The Simpsons Movie: Difference between revisions
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The film begins with [[Green Day]] performing at a Lake Springfield concert; unfortunately, the town's highly polluted waters destroy the band's barage, killing them. During the funeral, [[Abraham Simpson|Grampa]] suffers from a bizarre seizure, warning the town of a future catastrophe. As [[Marge Simpsons|Marge]] begins to search for clues, [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] falls in love with the environmentally-friendly Colin; together, they convince the town to clean the lake and begin recycling. |
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The film opens with [[Green Day]] playing a concert at Lake Springfield. As they finish their song they try to talk about the environment, angering the audience. Their barge dissolves and sinks, killing them. At the funeral, [[Abraham Simpson|Grampa]] starts acting weird and leads Marge to believe that God is sending them a message warning them about a future catastrophe. [[Lisa Simpson|Lisa]] starts to talk about the environment, with no success until she meets a boy named Colin and they combine their efforts to give a talk called "An Irritating Truth", after which the town decides to clean up the lake. During a series of dares, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] dares [[Bart Simpson|Bart]] to skateboard nude to Krusty Burger, and Bart gets in trouble with Chief Wiggum. Homer and Bart eat at Krusty Burger where [[Ned Flanders]] treats Bart like a son and Homer adopts a pig as a pet. He keeps the pig's “leavings” in an overflowing silo, which horrifies Marge, who tells Homer to dispose of it safely. While waiting in a queue at the dump Homer hears that Lard Lad Donuts has been shut down and that they are giving away free donuts. Homer decides on a quicker means of disposal and dumps the silo into the lake, causing it to become heavily polluted. Flanders and Bart bond during a hike and discover a mutated squirrel, which is captured by the [[Environmental Protection Agency|EPA]] and Russ Cargill, head of the EPA, tells President Schwarzengger that Springfield is so polluted that the government must take drastic action. As a result, Springfield is sealed in a giant glass dome. |
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While visiting Krusty Burger, [[Homer Simpson|Homer]] adopts a pet pig and [[Ned Flanders]] acts as a father figure to [[Bart Simpsons|Bart]]. Homer stores the pig's feces in an overflowing silo, which he soon abandons in the lake. While bonding, Bart and Flanders notice the lake's pollution, including a series of mutated creatures. Russ Cargill, head of the [[Enviornmental Protection Agency]], convinces President Schwarznegger to store Springfield in a giant glass dome, hoping to stop the spread of pollution. The police reveal Homer's involvement in the pollution, provoking the townspeople to attack his home in an angry mob. |
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The police reveal that Homer polluted the lake and an angry mob approaches the Simpson's home. The family escapes through a sink hole, which is then filled by the rubble from the Simpson's house. While on the run Homer proposes that the entire family move to [[Alaska]]. In Springfield, the townspeople go crazy and attempt to break the dome. Russ Cargill tells the President that they can't keep Springfield in this state forever and Cargill asks the President to choose another plan. |
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The Simpsons narrowly escape the mob and flee to [[Alaska]], beginning a new life while the town descends into chaotic anarchy. Cargill convinces Schwarznegger to begin a new plan, planning for Springfield's complete destruction. Marge and the children decide to save Springfield, but Homer refuses; the others abandon him, and after encountering a gifted [[Native American]], Homer decides to return to Springfield. As Homer begins his journey, Cargill kidnaps his family and returns them to Springfield, just as a bomb is lowered into the dome. |
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In Alaska, the family sees an advertisement presented by [[Tom Hanks]] promoting a new [[Grand Canyon]], to be located where Springfield is. Marge and the kids decide that they must save Springfield, but Homer refuses to help the town that tried to kill him. He goes to a local bar and later returns to discover that Marge and the kids have abandoned him. He wanders around and after a visit with a mysterious [[Native American]], Homer has a vision and reaches an epiphany: he cannot survive without others, and must save Springfield and his family. Meanwhile, Marge, Lisa, Maggie and Bart are captured by Cargill and returned to Springfield. Cargill appears and tells the town that they are going to be killed and Springfield completely destroyed. A helicopter arrives and opens a hole at the top of the dome, lowering down a bomb. |
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With Bart's help, Homer rides a motorcycle to the dome's peak and returns the bomb, destroying the dome and saving the town. With Cargill defeated, the town praises Homer, who rides into the sunset with Marge. Springfield is returned to order, and the Simpsons resume their somewhat normal lives. |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
Revision as of 03:14, 28 July 2007
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The Simpsons Movie | |
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File:Simpsons final poster.png The Simpsons Movie poster. | |
Directed by | David Silverman |
Written by | James L. Brooks Matt Groening Al Jean Ian Maxtone-Graham George Meyer David Mirkin Mike Reiss Mike Scully Matt Selman John Swartzwelder Jon Vitti |
Produced by | James L. Brooks Matt Groening Al Jean Mike Scully Richard Sakai |
Starring | Dan Castellaneta Julie Kavner Nancy Cartwright Yeardley Smith Hank Azaria Harry Shearer Tress MacNeille Pamela Hayden Albert Brooks |
Music by | Hans Zimmer |
Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release dates | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Running time | 87 mins[1] |
Country | ![]() |
Language | English |
Budget | $65 million[2] |
The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons, directed by David Silverman. The film was produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully, and Richard Sakai and written by eleven of the television series' most prolific writers: Scully, Jean, Brooks, Groening, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, John Swartzwelder, Jon Vitti, Ian Maxtone-Graham and Matt Selman. It stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille and features Albert Brooks in a prominent guest role, as well as Tom Hanks and Green Day in smaller ones.
