Xixax Film Forum

Film Discussion => The Small Screen => Topic started by: cron on December 26, 2003, 10:29:58 AM

Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on December 26, 2003, 10:29:58 AM
i got the 4th season of Futurama for the Christmas so i'm in a phase.    i  love how they (the creative team) are able to cram  all the depth the series has/had in only 22 minutes (something Family Guy lacks,  but that's a different story) .

i was wondering if anyone knows about his upcoming animated projects, cause i just read an interview where he said he was doing something something similar to The Simpsons, animation-wise.


i don't  watch TV but I think that Futurama has turned into the first cult series i've been a witness of.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Reinhold on December 26, 2003, 10:36:00 AM
simpsons?
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Pas on December 26, 2003, 04:38:40 PM
Family Guy is WAY funnier than the Simpsons
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on December 26, 2003, 04:42:05 PM
it is (but shhh)

that is why i did not give an opinion on The Simpsons .  it's a very touchy subject.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: godardian on December 26, 2003, 04:44:45 PM
Matt Groening is a son of Portland (like me). I grew up revering him, way back when he was just doing the weekly "Life in Hell" strips. He's a legend of misanthropy. He and Lynda Barry were the eighties prom king-and-queen of scathing/odd "underground" comic stripping, and both from the Northwest... hmmm....

Godardian salutes Akbar and Jeff- the only true strike for genuine gay equality in the arts so far!  :)
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Gamblour. on December 26, 2003, 05:03:59 PM
chuckhimselfo and Pas Rapport...them's fightin' words...I've defeated and destroyed the enemies of the Simpsons, the red pro-Family Guy elite, but I think I'm sick of fighting. Some people just have bad taste.  :P
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: godardian on December 26, 2003, 05:07:37 PM
Quote from: Gamblor du Jourchuckhimselfo and Pas Rapport...them's fightin' words...I've defeated and destroyed the enemies of the Simpsons, the red pro-Family Guy elite, but I think I'm sick of fighting. Some people just have bad taste.  :P

I enjoy both shows.

But not equally; I do prefer The Simpsons.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on December 26, 2003, 05:10:10 PM
hey,   gamblor du jour,  "don't let me be misunderstood".

my only beef with the simpsons is that the show got really silly these last seasons.  that's it. other than that,  i was LITERALLY raised by that series.

and see? now i'm a champ.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on December 26, 2003, 05:10:57 PM
Quote from: chuckhimselfo

it's a very touchy subject.


SEE WHAT I MEAN?
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Gamblour. on December 26, 2003, 05:42:22 PM
All in good fun, I, too, was raised on the Simpsons, when someone says something is better than the Simpsons, it's like kicking me in the balls and saying my parents are assholes.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Pas on December 26, 2003, 06:05:07 PM
South Park is better than the Simpsons too




:lol:  :lol:  :lol: HOMER SIMPSON IS COMPLETLY WACKO !!!!!!!  :-D  :-D  :-D
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: phil marlowe on December 27, 2003, 09:06:36 AM
pas..you blasfemer motherfucker

i like family guy and i love southpark but there is no way simpsons should be dismissed just because of a few bad seasons.

when simpsons is good, it's really really good.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Reinhold on December 27, 2003, 11:03:57 AM
Quote from: Pas RapportFamily Guy is WAY funnier than the Simpsons

i agree wholeheartedly. i only said simpsons because it was around before futurama and before family guy. it had a cult following before futurama. he said futurama was the first cult series he'd seen.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on December 27, 2003, 12:38:51 PM
i wouldnt call the simpsons a cult series....  not if it has made   Fox earn 1 billion dollars.  that's a little bit un-cult.  ha.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: freakerdude on January 03, 2004, 12:46:32 AM
Aren't Trek-ies considered cultists of a sort? Personally, I am a huge Simpson's fan and am glad to be able to watch reruns in Atlanta every weekday.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: godardian on January 03, 2004, 01:39:43 AM
Quote from: freakerdudeAren't Trek-ies considered cultists of a sort? Personally, I am a huge Simpson's fan and am glad to be able to watch reruns in Atlanta every weekday.

