The Simpsons: the 800th episode unveils its special trailer
We are promised a nice throwback, to the origins of the very first episode in 1989…
Happy Birthday The Simpsons!
The animated series will celebrate its 800th episode on American TV on Sunday evening (pending its broadcast on Disney + in France). And for the occasion, she takes fans back to where it all began.
This event episode will indeed open with a recreation of the very first episode, “Deadly Christmas” (Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire) broadcast on December 17, 1989 on American TV. And to mark the occasion, it will be lovingly animated in its original style – including the 4:3 aspect ratio.
“Part of me wishes we could make every episode look like this today, but it would be weird to completely go back to this retro style every time, especially for kids who discovered the series on Disney+, it would be very confusing,” executive producer Matt Selman, who has been on the series since 1997, tells TVLine.
Like many long-running animated series, The Simpsons went digital in 2009, abandoning its classic style for an HD image suitable for widescreens. A technical improvement, certainly, but not without compensation according to Selman. “When the show went digital, the animation became, for me, too clean, too sharp, too perfect, and it seemed less smooth and endearing than in the classic era. So I’m trying to use computer magic to bring it about 10% back to that, with thicker, rougher strokes.”
Written by Christine Nangle, this 800th episode highlights the relationship between Marge and the dog, Petit Papa Noël (introduced in the very first episode) by tracing the evolution of their bond over the years. Selman says it’s an ideal anniversary episode “because it starts at the end of the first episode and then jumps back in time,” adding that fans should look out for “references from cult episodes from the last 38 years in the first two minutes.” As a bonus, Noah Wyle from Urgences and The Pitt will be there as a guest star!
Watch the trailer below:
