''Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny"'' is a 2020 American animated

short film A short film is any motion picture that is short enough in running time not to be considered a feature film. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of 40 minutes ...

based on the animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...

''. The film features

Maggie Simpson Margaret Evelyn Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and a part of the Simpson family, notably the youngest member. She first appeared on television in the '' Tracey Ullman Show'' sh ...

. It is the first Simpsons short film released after the Disney acquisition of 20th Century Studios (formerly 20th Century Fox). The film premiered on February 29, 2020, attached to advance screenings of the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

Pixar Pixar Animation Studios (commonly known as Pixar () and stylized as P I X A R) is an American computer animation studio known for its critically and commercially successful computer animated feature films. It is based in Emeryville, Californi ...

release '' Onward'', with its general rollout on March 6, 2020. It is the third ''Simpsons'' film made for theatrical release, after ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman (animator), David Silverman and star ...

'' (2007) and ''

The Longest Daycare ''Maggie Simpson in "The Longest Daycare"'' or simply ''The Longest Daycare'', is a 2012 American animated 3D comedy short film based on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. In the film, Maggie Simpson is enrolled at a new daycare fa ...

'' (2012). The short was released on April 10, 2020 on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...

Plot

is taken to a playground by

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret (name), Margaret. Notable Marges include: People *Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist *Marge Anderson (1932� ...

. When another baby goes down the

slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places * Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glees ...

and almost crashes into her, she is saved by a boy named Hudson. Maggie becomes smitten with Hudson, and that's when the two play games together, which Maggie fantasizes as a whirlwind romance. At the end of the day, Maggie gives Hudson her blue bow to remember her by, and that night, she dreams about Hudson in her sleep. The next day,

Homer Homer (; grc, Ὅμηρος , ''Hómēros'') (born ) was a Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Homer is considered one of the ...

looks after Maggie instead of Marge, and decides he takes her to a different park with food trucks. Maggie sees Hudson waiting for her in the adjacent park, and desperately tries to get his attention, but fails when Homer pulls her away before she can. That night, Maggie drowns her sorrows in baby formula and becomes despondent over not being able to see Hudson. The next day, Homer babysits Maggie again. Before he can take her to the same park as the day before, Maggie grabs hold of the car's steering wheel and steers it into the park where she met Hudson. She sees him boarding a train for children and runs across the park to catch up with him. When Hudson sees Maggie trying to catch up with the train, he reaches out to her with her blue bow, but as she grabs her bow, Maggie fails to catch up before the train pulls away out of her reach. Maggie believes Hudson is gone forever, but is unaware that the train (running on a circular closed track) loops around to the station at which it started. Maggie and Hudson reunite on the train engine's cowcatcher, and exchange pacifiers (in lieu of sharing a kiss).

Production

''Playdate with Destiny''s plot was pitched by ''The Simpsons'' writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross as part of the episode of season 31, "

The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby "The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby" is the 18th episode of the thirty-first season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 680th episode overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on April 19, 2020. The epi ...

." They began working on the episode, and executive producer Jim Brooks suggested using the plot for a short instead. After

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., doing business as 21st Century Fox (21CF), was an American multinational mass media corporation that was based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was one of the two companies formed on June 28, 2013, f ...

's purchase by

, the ''Simpsons'' staff sent ''Playdate with Destiny'' to

Bob Iger Robert Allen Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American businessman who is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of The Walt Disney Company. He previously served as the President of ABC Television between 1994 and 1995 and the President and Ch ...

and the Disney staff. According to Al Jean, they asked "Can we please, please go in front of a

movie?" Once approved, they requested to be shown with "something that's compatible"; the staff were "ecstatic" when offered '' Onward''. Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Studios is reflected in the short's introduction, showing a silhouette of

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

before transitioning to

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the American animated sitcom ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Dan Castellaneta and first appeared, along with the rest of his family, in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' short "G ...

holding two donuts. Likewise, the logo for Gracie Films seen at the end of the short replaces one of the patrons with Mickey Mouse.

Release

''Playdate with Destiny'' was first announced to the public on the show's official Instagram on February 27, 2020. It was revealed that the short would be shown in theaters in the United States prior to screenings of the film '' Onward'', starting on March 6, 2020. It was released to the streaming service

on April 10, 2020.

Reception

TBA

Followups

''The Simpsons'' episode "

" has been described as "an extension" and "a sequel," featuring a reappearance of Hudson. A further short film featuring Maggie Simpson titled ''

The Force Awakens from Its Nap ''Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap"'' is an animated short film based on the television series ''The Simpsons''. The short was released on May 4, 2021, on Disney+ in celebration of ''Star Wars'' Day. It is the third short film ...

'' released on Disney+ on May 4, 2021, ''Star Wars'' Day. It is the first of a series of shorts of ''The Simpsons'', crossing over with other franchises on Disney+, throughout 2021.

Notes

References

External links

* {{20th Century Fox Animation 2020 short films 2020 3D films American 3D films American comedy short films American animated short films 2020s English-language films 2020 animated films Films based on television series Animated films based on animated series Films set in the United States 20th Century Studios animated films Film spin-offs The Simpsons short films Disney+ original films 20th Century Animation films Gracie Films films 2020s American animated films 20th Century Studios short films 3D animated short films 2020s animated short films Films directed by David Silverman Films produced by James L. Brooks Films produced by Matt Groening Films scored by James Dooley Films with screenplays by James L. Brooks Films with screenplays by Matt Groening 2020s Disney animated short films