Three times a day here in Seattle.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on January 03, 2004, 01:46:33 AM
Quote from: Pas RapportFamily Guy is WAY funnier than the Simpsons

I don't know about funnier... more profound.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Pubrick on January 03, 2004, 02:37:24 AM
Quote from: godardianThree times a day here in Seattle.
3hrs in the morning, 2hrs at nite.

Quote from: Jeremy BlackmanI don't know about funnier... more profound.
of course, the current seasons of the simpsons are crap in terms of substance and meaning. i think everyone who is in love with Family Guy, only feels that way because they were too late to catch the simpsons in their prime. a fairer comparison for current animation would be Futurama, i speak as someone who has seen all the cartoons in question and does not resent the 90s.. i challenge u to find me a family guy episode that is as profound as (futurama episodes) Godfellas, Time Keeps on Slipping, Jurassic Bark, The Sting, and the series conclusion The Devil's Hands are Idle Playthings. in just those 5 episodes futurama packed more urgent unviersal content than family guy has in its several forgettable seasons. and i don't even need to mention Last Exit to Springfield (if u want political relevance), Bart Sells His Soul  and The Mysterious Voyage of Homer (for spiritual guidance).. i can go on.

family guy fans are consitstently less informed on their "rival" shows, and a bit late on the knowledge train, quite frankly.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on January 03, 2004, 11:29:32 AM
Quote from: Pfamily guy fans are consitstently less informed on their "rival" shows, and a bit late on the knowledge train, quite frankly.

Guilty as charged.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: RegularKarate on January 03, 2004, 11:32:54 AM
Yeah, anyone who says Family Guy is better  than the Simpsons doesn't know what they're talking about.

If Family guy would have lasted half as long as the Simpsons, it would have become more un-funny faster than the Simpsons got brilliant.


Some Family Guys are better than some latter Simpsons, but no way FG could come close to being as good as the worst episode of the Simpsons during it's prime.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on February 09, 2004, 10:48:36 AM
If you have the Songs In The Key of Springfield CD , i suggest  you put it on your CD player and remember why The Simpsons are The Simpsons.
so many great moments,
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Ravi on February 09, 2004, 11:14:40 AM
Family Guy is a different animal from The Simpsons, which is a different animal from Futurama.  Three different types of shows.  FG is gag based and weak on plot.  The Simpsons in its heyday was a skewed look at suburbia and society, but was a brilliant mix of intelligent humor and zaniness.  Futurama is a completely fictional universe with fantasy and sci-fi elements.  While I find that FG misses the mark more than the other two, I still watch it.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: ©brad on February 09, 2004, 11:35:42 AM
that avatar is gold.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Duck Sauce on February 09, 2004, 01:00:33 PM
I compare this situation to Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant..... They both have very similar structures and playing styles, only Kobe Bryant (Family Guy) is for a newer generation, took a lot from MJ (The Simpsons) and isnt quite as good.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on February 09, 2004, 01:14:16 PM
Quote from: Duck SauceI compare this situation to Michael Jordan/Kobe Bryant..... They both have very similar structures and playing styles, only Kobe Bryant (Family Guy) is for a newer generation, took a lot from MJ (The Simpsons) and isnt quite as good.


so many joke possibilities!!
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: puddnanners on February 09, 2004, 01:32:52 PM
I agree that Family Guy is weak on plot when compared to classic Simpsons...for the most part.   The two most dynamic characters on FG were obviously Brian and Stewie, and i honestly think that they could have become as great as Homer with time.  Most episodes that deal primarily with either of those two characters (particularly the "road to..." episodes) stack up well with the most classic of Simpsons eps.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: phil marlowe on February 09, 2004, 02:06:19 PM
i would just like to say that king of the hill is way underrated
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Jeremy Blackman on February 09, 2004, 04:51:26 PM
Quote from: RaviFG is gag based and weak on plot.
That's why I like it.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Weak2ndAct on February 09, 2004, 05:53:42 PM
Quote from: phlmrlwei would just like to say that king of the hill is way underrated
Totally agree.  I've gotten into it via syndication (and the fact that it came on inbetween Simpsons eps, and I was too lazy to change the channel).  There are plenty of amazing episdodes, but the Bobby-centric ones (falling in love with the mannequin head, dog dancing, etc.) reach a sublime level of humor that few shows on TV can match.  