After previous attempts to create a film version of The Simpsons had failed due to script length and lack of staff, production began in 2001. Numerous plot ideas were conceived by the writers, with Matt Groening's being developed into the film. The script was re-written one hundred times, continuing even after animation had begun. This meant that "two films' worth" of finished material was cut, including cameos from Isla Fisher, Minnie Driver and Erin Brockovich. Tie-in promotions were made with 7-Eleven, who transformed their stores into Kwik-E-Marts, and other companies such as Burger King. The film premiered in Springfield, Vermont, who had won the right to hold it through a Fox competition.
Plot
The film begins with Green Day performing at a Lake Springfield concert; unfortunately, the town's highly polluted waters destroy the band's barage, killing them. During the funeral, Grampa suffers from a bizarre seizure, warning the town of a future catastrophe. As Marge begins to search for clues, Lisa falls in love with the environmentally-friendly Colin; together, they convince the town to clean the lake and begin recycling.
While visiting Krusty Burger, Homer adopts a pet pig and Ned Flanders acts as a father figure to Bart. Homer stores the pig's feces in an overflowing silo, which he soon abandons in the lake. While bonding, Bart and Flanders notice the lake's pollution, including a series of mutated creatures. Russ Cargill, head of the Enviornmental Protection Agency, convinces President Schwarznegger to store Springfield in a giant glass dome, hoping to stop the spread of pollution. The police reveal Homer's involvement in the pollution, provoking the townspeople to attack his home in an angry mob.
The Simpsons narrowly escape the mob and flee to Alaska, beginning a new life while the town descends into chaotic anarchy. Cargill convinces Schwarznegger to begin a new plan, planning for Springfield's complete destruction. Marge and the children decide to save Springfield, but Homer refuses; the others abandon him, and after encountering a gifted Native American, Homer decides to return to Springfield. As Homer begins his journey, Cargill kidnaps his family and returns them to Springfield, just as a bomb is lowered into the dome.
With Bart's help, Homer rides a motorcycle to the dome's peak and returns the bomb, destroying the dome and saving the town. With Cargill defeated, the town praises Homer, who rides into the sunset with Marge. Springfield is returned to order, and the Simpsons resume their somewhat normal lives.
