The Simpson's Movie
   HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the long-running animated sitcom '' The Simpsons''. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman and stars the show's regular cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Tress MacNeille,
Pamela Hayden Pamela Hayden (born November 28, 1953) is an American actress and voice actress, known for providing various voices for the animated television show ''The Simpsons'', such as Milhouse Van Houten. Biography Hayden provides voices for characters ...
,
Karl Wiedergott Karl Wiedergott (born Karl Aloysious Treaton; February 8, 1969) is a German-born American actor. He is noted for his voice work on the sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1998 to 2010, voicing background characters and some celebrities such as John Trav ...
, Marcia Wallace,
Maggie Roswell Maggie Roswell is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series ''The Simpsons'', in which she has played recurring characters ...
,
Russi Taylor Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of Minnie Mouse from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, until his ...
, and Joe Mantegna reprising their roles and
Albert Brooks Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein ; July 22, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's '' Broadcast News'' and was widely praised for his performance as a ...
as the film's main
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
, Russ Cargill, head of the EPA. The film follows
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 ...
, who irresponsibly pollutes the lake 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 ...
, causing the
Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
(EPA) to imprison the town under a giant glass dome. After he and
his family ''His Family'' is a novel by Ernest Poole published in 1917 about the life of a New York widower and his three daughters in the 1910s. It received the first Pulitzer Prize for the Novel in 1918. Plot introduction ''His Family'' tells the story of ...
escape, they ultimately abandon Homer for his selfishness and return to Springfield to prevent the town's demolition by Cargill. Homer works to redeem his folly by returning to Springfield himself in an effort to save it. Although previous attempts to create a ''Simpsons'' film had been made, they failed due to the lack of lengthy script. Eventually in 2001, producers
James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully and
Richard Sakai Richard Sakai (born January 28, 1954) is an American television and film producer. He is best known for his work on the animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'', for which he is one of the original producers. In 1997, Sakai was nominated for an Academy ...
began development on the film and a writing team consisting of Brooks, Groening, Jean, Scully,
Ian Maxtone-Graham Ian Howes Maxtone-Graham is an American television writer and producer. He has formerly written for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1992–1995) and ''The Simpsons'' (1995–2012), as well as serving as a co-executive producer and consulting producer ...
, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman,
John Swartzwelder John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in adv ...
and Jon Vitti were assembled. They conceived numerous plot ideas, with Groening's being the one adapted. The script was rewritten over a hundred times, also continuing after work on the animation began in 2006. Consequently, hours of finished material was cut from the final release, including
cameo roles A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
from Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, Isla Fisher, Edward Norton, and Kelsey Grammer, who would have reprised his role as
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 ...
. Tom Hanks and the members of
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
voice their own animated counterparts in the final cut of the film, while Albert Brooks, a frequent guest performer on the series, provides the voice of its main antagonist, Russ Cargill. Tie-in promotions were made with several companies to promote the film's release, including
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...
and
7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
, the latter of which transformed selected stores into
Kwik-E-Mart The Kwik-E-Mart (spelled "Quick-E-Mart" in " Bart the General") is a convenience store in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It is a parody of American convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Cumberland Farms, and depicts many of t ...
s. The film premiered in Springfield, Vermont on July 21, 2007 and was released theatrically six days later on July 27 by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
across the United States. ''The Simpsons Movie'' received positive reviews and grossed $536.4 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2007, the second-highest-grossing traditionally animated film (behind Walt Disney Animation Studios' '' The Lion King''), and the highest-grossing film based on an animated television series. The film received praise for its humor, emotional weight, and callbacks to early seasons. The film was nominated for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th Golden Globe Awards.


Plot

After finishing a concert at Lake
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 ...
,
Green Day Green Day is an American rock band formed in the East Bay of California in 1987 by lead vocalist and guitarist Billie Joe Armstrong, together with bassist and backing vocalist Mike Dirnt. For most of the band's career, they have been a powe ...
tries to engage the audience in a discussion about the environment. However, the people refuse to listen and the pollution in the lake erodes the band's barge, causing them to drown. During their memorial, Grampa Simpson has a spiritual experience and frantically prophesies that a disaster will befall Springfield, but only
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 ...
takes it seriously. Concerned about the terrible state of the environment, Lisa and her new friend, Colin, hold a seminar and convince the town to clean up the lake. Meanwhile, Homer and Bart go to Krusty Burger, where Homer adopts a pig to save it from being killed by Krusty the Clown. Marge, identifying the pig as a part of Grampa's prophecy, warns Homer to get rid of it, but he refuses. Homer's fawning over the pig makes Bart, now fed up with his father's carelessness, look to their neighbor, Ned Flanders, as a father figure. Homer stores the pig's feces (and his own) in an overflowing silo, disgusting Marge. Homer attempts to dispose of it safely at Marge's request but then learns that Lard Lad Donuts is giving away donuts for free after a failed health inspection. In a rush to get to the giveaway, Homer dumps the silo in the lake, critically polluting it. Moments later, a
squirrel Squirrels are members of the family Sciuridae, a family that includes small or medium-size rodents. The squirrel family includes tree squirrels, ground squirrels (including chipmunks and prairie dogs, among others), and flying squirrels. Squ ...
stumbles into it and becomes severely mutated with many eyes, another part of the prophecy. While bonding on a hike, Bart and Flanders notice the squirrel, which the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) capture. Russ Cargill, head of the EPA, informs president
Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July 30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, film producer, businessman, retired professional bodybuilder and politician who served as the 38th governor of California between 2003 and 2011. ''Time'' ...
on Springfield's pollution crisis and presents him with 5 solutions. As a response, the president, without reading the options, as he believes he was elected to lead, not to read, randomly picks the 3rd option: ordering the EPA to imprison Springfield under a giant glass dome, completely fulfilling the prophecy. When Homer's silo is discovered on live television, all of the townspeople, including Grampa, (except for the Flanders family and Colin) form an angry mob and attempt to
lynch Lynch may refer to: Places Australia * Lynch Island, South Orkney Islands, Antarctica * Lynch Point, Marie Byrd Land, Antarctica * Lynch's Crater, Queensland, Australia England * River Lynch, Hertfordshire * The Lynch, an island in the River ...
them. The family escapes through a sinkhole that Homer covered up with a sandbox, which destroys the house soon after. The family flees to Alaska, where they try to restart their lives. Within 93 days, Springfield completely exhausts its daily supplies and the townspeople lose their sanity while trying to escape from the dome. Cargill, who does not want word of his imprisonment of Springfield to spread, plots to destroy Springfield by tricking the president into ordering its demolition. The Simpsons see a television advertisement, featuring Tom Hanks, for a new
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
on the site of Springfield. Realizing that their hometown is in danger, all of them decide to save it except for Homer, who refuses to help the people who tried to kill them. The family soon abandons Homer for his selfishness, with Marge leaving behind a message about it recorded over their wedding video, causing him to run off in search of them. The family is captured by the EPA and placed back inside the dome. After an encounter with a mysterious
Inuit shaman The Inuit angakkuq (plural: ''angakkuit'', Inuktitut syllabics ᐊᖓᑦᑯᖅ or ᐊᖓᒃᑯᖅ; Inuvialuktun: '; kl, angakkoq, pl. ''angakkut'') is an intellectual and spiritual figure in Inuit culture who corresponds to a medicine man. Ot ...
who saves him from a
polar bear The polar bear (''Ursus maritimus'') is a hypercarnivorous bear whose native range lies largely within the Arctic Circle, encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the largest extant bear specie ...
, Homer has an epiphany about saving the town to save himself. Homer returns home and learns about his family's capture as a helicopter lowers a
time bomb A time bomb (or a timebomb, time-bomb) is a bomb whose detonation is triggered by a timer. The use (or attempted use) of time bombs has been for various purposes including insurance fraud, terrorism, assassination, sabotage and warfare. They ar ...
suspended by a rope through a hole at the top of the dome. Homer enters the dome and descends the rope, knocking the escaping townspeople and the bomb off, inadvertently shortening its countdown. Taking a motorcycle, he rides to the church and reunites with Bart. After reconciling, Bart and Homer use the motorcycle to travel up the side of the dome. Bart throws the bomb through the hole seconds before it detonates, shattering the dome and freeing the town. Later, Cargill confronts the pair with a shotgun and attempts to kill them for foiling his plan. But before he can do so,
Maggie Maggie is a common short form of the name Magdalena, Magnolia, Margaret. Maggie may refer to: People Women * Maggie Adamson, Scottish musician * Maggie Aderin-Pocock (born 1968), British scientist * Maggie Alderson (born 1959), Aust ...
knocks him out by dropping a large rock on his head. As Cargill is fired from his job and sent to prison for his actions, the townspeople decide to forgive Homer and hail him a hero for saving Springfield from destruction. He rides into the sunset with Marge, after which the townspeople restore Springfield to normal. As a symbol of their gratitude, the townspeople also help the Simpsons rebuild their house.