Also, it does keep true to the family-satire/contained-plot that the Simpsons folks have ditched years ago.  And it works.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: ono on February 09, 2004, 05:56:14 PM
I would just like to say that Hank Hill is the most annoying cartoon character ever created and I really can't stand that show except for Bobby and Kahn Jr., sometimes.

And when you compare two shows, you really do compare apples and oranges.  I think The Simpsons probably is the best show ever on average, but people forget that because of its weak, weak episodes over the past few years.  I don't get to watch it that much, but I did see an episode a couple weeks ago that had me rolling.  The one where Artie offers Marge and Homer $1 million for a night with Marge, and Homer needs surgery for his snoring.

Anyway, at the same time, people really do need to give credit where it's due to newer cartoons.  The problem with my favorite one, The Critic, is it has such a niche audience that no one gets the jokes.  And for me, every time I watch it or learn something new about film, I get a new joke and it makes the show even funnier.  Example: I just learned that the skin disease Michael Jackson claims to have is called Vitiligo.  Jay, in an interview with Geraldo claims he has a disease where patches of fat spring up and he has to eat fatty snack foods to even them out.  He calls it Vitilardo.  Just another little thing about the show you can easily miss if you're not paying attention.  Another one of those things that make this show a gem.  The Critic never had a chance, but for movie buffs, it is gold.

South Park has had its ups and downs, and it's been its most astute when making a social commentary while concentrating on the story.  Recently, it's failed at doing that and going so far as to lampoon whatever's going on in the media directly.  It's lost its humor, resulting in the show becoming tired and repetitive.  When it's on, though, there's nothing like it.

King of the Hill is just sad, though.  Hank is an obnoxious character, which is one strike against it, and it doesn't help matters that the smartest character on the show is probably Bobby or Kahn Jr.  Everyone else has some kind of mental malfunction.  It does have a few shining moments that make it worth watching sometimes, but unfortunately I can't think of them.

Family Guy was simply a victim of Fox's rearranging its schedule.  It is truly a brilliant show with sight gags and political commentary on par with The Simpsons.  I don't see it being weak on plot, either, and it has a town that can grow as the Simpson's did, making it ripe with material.  One problem it has is sometimes it didn't use its supporting characters enough (Meg and Chris), but that can change as the show finds its way.  That still can happen, too, if the rumors about new shows coming to TV or DVD comes true.

Futurama, too, was a victim of the schedule shuffle, and an audience that didn't know what to expect, especially when this show was plugged as something from the creator of The Simpsons.  But it, just like The Simpsons is a scathing social commentary.  There is one episode, the premise and title of which completely blows my mind, that serves as a prime example of that.  It's somewhere in season two or three, but I know that doesn't narrow it down too much.  Might be the one with Lela's search for her parents.  I do remember the one with Santa Clause was a gem, too.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Duck Sauce on February 09, 2004, 06:08:06 PM
Quote from: Weak2ndAct
Quote from: phlmrlwei would just like to say that king of the hill is way underrated
Totally agree.  I've gotten into it via syndication (and the fact that it came on inbetween Simpsons eps, and I was too lazy to change the channel).  There are plenty of amazing episdodes, but the Bobby-centric ones (falling in love with the mannequin head, dog dancing, etc.) reach a sublime level of humor that few shows on TV can match.  

Also, it does keep true to the family-satire/contained-plot that the Simpsons folks have ditched years ago.  And it works.


I like the ones that exploit and poke fun at Hank's uptight conservativsms the best.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: cron on February 09, 2004, 06:16:26 PM
Futurama's Godfellas is  brilliant brilliant brilliant.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Pas on February 09, 2004, 08:31:40 PM
In a whole, I don't know if Family Guy is better than the Simpsons (I think so though) but if you compare season 1-3 of FG with season 1-3 of The Simpsons you might as will compare Micheal Jordan to ya big fat mama.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Pubrick on February 09, 2004, 09:44:24 PM
Quote from: Pas RapportIn a whole, I don't know if Family Guy is better than the Simpsons (I think so though) but if you compare season 1-3 of FG with season 1-3 of The Simpsons you might as will compare Micheal Jordan to ya big fat mama.
that's a wack comparison. Family Guy is "standing on the shoulders of giants". the things that it takes for granted were created by the simpsons. do u realise that the first 3 seasons of the simps, now completely tame at best, were actually controversial at the time? there is a severe lack of awareness of context here.