Production
"We're going to put some fake plots out there, just to make it interesting." |
— James L. Brooks[3] |
The production staff of The Simpsons had entertained the thought of a film since early in the series, but things never came together. Groening felt a feature length film would allow them to increase the scale and animate sequences too complex for a TV series.[4] The season 4 episode "Kamp Krusty" was originally going to be a film, but difficulties were encountered in writing a movie length script, at which point the movie plans were dropped in favor of a season premiere.[5] For a long time the project was held up. There was trouble finding a story that was right for a film, and the crew did not have enough time to complete a film project, as they already worked full time year-round on the show.[6] Groening expressed a wish to make Simpstasia, a parody of Fantasia, which was never produced partly because it would have been too difficult to write a feature-length script.[7] Before his death, Phil Hartman wished to make a live action Troy McClure film, and several of the staff said they would have loved to make it.[8]
The voice cast was finally signed on to do the film in 2001,[9] and work then began on the script.[10] Groening and Brooks invited back Mike Scully and Al Jean (who continued to work as showrunner on the television series) to produce the film with them.[2] They then signed David Silverman, who in anticipation of the project had quit his job at Pixar, to direct.[2] The "strongest possible" writing team was assembled, with many of the writers from the show's early seasons being chosen for the film.[11] David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, George Meyer, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti were selected. Ian Maxtone-Graham and Matt Selman joined later. Brooks, Groening, Scully and Jean also wrote parts of the script.[11] Sam Simon did not return having left the show due to creative differences in 1993, nor did Conan O'Brien, who wanted to work with the Simpsons staff again. O'Brien joked, "Truth be told, I worry that the Simpsons-writing portion of my brain has been destroyed after 14 years of talking to Lindsay Lohan and that guy from One Tree Hill, so maybe it's all for the best."[12] The same went for Brad Bird who "entertained fantasies of asking if [he] could work on the movie", but did not have enough time due to work on Ratatouille.[9] The producers arranged a deal with Fox that meant they could abandon production at any point if "they weren't satisfied with the results."[13]
Work continued on the screenplay from 2003 onwards and did not cease,[13] taking place in the small bungalow where Matt Groening first pitched The Simpsons in 1987.[14] The writers spent six months discussing a plot,[15] and pitched a "half-assed" idea;[14] Al Jean suggested the family rescue manatees, which became the 2005 episode "Bonfire of the Manatees", and there was The Truman Show-esque notion of the characters discovering their lives were a TV show, which Groening rejected as he felt "that the Simpsons never become aware of themselves as celebrities."[9] Groening read about a town that had to get rid of pig feces in their water supply, which inspired the plot of the film.[2] Having eventually decided on the basic outline for the film, the writers then separated it into seven sections. Jean, Scully, Reiss, Swartzwelder, Vitti, Mirkin and Meyer wrote twenty five pages each, with the group meeting one month later to merge the seven sections in to one "very rough draft."[11] The writers wrote the script in a way that they almost always employed when writing the television series, sitting around a table and pitching ideas, trying to make each other laugh.[13] Groening described his desire to also make the film dramatically stronger than a TV episode, as "we wanna really give you something that you haven't seen before. There are moments you actually forget that you're watching a cartoon and that is difficult when you have characters as ugly as the Simpsons."[16] The script went through one hundred revisions.[15]
The film was originally planned for release in summer 2006,[17] but Al Jean stated at San Diego's Comic Con International 2004 that the producers were taking their time, to make sure that the film was perfect.[18] In 2005, Nancy Cartwright told BBC Radio 1 that the cast had done their first table reading,[19] and two more followed.[20] Groening also intended the film to be made after the show ended, "but that intention was undone by good ratings."[20] The producers were initially worried that creating a film would have negative effects on the series, as they did not have enough manpower to focus their attention on both projects. As the series progressed, more writers and animators were hired so that both the show and the film could be produced at the same time.[11] Twentieth Century Fox finally confirmed on April 1 2006 that The Simpsons Movie would be produced for a worldwide release date on July 27 2007.[21] To prevent the leaking of spoilers the film's plot was kept a secret,[22] with the script kept under lock-and-key.[11] In tribute to Return of the Jedi's codename "Blue Harvest", the film was dubbed "Yellow Harvest",[2] which was the name that the film was registered under in the United States Copyright Database.[23] Little information on the plot was released in weeks building up to the film's release. Groening noted, "I can't imagine people look in the TV section of the newspaper and think, 'I'll watch this week's Simpsons because I like the plot.' You just tune in and see what happens."[9]