Cast


Production


Development

The production staff had considered a film adaptation of ''The Simpsons'' since early in the series. The show's creator, Matt Groening, felt a feature-length film would allow them to increase the show's scale and animate sequences too complex for the TV series. He intended the film to be made after the show ended, "but that ..was undone by good ratings". There were attempts to adapt the fourth season episode "
Kamp Krusty "Kamp Krusty" is the first episode of the fourth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 24, 1992. During summer vacation, the children of Spri ...
" into a film, but difficulties were encountered in expanding the episode to feature-length. For a long time the project was held up. There was difficulty finding a story that was sufficient for a film, and the crew did not have enough time to complete such a project, as they already worked full-time on the show. Groening also expressed a wish to make ''Simpstasia'', a parody of ''
Fantasia Fantasia International Film Festival (also known as Fantasia-fest, FanTasia, and Fant-Asia) is a film festival that has been based mainly in Montreal since its founding in 1996. Regularly held in July of each year, it is valued by both hardcore ...
''; it was never produced, partly because it would have been too difficult to write a feature-length script. At another point, it was briefly suggested to do an anthology-style '' Treehouse of Horror'' film, but such suggestion was never pursued. Recurring guest performer Phil Hartman had wished to make a live-action film based on his character Troy McClure; several of the show's staff expressed a desire to help create it, and Josh Weinstein proposed to use the plot of the 1996 episode "
A Fish Called Selma "A Fish Called Selma" is the nineteenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on March 24, 1996. The episode features Troy McClure, ...
" for the film, but the project was cancelled following Hartman's death in 1998. The project was officially green-lit by
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
in 1997, and Groening and
James L. Brooks James Lawrence Brooks (born May 9, 1940) is an American director, producer, screenwriter and co-founder of Gracie Films. His television and film work includes ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'', ''Taxi'', ''The Simpsons'', '' Broadcast News'', ''As G ...
were set to produce the film. The voice cast was signed on to do the film in 2001, and work then began on the script. The producers were initially worried that creating a film would have a negative effect on the series, as they did not have enough crew to focus their attention on both projects. As the series progressed, additional writers and animators were hired so that both the show and the film could be produced at the same time. Groening and Brooks invited Mike Scully and Al Jean (who continued to work as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
on the television series) to produce the film with them. They then signed series director David Silverman to direct the film. The "strongest possible" writing team was assembled, with many of the writers from the show's early seasons being chosen. David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, George Meyer,
John Swartzwelder John Joseph Swartzwelder Jr. (born February 8, 1949) is an American comedy writer and novelist, best known for his work on the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. Born in Seattle, Washington, Swartzwelder began his career working in adv ...
, and Jon Vitti were selected.
Ian Maxtone-Graham Ian Howes Maxtone-Graham is an American television writer and producer. He has formerly written for ''Saturday Night Live'' (1992–1995) and ''The Simpsons'' (1995–2012), as well as serving as a co-executive producer and consulting producer ...
and Matt Selman would also join later, and Brooks, Groening, Scully, and Jean also wrote parts of the script. Sam Simon did not return having left the show over creative differences in 1993. Former writer
Conan O'Brien Conan Christopher O'Brien (born April 18, 1963) is an American television host, comedian, writer, and producer. He is best known for having hosted late-night talk shows for almost 28 years, beginning with ''Late Night with Conan O'Brien'' (19 ...
expressed interest in working with the ''Simpsons'' staff again, although he later joked that "I worry that the ''Simpsons''-writing portion of my brain has been destroyed after 14 years of talking to
Lindsay Lohan Lindsay Dee Lohan ( ; born July 2, 1986) is an American actress and singer. Born in New York City and raised on Long Island, Lohan was signed to Ford Models at the age of three. Having appeared as a regular on the television soap opera '' An ...
and that guy from ''
One Tree Hill One Tree Hill may refer to: * "One Tree Hill" (song), a 1987 song by U2 referencing One Tree Hill, New Zealand volcanic peak * ''One Tree Hill'' (TV series), a 2003–2012 American drama series named for the U2 song ** ''One Tree Hill'' (soundtr ...
'', so maybe it's all for the best." The same went for director Brad Bird who said he had "entertained fantasies of asking if ecould work on the movie", but did not have enough time due to work on films like '' The Incredibles'' and '' Ratatouille''. The producers arranged a deal with Fox that would allow them to abandon production of the film at any point if they felt the script was unsatisfactory. Registration required Work continued on the screenplay from late 2003 onwards, taking place in the small bungalow where Matt Groening first pitched ''The Simpsons'' in 1987. The writers spent six months discussing a plot, and each of them offered sketchy ideas. On their first brainstorming session, Scully suggested a story in which
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg (; born December 18, 1946) is an American director, writer, and producer. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, he is the most commercially successful director of all time. Spie ...
(intended to be voiced by Spielberg himself) would try to blow up Springfield so he can shoot a film with Tom Hanks (who ultimately made a guest appearance voicing himself in the finished film). It was also on this same reunion that Groening introduced the idea of Homer adopting a pet pig, inspired by a pig-waste management story he had read in the news. Jean suggested the family rescue manatees, which became the 2005 episode "
The Bonfire of the Manatees "The Bonfire of the Manatees" is the first episode of the seventeenth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on September 11, 2005, making it the first ''S ...
", and there was also a notion similar to that of '' The Truman Show'' where the characters discovered their lives were a TV show. Groening rejected this, as he felt that the Simpsons should "never become aware of themselves as celebrities", but the idea was later used in the video game ''
The Simpsons Game ''The Simpsons Game'' is a 2007 platform game based on the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' made for the Nintendo DS, Wii, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Portable. The game was published, and distributed by Elec ...
''. Groening read about a town that had to get rid of pig feces in their water supply, which inspired the plot of the film. The decision for Flanders to have an important role also came early on, as Jean wished to see Bart wonder what his life would be like if Flanders were his father.
Hank Scorpio "You Only Move Twice" is the second episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 3, 1996. The episode, based on a story idea by Greg D ...
, a character from the 1996 episode " You Only Move Twice", was originally meant to return as the main antagonist, but the staff dropped the idea and created Russ Cargill instead. Having eventually decided on the basic outline of the plot for the film, the writers then separated it into seven sections. Jean, Scully, Reiss, Swartzwelder, Vitti, Mirkin, and Meyer wrote 25 pages each, and the group met one month later to merge the seven sections into one "very rough draft". The film's script was written in the same way as the television series: the writers sitting around a table, pitching ideas, and trying to make each other laugh. The script was rewritten over 100 times, and at one point the film was a musical. However, the songs were continually being shortened and the idea was dropped. Groening described his desire to also make the film dramatically stronger than a TV episode, saying that he wanted to "give you something that you haven't seen before".