Futurama is the only cartoon, that understood intimately what the simpsons did and was trying to do sumthing NEW with the possibilities. and it's not like the best simps seasons (4 to 8.) are so out of date that they are the Citizen Kane of cartoons. they broke every old rule and established a genius set of new ones which family guy is only marginally taking advantage of. i still watch family guy, cos it has its moments, but i would never quote it or refer to it in my daily life. still it has infinitely more moments than King of the Hill which wants desperately to be a live-action show. a seriously misguided direction to take.

and chuck seems to be the only one who saw Futurama. clearly an independent mind, cos the only reason family guy is so popular is the word of mouth created by 15-17yr olds. they ignored futurama cos it was touted as a "sequel" to the simpsons, which was in its decline when family guy started anyway.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: godardian on February 09, 2004, 09:52:36 PM
I really loved Futurama, but I was negligent about watching it. It's high on my list of DVDs to get.

I remember a really funny line from one episode- I forget who said it or if this is even the right line- "It was worse than the laughter of a thousand art house movie audiences."
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: freakerdude on February 10, 2004, 12:42:15 AM
Quote from: OnomatopoeiaI would just like to say that Hank Hill is the most annoying cartoon character ever created and I really can't stand that show except for Bobby and Kahn Jr., sometimes.
I actually couldn't stand to watch it anymore about 4 years ago.....very annoying character and voice.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: Pas on February 10, 2004, 04:30:02 PM
Quote from: P
Quote from: Pas RapportIn a whole, I don't know if Family Guy is better than the Simpsons (I think so though) but if you compare season 1-3 of FG with season 1-3 of The Simpsons you might as will compare Micheal Jordan to ya big fat mama.
that's a wack comparison. .

Haha I know, I think I could've gotten away with it at school or something though.
Title: Matt Groening
Post by: MacGuffin on March 27, 2004, 12:31:17 AM
It's Groening's show, and now he's on it

After 15 seasons of The Simpsons, creator Matt Groening finally gets a guest spot (Fox, April 4, 8 p.m. ET/PT). “The writers wrote it in as a goof. I thought, ‘I'll show them. I'll do it,' ” he says.

He has supplied a couple of sounds — Maggie's pacifier, a Ned Flanders scream — but this time Groening plays himself. He's identified as the creator of Futurama. (He couldn't be the creator of The Simpsons on The Simpsons or “the whole universe would implode.”) Though Groening didn't draw his picture, it's closer to real life than one earlier depiction as “an eyepatch-wearing, head-shaved, right-wing gun nut.”

In the episode, Edna Krabappel runs off with Comic Book Guy to a comic convention, where Groening is autographing robot dolls of Futurama's Bender. Groening's image also appeared in an earlier episode on a wall of photos of people banned for life from Comic Book Guy's store. “I've been banned from many comic book stores,” he says.

(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.usatoday.com%2Flife%2F_photos%2F2004%2F2004-03%2F26-comingatt-simpsons-insid.jpg&hash=5d58af9968233f384d097dfb96852ef459bcaff2)
Title: Re: Matt Groening
Post by: hedwig on April 22, 2006, 05:59:30 PM
'Simpsons' Mastermind Snubbed by Gervais

HOLLYWOOD - The Simpsons creator Matt Groening has confessed he's hurt British funnyman Ricky Gervais hasn't picked him for a part on hit comedy show, Extras. Despite hailing his cameo on the cult cartoon series the pinnacle of his comedic career, Gervais has failed to return Groening's favor and invite him to star in Extras.  And Groening, who admits he's a big fan of the series, can't help but feel snubbed. He says, "He (Gervais) didn't ask me. It would have been perfect for me because I worked as an extra when I first moved to Los Angeles in 1978." Previous guests on the show include Samuel L. Jackson and Titanic beauty Kate Winslet.
Title: Re: Matt Groening
Post by: MacGuffin on February 27, 2007, 01:22:35 AM
Interview: Rhymes with raining   
Crave talks to Matt Groening about the Simpsons and Futurama.
Source: Crave Online

You'll probably find no greater Simpsons fan than me. I have stood by the show in the darkest years, when many fair-weather fans just complain about the end of the Golden Age. I maintain there have been at least two renaissances. Frankly, I will go through serious withdrawals when the show finally ends. I told creator Matt Groening that and I think he thought I was being sarcastic. But he let me interview him anyway. There are 18 years of show to cover, plus the upcoming movie and the return of Futurama.

