'Simpsons' movie revealed in trailer
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Homer Simpson hit the big screen on Friday in a short teaser trailer announcing "The Simpsons" movie.
The "Simpsons" teaser debuted prior to the opening of 20th Century Fox's latest animated film "Ice Age: The Meltdown." The clip announces Fox's July 27, 2007 release date for "The Simpsons" movie.
The animated 25-second clip opens on a giant superhero S. "Leaping his way onto the silver screen," intones a narrator, "the greatest hero in American history!" Cut to Homer Simpson sitting on his couch in his tighty whities. "I forgot what I was supposed to say," he says. The narrator continues, " 'The Simpsons Movie,' coming to the screen, July 27, 2007." "Uh, uh," says Homer, "we better get started."
The "Simpsons" clip discretely went out to theaters as part of a combo-trailer that includes Fox's "Garfield: A Tale of Two Kitties." The same clip is expected to air during "The Simpsons" television show Sunday night.
The long-running animated television series created by Matt Groening and developed by James L. Brooks is currently being adapted for the big screen at Film Roman Studios in Burbank.
I'm sure it will involve them going somewhere or on a road trip of sorts.
the movie will run for 105 minutes. it'll be mainly about why they deserve a 22 minute long show. there will be a mixture of real live footage and animation. a minute will be animated by pixar.
i'm PUMPED!
Quote from: Garam on April 01, 2006, 09:08:58 AM
The Simpsons are going to Europe! Africa! Asia! South America! Australia! Antarctica!
Homer becomes an
actor singer chef janitor economist!
I heard that's its subtitle is Maggie Simpson: The Untold Story.
I politely but firmly disagree with Mr. Garam. This will be the greatest achievement of humanity ever. Haters can lick my sac. :yabbse-thumbup:
Quote from: Hedwig on April 01, 2006, 11:49:58 PM
I politely but firmly disagree with Mr. Garam. This will be the greatest achievement of humanity ever. Haters can lick my sac. :yabbse-thumbup:
i don't know what you're basing that on. i'd like to believe the last 5 years they've been saving the best jokes for the movie.. just like the best writers went to futurama. i won't be sure until the new futurama episodes come out, cos if they are still as good as ever (they never waned), then there is hope in the simpsons camp.
Teaser Trailer here. (http://www.movie-list.net/exclusive/simpsons-movie-trailer.mov)
once again proof why mac is the messiah of movie trailers.
i think Homer overplayed it. Burns was good.
Simpsons Movie Plot Revealed?
To recap: Several months went by after The Simpsons feature film was announced last summer until, finally, last week, things really started to heat up. Harry Shearer (Mr. Burns, Ned Flanders, etc..) divulged that the film was going ahead and that the cast had already starting laying down dialogue. He told us the movie would not be R-rated, but did admit to it being edgier than the television show.
Over the weekend, word got out that a teaser for the flick had already landed on the big screen in front of Ice Age: The Meltdown and then, today, that same teaser hit the internet. Now, with The Simpsons causing more of a stir than Sharon Stone after watching Basic Instinct Poo - er - 2 plummet at the box office, comes possible details of a Simpson's plot. According to AICN, Krusty the Clown's nephew emailed them ( I assume that's a humorous alias) to shell out more details about the movie, including its storyline.
The nephew informed us that all of the original cast and writers are involved in the production. If that includes some of the old schoolers like Conan O'Brien, then that can mean very good things. Very. Good. Things. Oh, and about that plot? (The sentence following this one may contain SPOILERS, so if you get freaked out by that sort of thing, then stop reading right now.) Well, according to Krusty's nephew, the story will surround Homer goofing up at the power plant and causing the government to place a dome over Springfield. There you have it folks! If the information is correct, the Simpsons will be living in a bubble come 2008.
I'm sure they're circulating some fake stories and scripts to throw people off the track.
maybe i'm wrong but hasn't this been a rumor for like 10 years? I haven't watched the new episodes in a long ass time (last episode was when they had the rock and roll band camp with Elvis Costello, Tom Petty, et al). I mean I swear maybe it was just a myth, but like 10 years I heard they were gonna do a virtual reality type movie like in the one episode where Homer fell in a dumpster and went into the Erotic Cake store, I think it was a Treehouse of Horror ep. Anyone know about that? And I do like The Simpsons but isn't this a little late. What can they really do on the big screen that they haven't done on the tube?
Quote from: Tom Cruise Is A Weirdo on April 05, 2006, 02:41:45 AM
What can they really do on the big screen that they haven't done on the tube?
Space tra- oh wait, nevermind.
Quote from: Garam on April 04, 2006, 04:26:37 PM
If Swartzwelder's involved, I'm happy.
As long as he isn't smoking whatever he was smoking when he wrote 'Kill the alligator and run' and 'Simpson Safari'.
The Simspsons Movie Director AnnouncedThe Simpsons Movie is coming in July of 07, we all know that by know, but according to the good folks over at AICN, the director and writers from the project are already in place as well (I suppose they'd have to be at this point if the film is coming out in a year).
Here's what they had to say:
THE SIMPSONS MOVIE is written by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean, Brian Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder, and Jon Vitti. In related news, Reuters is reporting that David Silverman, co-director of Pixar's MONSTERS, INC., director of many SIMPSONS episodes (and now the series' "supervising director") is helming the movie.
handy refence for best or best-known episode(s) (from imdb)
Matt Groening - Colonel Homer, Some Enchanted Evening
James L. Brooks - technically none
Al Jean - 'Round Springfield, Lisa's Pony, The Way We Was
Brian Scully - Sunday, Cruddy Sunday, Lost Our Lisa
Ian Maxtone-Graham - The Trouble With Trillions, The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson
George Meyer - Bart vs. Thanksgiving, Homer the Heretic
David Mirkin - Deep Space Homer
Mike Reiss - 'Round Springfield, Lisa's Pony, The Way We Was
Matt Selman - Simpsons Bible Stories, They Saved Lisa's Brain
John Swartzwelder - Bart's Comet, Bart Gets an Elephant, Itchy and Scratchyland
Jon Vitti - Mr. Plow, Cape Feare
David Silverman - Homie The Clown, The Way We Was, Mother Simpson
several aren't writing like they used to (eg. Swartwelder), but if the imdb credits are right, some have been brought out of Simpsons retirement (eg. Mirkin).
Quote from: MacGuffin on April 05, 2006, 05:49:22 PM
[THE SIMPSONS MOVIE is written by Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Al Jean, Brian Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder, and Jon Vitti. In related news, Reuters is reporting that David Silverman, co-director of Pixar's MONSTERS, INC., director of many SIMPSONS episodes (and now the series' "supervising director") is helming the movie.
in the original simpsons movie thread, found here (http://xixax.com/index.php?topic=1482.0) i speculated about returning writers..
Quote from: Pubrick on February 10, 2004, 04:07:07 AM
Quote from: MacGuffinAl and I and five other veteran writers of the show are currently writing "The Simpsons" movie.
if i knew the other 5 writers we could deduce a basic plot or at the very least, an idea. Al Jean and Mike Reiss are a fairly solid pair, so it looks promising. the last thing they did together was the Shary Bobbins episode in season 8. but jean's solo contribution since season 12 has been :yabbse-undecided:
it looks like shoe-ins for the other spots would hav to meet the criteria of being around in the good ole days, and to hav returned/still be interested in the show..
- John Swartzwelder is the obvious choice,. if he's not involved at a major level something is wrong.
- jon vitti, seasoned veteran of classics like Mr Plow, Cape Feare, and Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily.. recently returned to contribute sum of the most decent episodes of season 14. he could be in.
- sam simon used to collaborate with jean and reiss.
- David X. Cohen.
my wishlist for the others would have to include Greg Daniels & Dan McGrath, who are responsible for 5 of the best high-concept episodes in the show's history (Bart Sells His Soul, Treehouse of Horror V - Time & Punishment, Homer Bad Man, Lisa's Wedding (!!!), etc). but they hav been uninvolved for a long time, so nuts to that idea. more likely would be..
Ken Keeler, one of the most consistently great writers they've ever had and he could return after having done such a great job on Futurama in such episodes as:
- Godfellas, pure genius, we learn that "when God does something right, u won't be sure he's done anything at all".
- Time Keeps on Slipping, time.. keeps on slipping.
- The Devils Hands are Idle Playthings, series finale.
and his simps work is among the best of all time
- A Star is Burns, the film festival and Critic crossover episode
- El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer, mexican chilli and johnny cash as coyote.