Animation

Animation for the film began in January 2006, with the ''
Itchy & Scratchy ''The Itchy & Scratchy Show'' (often shortened as ''Itchy & Scratchy'') is a fictional animated television series featured on ''The Simpsons''. Description The show depicts a blue mouse named Itchy who repeatedly and violently maims or kills a ...
'' short being the first scene to be
storyboard A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
ed. Groening rejected making either a live-action or a CGI film, calling the film's animation "deliberately imperfect" and "a tribute to the art of
hand-drawn animation Traditional animation (or classical animation, cel animation, or hand-drawn animation) is an animation technique in which each frame is drawn by hand. The technique was the dominant form of animation in cinema until computer animation. Pro ...
". The film was produced in a widescreen 2.40:1 aspect ratio, to distinguish it from the look of the television series, and colored with the largest palette the animators ever had available to them. A lot of the animation was produced using Wacom Cintiq tablets, which allowed images to be drawn directly onto a computer monitor to facilitate production. Animation production work was divided among four studios around the world:
Film Roman Film Roman, LLC is an American independent animation studio currently based in Woodland Hills, California and formerly in Burbank. It was previously owned by Starz Inc., which is now a division of Lionsgate, and later by Waterman Entertainment, ...
in
Burbank, California Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
, Rough Draft Studios in
Glendale, California Glendale is a city in the San Fernando Valley and Verdugo Mountains regions of Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, California, United States. At the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census the population was 196,543, up from ...
and Seoul, South Korea, and AKOM, also in Seoul, South Korea, all of whom previously worked on the series. As with the television series, the storyboarding, characters, background layout, and
animatic A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, in the ...
parts of production, were done in America. The overseas studios completed the inbetweening, digital ink and paint, and rendered the animation to tape before being shipped back to the United States. Director David Silverman said that unlike the TV series where "you aveto pick and choose", the film gave them the opportunity to "lavish that attention nevery single scene". The characters have shadows, unlike in the show. Silverman and the animators looked to films such as ''The Incredibles'', '' The 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". They also looked for ideas for a dream sequence, in Disney films such as '' Dumbo'' and the Pluto cartoon ''Pluto's Judgment Day'' and for crowd scenes in ''
It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World ''It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World'' is a 1963 American comedy film produced and directed by Stanley Kramer with a story and screenplay by William Rose and Tania Rose. The film, starring Spencer Tracy with an all-star cast of comedians, is a ...
''. Silverman looked at some of the ''Simpsons'' episodes he had directed, primarily his two favorites, "
Homie the Clown "Homie the Clown" is the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 12, 1995. In the episode, Homer becomes a Krusty ...
" and "
Three Men and a Comic Book "Three Men and a Comic Book" is the twenty-first and penultimate episode of the second season (and the ''de facto'' season finale) of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United S ...
".
Mike B. Anderson Mike B. Anderson, sometimes credited as Mikel B. Anderson, is an American television director who works on ''The Simpsons'' and has directed numerous episodes of the show, and was animated in "The Secret War of Lisa Simpson" as cadet Anderson. W ...
, Lauren MacMullan, Rich Moore and
Steven Dean Moore Steven Dean Moore is an American animation director. His credits include 65 episodes of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and several episodes of the Nickelodeon series ''Rugrats'' (1991–2004). Moore was also one of four sequence ...
each directed the animation for around a quarter of the film under Silverman's supervision, with numerous other animators working on scenes.