Casting
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/a/ab/Simpsons_angry_mob.png/200px-Simpsons_angry_mob.png)
As inspiration for the crowd scene in the film, the production staff spent a long time looking at the Simpsons poster that features over 320 of the show's characters.[24] Groening said that they did try to put every single character into the film, with 98 having speaking parts.[2] The series regulars Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer, and semi-regular performers Marcia Wallace, Pamela Hayden and Tress MacNeille reprised their roles.[20] Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony,[25] while Albert Brooks, who supplied many guest voices in episodes, was hired as Russ Cargill,[11] the film's villain.[26] The cast began recording every week from June 2006 onwards,[27] with James L. Brooks directing them for the first time since the television show's early seasons. Castellaneta described the recording sessions as "much more intense" than recording the television series, with them participating in "20 or more" sessions, and more emotionally dramatic than the TV series.[28]
Green Day played themselves in the film.[29] Nancy Cartwright said that she was not there the day Green Day recorded their part, with Yeardley Smith admitting that she did not even know the group appeared in the film until she was told by MTV.[29] Groening called Green Day "really nice guys" and "really good sports", while Hank Azaria as Moe had the chance to "yell out obnoxious stuff" at them.[29] Groening revealed that a "very big star" would feature in a secret cameo role,[30] who was later announced to be Tom Hanks.[31] Minnie Driver recorded the part of a patronizing grievance counselor in a scene that ended up being cut.[32] Driver found recording her part "the funniest afternoon of her career",[33] and was saddened when she was told it was cut, but she was not angry with Brooks or Groening.[32] Isla Fisher and Erin Brockovich also recorded cameos, but were cut as well.[2] Kelsey Grammer also recorded a few lines for Sideshow Bob,[34] but he did not appear in the final cut.[35] Although he does not provide the voice, Arnold Schwarzenegger is President of the United States in the film. He was chosen ahead of the incumbent President George W. Bush as "in two years that'd mean the film [would be] out of date."[15] This idea was met with nervousness, as Brooks noted "[Schwarzenegger's] opinion polls were way down, so were sweating whether he'd make a political comeback, so it was great when he did."[4]
Animation
The film was animated at four different studios around the world: Film Roman in Burbank, CA; Rough Draft Studios in Glendale, CA; AKOM and Rough Draft Korea in Seoul, South Korea. Like the television series, the storyboarding, character and background layout, and animatic part of production was done in America at Film Roman and Rough Draft Studios, with the overseas studios completing the inbetweening and digital ink and paint process.[35] In addition to Silverman's directing, Mike B. Anderson, Lauren MacMullan, Rich Moore, and Steven Dean Moore each directed roughly a quarter of the film. Gregg Vanzo directed the 3D sequences.[35]
Animation for the film began in January 2006.[2] Groening rejected making either a live action or a CGI film,[14] describing the film's animation as being "deliberately imperfect", and "a tribute to the art of hand-drawn animation, which is basically disappearing."[36] The film was animated in a wider 2.39:1 aspect ratio than the television series,[11] and colored with the largest palette the animators ever had available to them. Unlike the TV series, the characters have shadows,[13] and the color scheme is larger.[4] David Silverman said that unlike the TV series where "you've got to pick and choose", the film allowed the opportunity to "lavish that attention with every single scene that we do."[13] Silverman and the animators looked to The Incredibles, Triplets of Belleville and Bad Day at Black Rock for inspiration as they were "a great education in staging because of how the characters are placed".[13] They also looked at Dumbo and the Pluto cartoon Pluto's Judgement Day for a dream sequence.[14]
Although most animated films cannot make any changes to the story for budget reasons,[9] The Simpsons Movie crew continued to keep playing with their film even into 2007. James L. Brooks noted, "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."[24] Various new characters were created, who were cut as they didn't contribute much.[9] Further changes were made after a March 2007 preview screening of the film in Portland, Oregon, including the deletion of Kang and Kodos heavily criticizing the film during the end credits.[2] The "Spider-Pig" gag was a late addition, and one scene excised had Homer running away with a barbecue rod impaled in him.[4] A large amount of material, which Groening described as being "probably enough for two more movies", will be included on the film's DVD release.[14] Several elements of the film will be permanently transferred across to the television series.[14]
Music
Hans Zimmer was selected to compose the score for the film, with him composing for Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End at the same time. He told The Hollywood Reporter that he liked "using all his creative juices at once."[37] Zimmer expressed that the score was a "unique challenge", stating "I had to try and express the style of The Simpsons without wearing the audience out with too much attitude."[38] In addition to their appearance in the film, Green Day will record their own version of the theme song of The Simpsons, releasing it as a single.[39]