- Two Bad Neighbours, george bush sr. moves in across the road.
anyway, along with Jim Reardon to direct, if these ppl came together the movie could not fail.. expect zany new characters, and pray for a return to form. yep i've thought about this before. and i'm excited.
i'm glad at least a couple of my dream team are onboard. silverman is a good director.. i still hope for the best.
Simpsons movie clip 1 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zxeYJQsDZ6A&search=comic%20con%20simpsons)
Simpsons movie clip 2 (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4clg4sXUnoA&search=comic%20con)
From comicon
this isn't going to be the final golden episode.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimages.apple.com%2Fmoviesxml%2Fs%2Ffox%2Fposters%2Fthesimpsonsmovie_l200611101903.jpg&hash=ba9220517f1f934e94c951b8ed444eb35dfcd621)
New Trailer here. (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thesimpsonsmovie/trailer/)
BOOOO!!!
(urns)
the evolution of shitty simpsons began with sort of dumb stories, then came bad dialogue, then horrible jokes, and now crappy physics (and minute-long couch gags).
Quote from: MacGuffin on November 12, 2006, 08:55:25 PM
New Trailer here. (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thesimpsonsmovie/trailer/)
that wasn't so bad after the title.
i would like to think they are acknowledging how hard it's gonna be to make a decent film. in that sense the gag becomes a brutal understatement.
not funny
i was hoping this would redeem 7 years of shit, oh well.
While I didn't really like that trailer either, I think it's hilarious how EVERYONE is now all "OH CRAP! The movie's gonna suck!" based on nothing.
This is still a teaser (one with a bad gag) and contains no scenes from the movie.. the movie could still be good.
Quote from: RegularKarate on November 13, 2006, 01:37:46 PM
the movie could still be good.
"It's just a little airborne, its still good, its still good!"
"It's gone."
Given the last 9 years of The Simpsons, I have very little faith that the movie will be any better.
Quote from: Ravi on November 13, 2006, 01:52:07 PM
"It's just a little airborne, its still good, its still good!"
"It's gone."
Given the last 9 years of The Simpsons, I have very little faith that the movie will be any better.
I was thinking of that exact quote when I wrote that.
anyway... the recent Simpsons episodes are lazy... the people who still watch it just do it because "oh, it's Sunday, time to watch Simpsons"... nobody ever says it's good and I doubt they would actually pay to go see a Simpsons movie because it's not a part of thier routine to go out to the theater to see the Simpsons so the writers will have to actually make an effort to make the movie good enough for people to want to see it.
I don't have that much faith in the movie being good either, but I still think it will at least be better than the recent episodes (which I've actually finally stopped watching... it's like watching an ex-fiance doped up, dancing at a cheap strip-club)
Quote from: RegularKarate on November 13, 2006, 02:07:48 PM
I still think it will at least be better than the recent episodes (which I've actually finally stopped watching... it's like watching an ex-fiance doped up, dancing at a cheap strip-club)
I try to watch the Halloween episodes, which allow more room for the crazy stuff, even if they aren't as good as previous Halloween episodes. And I usually catch one or two episodes a season.
Fox, please bring back the quality of the Sunday night block of Simpsons/In Living Color/Married...With Children. Simpsons/Family Guy/American Dad/War at Home just ain't cuttin' it.
Quote from: RegularKarate on November 13, 2006, 02:07:48 PM
it's like watching an ex-fiance doped up, dancing at a cheap strip-club)
Stay out of my diary.
But yeah, the very fact that they're even making a Simpsons movie now is just the last little flail of desperation before the whole thing finally drowns in the sink. It's like an unhappy couple that should've gotten divorced years ago trying to save their marriage by having a kid. A few years down the road the relationship will still be in the shitter, and now you've got this ugly, disappointing child that nobody wants or loves as a permanent memento of your unhappiness.
Another Teaser here (http://www.foxfilm.at/trailer/simpsonstrailerII.wmv) (in Windows Media)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fmyspace-497.vo.llnwd.net%2F00584%2F79%2F43%2F584313497_l.gif&hash=051dea85159d148f46cb993d9ae2477d95c0a3f7)
The beauty tragedy beauty of these trailers is that I'm not missing anything because my work computer doesn't have speakers.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.calendarlive.com%2Fmedia%2Fphoto%2F2007-01%2F27343893.jpg&hash=1cfd6c5a51bc027defd5b9b8d44f0be312c717ae)
Yellow but not mellow
Pretty much all we know about 'The Simpsons Movie' is: It'll be funny.
Source: Los Angeles Times
NOT even threats of visits by Sideshow Bob or Fat Tony and the boys could wheedle many details of the upcoming "The Simpsons Movie" out of the series' powers that be. Fans can only speculate on what kind of treatment it will get — there's the bloated, inflated episode route (think "Star Trek: The Motion Picture") or the movie as extension of the series option ("The X-Files").
Specifics remain as closely guarded as the identity of the state in which Springfield is located. (Geography enthusiasts: the city has a gorge, an ocean port, a volcano and a desert.) "I can't really tell you much," said director David Silverman, "other than the Simpsons will be in it. Springfield will be in it; it's not being shot in Vancouver. Very few animals were hurt in the shooting of this film ... a couple."
Speaking from their sanctum sanctorum (an unremarkable writers' room with a poster of dozens of the show's characters on the wall) on the 20th Century Fox lot, executive producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening and Al Jean vacillated between stoking expectations and throwing them in with the kindling.
"We're doing things we never could have done on the series," said Brooks, who won his 19th Emmy last year. "Obviously, there's that much more manpower brought into it, and hopefully we're telling a story that requires this length."
"Pixar movies are so good," said Jean, "we want to live up to that too."
"No, we're not going to look as good," Brooks hastily added with a laugh. "Don't go away thinking that!"
Although all three stressed the importance of a strong emotional component, they made clear that their intentions were still sufficiently low-falutin.
"We want to make people laugh," said "Simpsons" creator Groening. "Not that it's a role model in content, but the 'South Park' movie was proof that you could do a movie that didn't have the greatest animation but was really funny from beginning to end."
The notion of a big-screen version of America's longest-running sitcom has been around since at least its third season. But because of the talent drain caused by Hollywood's animation boom and the insistence of the show's brain trust on complete control, it wasn't until a couple of years ago that the idea gained any real traction. The show has generated billions of dollars in revenue and has become culturally iconic, to the horror of some — former President George H.W. Bush once said, "We're going to keep trying to strengthen the American family, to make them more like 'The Waltons' and less like 'The Simpsons.' "
The film's release, scheduled for summer, will roughly coincide with the TV show's 400th episode and the 20th anniversary of America's favorite insanely dysfunctional family's debut on "The Tracey Ullman Show." (The show's run "is beyond my wildest dreams. And I have really wild dreams," Groening says.)
The honor and burden of directing the highly anticipated film version falls to Silverman, whose credits include some of the "Ullman" shorts and the series' first episodes as well Pixar's "Monsters, Inc."
Since Silverman was one of the only experienced animators at the show's inception, Groening said he "invented a lot of the rules on how to draw the characters. Like Bart has, I don't even know, 13 spikes or 11 spikes? And Marge's hairdo is nine eyeballs tall."
From the movie's production hub at Film Roman in Burbank, the wild-eyed, enthusiastic Silverman lacked only a lab coat and soda-bottle glasses to complete the mad-scientist persona.
"I thought it should be basically Panavision as opposed to American widescreen," he said. "If you're going to go from roughly a square format to a feature, let's really go for it, let's go for it as wide as possible."
The director also highlighted that, although the look would still be identifiably Simpsons, small additions like tone shadows would provide new dimension for these "big yellow characters."
It may just be compression madness from the upcoming deadline — culminating a year of physical production as opposed to six months for a single TV episode — but they seem almost giddy at the challenge of meeting fan expectations.
"People have had a lot of dreams of what this might be, over 18 years," said Jean in an unconvincing deadpan, "and I think it will match or exceed all of them."
"I'm not sure we can live up to our secrecy," said Brooks.
"I think it'll be a cultural experience somewhere between 'Sgt. Pepper's,' the record, and 'Sgt. Pepper's,' the movie," said Jean.
Quote from: MacGuffin on January 13, 2007, 11:25:04 AM
"I think it'll be a cultural experience somewhere between 'Sgt. Pepper's,' the record, and 'Sgt. Pepper's,' the movie," said Jean.[/size]
The show pre-1997ish is Sgt. Pepper's the album and the movie is Sgt. Pepper's the movie.
