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Click above to purchase "The Simpsons - The Complete First
Season" at amazon.com
The Simpsons
The Complete First Season
review by Zach B.
Studio: Fox
Starring the voices of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner,
Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria and Harry
Shearer
Retail Price: $39.98
Features:
Disc 1 - Episodes "Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire", "Bart
The Genius", "Homer's Odyssey", "There's No Disgrace Like
Home", "Bart The General", "Moaning Lisa." Audio
Commentaries, Scripts
Disc 2 - Episodes "The Call of The Simpsons", "The
Telltale Head", "Life On The Fast Line", "Homer's Night
Out", "The Crepes Of Wrath", "Krusty Gets Busted." Audio
Commentaries
Disc 3 - Episode "Some Enchanted Evening" with
optional Audio Commentary, "Some Enchanted Evening"
Outtakes, "Bart The General" Animatic, The Making Of The
Simpsons: America's First Family documentary, Foreign
Language Clips, Tracey Ullman Short - "Good Night Simpsons",
Albert Brooks Audio Outtakes, Art Of The Simpsons, "Some
Enchanted Evening" Script
Specs: 1.33:1 Full Frame, English 5.1 Dolby Digital,
English Dolby Surround, French Dolby Surround, English
Closed Captions, English Subtitles, Spanish Subtitles,
Chapter Selection (6 Chapters per episode), Three Disc
Set
Released: September 25th, 2001
Where to even begin! What's there to say that already
hasn't been said about everyone's favorite prime-time
animated family? Most likely the most popular animated
series of all time, and the longest running situation comedy
on air, "The Simpsons" has worked its way into the minds and
hearts of millions with its outrageous situations, wide
array of developed characters and of course, its amazing
brand of humor and memorable lines. "The Simpsons" has truly
worked its way into pop culture and has a large following
out there, and after eleven years on the airwaves, it still
shows no sign of slowing down. People, such as myself, can
talk about episodes, recite them and just go on and on about
them like there is no tomorrow. I still find it amazing how
the show keeps going and how it continues to grow and
develop, even though I have been a little disappointed in
the later seasons as I find some of it to be recycled and
not as funny. Still, I'll always remain a loyal "Simpsons"
watcher no matter what, as I love the characters and the
whole town of Springfield. Still, I'm not here to talk about
the later seasons, I'm here to talk about where it all
began.
As we all should know, "The Simpsons" originally began as
shorts on "The Tracey Ullman Show" from cartoonist Matt
Groening, and from there it launched into its own series on
the up and coming Fox network. The rest, as they say, is
history. And with history, it's really hard to deny that
"The Simpsons" has brought a lot to the world, the
television industry and animation in general.
Personally, I'm not a really big fan of the first two
seasons. Not that they are bad or anything, but when you
compare them to episodes say, season six, there is
definitely a noticeable difference in the writing and
situations, not to mention the animation style. I personally
think the first two seasons were more like "experimental"
seasons, where the producers and writers played around and
tried to find the show's voice. By the third season they
were getting somewhere, and by the fourth season they were
really on to something. The first two seasons seemed to
revolve more around the dysfunction of the family and
believe it or not, were more realistic in a sense. But what
makes the show so fun is the satire, the familiar
characters, the memorable dialogue and so much more. I mean,
a world without the word "D'oh" (which now made its way into
the dictionary) seems like a terrible one. "The Simpsons" is
simply a show I can't live without.
While I think the show really got better with age, there
is also no denying the impact the show had on its first
season and beyond. Remember the stacks of merchandise of the
show in stores like J.C. Penny? The t-shirts with "Don't
Have A Cow, Man!" et all? Remember the controversy about
Bart being a terrible role model for kids? Despite the
publicity and all of that, I think "The Simpsons" is and
should be credited for something bigger. The start of an
animation boom in prime-time, where cartoons weren't all
just for kids. While the concept of animation in prime-time
was nothing new, "The Flintstones" being the prime example,
"The Simpsons" just really hooked on with adults and younger
ones alike, even if jokes did fly over the heads of kids.
Still, after the show's debut, a few more animated shows
aimed at a different demographic did premiere on network TV
("Capital Critters", anyone?) and cable TV ("Duckman").