Themes
"They are big themes, especially the environmental theme, but we always like to approach it from both sides, so later in the film when Lisa's giving a lecture about the pollution, the label of the lecture is An Irritating Truth." |
— Al Jean[40] |
Al Jean described the film's message as being "a man should listen to his wife." In addition, the film parodies the two major contemporary concerns of religion and environmentalism.[41] The environment is present in Homer's polluting of Lake Springfield, Green Day's cameo, and Lisa's ill-fated romance. The villainous Russ Cargill, voiced by Albert Brooks, is head of the EPA.[2] Religion is focused on in Marge's spiritual journey and Grampa's momentary possession. The agnostic Groening joked the film "posit[s] the existence of a very active God," when asked if it was likely to offend.[41]
Marketing
A teaser trailer for the film was attached to the film Ice Age: The Meltdown from March 31 2006 onwards; the same trailer was then broadcast during the April 2 2006 episode of The Simpsons, "Million Dollar Abie".[42][43] A 1½-minute-long trailer was then shown on November 12 2006, immediately after the second act of The Simpsons episode "G.I. (Annoyed Grunt)".[44] Another 1½-minute trailer appeared on The Sun newspaper's website on December 11 2006.[45] The next trailer was shown during The Simpsons episode "Springfield Up" on February 18 2007, and was made available online shortly afterwards.[46][47] The final theatrical trailer was released through Yahoo! Movies on June 21 2007.[48] In addition, two clips were shown to audiences during a The Simpsons panel at Comic-Con 2006,[49] and another animatic was included on The Simpsons: The Complete Ninth Season DVD boxset.[50]
McFarlane Toys will release a line of action figures based on the film, these include Ned Flanders and Bart looking over a rock at a character that is covered by a "Top Secret Character" logo.[51] The hidden character was later revealed to be Jambalaya, the mutant squirrel.[52] Others include Bart skateboarding naked having been dared by Sherri & Terri, Homer and Spider-Pig, and Itchy & Scratchy in "Presidential Politics". Also a series of "movie mayhem" figures, depicting the family in a movie theater, were released.[53] A video game entitled The Simpsons Game has been announced by EA Games,[54] and it will be released to coincide with the film's DVD release in the fall.[55] EA expects the game to become the highest selling game of the year.[56]
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a9/Kwik-e-mart-7-11.jpg/200px-Kwik-e-mart-7-11.jpg)
Eleven 7-Eleven stores in the United States and one in Canada were transformed into Kwik-E-Marts.[57] These twelve stores, as well as the majority of other North American 7-Elevens will sell "Squishees" (Slurpees in collectors cups), "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's" Cereal, "Pink Movie Donuts", and other Simpsons-themed merchandise.[58][59] The promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the altered 7-Eleven stores.[60] In Dorset an image of Homer was painted next to the Cerne Abbas giant, causing outrage amongst local Pagans who performed "rain magic" to see it be washed away.[61] Homer himself later performed a special animated opening monolouge for the July 24 2007 edition of The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as part of another promotion.[62]
Samsung is due to release a special Simpsons Movie phone,[63] and Microsoft will release a limited edition Simpsons Movie Xbox 360.[64] Ben & Jerry's will release a The Simpsons themed beer and donut flavored ice-cream, entitled "Duff & D'oh-Nuts".[65] Other merchandise that will be released includes a The Simpsons Movie coffee mug and a donut-shaped stress reliever,[66] as well as a badge pack.[67] Online users were presented with the opportunity to download free animated and static content for use within their Windows Live Messenger conversations.[68] Burger King, JetBlue Airways and Vans also have tie-in deals to promote the film.[60] Burger King have produced a line of The Simpsons toy figures that will be given away with children's meals, and will run a series of Simpsons themed television adverts.[60] JetBlue are holding a series of online sweepstakes with the top prize being a trip to the film's Los Angeles premiere, also their plane's inflight entertainment system includes a channel dedicated to The Simpsons.[69] Promotions occurred around the world, including the village of Springfield in Canterbury, New Zealand who were awarded a "giant pink donut" for being named Springfield.[70]
Release
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8f/SimpsonsMarquee.jpg/190px-SimpsonsMarquee.jpg)
The film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "irreverent humor throughout".[71] The rating had been expected by the production staff.[10] However, the British Board of Film Classification passed the film as a PG with no cuts made.[1] A BBFC spokeswoman said of Bart's very brief nude scene that "natural nudity with no sexual content is acceptable in PG films."[72] The film was released worldwide on July 27 2007. The British release was initially moved a day forward to July 26 2007,[73] only to then be moved a further day to July 25 2007.[74]