I had a dream last night that I saw this and it was basically a feature length version of '33 Short Films About Springfield.' The Simpsons themselves were hardly in it at all. I was disappointed by it at first, but gradually grew to really love it for its unconvential approach, and for the fact that Homer didn't spend the entire movie hurting himself. Then I woke up.
New Trailer here. (http://www.apple.com/trailers/fox/thesimpsonsmovie/trailer3_large.html)
this made me excited for the idea of a good movie about the simpsons that uses a bigger story/screen/score. even though it's not going to happen.
i noticed in the first teaser and more in this one, that's a lot of 3D for a supposedly non-3D film. it's Futurama level of 3D. which is ok but they should stop lying to themselves.
From MTV:
It can be hard to get noticed amid the hustle and bustle of a red carpet — just ask Minnie Driver. "I'm in 'The Simpsons Movie'!" the Oscar-nominated actress piped up, noticing the attention given to "Dark Knight" villain Aaron Eckhart at the Independent Spirit Awards. "That trumps Batman! 'The Simpsons' is the funniest movie you will ever see." Reluctant to let plot points slip because, she said, "I could tell you about it, and then I'd literally get shot by ['Simpsons' creator] Matt Groening," Driver nevertheless revealed she'll be playing "a patronizing grievance counselor in one hilarious scene." The Simpsons memorably visited family psychiatrist Dr. Marvin Munroe in an early episode, but Driver said her character isn't nearly as supportive. "It's grown into [this]: 'Oh do shut up, Homer. Nothing's really that bad,' " the "Good Will Hunting" star divulged. The 37-year-old actress said working with the "Simpsons" team was the "the funniest afternoon" of her career. "There was maybe 12 or 13 writers in the room, and they've got funny down to a science," Driver said. "They just tell you where the cadence is that makes the line not funny. They're brilliant." "The Simpsons Movie" opens July 27.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.calendarlive.com%2Fmedia%2Fphoto%2F2007-01%2F27343893.jpg&hash=1cfd6c5a51bc027defd5b9b8d44f0be312c717ae)
Oh, how I wish that picture was true.
Simpsons' Spanish Voices Angry With Film
Mexican voice-over actors who have dubbed "The Simpsons" TV series into Spanish for 15 years are threatening to boycott the cartoon's upcoming movie if they are not hired to dub it.
Gabriel Chavez, the voice of Homer Simpson's boss Mr. Burns, told the Mexican newspaper El Universal that his union's voice-over actors were told they could work on "The Simpsons Movie" to be released worldwide this summer as a condition to the end of their strike in 2005.
"Gentlemen keep their word," Chavez told the newspaper.
He said that if Mexico's National Actors Association is not allowed to dub the film into Spanish, "there will be a boycott across Latin America of the film."
Chavez did not immediately return phone calls to The Associated Press seeking comment.
In 2005, the union went on strike to demand the series only hire its voice-over actors.
Officials at Gracie Films, which produces the series, and 20th Century Fox in Mexico, which distributes the program, could not immediately be reached for comment.
The prime-time animated series created by Matt Groening is now in its 18th season.
New International Trailer here. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H8s8ZWTYxC4)
Biker-Boy Goes For A Ride With THE SIMPSONS MOVIE!!
Source: AICN
Merrick again...
We can keep this intro short & sweet.
Biker-Boy was gracious enough to send in this rteview of an unfinished version of THE SIMPSONS MOVIE.
When reading this, it's critical to keep in mind that the edit Biker-Boy is talking about in his write-up is still far from complete - it's very much a "work in progress" with only partial animation & is still in need of many other tweaks (like Hans Zimmer's score - Zimmer doing this filml still seems weird to me).
With this in mind...here's Biker Boy with his positive review. Is this one giganto episode of the series? An ADD hodge podge of gags and bits thrown against a big screen to see what sticks? OR, do they actually have a pretty cool movie on their hands? Read on to see what BB thinks...
Last week I was invited to see a special preview screening of The Simpsons Movie at a theatre in Portland in Oregon . I've been keeping a close eye on your site since then, and I can't believe no one else who was there has popped up here with a review, so I thought I would be the first. We were assured that we were the first in the world to see it, so this should be the first feedback for the movie as a whole. Makes me so proud.
Firstly, why Portland of all places for a world's first preview, you may ask ? Well, the reason is because of Mr. Groening himself. He went to the University of Oregon , and based the town the Simpsons live in on Portland itself, naming it after Springfield , Oregon which is a couple of hours south of the city. All this seemingly supported by the fact that the preview was held in Portland , but also that Mr. Groening (and I'm pretty damn sure James L. Brooks) attended the screening.
The film in its current form is massively unfinished; with I would guess around 30% of the film in the final hi-def, super sharp animation. The rest was divided between hand drawn storyboards, and low res, choppy colour animation. The voice soundtrack was complete, but the musical score wasn't.
All this probably means that, even if unchanged, the final print will maintain it's pacing, excitement and charm a little better than the version we saw, as 2 or 3 hand drawn storyboards don't quite manage to convey all of the things which makes The Simpsons so special. We did get a pretty good idea of what to expect though, and where the film makers are going with this big screen version.
I'd like to say at this point that I am a pretty big Simpsons fan. I've been almost consistently watching since the first episode, and while I agree with the consensus opinion (that the show has dropped off in quality a little in recent years) there is not an episode of The Simpsons which isn't worth half an hour of my life. I believe that The Simpsons is one of, if not the most significant comedy of my lifetime, spanning genres, comedy styles and age groups. So while I am not an obsessive fan boy, I do recognise and appreciate it's greatness.
So what did I, a Simpsons appreciator of long standing, think of the movie ? It's excellent. Is it mind blowingly awesome ? No, not quite. Almost, but not quite. At least not in it's current form.
In deference to the multi-page non-disclosure agreement I was forced to sign before being let in (and also of course to keep this free of spoilers), I am going to avoid being too specific in this review, and instead give my overall impressions of the film, so you wont get quotes, descriptions of scenes or anything which I feel might compromise the completion of the filmmaking process. However, I'll still try to make this write-up worthwhile.
The first thing to say is, it's too short. I didn't time it exactly, but the movie is something like an hour and a quarter in length. It's over in a heartbeat. Because (I would guess) of this short running time we come up against the first of the films little problems... Not nearly enough screen time is given to any one of the multitude of surrounding characters. Not one of them. We have the main Simpsons family taking centre stage, and a couple of new characters to be introduced to, but aside from that any of the other people who populate Springfield are reduced to one line (or at least sub-5 second) cameos. I feel they have wasted their best resource by simply omitting them. The trailers assertion that 'the gangs all here' is pretty misleading, since with a couple of exceptions (who get a few short minutes each) we don't get to spend any time with any of the surrounding cast. It's a crying shame.
The easiest way to describe the film is by way of it's three acts. They roughly split up into; the first half hour, the second half hour, and the final quarter hour-ish of climax.
The first half hour of the Simpsons movie is hysterical genius. It's classic. It's old school. It's violent. It's slapstick. It's clever. It's everything you could ever want it to be. There's a gag every couple of seconds (sometimes several going on in the background), and pretty much all of them hit the mark with confidence and accuracy. I haven't laughed so hard in ages (definitely not since Hot Fuzz). Seriously. My head almost fell off.
It's here we see scenes like Homer fixing his roof with Bart from the most recent trailer. It's day to day life stuff, and is The Simpsons at it's best. The 'plot' of this first act reflects back to several classic episodes, and puts the family in situations that are familiar to all of us. Here we do of course meet all our favourite characters (albeit, as I said, too briefly), and get some marvellously funny set pieces.
You might even say that the first act of the Simpsons movie is the Best. Episode. Ever. (sorry).
The second half hour is a problem. Here we are attempting to further the plot, and add some conflict and exposition. It's not that it's bad, just that it isn't really as good. The gag rate drops right off, and (shockingly for such a short movie) it feels a little slow. There's some good moments in there of course, but it just seems to lose it's zap and it's zing. Here we could have done with branching off from the main story line and returning to perhaps some of the supporting characters for some laughs, some fun-poking, and some humour for humour's sake. Padding if you will.
There is one stand out scene in this middle section which is utterly inspired, and where you get to see Bart at his comedy best, but even if I wanted to describe it I couldn't do so and maintain the humour. You'll just have to go see it wontcha?
The final short act, where the climax is played out, and everyone learns a valuable lesson, is exciting, clever and extremely satisfying. It definitely ends well, if a little abruptly. It all wraps up pretty neatly, and the animation here is superb, mixing high quality 2D and 3D to outstanding effect.
To ensure they get a brief mention, the voice acting is typically faultless, and the music was adequate – even though unfinished.