Crave Online: I was forever disturbed by the episode where Lester and Eliza save the day instead of Bart and Lisa. I expected them to recur as rivals. Were they always intended as one joke?

Matt Groening: It was a one shot. They were partially based on the original drawings of Bart and Lisa and we've written them into the show, but have they come back? I don't even remember. I think we put them in The Simpsons movie. They were in one draft. I'm not sure if they survive.

Crave Online: Can you finally clear this up: That was Michael Jackson in the Lisa's birthday episode, right?

Matt Groening: Oh, I think that was a contractual thing but I didn't sign any contract. Yeah, that was Michael Jackson.

Crave Online: Are there any other Simpsons urban legends?

Matt Groening: Oh, there were two rumors. One was that Madonna was going to be on the show, and then that the movie was going to be about Bart losing his virginity. That was 10 years ago. Bart losing his virginity was based on somebody asked one of the writers what's the Simpsons movie about? He goes, "Bart losing his virginity." That was a joke and that's not what the movie's about.

Crave Online: Will the movie focus on one character, like Homer?

Matt Groening: No, it's about the family. It's one of the nice things about having a full length feature is we don't have to just tell one or two small stories.

Crave Online: Who's doing the movie while the show's still running?

Matt Groening: Anybody who has been an animator on The Simpsons, generally we've called them up and said, "Come back."  And got a couple of studios working on the movie.  And David Silverman, one of the original directors back in The Tracey Ullman days, supervising director of The Simpsons for many years, is doing this with many veteran directors of the show.  And then it's the home team.

Crave Online: What took so long to do the movie?

Matt Groening: For me, part of the reason was, we're coming up on the 20th year of the show, we're coming up on the 400th episode, and if we're ever going to do it, we should do it now.  I don't want to do it [when] for some reason the show goes away and then do a movie. I thought it would really be neat to do a movie while the fans are still clamoring for it. 

Crave Online: Will the movie finally reveal what state Springfield is in?

Matt Groening: Yes. We actually have a really good joke about that. Remember, I said joke.

Crave Online: Since it's a movie, can you do things you can't do on TV?

Matt Groening: You'll see more of The Simpsons than you really should see and probably things, people you don't want to see. Whoever you don't want to see naked on The Simpsons, you know that's who you're going to see. Sorry about Marge.

Crave Online: Could the movie affect the TV show down the road?

Matt Groening: Every single episode we sort of paint ourselves into a corner and we jump out of the corner, so I don't think it'll be a problem.

Crave Online: Remember when everyone was all freaked out about how bad Bart was?

Matt Groening: Well, the history of entertainment is full of bad examples. I remember being in college and watching classic John Ford westerns and a villain shooting somebody dead, and then the next moment saying, "Fetch me some coffee, woman" and there'd be hissing from the audience. So it depends. It was okay to kill people but you can't be rude. So yeah, Bart's a bad kid. He's a bad example but there are real kids who are worse. He's not really that bad. Homer's a pretty bad father but Bart's not that bad.

Crave Online: And all the parents groups, where have they gone now that The Simpsons is on all day in syndication?

Matt Groening: I think when The Simpsons first came on, there was an uproar. People got used to it. They realized the show's really funny, it's got a heart so I think it's pretty safe. But you know all those episodes that are running all during the day, those are cut. Those aren't the full episodes. They're not cut for content necessarily, but they're cut so they can squeeze in more commercials. My guess is they cut out some of the juicier stuff.

Crave Online: You could say it goes over kids' heads, but kids have grown up 18 years while the Simpsons is on.

Matt Groening: I mean, what I like about the show is that there are references that are designed for people who have read a few books, seen a few movies. I know for a fact obviously, because my kids grew up watching the show, that there are some things they are introduced to from The Simpsons and then later in life they see the thing we're parodying. My kids had not seen Casablanca and we'd done parodies of Casablanca. We've done multiple references to Citizen Kane and of course Hitchcock. When the kids finally see the movies, they go, "Wha!"

Crave Online: How do you keep it fresh after all these years?