Still, it seems after 1997's "South Park", it just became
more and more common. Trying to cash in on a "craze". Still,
the ones that made an impact and were good, did last. Others
ones obviously did not and weren't made to last. Still,
there's no denying what impact "The Simpsons" had on
television, comedy and animation in general.
Like so much of the adoring public, I am a "Simpsons"
freak. Thanks to the magic of syndication and taping
episodes, I've seriously seen every single episode of the
series dozens and dozens of time over. I always know what's
going to happen next and I can pretty much recite dialogue
from all the episodes by heart (yes, I'm that big of a
freak). I have some merchandise of the show (something fans
should have) and I can always get into an episode when in
syndication no matter which one, despite the fact I've seen
them so many times I really never get bored with them.
Watching it on Sundays and in syndication every night is
part of my viewing schedule. Every time I see an episode,
I'm just sucked right into that magical town called
Springfield. So now, let's take a good look at the first
season...
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire - The first
episode of the landmark series debuted as a Christmas
special in December 1989, just a few weeks before the actual
show had its premiere. We all know this one, right?
Basically, it's Christmas season and for Christmas, Bart
gets a tattoo. Marge obviously disapproves and spends all
the money on presents to remove the tattoo. Marge isn't too
worried though, her backup plan is to use Homer's Christmas
bonus to buy presents. Alas, Mr. Burns does not give out
bonuses that year. Homer tries to hide it and becomes a mall
Santa, and of course, Bart finds out. Homer's last resort is
to go to the dog track and bet on a dog. Of course he bets
on the loser, but within that, the family gets the best
present of all, a dog by the name of Santa's Little Helper.
I still enjoy this one and it is filled with some memorable
moments and lines, but of course the real important thing
here is that the family got their pooch. A classic still, if
you ask me.
Bart The Genius - Debuting all the way back on
January 14th, 1990 this was the first "true" episode of the
show and begun to show the Simpsons as a family. Here we
find underachiever Bart who switches the names on a school
intelligence test with his fellow peer Martin Prince.
Because of the switch, it is believed that Bart is a genius.
With that, Bart goes to a new school and because of his lack
of intelligence, he feels like he really doesn't belong
there and he doesn't fit in. Bart must face the prospect of
telling the truth, despite the fact it will mean going back
to his old school and losing Homer's new found interest in
his son. This is an episode that still holds the test of
time for me, and still works. Very entertaining. Another
classic.
Homer's Odyssey - After Homer is fired for causing
Springfield Nuclear Power Plant to shut down after an
accident, Homer becomes depressed and can't find a job.
Homer decides to commit suicide, however, the family stops
him just in the nick of time. With a new leash on life,
Homer sets out to make Springfield a bit safer with traffic
signs. With a nice following, Homer sets out to take on the
Nuclear Power Plant. Mr. Burns, unhappy with what's going
on, bargains with Homer. Will Homer give in to Mr. Burns or
go on with his cause? It's not my favorite episode out
there, as I find it a little annoying and tedious, but it is
enjoyable to me.
There's No Disgrace Like Home - One of the most
popular episodes of the first season, and certainly one of
the most memorable. We find the Simpson family at a company
picnic, where Mr. Burns seems to like the idea of family
love (what was he on then?). Homer tries to make his family
"perfect", but it seems to go wrong where Marge gets drunk
at the picnic and Bart causes trouble. Homer wants the
family to be more "normal" so he decides to take them to Dr.
Marvin Monroe's Family Therapy Center. And of course, in
that sequence, comes one of the most memorable moments in
"Simpsons" history. Shock treatment, therapy bats, the
works. Still, Homer comes to realize that his family is fine
the way they are. Again, memorable, and pure classic
Simpsons.
Bart The General - My favorite episode of the
first season, and I think it's the best one of this season
and certainly one of my top ten episodes of all time. It's
funny, it's entertaining and a good underdog against the
bully story. Basically, our first episode where we meet
Nelson (haw-haw!) in this one where Bart gets a beating from
him and is consulted by Homer and Marge after the fight, all
because of Lisa's cupcakes. Marge suggests for Bart to
reason with Nelson, while Homer suggests for Bart to fight
him again. Bart obviously listens to Homer and is badly
beaten... again. Bart's had enough, so we speaks to his
grandfather who in turn introduces Bart to Herman, owner of
a military antique store. Herman and Bart plan an assault
strategy on Nelson and get the other kids at school to help
out in the battle. Will Bart win the war and make the
neighborhood safe again? This episode is downright funny,
entertaining and a homage of sorts to classic war films.