People keep asking me: "so is it any good, or is it just like a longer episode?". I say, if you pick some of the truly classic episodes, then a longer version is exactly what we wanted. What we got feels like they weren't quite sure how to create a 90 minute episode, so they did one episode for comedy, one for plot, and one for the ending. I say we got three episodes back to back, and they all feel slightly different.
Non of this of course means that the movie is bad. It isn't. It's The Simpsons. It's funny, charming, exciting, familiar and is peppered with delightfully loving references to all our favourite events in the Simpsons family history (one in particular will have you whooping with joy in your seat if you're a Simpsons fan).
I'd recommend the movie, yes - in its current state, to anyone who enjoys watching the show, and anyone who enjoys a laugh in general. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and am looking forward to seeing it again.
I just hope, somewhere in the back of my mind, that they read and pay attention to my comment card, and fill out the middle section with some more snap, crackle and pop. If they do, they could have an all time classic on their hands, which sadly the version I saw falls ever so slightly short of.
thank you biker boy and minnie driver, i am surprised and hopeful.
minnie driver surprises me, but this review makes me suspect the worst.
Quote from: MacGuffin on March 27, 2007, 05:02:52 PMthere is not an episode of The Simpsons which isn't worth half an hour of my life.
Quote from: MacGuffin on March 27, 2007, 05:02:52 PMIt's here we see scenes like Homer fixing his roof with Bart from the most recent trailer ... [it's] The Simpsons at it's best.
invalidated.
Quote from: MacGuffin on March 27, 2007, 05:02:52 PMThere's a gag every couple of seconds (sometimes several going on in the background)
the problem with the current simpsons.
picolas speaks true.
and "one good act" is pretty much the case of the current simpsons too. at their best.
'Simpsons' Kwik-E-Marts Might Open In Your Hometown — Squishees And All
7-Elevens might transform into fictional stores in advance of summer flick, according to report.
Source: MTV
Over the course of 18 seasons on "The Simpsons," Apu Nahasapeemapetilon's Kwik-E-Mart has doubled as a purveyor of overpriced goods, a Gas 'N' Gulp, a makeshift cryogenic chamber, a clothing-optional boutique, a meditation center and an impromptu home to actor James Woods ... to name just a few.
It has not, however, ever existed in the corporeal form (though there is a chain of Kuik-E-Marts in Minnesota). That might be about to change.
According to an article published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, a handful of 7-Elevens across the country will become actual Kwik-E-Marts — Apu not included — later this summer, in a promotional tie-in with the much-anticipated "Simpsons Movie," due in theaters July 27.
According to the article, 7-Eleven unveiled the news during a company event held last week at the Greater Richmond Convention Center. Though details remained sketchy, the chain is reportedly planning to convert 11 stores nationwide into Kwik-E's, redoing storefronts to resemble the fictional shop's famous blue, green and white exterior and stocking the shelves with products inspired by the show, including Frosted Krusty O's cereal, Buzz Cola and Squishees.
But not so fast, super-fans ... because while the whole promotion does seem unbelievably cool, it's far from a done deal, according to 7-Eleven spokeswoman Margaret Chabris.
"We've been in talks with a number of studios about certain properties ... and nothing is set in cement just yet," she told MTV News on Wednesday (March 28). "The reporter in that piece saw informational material developed by 7-Eleven's marketing department for our franchises. It was prepared for an internal audience, and I don't have any specifics that I can share at this time."
And she's not kidding. Chabris wouldn't confirm where or when the Kwik-E promotion will take place but did add that 7-Eleven will make an announcement about "something" within the next week.
"From what I've read in the article, it's a very cool idea," she said. "But again, I don't have any information about it that I can share right now."
D'oh!
it would be so awesome if james woods worked in one random location for one day, unannounced.
IT WOULD BE SOOOO AWESOME IF THEY MANUFACTURED DUFF BEER AS A PROMOTION FOR THE MOVIE!
WOW>
http://thesimpsonsmovie.com/
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clearly someone is not impressed with the direction the series is taken, or the length of time it has taken to produce this film.
Quote from: modage on April 20, 2007, 02:53:34 PM
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Marquee please!
Quote from: shnorff on April 19, 2007, 06:54:31 PM
IT WOULD BE SOOOO AWESOME IF THEY MANUFACTURED DUFF BEER AS A PROMOTION FOR THE MOVIE! THIS MOVIE DIDN'T SUCK.
Also, please don't yell.
Quote from: modage on April 20, 2007, 02:53:34 PM
http://thesimpsonsmovie.com/
How did Fox not reserve this domain?
Quote from: Ravi on April 20, 2007, 04:13:29 PM
How did Fox not reserve this domain?
i have no idea. especially since
The Simpsons Movie is the title of the film, fox has www.simpsonsmovie.com but not this. at first i thought the official site had been hacked or something but that is not the case.
Homer's Big-Screen Odyssey
'The Simpsons' is a sitcom legend. Now it's coming to a theater near you.
By Sean Smith; Newsweek
April 20, 2007 issue - To make it on the big screen, you have to give people something spectacular. Something extraordinary. Something like Bart Simpson—full frontal. It happens early in "The Simpsons Movie," when the animated 10-year-old takes a dare from his goofball father, Homer, to skateboard naked through the streets of Springfield. Hidden by plants and picket fences, he whizzes along, past kids, down hills, through traffic lights, until, in one shocking moment, little Bart flashes his little part to the entire world. Which may make this the first Hollywood film to show that kind of skin and to escape an R rating.
In a summer bursting with comedies—including major animated fare "Shrek the Third" and the new Pixar film, "Ratatouille"—"The Simpsons Movie," which opens July 27, is both the least hyped and the most anticipated. Since "The Simpsons" debuted in 1989, it has built a fanatical fan base, earned 23 Emmys and generated more than $2.5 billion in revenue, if you include the never-ending selection of T shirts. Now in its 18th season, "The Simpsons" is the longest-running sitcom in history, and it's broadcast in more than 70 countries. An online poll conducted in 2003 by the BBC declared Homer Simpson "The Greatest American." No. 2: Abraham Lincoln. "Homer is what other countries think America is like," says writer-producer Al Jean, who has been with the show since the beginning. "Voting for Homer was like saying, 'Screw you, America.' It's probably part of our success."
Entire books—and a few doctoral dissertations—have analyzed the significance of "The Simpsons": how the family became blue-collar antidotes to idealized "Ozzie & Harriet" Americana, how the show's swirling of stinging social satire and base physical humor helped it to cross all comedy boundaries. All that's true. But the reason people love these dysfunctional yellow characters—and Homer in particular—may be less academic. "Every time someone creates a Ralph Kramden or an Archie Bunker or a Homer Simpson, it's considered one of the greatest characters on TV," Jean says. "Because that's who people really are. We're a show about a family, a screwed-up family, and that's where most people come from." Amid all the absurdity of "The Simpsons" universe, the writers have made sure to keep the nuclear family at the show's center. Creator Matt Groening credits writer and executive producer James L. Brooks with that. "In the writers' room, Jim is the guy who pitches the heartfelt moment, which is very difficult for a comedy writer to do," Groening says. "Everybody is trying to be the most cynical, the most jaded, and Jim is willing to go for that sweet stuff."
That sweet stuff is at the core of the movie, too, but getting it made took almost as many years as Bart has been in the fourth grade. "This movie has been rewritten more heavily than any human document," Jean says. "The thing we fear most is making a bad movie. It's really daunting, because every fan has a vision of what this movie should be." Although animated shows "South Park" and "Rugrats" have successfully made the transition from TV to film, history is littered with sitcom-to-screen forays (e.g., "Bewitched," "The Brady Bunch Movie") that flopped. "Yeah, it's a risk," Groening says. "But look at all the lousy movies that make huge box office. And I think everyone who worked on this is pretty proud." That said, ratings for the sitcom have dropped recently. Did Groening wait too long to make the movie? Apparently not. " 'The Simpsons' has a loyal cult following, and they're always talking about a movie," says Robert Bucksbaum of Exhibitor Relations, a movie-industry analyst. His box-office estimate: up to $175 million. "You're going to be a little bit surprised by how well this film does."
The idea of making a movie first came up back in 1990, but it always got pushed down the to-do list. Finally, around 2003, Groening and gang got serious about it, but instituted a cone of silence around the project. Although the basic plot has been in place for years, the filmmakers have managed to prevent any details from slipping out. "That's the way it's supposed to be," Brooks says, laughing. "It's always more fun not knowing what's going to happen. That's why first dates are so great." Of course, that silence has been rich soil for rumors, most of them initiated by people working on the film, to throw nosy reporters off track. "One of my favorites was by one of the writers," Groening says. "He said the movie's about Bart losing his virginity." Despite that nude scene, it's not. "It's an epic story, but at the heart it's about the family staying together," Groening says. "And, as anyone could predict, Homer causes a great deal of havoc. We just raised the stakes. He can ruin the planet this time, not just Springfield."