Casting

For inspiration for the crowd scenes in the film, the production staff referenced a poster featuring more than 320 ''Simpsons'' characters. Groening said they tried to include every single character in the film, with 98 having speaking parts, and most members of the crowds being previously established characters instead of generic people. The series' regular voice actors: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry Shearer, as well as semi-regular performers Tress MacNeille,
Pamela Hayden Pamela Hayden (born November 28, 1953) is an American actress and voice actress, known for providing various voices for the animated television show ''The Simpsons'', such as Milhouse Van Houten. Biography Hayden provides voices for characters ...
, Marcia Wallace,
Maggie Roswell Maggie Roswell is an American actress, comedian, writer and producer from Los Angeles, California. She is well known for her voice work on the Fox network's animated television series ''The Simpsons'', in which she has played recurring characters ...
,
Russi Taylor Russi Taylor (May 4, 1944 – July 26, 2019) was an American voice actress. She is best remembered as the official voice of Minnie Mouse from 1986 to 2019, and was notably married to voice actor Wayne Allwine, the voice of Mickey Mouse, until his ...
and
Karl Wiedergott Karl Wiedergott (born Karl Aloysious Treaton; February 8, 1969) is a German-born American actor. He is noted for his voice work on the sitcom ''The Simpsons'' from 1998 to 2010, voicing background characters and some celebrities such as John Trav ...
, reprised their roles. Joe Mantegna returned as Fat Tony, while
Albert Brooks Albert Brooks (born Albert Lawrence Einstein ; July 22, 1947) is an American actor and filmmaker. He received an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for 1987's '' Broadcast News'' and was widely praised for his performance as a ...
, who supplied many guest voices in episodes, was cast as the main
antagonist An antagonist is a character in a story who is presented as the chief foe of the protagonist. Etymology The English word antagonist comes from the Greek ἀνταγωνιστής – ''antagonistēs'', "opponent, competitor, villain, enemy, riv ...
Russ Cargill From the main page, go to the Simpsons' house, click on Lisa's book, click on "About the DVD" then on "Production Notes". after he told the staff that he wanted to be part of the film. For "about a week", Brooks was to reprise the role of Hank Scorpio, but when the character was omitted from the film, he ended up voicing Cargill himself. The cast did the first of three table readings in May 2005, and began recording every week from June 2006 until the end of production. James L. Brooks directed them for the first time since the television show's early seasons. Castellaneta found the recording sessions "more intense" than recording the television series and "more emotionally dramatic". Some scenes, such as Marge's video message to Homer, were recorded over one hundred times, leaving the voice cast exhausted. The writers had written the opening concert scene without a specific band in mind. Green Day were cast in that role having requested to guest star in the show. Tom Hanks also appears as himself in the film and accepted the offer after just one phone call. '' Everybody Loves Raymond'' creator
Philip Rosenthal Philip Rosenthal (born January 27, 1960) is an American television writer and producer who is the creator, writer, and executive producer of the CBS sitcom ''Everybody Loves Raymond'' (1996–2005). In recent years, he has presented food and tr ...
provides the voice of the father in the "new
Grand Canyon The Grand Canyon (, yuf-x-yav, Wi:kaʼi:la, , Southern Paiute language: Paxa’uipi, ) is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in Arizona, United States. The Grand Canyon is long, up to wide and attains a depth of over a m ...
" commercial with Hanks. Due to time restraints, several guests who had recorded parts were cut from the film. Minnie Driver recorded the part of a patronizing grievance counselor in a scene that ended up being cut. Edward Norton recorded the part of the man who gets crushed as the dome is implemented, performing a Woody Allen impression. The staff felt the voice was too distracting, so Castellaneta re-recorded Norton's dialogue with a different voice. Isla Fisher and Erin Brockovich also recorded cameos, but their scenes were cut. Kelsey Grammer recorded lines for
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 ...
, who was to appear at several different points, but these scenes were also cut. Johnny Knoxville was also touted as a possible guest star. Although he does not provide the voice, Arnold Schwarzenegger is president of the United States rather than then-President
George W. Bush George Walker Bush (born July 6, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 43rd president of the United States from 2001 to 2009. A member of the Republican Party, Bush family, and son of the 41st president George H. W. Bush, he ...
because, according to Groening, "in two years ... the film
ould be Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد‎ (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames. Notable pe ...
out of date". Brooks was nervous about the idea, noting that " chwarzenegger's opinion polls were way down", and has said that they "were opinghe'd make a political comeback". The animators began by drawing an accurate caricature of Schwarzenegger, but one of the staff instead suggested an altered version of recurring character
Rainier Wolfcastle 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 writ ...
as President. This idea was developed, with the design of Wolfcastle, himself also a caricature of Schwarzenegger, being given more wrinkles under his eyes and a different hairstyle.


Editing

Every aspect of the film was constantly analyzed, with storylines, jokes and characters regularly being rewritten. Although most animated films do not make extensive changes to the film during active production due to budget restrictions, ''The Simpsons Movie'' crew continued to edit their film into 2007, with some edits taking place as late as May, two months before the film was released. James L. Brooks noted, "70 percent of the things in
ne of the trailers NE, Ne or ne may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Neutral Evil, an alignment in the American role-playing game ''Dungeons & Dragons'' * New Edition, an American vocal group * Nicomachean Ethics, a collection of ten books by Greek philosopher ...
based on where we were eight weeks ago—are no longer in the movie." Matt Groening said that enough material for two more films was cut. Various new characters were created, and then cut because they did not contribute enough. Originally Marge was the character who had the prophetic vision in church. The writers however considered this to be too dark and it was changed to Grampa. The role of Lisa's love interest Colin was frequently revised. He was previously named Dexter and Adrien, and his appearance was completely altered. One idea was to have
Milhouse Milhouse Mussolini Van Houten is a recurring character in the Fox animated television series ''The Simpsons'' voiced by Pamela Hayden and created by Matt Groening. Milhouse is Bart Simpson's best friend in Mrs. Krabappel's fourth grade class ...
act as Lisa's love interest, but the writers realized "the audience was not as familiar with islong-standing crush on
isa Isa or ISA may refer to: Places * Isa, Amur Oblast, Russia * Isa, Kagoshima, Japan * Isa, Nigeria * Isa District, Kagoshima, former district in Japan * Isa Town, middle class town located in Bahrain * Mount Isa, Queensland, Australia * Mount Is ...
as
hey had Hey or Hey! may refer to: Music * Hey (band), a Polish rock band Albums * ''Hey'' (Andreas Bourani album) or the title song (see below), 2014 * ''Hey!'' (Julio Iglesias album) or the title song, 1980 * ''Hey!'' (Jullie album) or the title s ...
thought". A
car chase A car chase or vehicle pursuit is the vehicular overland chase of one party by another, involving at least one automobile or other wheeled motor vehicle in pursuit, commonly hot pursuit of suspects by law enforcement. The rise of the automotive ...
in which Homer throws flaming mummies out of a truck at the EPA was replaced with "more emotional and realistic" scenes at the motel and carnival that allowed for a change of pace. The scene of a naked Bart on his skateboard was Matt Groening's idea, who had always wanted to have Bart skateboarding naked, and Mike Scully had the idea of showing Bart's penis for two seconds. Storyboard artist Martin Archer was credited for devising the way to cover Bart's genitals with different things before they are exposed to the viewer. While the crew agreed that the gag would be funny, they wondered it if would mean an R-rating for the film, as they were happy with a PG-13 rating and that the gag was nonsexual and silly. They were ultimately able to get away with the joke because it wasn't live-action nor was it Homer's genitals. Further changes were made after the March 2007 preview screenings of the film in Portland, Oregon and Phoenix, Arizona. This included the deletion of Kang and Kodos heavily criticizing the film during the end credits. A lot of people at the screenings found the original film too coarse, and some of Homer's behavior too unkind, so several scenes were toned down to make him appear nicer. Russ Cargill was redesigned several times, originally appearing as an older man whose speech patterns Albert Brooks based on
Donald Rumsfeld Donald Henry Rumsfeld (July 9, 1932 – June 29, 2021) was an American politician, government official and businessman who served as Secretary of Defense from 1975 to 1977 under president Gerald Ford, and again from 2001 to 2006 under Presi ...
. The older model was the one used by
Burger King Burger King (BK) is an American-based multinational chain store, chain of hamburger fast food restaurants. Headquartered in Miami-Dade County, Florida, the company was founded in 1953 as Insta-Burger King, a Jacksonville, Florida–based res ...
for the action figure. Cargill's scene with Bart and Homer at the film's conclusion was added in to fully resolve his story, and the " Spider-Pig" gag was also a late addition. One excised scene, before the dome is put over Springfield, had
Mr. Burns Charles Montgomery Plantagenet Schicklgruber "Monty" Burns, usually referred to as Mr. Burns, Monty, or C. Montgomery Burns, is a recurring character and the main antagonist of the animated television series ''The Simpsons'', voiced initially by ...
reminding viewers that it was the last point in the film that they could get a refund. Other deletions included Homer's encounter with a sausage truck driver, a scene with Plopper the pig at the end, and a news report, showing the dome's effect on daily life in Springfield in areas such as farming and sports, all of which were featured on the DVD, were cut because they did not fit the overall context of the film. Several musical numbers, at various intervals throughout the film, were cut. These included a song about Alaska, featuring music by Dave Stewart of
Eurythmics Eurythmics were a British pop duo consisting of Annie Lennox and Dave Stewart. They were both previously in The Tourists, a band which broke up in 1980. The duo released their first studio album, '' In the Garden'', in 1981 to little succ ...
. Jean said it "got pretty far along in the animation, and then we got scared that the movie began to drag in that section."