Don't miss it.
Moaning Lisa - Bleeding Gums Murphy (voiced by Ron
Taylor) is introduced in this episode where Lisa suffers a
big case of depression. Lisa starts to feel better when she
hears some music outside and meets a saxophone player, that
being Bleeding Gums Murphy, who encourages her and teachers
her to express herself through music. Meanwhile, Bart and
Homer become involved in video game boxing, where Homer
keeps losing. Will Lisa beat her depression and will Homer
beat Bart in video game boxing? A nice episode that does get
the job done. It has its funny moments, but I still think it
packs more of a serious punch.
The Call Of The Simpsons - Albert Brooks begins
his line of special guest voices in this episode as RV
Salesman Bob (and he certainly does a job well done). After
Homer becomes jealous of Ned Flanders getting a whole new
mobile home, Homer figures that he's good enough to get one
for himself. However, Homer can only get a poor and beat-up
RV. Still, Homer is really happy about the purchase and
takes the rest of the family out a camping trip. However,
they soon become lost when the RV gets out of control and
falls off a cliff, with the Simpsons escaping just in time.
The family soon splits up, as the Simpsons must survive in
the wild. There is some pretty funny stuff in this episode,
but I found it a bit unoriginal and a bit boring at times.
Still, it's not too terrible.
The Telltale Head - For some reason, I'm not
really a big fan of this episode. It tries to set up a
relationship of Bart trying to fit in with bullies Kearny,
Dolph and Jimbo (all who make their first appearances in the
series here), but as we see in later episodes, it doesn't
quite make the leap to what is originally envisioned. This
episode is really nothing new as far as plot as Bart tries
to be accepted with the bullies by cutting off the head of
the statue of the town's founder, Jebediah Springfield. The
town becomes upset over this, even Jimbo and the gang do
too. Bart knows what he did was wrong and he tries to
correct what he did. The episode opens and closes with Homer
and Bart being chased by a mob, and Bart tries to explain
his actions. It is a little preachy but in the end it's not
really funny and the whole idea of someone trying to fit in
with their peers by doing a bad act is nothing new. Even
Bart is a little bit of a goody two-shoes in this one.
Life On The Fast Lane - Albert Brooks makes his
second appearance as the slick bowling instructor Jacques in
this episode, which even does a little send-up of the movie
"An Officer and a Gentleman" at the end. This episode find
Homer giving Marge a thoughtless gift for her birthday, that
being a bowling ball. Marge is annoyed at this, but decides
to go bowling so Homer won't actually be able to use the
gift. There, she meets Jacques, a ladies man and fabulous
bowler who takes Marge under his wing. Homer suspects
something is wrong, and it's up to Marge where to take her
relationships with Homer and Jacques. Some inspired stuff in
here, I think, even if it is predictable. Albert Brooks once
again does some fine voice work. Funny and thoughtful.
Homer's Night Out - Another season one episode
that's not one of my favorites, but certainly brings a good
point of how fast things can spread. It can be funny, but I
felt parts of it got a bit tedious. Anyway, Homer attends a
part at a restaurant for one of his co-workers and dances
with the belly dancer Princess Kashmir. It also turns out
Marge takes the rest of the family out that night to the
same restaurant, where Bart spots Homer in the party and
takes a picture of the two dancing using his spy camera.
Bart ends up developing the picture and it goes around, and
Marge isn't too happy about it. It's up to Homer to teach
Bart about women and loving them. Again, not one of my
favorites, but it does have its moments for sure.