Based on footage shown to NEWSWEEK, the film appears to start with a growing environmental crisis. Then Homer further messes things up—there have been (unsubstantiated) rumors about his storing tons of pig waste in the backyard, which seems about his speed—and a new villain appears, voiced by Albert Brooks. ("Well, I'm not sure I'd call him a 'villain'," says James Brooks. "He functions as someone who wants to bring an end to the world, yeah, but ... ") Also, Lisa may get a green-activist boyfriend. The filmmakers get bonus points for Zeitgeist reading—they did environmentally focused shows and dreamed up the movie's eco-angle years before half of Los Angeles was driving a Prius. "You'll never be out of date talking about the environment," says the film's director, David Silverman, who has been with "The Simpsons" since it was a series of skits on "The Tracey Ullman Show." (He also plays the flaming tuba. No joke.) "It's not, like, 'Wow, the environment's solved! No problems now!' "
And anyway, the movie (like the sitcom) is about something much, much deeper than saving some dumb old planet. It's about being a loser, and still winning—albeit in a consolation-prize kind of way. "It's fun to see a dad trying to hold his family together while indulging in every vice he can, and getting his comeuppance again and again," Groening says. "You can relate to him and feel superior!" Unless this whole movie-star thing goes to his head, of course.
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Inside 'The Simpsons Movie'
Nope, it's not a cruel joke -- we got producers Matt Groening and James L. Brooks to give us the scoop. Go ahead and have a cow, man.
Source: Entertainment Weekly
Forget the gentle creaking of a palm-tree-anchored hammock or the lilting music wafting from an ice cream truck on a 90-degree day. For the first summer in nearly two decades, fans of The Simpsons actually have something to look forward to: the sweet sound of d'oh! On July 27, The Simpsons Movie will be unveiled in theaters around the world, and millions of line-memorizing disciples of the legendary Fox series have been salivating over the prospect of TV's First Family of Animation yukking it up on the big screen. But what exactly are we strapping on drool bibs for? Aside from doling out a few enticing yet cryptic trailers (dogsleds? missiles?), the Simpsons producers have been as closemouthed as Homer in a vegan restaurant. That's why we decided to hit the Fox lot to butter up (mmm, butter) two of the franchise's founding fathers — revered cartoonist Matt Groening and Oscar-studded writer-director-producer James L. Brooks, who joined forces in the mid-'80s and featured the Groening-doodled Simpson clan on The Tracey Ullman Show. Now they have a slightly loftier dream for those mustard-colored misfits: Best. Movie. Ever.
ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY: How concerned were you with making a movie that satisfies die-hards but still appeals to the uninitiated?
MATT GROENING: We're trying to entertain ourselves. We figure that if we can surprise ourselves, we'll surprise the fans. There's certainly some attention paid to the idea of rewarding the die-hard fans for paying attention for all these years. At the same time, we want people who may not be die-hard fans to have a really enjoyable time.
JAMES L. BROOKS: There's nothing where we do really basic exposition on who Homer is. I mean, if you're gonna be surprised that he strangles his son a few minutes in, we're gonna have a rough go with you. [They laugh.]
GROENING: If you're offended by that —
BROOKS: — our work here is done.
Why all the secrecy? What are you hiding?
BROOKS: First of all, what we're calling secrecy is just keeping the work private until you're ready to show it. But it started out as people wanting to know what it was about, and then we were having fun with it, putting out false story lines. We've revealed more with each successive trailer. We'll continue to do that.
GROENING: Even though there are some very misleading things in the trailer.
BROOKS: We saw a trailer the other day, and somebody said 70 percent of the things in it — based on where we were eight weeks ago — are no longer in the movie, because we keep on fooling around.
Can you pretty please give us a plot tease?
GROENING: You'll see anatomy that you may not want to see.
BROOKS: It would ruin it if we said now who in the picture isn't really a woman.
GROENING: It's an epic story that takes advantage of the wide-screen format.
BROOKS: Worst screwup of Homer's life. And the competition was thick. [They laugh.]
Not only are fans used to getting their Simpsons for free in 22-minute installments, the show has more or less covered every story there is to cover in 400 episodes. What challenges did that pose?
BROOKS: Well, we didn't cover what we're covering in the movie. But yeah, much more challenging than we ever thought, harder than we ever imagined.
GROENING: The movie's been a real learning process, because I assumed ''Oh, this is just going to be an epic version of the TV show,'' and it turned out that we had to rethink almost all of our assumptions. It felt very similar to working on the first 13 episodes, when we didn't know exactly what we were doing.... Jim consistently held on to the idea of story and emotion, when the instinct in the room was to write as many jokes as possible.
What took so damn long?
GROENING: Well, there were no hiatuses during which we could say, ''Okay, now's the time we should do the movie.'' We've been working on the show year-round for the last, whatever it's been, 18 years?
BROOKS: We had that key decision where we had an episode, [the season 4 opener] ''Kamp Krusty,'' that we knew could be a movie. But then we said, ''It's a great first episode.'' We've been open to it for a while.
GROENING: It's like running a marathon. Once you start running, you don't want to be one of those people on the sidelines, lying there, gasping.
How intimidating are the massive expectations?
GROENING: It was hard coming up with a title. [Laughs]
BROOKS: In this long process, it took us a year and a half of the hardest work to begin to look like we didn't give a s---, which is what the movie needs. The movie needs a loose feel, and yet we have to have the discipline.
You assembled an all-star team of current and former Simpsons producers and writers, as well as longtime director David Silverman, to work on the movie. What was that like?
BROOKS: It was a romantic notion and a good one to begin with: Just gather together anybody who was here at the very beginning or who ran the show.
GROENING: We have a shared vision, but everybody adds different kinds of jokes. And it's not a chorus by any means.
BROOKS: No, we have arguments. And one of the good things about a table is that nothing gets in unless the table laughs.
GROENING: I'm just amazed that we were able to order from the same pizza place for so many weeks.
BROOKS: Occasionally, it was an angry discussion.
GROENING: You're in a room with some of the most creative guys in the world, and they're ordering from the same pizza place every night. Come on!
There are oodles of secondary Simpsons characters, and everyone has a different favorite. How many of them can we expect to see?
BROOKS: We did sit here, looking at that forever. [He points to the famous yellow poster featuring 320 Simpsons characters.] It's impossible to do a crowd scene well in the show, just because of what it takes in animation, and we have memorable crowd scenes in the movie, and that's sort of thrilling for us.
GROENING: We tried to squeeze every character we could into the movie.
BROOKS: There are 94 speaking parts [so far]. And our animals don't speak.
There will be new characters in the movie, right?
BROOKS: At least one. If you count nonhuman, two.
GROENING: There's going to be some payoff after the fact on the series, but it's not going to change the Simpsons universe forever.
You held a test screening in Portland, Ore. How did that go?
GROENING: Big thing is we get to live a little longer. It was a bunch of random people who didn't know they were going to see this movie.
BROOKS: We were all a little paranoid. I think I was hallucinating — everybody looked to me like they were there to beat me up. They looked angry. But then you say, ''Please let them have goodwill leaving,'' and they did. [But] we changed a lot of jokes. We physically changed one character, and we basically rewrote that character and another.
GROENING: We learned that the audience is looking forward to seeing their favorite characters, but we still have to surprise them. It's not just seeing your old favorites come out and wave to the audience.... And we changed some language in the movie, because some people were bugged.
What do you mean by ''bugged''?
GROENING: They said we were going to hell.
Any last advice for those psycho fans in the theater who are quivering as they wait for the lights to dim?
BROOKS: Our fans don't quiver.
GROENING: If you're wearing a Marge Simpson wig, take it off out of courtesy to the other members of the audience.
'Simpsons Movie' Cast Discusses Green Day's Appearance In Film
... and they wouldn't tell us much of anything we didn't already know!
Source: MTV
Here's what we do know about Green Day's cameo in the upcoming "The Simpsons Movie": It's happening.
That was confirmed to MTV News by both the band's label, Reprise, and a spokesperson for 20th Century Fox studios way back in February, when a trailer for the film — which contained a split-second-long scene depicting Green Day performing on a capsizing stage — first hit the Net. However, just what they're performing and what role they play in the film (which is due July 27) was unknown.
