''The Simpsons'' , Balenciaga is a 2021 animated short film based on the television series '' The Simpsons''. The production staff of ''The Simpsons'' collaborated with French luxury fashion house

Balenciaga Balenciaga SA ( ) is a luxury fashion house founded in 1919 by the Spanish designer Cristóbal Balenciaga in San Sebastian, Spain. Balenciaga produces ready-to-wear, footwear, handbags, and accessories and licenses its name and branding to C ...

to produce the film that premiered on October 2, 2021 during Paris Fashion Week. The ten-minute film, directed by David Silverman, parodies the fashion industry and highlights Balenciaga's recent clothing.

Plot

Homer forgets to buy

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� ...

a birthday present, and while looking for ideas finds her sleeping with a

catalog and writes to them, asking if they can send him their cheapest product with the Balenciaga logo on it, or even just a tag. Balenciaga responds by sending him the dress on the cover of the catalog. On Marge's birthday, she is thrilled by the dress, but Homer finds out it costs

€ The euro sign () is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the eurozone and unilaterally adopted by Kosovo and Montenegro. The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. It consists o ...

19,000. Homer and Marge go out for the evening, and Homer tries to stop anything from staining the dress so he can return it. Marge returns the dress with a note saying she'll "always remember those 30 minutes of feeling just a little special." Demna Gvasalia, the creative director of Balenciaga, receives the dress, and after reading Marge's note decides go to Springfield where, after finding the town "style-deprived", tells the townspeople he will fly them to Paris to model Balenciaga's clothing during Paris Fashion Week. (The Simpson family previously visited Paris during Fashion week in "

To Courier with Love "To Courier with Love" is the twentieth episode of the twenty-seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 594th episode of the series overall. It aired in the United States on Fox on May 8, 2016. Plot In th ...

".) In Paris, the show starts with everyone modeling different outfits. The spectators express disapproval at first, but change their tune after Anna Wintour says she enjoys the models. Bart moons the crowd, who are unoffended and moon him back. Lisa is reluctant to model, but decides to participate as "research" and enjoys it. The designers struggle to get Homer into his outfit before they send him onto the catwalk. Marge models a bowed ballgown in the finale of the show, where she is cheered. Following the show, the Springfield townspeople take a boat ride down the

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and Homer sings "La Mer" to Marge. Homer's clothing catches on fire from a cigar and Gvasalia tries to put it out with an expensive bottle of champagne. The fire is put out by covering him with a Balenciaga sheet.

Cast and characters

* Dan Castellaneta as

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 ...

/ Barney Gumble * Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson * Nancy Cartwright as

Bart Simpson Bartholomew JoJo "Bart" Simpson is a fictional character in the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and part of the Simpson family. He is voiced by Nancy Cartwright and first appeared on television in ''The Tracey Ullman Show'' ...

* Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson * Harry Shearer as

Waylon Smithers Waylon Joseph Smithers Jr., usually referred to as Mr. Smithers or simply Smithers, is a recurring fictional character in the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', voiced by Harry Shearer. He first appeared in "Homer's Odyssey", although his voice co ...

* Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak / Comic Book Guy * Chris Edgerly as Demna Gvasalia * Tress MacNeille as Anna Wintour Patty and Selma, Sideshow Mel,

Sideshow Bob Robert Underdunk Terwilliger Jr., PhD, better known as Sideshow Bob, is a recurring character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. He is voiced by Kelsey Grammer and first appeared in the episode " The Telltale Head". Bob is a se ...

, Groundskeeper Willie, Chief Wiggum,

Julio Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: *Julio (given name) *Julio (surname) *Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation albu ...

, Agnes Skinner,

Sherri and Terri The American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' contains a wide range of minor and supporting characters like co-workers, teachers, students, family friends, extended relatives, townspeople, local celebrities, and even animals. The write ...

, and Maggie Simpson also appear as non-speaking models.

Production

After Demna Gvasalia, a longtime fan of ''The Simpsons'', presented the idea to the show's creator Matt Groening in April 2020, the short film was produced in secret for almost a year. The original outline from the ''Simpsons'' writers had Balenciaga holding their fashion show in

Springfield Springfield may refer to: * Springfield (toponym), the place name in general Places and locations Australia * Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast) * Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council) * Springfield, Queenslan ...

, but the location was changed to Paris at Balenciaga's insistence. All of the clothing featured in the short are designs by Balenciaga, with the exception of the fictional dress Marge receives at the beginning. Though Gvasalia was heavily involved with the production, he declined to voice himself. Anna Wintour approved of her likeness being used but declined to voice herself. Director David Silverman said animating the distinct look and movement of fabrics was particularly challenging.

Release

The film premiered at Balenciaga's "Red Carpet Collection" event for their spring 2022 fashion line at the Théâtre du Châtelet during Paris Fashion Week on October 2, 2021. The film was used in place of a traditional catwalk presentation of their clothing, and received a standing ovation. Balenciaga posted the film on their YouTube channel the same day, where it received over five million views in its first week. Balenciaga also released a tie-in ''Simpsons'' clothing collection.

Notes

References

Links

''The Simpsons'' , Balenciaga
on YouTube * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpsons Balenciaga 2020s American animated films 2021 animated films 2021 short films 20th Century Studios short films American animated short films American comedy short films Animated films based on animated series Gracie Films films Films about fashion Films based on television series Films directed by David Silverman Films produced by James L. Brooks Films produced by Matt Groening Films set in Paris The Simpsons short films Promotional films 2020s English-language films