The Simpsons Movie

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The Simpsons Movie
The Simpsons Movie poster.
Directed byDavid Silverman
Written byJames L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Al Jean
Ian Maxtone-Graham
George Meyer
David Mirkin
Mike Reiss
Mike Scully
Matt Selman
John Swartzwelder
Jon Vitti
Produced byJames L. Brooks
Matt Groening
Al Jean
Mike Scully
Richard Sakai
StarringDan Castellaneta
Julie Kavner
Nancy Cartwright
Yeardley Smith
Hank Azaria
Harry Shearer
Pamela Hayden
Tress MacNeille
Maggie Roswell
Russi Taylor
Albert Brooks
Music byHans Zimmer
Distributed by20th Century Fox
Release dates
Australia United Kingdom Republic of Ireland July 26, 2007
United States Canada July 27, 2007
Country United States
LanguageEnglish

The Simpsons Movie is an upcoming 2007 animated comedy film based on the animated television series The Simpsons. It has been produced by Gracie Films for 20th Century Fox, with animation produced by Film Roman and Rough Draft Studios, and is scheduled to be released worldwide by July 27 2007. The film has been produced by James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully, and Richard Sakai and has been written by eleven of the television series' most prolific writers: Scully, Jean, Brooks, Groening, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder, and Jon Vitti.[1] The film is directed by David Silverman, a former Simpsons supervising director.[1] The film stars the regular television cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille.

Plot

We're going to put some fake plots out there, just to make it interesting.

James L. Brooks[2]

Little information on the plot has been released: Matt 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."[3] Newsweek revealed several plot details based on footage that they were shown. Early on in the film, after he has been dared by Homer, Bart will skateboard through Springfield naked, eventually going full-frontal. The film begins with a growing environmental crisis to which Homer adds. Albert Brooks plays a character attempting to take over the world, and Lisa may get a boyfriend who is a green-activist.[4]

Production

Development

The production staff of The Simpsons had entertained the thought of a film since early in the series, but things never came together. 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 has also expressed a wish to make Simpstasia, a parody of Fantasia. The idea was not done as it was be difficult to write an hour and a half long script.[7] Before his death, Phil Hartman had always wanted to create a live action Troy McClure film, with several of the staff saying that they would have loved to help create it.[8]

File:Simpsons movie animatic 3.png
Marge and Homer look at the silo in their backyard in the animatic included on the season 9 DVD set.

The voice cast was finally signed on to do the film in 2001,[3] and work began on the script.[9] The producers had arranged a deal with Fox, which meant that they could begin writing a film script, but then could abandon it at any point if "they weren't satisfied with the results." Work continued on the screenplay from 2003 onwards and did not cease. James L. Brooks said on the matter that the "fact that we could say no meant that we never had to."[10] Al Jean told Newsweek, that "This movie has been rewritten more heavily than any human document."[4] Numerous plots were considered: Al Jean suggested the family saving manatees, which became the 2005 episode "Bonfire of the Manatees", and there was the The Truman Show-style notion of the characters discovering their lives were a TV show, which Groening rejected due to his rule "that the Simpsons never become aware of themselves as celebrities."[3] 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.[10] Brooks noted that the writing process followed the pattern of "story, story, story and tone and character and emotion and pace."[10]

The film was originally planned for release in summer 2006,[11] 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.[12] In 2005, Nancy Cartwright told BBC Radio 1 that the cast had done their first table reading.[13] It was not until April 1 2006 that Twentieth Century Fox confirmed that The Simpsons was to be made into a feature-length film, to be released July 27 2007.[14]

Animation

An angry mob of townspeople come looking for Homer.

The film is being animated in a wider 2.39:1 aspect ratio, and colored with the largest palette the animators have ever had available to them. The technique of animating the characters to have shadows is used throughout the film.[10] On the subject of animation, David Silverman said that "In any given episode, there will be sequences you really want to lavish your attention on, and you've got to pick and choose" leading him to think that it "would be really great if we could lavish that attention with every single scene [in the film] that we do".[10] As inspiration for the animation, Silverman and his team of animators looked at The Incredibles, Triplets of Belleville and Bad Day at Black Rock, calling them "a great education in staging because of how the characters are placed".[10]

Although most animated films can not make any changes to the story for budget reasons,[3] 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."[15]

Casting

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. Groening said that they did try to put every single character into the film, with 94 having speaking parts.[15] The series regulars Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer and a majority of the show's semi-regular performers Marcia Wallace, Pamela Hayden, Russi Taylor, Tress MacNeille and Maggie Roswell reprised their roles for the film.[1] Kelsey Grammer also returned for Sideshow Bob[16] as did Joe Mantegna for Fat Tony.[17]

Various new characters were also created along the way, who were often written out as they didn't contribute much.[3] Albert Brooks, who has supplied many guest voices in episodes, will be playing the villain,[4] and Isla Fisher will also voice a character.[18] Among those playing themselves are Erin Brockovich,[9] and Green Day,[19] and in an example of the film's ever morphing storyline, Minnie Driver recorded the part of a patronizing grievance counselor in a scene that was cut.[20]

Music

Main article: The Simpsons Movie (soundtrack)

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."[21] 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."[22] In addition to their appearance in the film, Green Day will record their version of the theme song of The Simpsons, releasing it as a single.[23]

Marketing

File:Simpsons teaser trailer.png
Homer Simpson sitting on his couch in a Superman t-shirt and briefs in the 29 second teaser trailer that debuted on March 31 2006.