Fox held a competition between sixteen Springfields across the United States to host the American premiere,[75] with Springfield, Minnesota dropping out on May 31 2007.[76] Each Springfield produced a film, explaining why their town should host the premiere, with the results being decided via a vote on the USA Today website.[77] The winner was announced to be Springfield, Vermont on July 10 2007, who hosted the "yellow carpet" world premiere of the film on July 21 2007.[78] Each of the other fourteen entrants held their own smaller screenings of the film on July 26 2007.[77]
Before its release, the film received a nomination in the category "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet" at the 2007 MTV Movie Awards, but it lost to Transformers.[79] The film's trailer won a Golden Trailer Award in the category "Best Animated/Family Film Trailer" at the 8th Annual Golden Trailer Awards.[80]
Critical reaction
The film currently holds a 88% "Certified Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes,[81], an 8.9 on IMDb, and 82 out of 100 "universal acclaim" at Metacritic.[82] Both The Guardian and The Times gave the film four out of five stars. The Times' James Bone commented, "the film boasts the same sly cultural references and flashes of brilliance that have earned the television series a following that ranges from tots to comparative literature PhDs,"[83] while The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw stated that "The Simpsons movie gives you everything you could possibly want, and maybe it's a victim of its own gargantuan accomplishment. Eighty-five minutes is not long enough to do justice to 17 years of comedy genius. It's still great stuff."[84] Ed Gonzalez praised the film's political message, likening the Itchy & Scratchy cartoon at the beginning to the President Schwarzenegger's situation later on, as well as praising the film's many sight gags.[85] Randy Shulman gave strong praise of the cast who he described as having "elevated their vocal work to a craft that goes way beyond simple line readings," particularly Kavner who "gave what must be the most heartfelt performance ever to find its way into a movie based on an irreverent cartoon".[86]
USA Today movie critic Claudia Puig gave the movie 3-1/2 out of four stars, noting the movie "does warrant a full-length feature, thanks to a clever plot and non-stop irreverent humor", but noted that some fans may "miss seeing their favorite characters, a few regulars are pared down, and others don't show up at all."[87] Lisa Schwarzbaum also praised the voice cast but noted that the "action sequences sometimes falter."[88] Patrick Kolan found that the film was "easily the best stuff to come from the house of Simpson since season 12 or 13" and praised the animation, but commented on the "small and unfunny" appearances of characters such as Comic Book Guy and Seymour Skinner.[89] Kirk Honeycutt of The Hollywood Reporter praised the film's good nature, stating the laughs "come in all sizes", although noting that "little has been gained bringing the Simpsons to the screen."[90] Variety's Brian Lowry called it "clever, irreverent, satirical and outfitted" and that it was "just barely" capable of sustaining a longer plot than a television episode.[91]
Empire reviewer Ian Nathan gave the film two stars, comparing it to New Coke as "it utterly failed."[92] Phil Villarreal noted that there are "too few laugh-worthy moments" and that "instead of stretching to new frontiers, the film rests on the familiar."[93] Sheila Johnston of The Telegraph found that "the overall momentum flags at times" as the film overstretches itself, being "a salvo of comic squibs, some very funny, others limp."[94] Bruce Newman criticized the fleeting appearances of many of the show's secondary characters, finding the film "[not] a disaster, just a disappointment."[95]
References
- ^ a b "The Simpsons Movie". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 2007-07-04.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Dan Snierson. "Homer's Odyssey". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-20.
- ^ Paul Fischer (2004-12-13). "As Good As He Gets". filmmonthly.com. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
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(help) - ^ a b c d Edward Douglas (2007-07-24). "The Creators of The Simpsons Movie!". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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(help) - ^ Groening, Matt; Al Jean, Mark Kirkland, David Silverman (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Kamp Krusty" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
{{cite AV media}}
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(help) - ^ Nathan Rabin (2006-04-26). "Matt Groening interview with The A.V. Club (page 3)". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2007-04-23.
{{cite web}}
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(help) - ^ Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
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(help) - ^ Oakley, Bill (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homerpalooza" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f Olly Richards (2007-05-24). "Homer's Odyssey". Empire. pp. 72–78.
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(help) - ^ a b Scott Bowles (2006-04-02). "Mmmm, popcorn: A 'Simpsons' film in '07". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-04-02.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f g "About the Film". The Simpsons Movie.com. Retrieved 2007-07-14. Click on "About the Film", then on "Production Notes".