Almost three months later, nothing has changed: Neither Reprise nor Fox would provide any further information.
Luckily for us, the cast and crew of "The Simpsons" TV show just happened to be throwing a huge party Tuesday night in Los Angeles, in celebration of seminal show's 400th episode. Surely, we figured, someone there would be able to shed some light on the whole Green Day issue ...
"Green Day is in the movie — I will publicly acknowledge that Green Day are in the movie," "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening laughed. "They're really good sports and I think we both honor them and 'Simpson'-ize them. You can take that however you want. They're really nice guys."
"I know that Moe yells out obnoxious stuff to Green Day while they're performing. That I remember," Hank Azaria — voice of "Simpsons" mixologist Moe Szyslak and about 46 other characters on the show — added. "He yells out stupid stuff to Green Day. [They don't play] at Moe's Tavern. They perform elsewhere in the movie; they're outside. And the whole crowd turns on them."
Thanks guys! And while the information provided by Groening and Azaria is spotty at best, it's positively encyclopedic compared to what we got from a couple of other "Simpson" regulars. Which means that — just like most Green Day fans — we're gonna have to wait until July to find out.
"No, [I wasn't there the day Green Day recorded]. We've had close to 400 celebrity guest stars on our show, and I've only worked with a handful of them because their schedules are really in demand," Nancy Cartwright, the voice of Bart, said. "It takes about four hours to do the record[ing] for our show, and they have to make it so they come in while we're there. If they can't, they [record] them separately."
"I didn't know [Green Day was in the movie] until you told me," Yeardley Smith, who voices Lisa, added. "So there you go. I will really be the last to know. I just hope I get to go to the premiere."
Yep, another trailer here. (http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808405878/video/3117170/standardformat)
i'd love nothing more than to have the simpsons make me laugh again
here's hoping
that trailer was alot funnier than the others
Quote from: ddiggler6280 on June 21, 2007, 12:40:38 PM
i'd love nothing more than to have the simpsons make me laugh again
here's hoping
did you see the season finale? if it's anywhere near as funny as that episode, it'll be great. i hadn't laughed that hard in a long time, simpsons or otherwise.
Quote from: bonanzataz on June 21, 2007, 06:09:53 PM
Quote from: ddiggler6280 on June 21, 2007, 12:40:38 PM
i'd love nothing more than to have the simpsons make me laugh again
here's hoping
did you see the season finale? if it's anywhere near as funny as that episode, it'll be great. i hadn't laughed that hard in a long time, simpsons or otherwise.
it was funny, and so was that trailer. but i don't know, the thought of seeing the simpsons in a big theater still seems like a strange experience to me.
but hey, it worked for south park. so who knows.
The Simpsons Meet Hans Zimmer
Soundtrack to The Simpsons Movie comes courtesy of renowned composer.
The soundtrack to The Simpsons Movie will be hitting stores on July 24th, 2007 with a special Limited Edition of the album being released a week later.
Academy Award winning composer Hans Zimmer has crafted the music for the first full-length feature based on Matt Groening's successful television series. The album will feature Zimmer's take on the music from the series.
"It's such an iconic part of today's culture," says Zimmer. "And I had to try and express the style of The Simpsons without wearing the audience out with too much attitude!"
The album will be made available in two formats. The standard jewel case edition comes out on the 24th. The Limited Edition will be sold on July 31st in a bright pink donut case, complete with multicolored sprinkles, which is supplied in a classic bakery take-out box.
The special Limited Edition was created because, according to Zimmer "We wanted to have some fun and really try to do something that would appeal to the fans and be hard to miss in the record store."
Quote from: Hanz Zimmer
"And I had to try and express the style of The Simpsons without wearing the audience out with too much attitude!"
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7-Elevens become Simpsons 'Kwik-E-Marts'
Over the weekend, 7-Eleven Inc. turned a dozen stores into Kwik-E-Marts, the fictional convenience stores of "The Simpsons" fame, in the latest example of marketers making life imitate art.
Those stores and most of the 6,000-plus other 7-Elevens in North America will sell items that until now existed only on television: Buzz Cola, KrustyO's cereal and Squishees, the slushy drink knockoff of Slurpees.
It's all part of a campaign to hype the July 27 opening of "The Simpsons Movie," the big-screen debut for the long-running television cartoon, which loves to lampoon 7-Eleven as a store that sells all kinds of unhealthy snacks and is run by a man with a thick Indian accent.
For 20th Century Fox Film Corp. and Homer's creators at Gracie Films, the stunt is a cheap way to call attention to their movie, since 7-Eleven is bearing all the costs, which executives of the retail chain put at somewhere in the single millions.
At 7-Eleven, they're hoping it shows the ubiquitous chain has a trait seen in few corporations — the ability to laugh at themselves.
"We thought if you really want to do something different, the idea of actually changing stores into Kwik-E-Marts was over the top but a natural," said Bobbi Merkel, an executive for of 7-Eleven's advertising agency, FreshWorks, a unit of Omnicom Group Inc. "It shows they get the joke."
The monthlong promotion has been rumored a long time — it's hard to keep a secret known by so many suppliers and franchisees — but 7-Eleven managed to keep the locations of the stores quiet until early Sunday morning. That's when the exteriors of 11 U.S. stores and one in Canada were flocked in industrial foam and given new signs to replicate the animated look of Kwik-E-Marts.
The U.S. locations where a 7-Eleven store was transformed into a Kwik-E-Mart are New York City; Chicago; Dallas; Denver; Burbank, Calif.; Los Angeles; Henderson, Nev.; Orlando, Fla.; Mountain View, Calif.; Seattle; and Bladensburg, Md.
The idea grew out of conversations between Fox and 7-Eleven's advertising agency.
"We wanted to make sure the movie stands out as a true cultural event this summer," said Lisa Licht, a marketing vice president at Fox. "It has to stand out from other summer movies and TV shows."
The Fox/7-Eleven deal is an example of a practice called reverse product placement. Instead of just putting products prominently in a movie or TV show, fake goods move from the screen to reality.
In some cases, 7-Eleven has contracted with manufacturers of similar products to make their Kwik-E-Mart counterparts. Malt-O-Meal, the Northfield, Minn., cereal maker, will conjure up a recipe for KrustyO's, for example. In others, existing products will simply be renamed. One flavor of 7-Eleven's own Slurpee will be sold as "WooHoo! Blue Vanilla" Squishee for the month.
Other recent examples of reverse product placement include Bertie Bott's Every Flavor Beans, which spun out of the Harry Potter books and movies, and Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. restaurants, which opened after the movie "Forrest Gump." 7-Eleven has done other movie-themed promotions, including one this spring for the latest Spiderman installment.
After Fox pitched a 7-Eleven tie-in last year, representatives from the studio, the stores, and Gracie Films — including Simpsons creator Matt Groening and executive producer James L. Brooks, met in Los Angeles to kick around ideas. Brooks added one — holding a contest to let one fan be drawn into a future episode of the TV show.
7-Eleven executives loved the idea. They had surveys showing a strong overlap between their customers and fans of the show — both tend to be young and male. It sounded like cash registers ringing.
"They've been looking at Squishees and KrustyO's and Buzz Cola for years and have never been able to put their hands on it," said Merkel, the advertising executive.
But they won't find Duff beer, the brand chugged by Homer Simpson. The movie will be rated PG-13, and selling a Simpson-themed beer "didn't seem to fit," said Rita Bargerhuff, a 7-Eleven marketing executive. "That was a tough call, but we want to make sure it's considered good, responsible fun."
Bargerhuff predicted extra sales to Simpsons fans will more than offset the cost of the promotion and create new customers for the chain. She also said the chain is prepared for crowds and will have extra security and clerks at the Kwik-E-Marts.
The promotion, however, is not risk-free. The proprietor of Kwik-E-Mart is a man named Apu who speaks in a heavy Indian accent. He is based on a manager Groening encountered while shopping at a 7-Eleven in Los Angeles nearly 20 years ago and plays to stereotypes about convenience-store operators and Asian immigrants.
Many of 7-Eleven's franchisees are Indian, company officials say, although they say they don't track exact numbers. Bargerhuff said they were "overwhelmingly positive" after hearing of the Kwik-E-Mart idea, but "it was not a 100 percent endorsement."
"There was definitely a concern of offending people," she said. "But they seemed to understand that 'The Simpsons' makes fun of everybody. The vast majority saw this as a great opportunity."
That's the case for Kumar Assandas, a 28-year-old franchisee whose parents immigrated from India. His store in suburban Las Vegas is one of the temporary Kwik-E-Marts.