Matt Groening: The only problem is that we've done so many jokes that often when somebody says a joke, somebody else says, "We did that in Season Nine. We did that in season seven." "Oh yeah."

Crave Online: Kevin Smith wants to do a guest voice. Why haven't you asked him yet?

Matt Groening: We'll get him. I can't believe we haven't done it yet.

Crave Online: Have you ever rejected some guest voices just because you can?

Matt Groening: Well, that's the glory of being in Hollywood.  No, we have a long list.  There are a few people we've tried to get on the show who we haven't gotten yet, but we'll get them eventually.

Crave Online: What is your favorite episode?

Matt Groening: Let's see. I like the Frank Grimes episode a lot. I love that one. It's usually the one we're working on because I have such high hopes for it.

Crave Online: When they come up with a new character, like a Disco Stu, do you get a pass at drawing it?

Matt Groening: I approve every design but now we've got such good Simpsons artists that I generally either write OK or I add or remove a line but that's it.

Crave Online: Is there competition now between you and Family Guy?

Matt Groening: I think at the beginning, there was probably some competition going on but certainly not from me because I know how hard it is to do an animated TV show and I know Seth MacFarlane is a good friend and Family Guy is funny and it's got its own style and the more the merrier. I want more cartoons on TV.

Crave Online: So what did you think of the South Park goof on Family Guy?

Matt Groening: Well, I like Seth. He's a good guy. It was a tribute both to South Park pulling no punches, really funny and feeling bad because I know how hard animators work. The manatees was very [funny] and manatees seem to be this big comedy icon now. In The Simpsons we have a manatee episode, of course South Park and then on Conan, the horny manatee. That's unbelievable. It's not a rip-off. Family Guy has its own style, its own jokes. I would agree that The Simpsons was an inspiration to his career but then I'd say if I were an animator, I'd say any show that came after The Simpsons was probably inspired at least conceptually for doing something on TV that we were able to get away with that nobody had been able to for a long time.

Crave Online: With fans of all ages now, who are the hardest to please?

Matt Groening: I think the true fanatics who were so stunned by the show and were taken by it at the beginning; it's harder to please them because they're not surprised. They've memorized the show and every new episode, they're measuring it against their favorite episode so it's difficult to please the die hard fans but we try.

Crave Online: What do you think of the band Fall Out Boy?

Matt Groening: What an honor. Fall Out Boy the rock band named itself after the sidekick of Radioactive Man played by Millhouse. I hope they don't have too many regrets.

Crave Online: Will you have them on the show?

Matt Groening: That's a great idea. That's a great idea. You know what? I will pass that along. That's a really good idea. Are you a fan?

Crave Online: The Simpsons is one of the last examples of traditional animation. What do you think of the new CGI?

Matt Groening: I think there is a certain charm to the hand drawn image that I like. My problem with CGI is that it's so rich in texture that my eyes actually get tired. Everything is in focus down to the littlest leaf. For me personally, when they put things out of focus, a masterful version of that was Brad Bird's, (former Simpsons director), The Incredibles. He knew exactly, I thought, where to limit the detail.

Crave Online: Why did Hollywood go so crazy for CGI?

Matt Groening: I mean, it is amazing. I said personally my taste. It's very hallucinatory. It's very dream-like. I guess if it's charming, the Pixar movies are great.

Crave Online: Have your kids seen all the Simpsons episodes?

Matt Groening: Well, I can't say they've seen them all but they've seen the main ones.

Crave Online: Are you more involved now than you were in the past?

Matt Groening: The idea that I was not involved with the show or less involved with the show is simply not true. I've always been involved with the show. It's true there's only 24 hours in a day so then I have to work on Futurama. I can't be two places at once but the best thing about having two TV shows is I can go to each show and say I have to go to the other show and then I can go do whatever I want. Talk about a day job and night job, my night job after The Simpsons is Futurama, which is coming back on Comedy Central in 2008, 16 new episodes, and we're going to be running the old episodes, as well. Then, I a draw a weekly comic strip that locally appears in the LA Weekly and it appears in alternative news weeklies around the country.  That's something I do just by myself.  I get to go and sit at a drawing board.  Generally, I put it off as long as possible. It's due on Fridays at 5:30, I have to get it on the computer. So I start drawing it Friday afternoon. I can't twist my ankle. I can't get the flu.  I've got to do it. So far, 27 years I've been doing that. 