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".[24][25] In July 2006, two clips of early, black and white, unfinished animatic footage from the film were shown to audiences during a Simpsons panel at Comic-Con 2006,[26] with a third animatic clip being released on the The Simpsons The Complete Ninth Season DVD boxset.[27] 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)".[28] Another 1½-minute trailer appeared on The Sun newspaper's website on December 11 2006.[29] On the February 14 2007, episode of American Idol, footage was shown of the contestants attending a private screening where they were shown an early preview of the first theatrical trailer.[30][31] The same trailer was then shown during The Simpsons episode "Springfield Up" on February 18 2007, and was made available online shortly afterwards.[32][33] A short TV spot was then aired during the episode "You Kent Always Say What You Want".[34] The final theatrical trailer was released through Yahoo! Movies on June 21 2007.[35]

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.[36] The hidden character was later revealed to be a pink squirrel-like creature with fangs and multiple eyes located all around its body.[37] Others include Bart skateboarding naked having been dared by Sherri and Terri, Homer and his pet pig, and Itchy & Scratchy in "Presidential Politics". Also a series of "movie mayhem" figures, depicting the family in a cinema, will be released.[38] A video game entitled The Simpsons Game has been announced by EA Games,[39] and it will be released to coincide with the film's DVD release in the Autumn.[40] EA expects the game to become the highest selling game of the year.[41] Samsung are due to release a special Simpsons Movie phone,[42] and Microsoft will release a limited edition Simpsons Movie Xbox 360.[43] Other merchandise that will be released includes a The Simpsons Movie coffee mug and a donut-shaped stress reliever,[44] as well as a badge pack.[45]. Online users were presented with the opportunity to download free animated and static content for use within their Windows Live Messenger conversations.[46] As a promotion for the film, 7-Eleven stores in Bladensburg, Maryland/Washington DC; Burbank, California; Chicago, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Henderson/Las Vegas, Nevada; Los Angeles, California; Mountain View/San Francisco, California, New York, New York; Orlando/Lake Buena Vista, Florida; Seattle, Washington; and Vancouver/Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada were transformed into Kwik-E-Marts,[47] and will sell "Squishees" (in collectors cups), "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's" Cereal, and other The Simpsons inspired merchandise.[48][49]

Release

The film is rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "irreverent humor throughout".[50] The rating had been expected by the production staff.[9]

Fox is holding a competition between sixteen Springfields across the United States to host the American premiere,[51] with Springfield, Minnesota dropping out on May 31 2007.[52] 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.[53] Two Scottish Springfields have expressed their interest in holding the British premiere of the film.[54] The film is set to open worldwide on July 27 2007, with the UK release date having been moved forward a day to July 26 2007.[55]

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.[56] The film's trailer won a Golden Trailer Award in the category "Best Animated/Family Film Trailer" at the 8th Annual Golden Trailer Awards.[57]

Reception

In Portland, Oregon and later Tempe, Arizona, test screenings of The Simpsons Movie were held. The versions of the film shown included unfinished animation, music, and 3D effects, with the reviews being largely positive.[58][59]

References

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  2. ^ Paul Fischer (2004-12-13). "As Good As He Gets". filmmonthly.com. Retrieved 2007-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  3. ^ a b c d e Olly Richards (2007-05-24). "Homer's Odyssey". Empire. pp. 72–78. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Check date values in: |date= (help)
  4. ^ a b c Smith, Sean (2007-04-21). "Homer's Big-Screen Odyssey". Newsweek. Retrieved 2007-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  5. ^ 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}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  6. ^ Rabin, Nathan (2006-04-26). "Matt Groening interview with The A.V. Club (page 3)". A.V. Club. Retrieved 2007-04-23. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  7. ^ Groening, Matt (2004). The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  8. ^ Oakley, Bill (2006). The Simpsons The Complete Seventh Season DVD commentary for the episode "Homerpalooza" (DVD). 20th Century Fox. {{cite AV media}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  9. ^ a b c Scott Bowles (2006-04-02). "Mmmm, popcorn: A 'Simpsons' film in '07". USA Today. Retrieved 2006-04-02. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
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  17. ^ "Jon Cryer and Lisa Joyner Plan June Wedding/Joe Mantegna Pulls Eclectic String of Roles". creators.com. Retrieved 2007-04-11.
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  19. ^ James Montgomery (2007-05-09). "'Simpsons Movie' Cast Discusses Green Day's Appearance In Film". MTV. Retrieved 2007-05-10. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
  20. ^ Adler, Shawn; Carroll, Larry (2007-05-02). "Movie File: 'Dark Knight,' Christian Bale, 'Simpsons Movie' & More". MTV. Retrieved 2007-05-08. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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See also

External links

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