Music

Producer James L. Brooks chose Hans Zimmer to compose the film's score, as they were good friends and regular collaborators. Zimmer felt that the score was a "unique challenge", and he had to "try and express the style of ''The Simpsons'' without wearing the audience out". He used
Danny Elfman Daniel Robert Elfman (born May 29, 1953) is an American film composer, singer and songwriter. He came to prominence as the singer-songwriter for the new wave band Oingo Boingo in the early 1980s. Since the 1990s, Elfman has garnered internation ...
's original opening theme, but did not wish to overuse it. He created themes for each member of the family. Homer's
leitmotif A leitmotif or leitmotiv () is a "short, recurring musical phrase" associated with a particular person, place, or idea. It is closely related to the musical concepts of ''idée fixe'' or ''motto-theme''. The spelling ''leitmotif'' is an anglici ...
was a major focus, and Zimmer also composed smaller themes for Bart and Marge. Regular television series composer
Alf Clausen Alf Heiberg Clausen (born March 28, 1941) is an American film and television composer. He is best known for his work scoring many episodes of ''The Simpsons'', for which he was the sole composer between 1990 and 2017. Clausen has scored or orc ...
was not asked to score the film, noting: "sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug". In addition to their appearance in the film, Green Day recorded its own version of the ''Simpsons'' theme, and released it as
a single A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''aes'' ...
. Zimmer turned the Spider-Pig song into a choral piece, which was a joke he never intended to be put into the film. Zimmer also had to write foreign-language lyrics for the 32 dubbed versions of the song when the film was released internationally. He found translating the song into Spanish the hardest to write. The same choir learned to sing the piece for each of the foreign-language dubs.


Themes

Al Jean described the film's message as being "a man should listen to his wife". In addition, the film parodies two major contemporary issues, religion and environmentalism. The theme of environmentalism is present throughout the film: in Homer's polluting of Lake Springfield, Green Day's cameo, Lisa's activism and her romance with Colin. The villainous Russ Cargill is head of the
Environmental Protection Agency A biophysical environment is a biotic and abiotic surrounding of an organism or population, and consequently includes the factors that have an influence in their survival, development, and evolution. A biophysical environment can vary in scale f ...
. Reviewer Ed Gonzalez argued the plot was a satire of the government's reaction to the effects of
Hurricane Katrina Hurricane Katrina was a destructive Category 5 Atlantic hurricane that caused over 1,800 fatalities and $125 billion in damage in late August 2005, especially in the city of New Orleans and the surrounding areas. It was at the time the cost ...
on New Orleans. Ian Nathan of '' Empire'' magazine criticized this focus, believing it gave the film an "overt political agenda hichborder on polemic". James D. Bloom of Muhlenberg College commented on the "explicitness" of the film's "''intellectual'' agenda", on this issue, shown particularly through Lisa. He wrote that the film's first post-opening credits scene, which sees Green Day fail in an attempt to engage their audience on the issue of the environment, "sets in motion a plot expressly built around cultural agenda-setting" and "reflection on timely 'issues'." Religion is focused on in Grampa's momentary possession, and Marge believing what he said to be a message from God. Groening joked the film "posit the existence of a very active God", when asked if he believed it was likely to offend. Mark I. Pinsky, author of ''The Gospel According to The Simpsons'', said the film "treats genuine faith with respect, while keeping a sharp eye out for religious pretension and hypocrisy of all kinds". Regarding the scene where the tenants of Moe's Tavern and the Church switch locations, he believed it took the "chance to unmask everyone's human fallibility." In analyzing the role of Ned Flanders, he wrote, "It is hewillingness of ''The Simpsons'' to depict all the different sides of us ..that makes it so rich and funny on our complicated relationship with religion." Trees are a
motif Motif may refer to: General concepts * Motif (chess composition), an element of a move in the consideration of its purpose * Motif (folkloristics), a recurring element that creates recognizable patterns in folklore and folk-art traditions * Moti ...
in the film, and they were implemented in every important or emotional scene throughout the film. The animators inserted an apple tree behind Lisa and Colin during their initial meeting, which was a reference to the biblical figures of Adam and Eve and the
Garden of Eden In Abrahamic religions, the Garden of Eden ( he, גַּן־עֵדֶן, ) or Garden of God (, and גַן־אֱלֹהִים ''gan-Elohim''), also called the Terrestrial Paradise, is the Bible, biblical paradise described in Book of Genesis, Genes ...
.