Crave Online:  Why do you still want to do a comic strip?

Matt Groening:  It's me working by myself. It keeps me honest and The Simpsons is the biggest collaborative project I could imagine and this is me by myself. They serve different needs. The great thing about hand lettering is there's no editing. I don't turn my stuff in and it gets changed around at all. It is what it is and I love it.

Crave Online: Futurama on Comedy Central, are you frustrated that Fox didn't pick it up like Family Guy?

Matt Groening: Well, I was frustrated when it got cancelled, but Fox, 20th Television is the one who came back and said, "Would you like to do a DVD movie?" and we said, "Let's do two" and they said, "Well, why not three?" and we said, "Well, why not four?" and they said, "Okay, four" and then that's it.

Crave Online: Are they really full movies or just three episodes together?

Matt Groening: We're writing them as movies and then we're going to chop them up, reconfigure them, write new material and try to make them work as separate episodes.

Crave Online: Can DVD versions be more extreme than the ones for air?

Matt Groening: Those are the marching orders we gave ourselves, yes, to really try to push it and do things we might not be able to do on TV. And then Comedy Central picked up the show and we went, "Okay, probably there's nothing we can think of that Comedy Central won't run" because I'm astonished at what I see on Comedy Central every day.

Crave Online: How will you turn those into episodes then?

Matt Groening: We are reconfiguring them and writing new material and narration and this that and the other so that they'll stand on their own as episodes.

Crave Online: Could it go on beyond that?

Matt Groening: I hope so. My guess now is that this is basically a season that we're in production on which is complicated because they're also DVDs, so that they'll probably wait and see how they do and then we'll get the pickup.

Crave Online: You never gave up on Futurama, did you?

Matt Groening: Well, I always felt like we were a little bit like the original Star Trek. I always thought that working with my partner, David X. Cohen, that we knew that the people who loved the show really, really loved it and they wrote petitions, they wrote letters and e-mails and it just seemed right. And also, everybody that worked on the show loved it. So when it came time when the show did come back, everybody without exception said, "I'm on board." At this point, I said, "We're thinking of gearing up the show again." They said, "I'm on board." Everybody, Katy Sagal, all the actors, John Dimaggio, Billy West. The original animation team, the original animation house, the original writers. Everybody came back. It was great.
Title: Re: Matt Groening
Post by: Gold Trumpet on February 27, 2007, 02:04:47 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 27, 2007, 01:22:35 AM
Crave Online: The Simpsons is one of the last examples of traditional animation. What do you think of the new CGI?

Matt Groening: I think there is a certain charm to the hand drawn image that I like. My problem with CGI is that it's so rich in texture that my eyes actually get tired. Everything is in focus down to the littlest leaf. For me personally, when they put things out of focus, a masterful version of that was Brad Bird's, (former Simpsons director), The Incredibles. He knew exactly, I thought, where to limit the detail.

Yes! When I reviewed Cars, I had a complaint that it was too realistic. That there didn't need to be so much detail and the animation should stay simple. I got one disagreement on the board, but I'm glad Groening is essentially backing me up.
Title: Re: Matt Groening
Post by: Pubrick on February 27, 2007, 09:02:03 AM
Quote from: MacGuffin on February 27, 2007, 01:22:35 AM
Crave Online: How do you keep it fresh after all these years?

Matt Groening: The only problem is that we've done so many jokes that often when somebody says a joke, somebody else says, "We did that in Season Nine. We did that in season seven." "Oh yeah." We don't.

Quote from: MacGuffin on February 27, 2007, 01:22:35 AM
Crave Online: Have your kids seen all the Simpsons episodes?

Matt Groening: Well, I can't say they've seen them all but they've seen the main ones.
haha, he means the ones worth watching. that's as close as he'll get to admitting he wants to cut himself over the state of the show. at least he's not delluding himself about Futurama.
Title: Re: Matt Groening
Post by: Reinhold on August 01, 2008, 11:50:16 PM
i wholeheartedly hope that was sarcasm on my part five years ago, but i fear it was not. eesh.

anyway, i just saw and liked the futurama movie The Beast with a Billion Backs.

20-Frame AFTER-CREDIT SPOILER


my favorite part was the League of Robots logo before the newscorp logo.