The Crepes Of Wrath - One of the best episodes in
the first season (at least I think so), this one hits a lot
of good marks and is pretty intelligent, adventuresome in
some aspects and really funny. We find Bart flushing a
cherry bomb in a toilet at school, and with Principal
Skinner's mother visiting, let's just say the results aren't
good. Bart ends up going to a student exchange program in
France, where in turn, the Simpsons host Adil Hoxha who
comes from Albania. Bart's exchange family are winemakers
Cesar and Ugolin, who really treat Bart terrible. Back in
America, Hoxha is actually a spy who sends information about
the Nuclear Power Plant back to Albania. Pretty inspired and
just a lot of fun. Nice, fun Simpsons.
Krusty Gets Busted - Kelsey Grammar makes his
first of many appearances here as Sideshow Bob, Krusty the
Clown's sidekick. I'm always a fan of the Sideshow Bob
episodes, as they're always a lot of fun (with the exception
of the latest one that aired this year, I didn't like it so
much). This first one is where it all begins with Bob's
hatred for Krusty. This one is a good mystery of sorts, and
really does have a lot of funny moments and a good ending.
Anyway, Bob frames Krusty for a robbery and everyone
believes he's guilty, except Bart who goes out to prove that
he didn't commit the robbery. Though the odds are against
him, Bart pulls through and of course, also starts Bob's
hatred for Bart as he tries to kill him. Another great first
season episode.
Some Enchanted Evening - The last episode of the
first season, this one is pretty decent. I feel it has a
good setup but a little bit uneven. Still, it pokes some fun
at things and offers some nice belly laughs. In this
episode, Marge feels neglected by Homer and shares her
feelings on a radio call-in show. Homer listens and decides
to make it up to Marge by taking her for a night out. They
get a babysitter, Ms. Botz (voiced by Penny Marshall), also
known as the Babysitter Bandit. Marge and Homer don't know
that, but Bart and Lisa soon find out on the television.
It's of course up to Bart, Lisa and Maggie to escape her
wrath. Like some of the other episodes, I just found it a
little annoying. I don't know why. Still, it's fun.
So there you have that first season. Not a bad season at
all and I certainly still do enjoy these episodes
tremendously. Now they can all be yours on DVD, completely
unedited (they are cut down in syndication a bit, haven't
seen their full versions in quite a long time). Still, with
that said, the best episodes are yet to come... have fun
with these in the mean time!
Eat my shorts, dirty old transfers! Presented the way
they have and always will be on television, in 1.33:1 full
frame, I'm absolutley amazed and in awe of how good these
episodes look. It just boggles my mind to see how cleaned up
they are, considering how much I'm used to the old, muted
transfers in syndication that look not so spectacular since
they've been played over and over. It's quite a difference
when you compare the two, as these don't look a day old and
look exactly how they first aired. They're not old and bad,
they're pretty sharp and crisp. Still, with that said,
they're not perfect. I noticed some blemishes and nicks on
some of the episodes here and there, but those are rather
rare and when they show up they're not that distracting. I
noticed some shimmering and noise here and there too, but
it's rather light and not a big deal either. Still, as I
mentioned, the big deal about these transfer is how sharp
they look after all these years. It just looks so bright and
glorious, even though at times they do appear a tad bit
soft. Colors are well saturated and come to life nicely,
bringing the best of what it has to offer. Black levels and
details are also fine. It's not reference quality, but it's
great for a television series and good to see this show look
so good especially when you watch these on DVD and then
compare them to the syndicated reruns. "The Simpsons" really
deserves this kind of treatment and I'm quite glad to see
that it got it. Pure digital Simpsons goodness... I love it
and you will too.
Woohoo! "The Simpsons" remixed in 5.1 Dolby Digital?
Count me in! I was excited to hear about the episodes being
remixed in the original specs, and I am really surprised how
good these new mixes sounded, considering how long ago these
were made, some of the sound material could be questionable
about being mixed into. Still, Fox has pulled it off and you
really get into the world of Springfield through the mixes,
you may feel like you're in Springfield Elementary, the
Power Plant, the Simpsons home and wherever you may be. .1
LFE is pretty good for the show as well as fidelity, while
dialogue is clear and easy to hear, nothing overpowers the
dialogue or gets in its way. The mixes also have a very nice
balance between them. Surrounds are pretty packed and go
along with the show nicely. Surrounds come differently all
over the episodes, it depends. For one thing, Danny Elfman's
great theme is really well mixed through the channels. "Bart
The General" features a very nice mix, especially with the
big battle against Nelson and the war music. It's not
"Saving Private Ryan" obviously, but it does pack its own
bunch. The jazz music in "Moaning Lisa" sounds great, as
well as the angry mob in "The Telltale Head." The shock
treatment in "There's No Disgrace By Home" and the RV crash
as well as wilderness scenes in "The Call Of The Simpsons."
