for this dropped to the deepest bottoms of hell. The actress that did the German voice of Marge died and getting used to a new one after watching the show for more than my half lifetime will be almost impossible.

[unikrunk]

Maybe they showed the completed episodes to a live audience and recorded their laughter to be overlaid later--that's what they do on sitcoms when they film scenes on location.

Seriously though, I know H-B's shit was bogus, but it doesn't matter if you believe the laughter you're hearing was sincerely inspired by what you're seeing. It's a herd response, and even if you're not actually moved to laughter because all of the people on the track are laughing, it can totally change how you perceive the show--for the better.

If the rest of the movie is as funny as those clips, they ought to use a track that makes it seem like the rest of the viewing audience is actually laughing; that way, if you don't laugh, you will feel like you just don't 'get it'.

[Fried Gold]

Will they spring for Danny Elfman to do the score, or stick with Alf Clausen? Questions, questions.

IMDB and Wikipedia (not always to be trusted, I know) say Hans Zimmer is doing the score.

[Eunuch Provocateur]

Hans Zimmer? Great. Overblown action score with one central theme for the Simpsons.

[Pacino86845]

I did a search for a simpsons movie thread, didn't find one.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thesimpsonsmovie/trailer/

It's alright.

But I've gotta say, I love the initial stuff with the wrecker ball, the dumb grin on Homer's face, the ball starting to swing back, and the sad understanding look that quickly replaces the smile. Love it.

[Jonathan Adams]

I think its pretty obvious that these clips are more about letting people know that there IS a Simpsons movie being made, and not to tell everyone what its about. The production is being VERY tight-lipped about plot details at this point, and for good reason, so I don't think its valid to make any conclusions at all based on these clips.

That said, I think its kinda funny. Its slapstick Simpsons, not the political and social satire Simpsons, and thats OK. I remain confident that with the amazing writing staff and David Silverman directing, this film will be a huge success.

But the Hans Zimmer thing I just do.not.get. Danny Eflman should have had the job, and if he didn't want it it should have been Alf. Oh well. Hope thats thier biggest mistake.

[AtomicHyperbole]

I both pamped and lashed.

[RogueScribner]

I think that clip is from the movie since Homer mentioned saving Marge and the kids. I liked it. I'm not prepared to call it genius, but it was funny and I'm crossing my fingers that the movie is good. I'm an old school Simpsons fan and it'd be cool if this movie was something other than a way to milk the franchise some more.

[brendonconnelly]

There's now a UK exlcusive trailer. Check it out.

[thatsfunny]

all i want in life is for Frank Grimes to make an appearance in this film

[godzillasushi]

all i want in life is for Frank Grimes to make an appearance in this film

But he's dead....

[Fried Gold]

There's now a UK exlcusive trailer. Check it out.

I can't get that video to work, but I may have already seen it. Is it the one with Homer on the roof hammering?

[thatsfunny]

he may be dead, but i can still hope

[godzillasushi]

You bring up an interesting thought anyway. I wonder how many characters will make an appearance since theres hundreds and they were all so memorable.

[thatsfunny]

yeah, but i also wouldn't want it to just be a cavalcade of random cameos from obscure characters

i'm afraid that might be the temptation though

[thatsfunny]

if there's a scene where disco stu, lurlene, and rex banner show up for no reason, i'm walking out of the theater

[godzillasushi]

Haha Disco Stu MUST be there.