Cultural references

Many cultural references and allusions are made throughout the film. Green Day play " Nearer, My God, to Thee" on violins as their barge sinks, in a sequence parodying the film '' Titanic''. When Bart is riding his skateboard naked, different passing objects are almost constantly covering his genitalia, a nod to similar techniques used in '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery''. Homer and Marge's love scene parodies many Disney films, including '' Cinderella'', with Disney-style animals helping them undress. Originally, the music from ''
The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...
'' was used in that scene, and the
fawn Deer or true deer are hoofed ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. The two main groups of deer are the Cervinae, including the muntjac, the elk (wapiti), the red deer, and the fallow deer; and the Capreolinae, including the reindeer ...
had white spots; these were removed because the animators felt it resembled Bambi too clearly. Bart impersonates
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 ...
on the train, calling himself "the mascot of an evil corporation". Homer plays ''Grand Theft Walrus'', an allusion to the video game series '' Grand Theft Auto''. In the game, his character shoots a tap-dancing penguin in reference to the film '' Happy Feet''. The "Spider-Pig" song is a parody of the theme song of the 1967 ''
Spider-Man Spider-Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer-editor Stan Lee and artist Steve Ditko, he first appeared in the anthology comic book '' Amazing Fantasy'' #15 (August 1962) in the ...
'' TV series, and the name of Lisa's lecture is ''An Irritating Truth'', a play on
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
's film '' An Inconvenient Truth''. The bomb disposal robot was based on Vincent D'Onofrio's character Leonard "Pyle" Lawrence from the film ''
Full Metal Jacket ''Full Metal Jacket'' is a 1987 war drama film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 novel ''The Short-Timers'' and stars Matthew M ...
'', who commits suicide in a similar way. At the end of the film, the crowd's celebration is similar to the conclusion of '' Return of the Jedi'', with
Carl Carl may refer to: *Carl, Georgia, city in USA *Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community * Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name *Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of te ...
performing exactly the same hand gestures as Lando Calrissian. The $1,000 Homer received when entering Alaska is a reference to the
Alaska Permanent Fund Dividend The Alaska Permanent Fund (APF) is a constitutionally established permanent fund managed by a state-owned corporation, the Alaska Permanent Fund Corporation (APFC). It was established in Alaska in 1976 by Article 9, Section 15 of the Alaska Stat ...
. As Homer leaves Eski-Moe's he grabs on to a passing truck and uses it to propel himself back to the house, a tribute to actor
Buster Keaton Joseph Frank "Buster" Keaton (October 4, 1895 – February 1, 1966) was an American actor, comedian, and filmmaker. He is best known for his silent film work, in which his trademark was physical comedy accompanied by a stoic, deadpan expression ...
, while the epiphany scene features homages to the film '' Brazil'' and the works of Salvador Dalí. Hillary Clinton appears as Itchy's vice president, while an Orc from '' The Lord of the Rings'' appears in the mob scene. A scene that was cut had Marge and the kids appear on the TV talk show '' The View'' to spread the news of Springfield's impending doom. Parts were written for the show's entire panel and the scene was planned to feature Russ Cargill having a gunfight with
Joy Behar Josephine Victoria "Joy" Behar (; née Occhiuto) is an American comedian, television host, actress, and writer. She co-hosts the ABC daytime talk show '' The View'', where she is the only original panelist still regularly appearing. She hosted ...
. Another dropped scene featured
Moe Moe, MOE, MoE or m.o.e. may refer to: In arts and entertainment Characters * Moe Szyslak, from the animated television show ''The Simpsons'' * Moe, leader of The Three Stooges, played by Moe Howard * Moe Higurashi, supporting character in ''Yash ...
describing Springfield's varying physical states inside the dome, one of which was the Disneyland ride Autopia. There are several references to events in previous TV episodes of ''The Simpsons''. These include the wreckage of the ambulance from the episode "
Bart the Daredevil "Bart the Daredevil" is the eighth episode of the second season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on December 6, 1990. In the episode, Bart decides he wants t ...
" crashed into a tree next to Springfield Gorge. The Carpenters' song "
(They Long to Be) Close to You "(They Long to Be) Close to You" is a song written by Burt Bacharach and Hal David. The best-known version is that recorded by American duo the Carpenters for their second studio album '' Close to You'' (1970) and produced by Jack Daugherty. Rele ...
" was used in Homer and Marge's wedding video and had also been used in several emotional moments between them in the TV series.


Release


Theatrical

On April 1, 2006, 20th Century Fox announced that the film would be released worldwide on July 27, 2007. The film was released a day earlier in Australia and the United Kingdom. Little information about the plot was released in the weeks building up to the film's release. Groening did not feel that "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." Fox held a competition among 16 Springfields across the United States to host the American premiere. 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.
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 ...
, Minnesota dropped out on May 31, 2007. The winner was announced on July 10 to be
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 ...
, Vermont. The town beat
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 ...
, Illinois by 15,367 votes to 14,634. Each of the other 14 entrants held their own smaller screenings of the film on July 26. Springfield, Vermont hosted the world premiere of the film on July 21 with a yellow carpet instead of the traditional red. The film was rated PG-13 by the Motion Picture Association of America for "irreverent humor throughout"; the production staff had expected this rating. However, the British Board of Film Classification passed the film as a PG with no cuts made. A BBFC spokeswoman said regarding Bart's brief nude scene, "natural nudity with no sexual content is acceptable in PG films". The film was banned in
Myanmar Myanmar, ; UK pronunciations: US pronunciations incl. . Note: Wikipedia's IPA conventions require indicating /r/ even in British English although only some British English speakers pronounce r at the end of syllables. As John C. Wells, Joh ...
, not for the scene of nudity, but for the excessive use of the colors yellow and red, which is prohibited in the country.


Marketing

The
convenience store A convenience store, convenience shop, corner store or corner shop is a small retail business that stocks a range of everyday items such as coffee, groceries, snack foods, confectionery, soft drinks, ice creams, tobacco products, lottery ticket ...
chain
7-Eleven 7-Eleven, Inc., stylized as 7-ELEVE, is a multinational chain of retail convenience stores, headquartered in Dallas, Texas. The chain was founded in 1927 as an ice house storefront in Dallas. It was named Tote'm Stores between 1928 and 1946. A ...
transformed 11 of its stores in the U.S. and one in Canada into
Kwik-E-Mart The Kwik-E-Mart (spelled "Quick-E-Mart" in " Bart the General") is a convenience store in the animated television series ''The Simpsons''. It is a parody of American convenience stores, such as 7-Eleven and Cumberland Farms, and depicts many of t ...
s, at the cost of approximately $10 million. 7-Eleven also sold ''Simpsons''-themed merchandise in many of its stores. This included " Squishees", " Buzz Cola", "
Krusty-O's The long-running television animation '' The Simpsons'' has featured a number of fictional products, sometimes spoofs of real-life products, that have subsequently been recreated by real world companies attempting to exploit the popularity of ''Th ...
" Cereal, and "Pink Movie Donuts". This promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the altered 7-Eleven stores. Homer performed a special animated opening monologue for the edition of July 24, 2007 of '' The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'', as part of another promotion. Promotions also occurred around the world. 20th Century Fox erected a "giant pink donut" in the town of
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 ...
in
Canterbury, New Zealand Canterbury ( mi, Waitaha) is a region of New Zealand, located in the central-eastern South Island. The region covers an area of , making it the largest region in the country by area. It is home to a population of The region in its current f ...
to celebrate being named Springfield, while in London a double decker-sized floating inflatable Spider Pig was set up by the Battersea Power Station. In Dorset, England, an image of Homer was painted next to the hill figure, the
Cerne Abbas Giant The Cerne Abbas Giant is a hill figure near the village of Cerne Abbas in Dorset, England. high, it depicts a standing nude male with a prominent erection and wielding a large club in its right hand. Like many other hill figures it is outline ...
. This caused outrage amongst local
neopagans Modern paganism, also known as contemporary paganism and neopaganism, is a term for a religion or family of religions influenced by the various historical pre-Christian beliefs of pre-modern peoples in Europe and adjacent areas of North Afric ...
who performed "rain magic" to try to get it washed away.
McFarlane Toys McFarlane Toys is an American company founded by comic book creator Todd McFarlane which makes highly detailed model action figures of characters from films, comics, popular music, video games and various sporting genres. The company, a subsidia ...
released a line of action figures based on the film while EA Games released ''The Simpsons Game'' to coincide with the film's DVD release, although the plot of the game was not based on the film. Samsung released ''The Simpsons Movie'' phone, and Microsoft produced a limited edition ''The Simpsons Movie'' Xbox 360.
Ben & Jerry's Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings Inc., trading and commonly known as Ben & Jerry's, is an American company that manufactures ice cream, frozen yogurt, and sorbet. Founded in 1978 in Burlington, Vermont, the company went from a single ice cream p ...
created a ''Simpsons''-themed beer and donut-flavored ice cream, entitled "Duff & D'oh! Nuts". Windows Live Messenger presented their users with the opportunity to download a free animated and static content for use within their conversations. Burger King produced a line of ''Simpsons'' toy figures that were given away with children's meals, and ran a series of ''Simpsons''-themed television adverts to promote this. JetBlue Airways held a series of online sweepstakes to win a trip to the film's Los Angeles, California premiere. They also included a channel dedicated to ''The Simpsons'' on their planes'
in-flight entertainment In-flight entertainment (IFE) refers to the entertainment available to aircraft passengers during a flight. In 1936, the airship ''LZ 129 Hindenburg, Hindenburg'' offered passengers a piano, lounge, dining room, smoking room, and bar during the ...
system.