These mixes do offer an incredible amount for the show, as
episodes do pack their own unique sounds as far as
situations go. Overall, the mixes here fit great with the
episodes and brought much more, and I was really happy that
in the end. It was a good idea to remix these and kind of
makes it more special. A very good variety and these mixes
do encompass a lot with good envelopment. In case 5.1 is not
your cup of tea, an English Dolby Surround track and French
Dolby Surround tracks are also included with each episode.
English closed captions, English subtitles and Spanish
subtitles are also on each episode.
Aye carumba! After waiting long and hard for a DVD
release of "The Simpsons", Fox has not disappointed us here
one bit, as they have slam packed this first season with
extras that casual fans will enjoy and that die-hard fans
will drool over. This is truly one amazing package and Fox
certainly knows what to give the fans what they want. The
extras here make all of this like the ultimate Simpsons
package with so much to gain about the show. Ready? Here we
go...
Disc 1:
Let it be said that every episode in this set has a
commentary, the idea of which I'm thrilled with so I can
gain additional insight and thoughts on each show from the
people made them happen. Just to let you know, to select a
commentary for an episode, they are in the language
selection part. You can also switch when watching a show by
using your audio button on your DVD remote. Die-hard
fanatics (like myself) will probably listen to all the
commentaries, but here's a guide to them if you have
favorite shows in particular.
Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire has a Audio
Commentary with Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Director
David Silverman. The trio are pretty talkative and point
out first appearances, inspirations for names and characters
and talk about the show's "values" as well as the animation
style. There's some interesting tidbits here and I'm glad
they keep things going.
Bart The Genius features a Audio Commentary
with Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Director David
Silverman and Writer Jon Vitti. They share a lot here
right off the bat and reveal some nice information. From
Danny Elfman's theme, to this episode being an easy bitch,
right to some of the animation process. This track also
talks about the show's popularity and early idea for the
show's comic character Radioactive Man. It's a nice track as
four collaborators reminisce about their work.
The episode Homer's Odyssey has an Audio
Commentary with Matt Groening, Director Wesley Archer,
Writer Jay Kogen & Writer Wally Wolodarsky. This
track is a bit more enthusiastic, but these new participants
do seem a little nervous, but not too much. We learn from
this track that Marge was originally named Juliette, Otto
was based on one of the gentleman (which is also brought up
on another commentary) and that they talk about gags as well
as some of characters. I found it interesting how the
writers visited a real nuclear power plant after they wrote
the episode, and how they got it on target (or so they
claim). They share a lot of nice stories and again, show a
lot of enthusiasm for their work.
There's No Disgrace Like Home features an Audio
Commentary with Matt Groening, Writer Al Jean and Writer
Mike Reiss (the two who created another fine animated
show, "The Critic"). This commentary does have a good amount
of laughs plus we learn the origins of "sector 7-G." There's
some nice information as they point out references to
televisions shows and films and make commentary on certain
idealisms. Reiss and Jean point out how they imagined things
and how "The Simpsons" has been featured in some other Fox
mediums. It's interesting to find out that the shock
sequence was a bit difference and it came together during
the editing. A very good listen here.
For Bart The General there is an Audio
Commentary with Matt Groening, James L. Brooks and Director
David Silverman. They have a pretty good time on this
track, laughing at a lot of jokes and pointing out
references to war films. This track also talks a little
about the animation and a little about the controversy the
show faced. It's a nice track for the episode, but more on
the actual episode would have been a better.
Finally, disc one's last commentary is for Moaning
Lisa, that Audio Commentary being with Matt
Groening, Director Wesley Archer, Writer Al Jean and Writer
Mike Reiss. They talk about the difference in the main
title sequence and even some inspirations for it. There's
also talk about Bart's prank calls to Moe and how hard it
was to think of names, Archer being inexperienced as a
director and the origin of Ralph Wiggum's name. A very good
track with very good information to absorb here.