- ^ Dan Snierson. "D'Oh!". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-19.
- ^ a b c d e f Dave Itzkoff (2007-05-06). "D'oh! They're Still Tinkering With Homer". The New York Times. Retrieved 2007-05-05.
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(help) - ^ a b c d e f Matt Groening (Summer 2007). "The 12 steps to making a Simpsons movie". Total Film Issue 130. pp. 84–85.
{{cite news}}
:|access-date=
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(help) - ^ a b c d Nick Curtis (2007-07-12). "The Simpsons' big screen test". This is London. Retrieved 2007-07-14.
{{cite news}}
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(help) - ^ Dave West (2007-07-07). "Groening: 'Simpsons Movie' will be emotional". Digital Spy. Retrieved 2007-07-10.
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Shawn Adler; Larry Carroll (2007-02-28). "Movie File: 'Simpsons Movie,' 'Harold & Kumar 2,' Amber Tamblyn & More". MTV. Retrieved 2007-07-07.
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Stephanie Sanchez (2006-05-12). "Interview: Kelsey Grammer On the Beast PLUS Sideshow Bob Is In The Simpsons Movie!". IESB.net. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
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(help) - ^ a b c "Credits". ULOC. Retrieved 2007-07-23.
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(help) - ^ Tamara Conniff (2007-05-10). "'Biker' pirates, Homer keeping Zimmer busy". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-05-12.
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(help) - ^ Mike Collett-White (2007-07-05). "Simpsons movie targets church, environmentalists". Reuters. Retrieved 2007-07-06.
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(help) - ^ "The Simpsons Movie - UK Exclusive Trailer!". The Sun. 2006-12-11. Retrieved 2006-12-12.
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(help) - ^ "The Greater Glory of the SIMPSONS MOVIE Trailer #3 Is Revealed In Glorious Quicktime!". Ain't It Cool News. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
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(help) - ^ "Final Simpsons Movie Trailer Up". Comingsoon.net. 2007-06-21. Retrieved 2007-06-21.
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(help) - ^ Gord Lacey (2006-11-10). "The Simpsons - Season 9 - List of Extras include Sneak Peek at the Movie!". TV Shows on DVD.com. Retrieved 2007-05-08.
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(help) - ^ "Gewinnspiel, Stressball und Trinkbecher". Simpsons Film.de. 2007-06-01. Retrieved 2007-06-09. Template:De icon
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(help) - ^ Brad Brevet (2007-05-30). "Latest MPAA Ratings: #57". Retrieved 2007-05-30.
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(help) - ^ "06/20/2007: "New Simpsons Movie one-sheet"". Animated News. 2007-06-20. Retrieved 2007-06-28.
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(help) - ^ "2007 MTV Movie Awards | Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet". MTV. Retrieved 2007-06-09.
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(help) - ^ "The Simpsons Movie (2007)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
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(help) - ^ Ed Gonzalez (2007-07-27). "The Simpsons Movie". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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(help) - ^ Randy Shulman (2007-07-26). "Homer's Odyssey". Metro Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
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(help) - ^ Lisa Schwarzbaum (2007-07-24). "The Simpsons Movie (2007)". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
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(help) - ^ Patrick Kolan (2007-07-05). "The Simpsons Movie AU Review". IGN. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
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(help) - ^ Kirk Honeycutt (2007-07-25). "The Simpsons Movie". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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(help) - ^ Brian Lowry (2007-07-24). "The Simpsons Movie". Variety. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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(help) - ^ Ian Nathan. "The Simpsons Movie (PG)". Empire. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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(help) - ^ Sheila Johnston (2007-07-25). "Review: Big screen stretching it for Simpsons". The Telegraph. Retrieved 2007-07-25.
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(help) - ^ Bruce Newman (2007-07-25). "Doh! 'Simpsons Movie' is more boohoo than woohoo". San Jose Mercury. Retrieved 2007-07-26.
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(help)
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg/34px-Wikiquote-logo.svg.png)
- The Simpsons Movie Official website
- The Simpsons Movie at IMDb
- The Simpsons Movie at Rotten Tomatoes
- The Simpsons Movie at Metacritic
- The Simpsons Movie at Box Office Mojo
- The Simpsons Movie at Curlie