"I know it's a stereotype, but it doesn't bother me. Everybody knows it's a joke," Assandas said. "I'm a big Simpsons fan myself, and maybe subconsciously it even inspired me to become a 7-Eleven owner."
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Vt. town named `Simpsons' official home
Maybe it was the pink doughnut. Maybe it was the clever homemade video, or small-town charm. Maybe Homer just figured it was time to go green.
Whatever the reason, this much is true: Tiny Springfield, Vt., beat out 13 other like-named cities Tuesday for the right to host the premiere of "The Simpsons Movie," winning an online poll it wasn't even invited to participate in.
On July 21, the town's 100-seat movie theater will play host to the movie, which opens July 27.
"Vermont wins," read the purple lettering beside the doughnut-chomping patriarch of America's favorite dysfunctional family on "The Simpsons Movie Springfield Challenge" Web site.
"Ninety-three hundred people, and we won," said an exultant Town Manager Bob Forguites. "I think it's pretty neat, myself."
Springfields in Colorado, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, New Jersey, Ohio, Oregon and Tennessee also made bids, submitting videos meant to show how much their cities are like the fictional Springfield in "The Simpsons."
Competition was fierce: Massachusetts got U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy — the inspiration behind the voice of Mayor Quimby on "The Simpsons," to appear in its entry.
"Just think," Kennedy said. "You'll even be able to enjoy some real chowdah."
Vermont's Springfield — which has a bowling alley, a pub, a prison and a nuclear power plant just down the road — wasn't initially part of the contest, but a local Chamber of Commerce executive appealed to movie producer 20th Century Fox and the race was on.
The town submitted a video shot by a 17-year-old volunteer cameraman showing buildings with "Springfield" in them and featuring Homer — played by a Burlington talk-show host — running through town chasing a big, pink, rolling doughnut.
Eventually, a mob chases him into a movie theater.
The video was posted on the contest Web site along with the other entries. By midnight Monday, the deadline, 109,582 votes were cast.
Vermont got 15,367, edging out Springfield, Ill., which drew 14,634.
Florida's Springfield got the lowest vote total, 1,386.
"We're so excited," says Patricia Chaffee, vice president of the Springfield Regional Chamber of Commerce. "We came in at the last minute, and for us to win, we feel like the underdogs, which makes this so big and so great for us."
Gov. Jim Douglas congratulated the town.
"This is an exciting, exhilarating moment for Vermonters," he said. "Perhaps more importantly, it proves there's really nothing a giant doughnut can't do. To all the other Springfields, I say 'Don't have a cow, man.'"
The mayor of Springfield, Illinois, the state's capital city, took the loss like a man, not a cow.
"We knew all along that it would be a tough battle against the other cities who claim a relationship with the television program," said Timothy Davlin. "We in Springfield, Illinois, have enjoyed the notoriety from this exercise and hope that it translates into more people visiting Springfield looking for the Abraham Lincoln sites and the Simpsons."
Springfield, Ore., hoped it had an in because "Simpsons" creator Matt Groening is from Portland, the state's largest city, and many of the show's landmarks are named after streets in Portland. It noted in its video that "the only Springfield Groening passed through on his way to Hollywood was in Oregon."
According to USA Today, which ran the vote on its Web site, the 13 other Springfields that participated will be given small screenings of their own the night before the movie opens nationwide July 27.
Quote from: Garam on July 12, 2007, 06:55:46 PM
Rise and fall of a comic genius
So now we know. Springfield, Vermont, has been named official home of The Simpsons.
It's the kind of stunt that would fit perfectly into the show.
You can almost hear the panic in the voice of The Simpsons' creator Matt Groening.
Once, it was the greatest show on TV.
And it kept on coming, week after week.
Then it all changed.
You can even put a date on it: 1997, in the early episodes of the ninth series, where the head of Bart's school, Principal Skinner, was suddenly, arbitrarily revealed to be an impostor...
This was just the start.
Plots swung sickeningly from one cliche to another.
True, a long-running series has to evolve.
This was change all right, but change as an excuse for idiocy.
And now, off the back of such a catastrophic decline, the movie has arrived.
One thing's for sure.
The residents of Springfield, Vermont, may soon be ruing that giant pink doughnut.
Weird, if you just read the first line of every paragraph you almost don't need to read the whole thing.
Hey P, how valid is that episode for the starting of the downfall of The Simpsons? Which one was the starting point to you? (I ask P for his knowledge on the matter, anybody's opinion is welcome)
in my opinion, thats a fair episode to pick as a turning point.
there were good episodes after that one, but that was the first time i realized the simpsons weren't infallible.
i think the turning point definetly occurs in season 9. and i agree there is still good stuff after it.. (imdb'ing...) i think i would place it at Trash of the Titans. it's totally unreal/not that funny, though the ending is great. the earlier Miracle on Evergreen Terrace has a pretty shoddy premise as well (Bart tells an obvious lie about a burglar, town pitches in to rebuy Xmas) though it's still kinda funny within it.. it might be Miracle depending on your definition of the turn.
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fentertainment.timesonline.co.uk%2Fmultimedia%2Farchive%2F00188%2Fpagans-385_188785a.jpg&hash=1dc35b1bcf2c3472804e91cd73cdb09fd1117078)
Pagans have a cow over Homer
By ONLINE REPORTER
PAGANS have pledged to perform "rain magic" to wash away cartoon character Homer Simpson who was painted next to their famous fertility symbol - the Cerne Abbas giant.
The 17th century chalk outline of the naked, sexually aroused, club-wielding giant is believed by many to be a symbol of ancient spirituality.
Many couples also believe the 180ft giant, which is carved in the hillside above Cerne Abbas, Dorset, is an aid to fertility.
A giant 180ft Homer Simpson brandishing a doughnut was painted next to the well-endowed figure today in a publicity stunt to promote The Simpsons Movie released later this month.
It has been painted with water-based biodegradable paint which will wash away as soon as it rains.
Ann Bryn-Evans, joint Wessex district manager for The Pagan Federation, said: "It's very disrespectful and not at all aesthetically pleasing.
"We were hoping for some dry weather but I think I have changed my mind. We'll be doing some rain magic to bring the rain and wash it away."
She added: "I'm amazed they got permission to do something so ridiculous. It's an area of scientific interest."
She also expressed fears that the painting of Homer, from the animated television series The Simpsons, would cause a mess as it washed away.
During the Second World War, he was disguised to prevent the Germans from using him as an aerial landmark.
Since then he has always been visible, receiving regular grass trimming and a full re-chalking every 25 years.
Business is booming at 'Simpsons' 7-Elevens
"I usually sell 800 hot dogs a week," one owner says. "Now I'm selling about 3,000 a week."
Ever since 20th Century Fox and 7-Eleven teamed up to convert a dozen of its North America stores (including two in the L.A. area) into fictional Kwik-E-Marts as a monthlong promotional tie-in to "The Simpsons Movie," fans have been lining up for real-world versions of the Buzz Cola, KrustyO's and Squishees that previously existed only in the animated series.
"I never thought we were going to do this kind of business," said Swarn Sahni, who owns the 7-Eleven franchise at 1611 W. Olive Ave. in Burbank that will operate as a Kwik-E-Mart through the end of the month (the other local store is at 11143 Venice Blvd. in West Los Angeles). " 'The Simpsons' fans are spending money like crazy."
Sahni said the line outside the store has been near constant and his business has shot up about 300% since putting up the Kwik-E-Mart signage June 30.
Most of that comes from the movie-related merchandise (which is stocked in non-Kwik-E-Mart 7-Elevens as well) -- and more than a few hot dogs. "I usually sell 800 hot dogs a week," Sahni said. "Now I'm selling about 3,000 a week."
As for that most quintessential of Simpson edibles, the doughnut, the Burbank store had sold 57,510 of the Sprinklicious variety in July (they're the ones, as every "Simpsons" fan knows, with the pink icing and multicolored sprinkles), according to a 7-Eleven spokesman.
The doughnuts are only part of the attraction.
The Olive location has become a draw for many of the artists and actors who have worked on "The Simpsons" series or movie, a fact illustrated by the more than 30 character sketches taped in one corner -- the animator's equivalent of posting your head shot at the local dry cleaners.
Maggie Roswell, the Colorado resident who lends her voice to a handful of characters, including Maude Flanders, Sharri Bobbins, Luann van Houten and Helen Lovejoy (whom she plays in the feature film), came to town for Tuesday night's premiereand visited the store. She ended up posing for pictures in the parking lot with fans.