Finally, this disc also has three Scripts to
browse through. They're for "Bart The Genius", "Bart The
General" and "Moaning Lisa." These are very interesting to
see how they were originally written and how it went to
final show. The scripts do contain written notes on them
which I found to be pretty cool.
Disc 2:
The Call Of The Simpsons has a Audio Commentary
with Director Wesley Archer, Writer Al Jean and Writer Mike
Reiss. Though Al Jean and Mike Reiss did not write this
episode, they did produce it. There's a lot of good
information on this track where we find out a lot of the
"Simpsons" staff worked on a newsletter and were pulled from
there. They talk about celebrity voices, and how William
Shatner turned them down to do a voice, and how those who
did voices the first season were friends of creative force
James L. Brooks. This is a fine track as they do share a
fine amount of information and seem to be pretty happy how
it all turned out. A lot to gain out of this track as it has
a really nice flow and point out some cool things.
For The Telltale Head, there's an Audio
Commentary with Director Rich Moore, Writer Al Jean and
Writer Mike Reiss. The three talk about a good deal of
things, such as where they started the story and how they
had a little trouble with that as well as some more first
appearances of characters. They point out jokes and Moore
makes fun of his own directing. There are some interesting
comments, especially as Jean and Reiss talk about what they
were going for. Another good complimentary track to the
episode, and despite the fact I've seen this one dozens of
times, I was glad that they pointed out things I never
noticed before.
Life On The Fast Lane has an Audio Commentary
with Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Director David
Silverman and Writer Al Jean. Jean didn't write this
episode, but rather, regular Simpsons scribe John
Swartzwelder. There's a tiny bit about the script evolving
as Jacques was originally going to be Swedish, but there's
some interesting comments about the show coming together
more with the house plan being finished and new animators
working on the show. There's also praise for Albert Brooks'
improvising ways and the voice actors. There's some nice
insights on this track and the four get their say in here
with their thoughts working on the episode. This commentary
has a good flow, despite some short pauses now and then in
the track. There's a lot of good say in this as well as
energy, so be sure to listen in.
Homer's Night Out features an Audio Commentary
with Matt Groening, Director Rich Moore and Writer Jon
Vitti. They share some laughs with each other but
despite that, they actually share some techniques that they
used in this episode as far as camera tricks, and color
goes. Things are not always screen specific in this track
but they do retain a good focus as far as talking about the
episode and how things went, plus inspirations. They seem to
get into the episode a bit, which does explain the "stop and
go" flow with it.
For The Crepes Of Wrath you have an Audio
Commentary with Director Wesley Archer and Writer George
Meyer. Meyer is pretty candid and is pretty relaxed, and
he begins the track as how this was the first episode he
actually got credit on. Archer talks about the direction he
took with this episode and the design aspect, and how Mrs.
Skinner's personality is different from later episodes. Some
of their comments are a bit obvious, and sometimes they just
point out anything since they're not sure what to talk
about. Like the "Homer's Night Out" track, it feels "stop
and go." Not bad at all, but maybe more participants could
have brought a little more. Still, there's some nice stuff
here.
Krusty Gets Busted has an Audio Commentary with
Matt Groening, Director Brad Bird, Writer Jay Kogen &
Writer Wally Wolodarsky. This is another track which
begins with a good length about the title sequence, but
thankfully it offers some good new information about that.
If Bird's name sounds familiar, he directed the 1999
animated film "The Iron Giant." He is rather insightful here
as he explains how he wanted to open the episode and how he
wanted to do with it. Kogen and Wolodarsky talk about
cutting down their script, and poke fun at some of the other
staff. Still, I'd say Bird dominates this track with the
best information as he offers good tips of doing elaborate
stuff and simple things in animation. There's some laughs
here too plus a little talk on the show evolved in small
things. This is definitely one of the best audio
commentaries in this set, so give it a spin.