Home media

The film was released on DVD and
Blu-ray Disc The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a Digital media, digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and c ...
worldwide on December 3, 2007, and on December 18 in the United States. It contains commentary tracks from both the producers and animators, six short deleted scenes, and a selection of material used to promote the film release. An unfinished deleted scene of the townspeople singing the Springfield Anthem was also included on '' The Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season'' DVD box set. Promotions for the DVD release occurred across the United States. The
Empire State Building The Empire State Building is a 102-story Art Deco skyscraper in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. The building was designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon and built from 1930 to 1931. Its name is derived from "Empire State", the nickname of the st ...
was illuminated yellow, the first time the building had ever been used as part of a film promotion. In the United Kingdom,
Fox Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush''). Twelve sp ...
launched a £5 million advertising campaign. They also signed a £1.6 million deal with the yogurt company Yoplait, to produce a ''The Simpsons Movie'' design for their brand Frubes. In its first week it topped the U.S. DVD chart, and generated $11.8 million in rental revenue. ''The Simpsons Movie'' was included on Disney+ on November 12, 2019.


Reception


Critical reception

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has an approval rating of 87% based on 223 reviews and an average rating of 7.5/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "''The Simpsons Movie'' contains the hearty laughs, biting satire, and honest portrayal of an American family that makes the show so popular. And it boasts slicker animation and polished writing that hearkens back to the show's glory days." On Metacritic, it received a score of 80 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Audiences polled by
CinemaScore CinemaScore is a market research firm based in Las Vegas. It surveys film audiences to rate their viewing experiences with letter grades, reports the results, and forecasts box office receipts based on the data. Background Ed Mintz founded Ci ...
gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale. British newspapers '' The Guardian'' and '' The Times'' both gave the film four out of five stars. ''The Times''' James Bone said that it "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". ''The Guardian'''s Peter Bradshaw stated that it "gives you everything you could possibly want" and that he thought, "Eighty-five minutes asnot long enough to do justice to 17 years of comedy genius". Ed Gonzalez praised the film for its political message, likening the ''Itchy & Scratchy'' cartoon at the beginning to President Schwarzenegger's situation later on, as well as the film's visual gags. Randy Shulman praised the cast, and described them as having "elevated their vocal work to a craft that goes way beyond simple line readings", and particularly praised Kavner who he said "gave what must be the most heartfelt performance ever".
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
gave a positive review of three out of four stars, but admitted he was "generally ota fan of movies spun off from TV animation". He called it "radical and simple at the same time, subversive and good-hearted, offensive without really meaning to be". Richard Corliss of '' Time'' said that the film "doesn't try to be ruder or kinkier, just bigger and better". ''USA Today'' film critic Claudia Puig said that the story did "warrant a full-length feature, thanks to a clever plot and non-stop irreverent humor". Patrick Kolan believed that the film was "easily the best stuff to come rom the ''Simpsons''since season 12 or 13" and praised the animation, but also said that the appearances of characters such as Comic Book Guy and Seymour Skinner were "small and unfunny". Kirk Honeycutt of '' The Hollywood Reporter'' praised the film's good nature, stating that the laughs "come in all sizes", but also noted that, "little has been gained bringing the Simpsons to the screen." '' Variety'''s Brian Lowry called it "clever, irreverent, satirical and outfitted" but that it was "just barely" capable of sustaining a running time longer than a television episode. Lisa Schwarzbaum praised the voice cast but stated that the "'action' sequences sometimes falter". When comparing the film to the early episodes of the show, Stephen Rowley concluded that the film "has more going for it than the show in its later years, but is still a long way short of what made it so invigorating". '' The Monthly'' critic
Luke Davies Luke Davies (born 1962) is an Australian writer of poetry, novels and screenplays. His best known works are '' Candy: A Novel of Love and Addiction'' (which was adapted for the screen in 2006) and the screenplay for the film '' Lion'', which e ...
echoed Lowry's concerns about the length: "everything moves with the whip-crack speed of a half-hour episode. And that's the paradox: it makes the film feel like three episodes strung together. We're in a cinema, and we expect something epic." He opined that "in the great arc that is the history of ''The Simpsons'', this film will come to be seen as oddity rather than apotheosis." More negative reception came from the magazine ''Empire'', where reviewer Ian Nathan compared the film to
New Coke New Coke was the unofficial name of a reformulation of the soft drink Coca-Cola, introduced by The Coca-Cola Company in April 1985. It was renamed Coke II in 1990 and discontinued in July 2002. By 1985, Coca-Cola had been losing market share to ...
, saying that "it utterly failed". Phil Villarreal believed that there were "too few laugh-worthy moments" and that "instead of stretching to new frontiers, the film rests on the familiar". Sheila Johnston criticized the pacing of the film and its joke level saying that "the overall momentum flags at times" and that it was "a salvo of comic squibs, some very funny, others limp". David Edwards agreed with this, writing that although "there's a great half-hour show rattling around...the rest is padding at its very dullest", concluding that it "isn't a terrible film, just a terribly disappointing one."
Cosmo Landesman Cosmo Landesman (born September 1954) is a British-based American-born journalist and editor. With his then-wife Julie Burchill and friend Toby Young, he founded the magazine '' Modern Review'', which operated from 1991 to 1995 with Young as edit ...
believed, "the humour seem dto have lost its satirical bite and wit" and that "much of the comedy is structured around the idiocy of Homer". This assessment was shared by Carina Chocano of the '' Los Angeles Times'', who felt that "once the movie wanders into its contemplation of mortality and meaning, the trenchancy kind of creaks and falls off." She negatively compared it to '' South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut'' (1999), a film similarly adapted from an animated television series, saying that, in terms of satire, it offers "nothing we don't hear every night on '' The Daily Show with Jon Stewart''." Bruce Newman criticized the fleeting appearances of many of the show's secondary characters, and found the film to be "a disappointment".