"I signed a little thing that said: 'Maude Flanders had to come to L.A. to actually see the real Kwik-E-Mart,' " she said.
In addition to life-size cutouts of a hot dog-wielding Homer Simpson, Milhouse and Bart cavorting on the roof and Chief Wiggum standing by with a doughnut in one hand and a cup of coffee in the other, there are many smaller, more subtle details.
Although the ATM sign that read "First Bank of Springfield" had been already been stolen, campaign posters for Mayor Quimby remained, as did a "Greetings From Springfield" poster -- complete with a three-eyed fish (a result of the local nuclear power plant). And for anyone who wanders around the side of the store, there is one more bonus:
"Many of the 'Simpsons' artists live in this area," said Sterling Hayman who works for TracyLocke, the Dallas agency that helped bring the Kwik-E-Marts to life. "So during the first week we called Fox and said, 'Hey, we thought of an extra added touch you guys might want to consider.' We wanted to make it appear that Bart has graffitied the side of the building."
Hayman walked around the corner of the building and pointed to the spray-painted words "Skinner stinks" and a caricature of Bart's long-suffering school principal and the tag "El Barto."
"That was done on Day 3," Hayman said. "I heard that someone who had been here several times saw it and was like, 'Wow, the store got tagged last night!' How cool is that?"
It obviously didn't live up to my long-held expectations. The story was kind of shitty, but maybe it only seems shitty because I was much younger when I thought The Simpsons had great stories? That's possible. And there was a lot more movie joking than I would have wanted. But fuck, it was after all The Simpsons, in a theater.
It was a lot better than I thought it was going to be. It doesn't feel too long, which is an accomplishment in and of itself, and it has a few gut busters and a steady stream of minor gags. But why couldn't the villain have been Scorpio?
Well i was completley satisfied. Some big laughs, great gags, and most importantly it never really took itself too seriously (Yes fox even advertises during movies now). The whole spider pig thing (which i prayed was only for the trailer) was actually funny. There were some lame jokes (especially in act 2) But i thought the endeing was great, and I thought Julie Kavner was absolutly fantastic.
The only two problems i had with it were, why did they make it President Schwartzeneger instead of Wolfcastle? Wouldn't had worked either way? It didn't make sense to change the character, did it?
And why was bart drinking whisky? It wasn't funny and was sorta creepy.
But i have to point my thumb way up on this one!
Thank you Simpson movie for doing the thing we were all afraid to do....Kill Greenday
i liked it.
I'm not going to call this film "emotionally honest" or "truthful" like some of the critics are saying. It's a stupid slapstick comedy of nothing but gags.
But I laughed a lot.
you know what, i loved this movie
it doesn't hold a candle to the simpsons in it's prime... but where the simpsons are and what the show had to do to redeem itself, it really worked for me. i'll never watch an episode again, but i can make peace with the show. Perhaps i'm coming off of a high from just seeing it, but i'm totally satisfied.
same here, I actually ended up seeing this twice this weekend and i had just as good a time as the first. I also really enjoyed how it was "hollywood moviealized", it was a nice change of pace.
For me it was just awesome to see this in a BIG screen. I havent watched any episodes of the Simpsons in so long that I was really happy about seeing all these characters again. It was funny, not as funny as some of their very best episodes, but it was good. I wish the villain would have been somebody from the show rather than new, but overall it was good. I also wanted to see a little more of Burns and some other characters who almost didnt show up. The closing credits with Burns and Smithers was great.
Was anybody a little troubled by the few scenes (Bart's genitals, Marge's "Goddamn", Otto's bong) that seemed to purposefully push the limits of the series just because they "could" on the big screen?
Although they did their job earning the pg13 rating, a couple things seemed shoved in their without an afterthought to the series.
i thought bart's weener moment was in good taste, maybe not so much with marge's "goddamn" (i actually don't remember that).
other than a few moments of really blatant satire - and a big "how did they screw that up" with arnold instead of wolfcastle - i thought this was really good. like a lot of people, i haven't watched a new simpsons episode in forever, and it was just really refreshing to see the whole crew again. i'd be surprised if a simpsons fan didn't at least like this, but everyone i was with really loved it. i'm really happy that this didn't stink, and it made me realize that i really need to buy a few of the essential seasons on DVD.
SPOILER
The funniest thing in the entire movie:
Bart talking to his dog: How did you make it?!
Santa's little helper: I did things no dog should do. They will haunt me for the rest of my life.
all i can say is, god bless animation for saving this summer of shit.
i started a simpsons marathon on preparation for this movie. i watched from season three to nine, from friday to yesterday just to be sure i wasn't going to be betrayed by nostalgia. i think i wasn't.
My only complaints about this film, which are minor, are the more pop culture oriented references.
The reference to Grand Theft Auto and Happy Feet. I think those jokes will lose value over time. To a much lesser extent, the Comic Book Guy capturing Grandpa's freak-out with his cell phone camera.
Other than those minimal complaints, this was a great theatrical experience. The first time this summer, or in a few summer's past where a film actually deserved the anticipation it cultivated. Even if it hadn't been as clever, as slight, and as enjoyable as it was... it deserved to be anticipated.
Ultimately, it's just another, larger moneymaker for Fox. Something to show the shareholders and sell merchandise... but at least the film itself compromised nothing for it... even taking jabs at Fox, the oil companies, and Disney along the way.
This, along with Ratatouille and Knocked Up, show that spectacle isn't the only way to succeed in the summer. Transformers, Pirates, and Spiderman 3 could take notes... it's fucking easy to be populist... you can pass off anything and deem it escapism... it's another thing entirely to truly be populist and rewarding.
This wasn't nearly as good as the best episodes but FWIW I thought it was better than most of what I've seen of the past 8 or 9 seasons. I wished some of the other characters had more screen time, though. The film could have used some funny Apu or Patty and Selma or Mr. Burns scenes.
I was saying "Boo-urns."
This was great. So many wonderful moments and litte gas that I didn't see in the first viewing I caught in the second. As a huge simpsons fan, it was good to see that some of the jokes were on par with the earlier seasons on 3-9. I really really loved it.
Browsing Google news today, i came across this. They really couldn't have found a better picture?
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi46.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Ff149%2Fsquints06%2Fdr.nick.jpg&hash=34c8f10db6bcced6e74e3c2fc8b3c1ed6d93660f)
"Goodbye everybody!"
Quote from: john on August 03, 2007, 01:28:24 AM
My only complaints about this film, which are minor, are the more pop culture oriented references.
The reference to Grand Theft Auto and Happy Feet. I think those jokes will lose value over time. To a much lesser extent, the Comic Book Guy capturing Grandpa's freak-out with his cell phone camera.
This is part of what makes Simpsons so important. It is always slightly dated to fit the time, but weaves in themes that are universal so it's not just a one-time joke on the current events. For instance, Troy McClure's fetish with fish in season 7 was a joke on Richard Gere's gerbil incident. If you didn't know, you could still find it funny and if you did know, you were much wiser for it.
DVD Details?
http://rubbercat.net/simpsons/dvd.html
i've never been this excited for a dvd, really.
It was like paying for the TV show. Never been a big Simpsons fan (Futurama >>> Simpsons) so maybe it just wasn't for me, but this was pretty awful.
Real DVD details:
http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7943
IS 'SIMPSONS MOVIE 2' COMING SOON? BART'S BIG CLUE
Source: New York Post
THE new season of "The Simpsons" - its 19th- opens later this month with Bart Simpson writing these tantalizing words on a classroom blackboard: "I will not wait 20 years to make another movie."
Does that mean "The Simpsons Movie 2" is in the works?
Don't hold your breath.
That's the word from Al Jean, executive producer and show runner on "The Simpsons," who admitted in an interview that Bart's scribblings are really just a tease.
"We would only do a sequel if we believed it was a movie that had to be made, just like we did with the first one," Jean said. "We wouldn't want to do it just because the first one was successful, or because we wanted to make money off of a movie. We'd only do it if we had a script that we thought was great [and] there's no script at this point."
"The Simpsons Movie" has grossed more than $175 million in the U.S. and Jean says it's on track to rake in $500 million when overseas grosses are factored in.
For now, he said, producers are focusing on the new season, which premieres Sept. 23.
some people quit while theyre ahead. this simpson thing is still going? imagine a 19th season of Cheers, or MASH... man if i was 10 years old for 20 years id fuckin kill MYSELF.
Quote from: MacGuffin on August 29, 2007, 04:29:03 PM
Real DVD details:
http://tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=7943
Deleted scenes and some promos? That's it? This is coming from Fox, so expect a 2-disc special edition a few months later.