Disc 3:
Finally, the last episode (Some Enchanted Evening)
and the last Audio Commentary, that being with
Audio Commentary with Matt Groening, James L. Brooks,
Director David Silverman and Writer Al Jean. The track
begins with other differences in this episode's main titles,
but it soon blends right into the actual episode. It's not
always screen specific, but they do talk about the "death"
of Dr. Marvin Monroe and how he developed, but how they had
things with him but never really used him again. Yet a main
thing is how this episode was redone and how the original
version was really terrible. It has 70% of new footage when
compared to the original version. I think they ramble on too
much here about things, but there's still a good amount to
gain from this track. What about the old version? There is
remains of that on this disc...
So that ends the episodes and the commentaries. But yes,
there is some more. As I mentioned the "Some Enchanted
Evening" episode was redone, you can see original parts in
Never Before See Outtakes. It's in full frame and is
really rough. There's also optional Audio Commentary with
Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, Director David Silverman and
Writer Al Jean. Basically, they talk about their
"nightmare" they went on in the commentary and talk about it
here in more detail. They all really despise the "outtakes,"
and they make jokes about it and the inconsistencies. A lot
of their comments are jokingly and shocks. Still, with that,
they are honest and pretty candid about the different
version of the episode, and talk about mistakes and how they
wouldn't put the episode on the air. As far as the
"outtakes" itself, it is pretty terrible. The animation is
really bad and everything is all out of place. They are
really embarrassed by this, and I'm surprised they included
it on the DVD as they really hate it. It's for the fans, I
guess, and as bad as it may be, it's a worthy addition that
fans will eat up.
Animatic From "Bart The General" has a commentary
with Matt Groening and Director David Silverman. It's rather
short as it shows clips in their pencil test form and then
the final version. The commentary more serious and talks
about the process. Short, but still nice.
The documentary The Making Of The Simpsons: America's
First Family is from the BBC and features interviews
with Matt Groening, Al Jean and James L. Brooks. It's a
little short, but it talks about the history of the show
from when Groening made "Life In Hell" which caught the
interest of James L. Brooks, how he created the characters
quickly and named it after his own family mostly, how it
went from Tracey Ullman to its own show and the impact it
has had. Nicely done, but more interviews and a little more
substance could have made this a better.
The Foreign Language Clips section has a clip from
the episode "Life On The Fast Lane", where you can view it
in five different languages: French, Italian, Spanish,
Japanese and Portuguese. Interesting to see how the voices
sound in other languages.
The first Tracy Ullman Short "Good Night Simpsons"
is included on the disc, but most of you have probably
already seen this on the 137th Episode Spectacular. Still,
it's a cool inclusion.
The Albert Brooks Outtakes from "Life On The Fast
Lane" is included, and it's just audio against stills from
the episodes, but Brooks' improvisations are hilarious. He's
a funny guy and there's gold to be found here, so have a
good time listening to these.
Art Of The Simpsons has a "Life In Hell" strip to
view, plus a load of "Early Drawings and Sketches" to browse
through. Have fun browsing these, it's interesting to see
original looks for characters, storyboards, poses and a lot
more. There's a lot to see of how things evolved, so really
enjoy these. I certainly did.
Finally, the Some Enchanted Evening Script you can
browse through, complete with Matt Groening's notes and
doodles all over it. Considering the whole mess this episode
went through, this is a good inclusion to top it off. Nice!
Phew... I'm exhausted. A lot here, as you can see and
"Simpsons" fans are sure to be pleased. And what would this
set be without an Easter Egg? Happy hunting! On another
note, the packaging for this set is quite nice and as future
seasons come out, I think they'll line up against each other
nicely on my shelf. Also on the packaging is a cool letter
from series creator Matt Groening.
If you only knew how thrilled I am that Fox has finally
brought out "The Simpsons" on DVD, and I'm glad they will be
releasing the episodes season by season (though "The Best Of
'The Simpsons'" on VHS wasn't that bad). For an amazingly
cheap retail price and chock filled with extras, this first
season set is a Simpsons fan dream come true. For you fellow
Simpsons freaks out there, I don't even have to tell you to
go out and get this, because you all most likely have plans
to purchase it or already have pre-ordered it. Truly a must
own set this holiday season. I'll be pulling this one out to
watch again and again... Simpsons fans, rejoice and have
fun!
 (5/5 - NOT included in
final score)
 (4.5/5)
 (4/5)
(5/5)
(4.5/5, NOT an average)
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