Box office

The film earned $30,758,269 on its opening day in the United States making it the 25th-highest, and fifth-highest non-sequel opening day revenue of all time. It grossed a combined total of $74,036,787 in its opening weekend on 5,500 screens at 3,922 theaters, reaching the top of the box office for that weekend. This made it the tenth-highest revenue of all time, for an opening weekend in July, and highest among non-sequels, and the highest animated TV adaptation of all time, surpassing '' The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie''. This outperformed the expectations of $40 million that Fox had for the release. It set several American box office records, including highest grossing opening weekend for a non-CG animated film and for a film based on a television series, surpassing '' Mission: Impossible 2''. It was also the third-highest grossing opening weekend for an animated film. It opened at the top of the international box office taking $96 million from 71 overseas territories, including $27.8 million in the United Kingdom, the second-highest UK opening ever for a
20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...
film. It contributed to over half of the record 5.5 million people attending British cinemas that weekend. In Australia, it grossed $13.2 million, the third-highest opening weekend in the country, and the highest for an animated film. The United Kingdom is the highest-grossing country for the film outside in the United States with a $78.4 million gross overall, with Germany in second place with a $36.3 million gross overall. The film closed on December 20, 2007 with a gross of $183.1 million in the United States and a worldwide gross of $536.4. It was the eighth-highest-grossing film worldwide and the twelfth-highest grossing in the United States of 2007.


Accolades

''The Simpsons Movie'' won the award for Best Comedy Film at the British Comedy Awards, Best Animation at the inaugural
ITV ITV or iTV may refer to: ITV *Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of: ** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
National Movie Awards The National Movie Awards (NMA) was a British film awards ceremony broadcast by ITV in which the winners of the awards were chosen via popular vote. The awards were initiated in 2007 following the success of the National Television Awards, the ...
, and Best Movie at the UK
Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards The Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards (also known as the KCAs or Kids' Choice) is an annual American children's awards ceremony show that is produced by Nickelodeon. Usually held on a Saturday night in late March or early April, the show honors ...
, beating ''
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix ''Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix'' is a fantasy novel written by British author J. K. Rowling and the fifth novel in the ''Harry Potter'' series. It follows Harry Potter's struggles through his fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witc ...
'', '' Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End'', and '' Shrek the Third''. The film's trailer won a Golden Trailer Award in the category Best Animated/Family Film Trailer at the 8th Annual Golden Trailer Awards. '' Forbes'' named the film the third best of the year, based on its box office takings and Metacritic critical response score. The film's website received a Webby Award at the 12th Annual Webby Awards in the category "Best Movie and Film Website". At the
35th Annie Awards The 35th Annual Annie Awards, honoring the best in animation for 2007, was held on February 8, 2008, at UCLA's Royce Hall. This was the first change of venue for the awards in nine years, being held at the Alex Theatre in Glendale, California, si ...
the film was nominated in four categories:
Best Animated Feature This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, Directing in an Animated Feature Production, Writing in an Animated Feature Production, and Voice Acting in an Animated Feature Production for Julie Kavner. All four awards were won by ''Ratatouille''. It was nominated for
Best Animated Feature Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
at the 65th Golden Globe Awards, the BAFTA for
Best Animated Film This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
, and the Producers Guild Award for Animated Theatrical Motion Picture. It also received nominations for the
Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature The Satellite Award for Best Animated or Mixed Media Feature is an annual Satellite Award given by the International Press Academy. Winners and nominees 1990s 2000s 2010s 2020s Directors with multiple wins ;2 wins *Wes Anderson *Br ...
, the Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Animated Feature, and the Broadcast Film Critics Association Award for
Best Animated Feature This is a list of categories of awards commonly awarded through organizations that bestow film awards, including those presented by various film, festivals, and people's awards. Best Actor/Best Actress *See Best Actor#Film awards, Best Actress#F ...
. Before its release, the film received a nomination at the
2007 MTV Movie Awards The 2007 MTV Movie Awards took place on June 3, 2007 (June 4 in Europe) at Universal Amphitheatre, Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California and were hosted by Sarah Silverman. The ceremony featured performances by Rihanna featuring Jay-Z, ...
for "Best Summer Movie You Haven't Seen Yet", with the award ultimately won by '' Transformers'', and lost the
Teen Choice Award The Teen Choice Awards is an annual awards show that airs on the Fox television network. The awards honor the year's biggest achievements in music, film, sports, television, fashion, social media, and more, voted by viewers living in the United S ...
for "Choice Summer Movie – Comedy/Musical", which was won by '' Hairspray''. It was also nominated for Favorite Movie Comedy at the People's Choice Awards, losing to '' Knocked Up''.


Possible sequel

In 2014, Brooks stated that he had been approached by Fox and that they had requested a second film. He added that there were no immediate plans, stating, "We've been asked to evelop it but we haven't. We're doing a lot of other stuff." In December 2014, just prior to the broadcast of the episode "
The Man Who Came to Be Dinner "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner" is the tenth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'', and the 562nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on Januar ...
", Jean wrote on Twitter that the episode (which had been produced in 2012 and was originally set to air in May 2013) had been held back by himself and Brooks because it was being considered for adaptation into a sequel film as the episode was "cinematic". Jean later expanded that there was the fear of the potential film being considered "not canonical" with the TV series and the potential backlash of overcoming it by using a "memory wipe". In July 2017, Silverman and Jean said that the sequel was in the early stages of development and stressed the toll production of the first picture took on the entire staff. On August 10, 2018, it was reported that a sequel was in development. On July 22, 2019, Groening stated that he had "no doubts" that The Walt Disney Company, which acquired
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 ...
early that year, would likely produce a sequel one day. In July 2021, Jean stated that discussions for the potential sequel had stalled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Simpsons Movie 2007 films 2007 animated films 2007 comedy films 2007 directorial debut films 2000s American animated films 20th Century Fox animated films 20th Century Fox Animation films 20th Century Fox films Film Roman films Fox Television Animation films Gracie Films films Rough Draft Studios films American adult animated films American animated comedy films Animated films based on animated series Animated films based on animated television series Animated films set in the United States Films based on television series The Simpsons Films about dysfunctional families Films directed by David Silverman Films produced by James L. Brooks Films produced by Matt Groening Films set in 2007 Films scored by Hans Zimmer Films with screenplays by James L. Brooks Films with screenplays by John Swartzwelder Films with screenplays by Matt Groening 2000s English-language films