Over the last decade or so, Disney fans have become accustomed to the company purchasing outside properties like LucasFilm or Marvel, to the point where it no longer feels strange to to think that characters like Luke Skywalker or Spider-Man are almost as Disney as Mickey Mouse.
However, there is one recent addition that to some still feels strange in Disney’s hands: The Simpsons.
The Simpsons, created by Matt Groening, first premiered as a series of shorts on the Fox Network variety series The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987. In 1989, Groening teamed with television legends James L. Brooks and Sam Simon to turn the shorts into a half-hour long animated sitcom. The Simpsons was a massive hit right out of the gate, with its irreverent humor and biting social satire leading mass popularity and a merchandising bonanza.
However, unlike many overnight successes that quickly flamed out, The Simpsons has remained a pop culture mainstay for more than 30 years. It has aired well over 600 episodes and broken records for longest-running animated series and primetime sitcom. The series was acquired by Disney as part of the overall purchase of 21st Century Fox in 2019.
There are several reasons why Disney owning The Simpsons could be construed as weird by fans of both. For starters, there’s the fact that The Simpsons’ brand of humor, while not particularly crass, doesn’t fit in with the wholesome family friendly image generally associated with the Disney brand.
Speaking of the Disney brand, The Simpsons has lampooned said brand numerous times over its run. They’ve dedicated episodes to lampooning the history of the Disney Studios (“The Day the Violence Died”) and the company’s parks (“Itchy and Scratchy Land”) as well sprinkling more references throughout the run of the series. It will be… odd, to say the least, to have all of those references available on the Disney+ streaming service later this year.
Beyond the television show itself, it may be strange to many that Disney now owns The Simpsons because the characters have a heavy presence in Universal’s theme parks. Both of Universal’s U.S. resorts not only count versions of The Simpsons Ride as anchor attractions – the story of which pokes fun at Disney parks – but they also feature fully realized lands based on the town of Springfield, including themed food and drink and costumed characters. In addition, Universal has been using Simpsons characters, mainly Homer and Bart, heavily in merchandising and advertising in recent years.
Now, it has to be noted that many of these same points could be made about Marvel’s presence in Universal’s Islands of Adventure prior to Disney’s purchase of Marvel. On top of that, by all reports, Universal’s licensing agreement with The Simpsons is nowhere near as stringent as the deal with Marvel, which means that Disney may be able to incorporate Simpsons characters into the parks at their discretion. It’s unclear if Universal would retain their Simpsons rides or keep using the characters in marketing if that were to happen.
Eventually, like all the other outside properties Disney has acquired this past decade, The Simpsons will be fully integrated into the Disney family. However at the moment, it’s totally understandable that some may find Disney owning The Simpsons weird.
How do you feel about it? Have you accepted the reality that soon The Simpsons will be as Disney as Donald Duck, or does it still weird you out? Let us know in the comments below.
Want to learn more about the Disney+ streaming service? Check out these posts:
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When Disney purchased 20th Century Fox, is gained all of the properties under the Fox banner — which includes The Simpsons. So, Disney didn't so much buy The Simpsons as much as they bought the company that owns the Simpsons.
Disney quickly pledged to restore the classic segments to their 4:3 aspect-ratio glory. But it's taken more than six months to do that. Starting today (May 28), Disney Plus subscribers will now be able to watch older episodes of “The Simpsons” in the original aspect ratio.
However, it only became a Disney property in March 2019, when the company bought 20th Century Fox and thus acquired its television division. Not long after, Disney announced that their forthcoming streaming site would include the show's entire library of 500-plus episodes, much to the delight of lifelong fans.
Because the show has been on the air since 1989, its library spans both the 4:3 (square-ish) and 16:9 (rectangular) aspect ratio eras, but the older episodes were cropped as part of the conversion to 16:9 for streaming.
In April 2022, the Universal Studios Hollywood ride reopened from refurbishment with an updated soundtrack and slightly altered timings. As a result of the Walt Disney Company's acquisition of 20th Century Fox in 2019, The Simpsons are now a Disney-owned intellectual property.
In 2019, Disney bought Fox Studios, which owns “9-1-1,” while Fox broadcasting stayed in the Fox portfolio that also includes Fox News Channel. In its seventh or eighth season, TV series tend to become more expensive.
Disney has apparently removed an episode of The Simpsons from its local Disney+ streaming service in Hong Kong over a joke that mentioned Chinese labor camps.
The show, as any fan will explain, relies heavily on visual gags — an aspect of joke-telling that wouldn't become an issue until near the end of 2009, about a third of the way through The Simpsons' 20th season — when the show's aspect ratio switched from 4:3 to 16:9.
the only episode of The Simpsons that I've seen removed from streaming sites or streaming services such as Disney Plus is the premiere episode of the third season which was called Stark Raving Dad, the reason is because it involves Michael Jackson and they didn't want to keep that episode in circulation due to the ...
Disney does not own Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox Television Stations, Fox News Channels, FS1, FS2, Fox Deportes, and the Big Ten Network. Those had been spun off into a new company called Fox Corporation prior to the acquisition.
In March 2019, following the release of the documentary film Leaving Neverland, which details allegations against Jackson of child sexual assault, "Stark Raving Dad" was pulled from circulation.
The Simpsons began high-definition production in season 20. The first episode in HD, "Take My Life, Please", aired on February 15, 2009. "Take My Life, Please" is also the first to feature the new opening sequence.
Choose the Details tab. You should see a new toggle for “Remastered Aspect Ratio.” When this is enabled, you'll get The Simpsons formatted to 16:9. But if you want the true 4:3 experience, all you need to do is switch this to off. The toggle should be present on all devices that support Disney Plus.
If you've been watching The Simpsons on Disney Plus so far, you'll have been forced to use the 16:9 aspect ratio that came in for new episodes from 2009 – even for older episodes created in the 4:3 ratio, resulting in botched visual gags and a viewing experience quite unlike what the creators intended. But no more!
Simpson's were created by Matt Groening for Fox Television. Now that Fox sold all TV programming rights to the Mickey Mouse, they are the new owners of the series.
Disney Owns 'The Simpsons,' a Major Universal Attraction
"We know that an agreement between Fox and Universal to use the Simpsons has an end date; what we don't know is the length of those terms," InsideUniversal.net reported. "Rumors indicate the duration is a 20-year licensing agreement, putting the end year at 2028.
The American Broadcasting Company is a real television network, whose parent company Disney now owns 20th Century Studios and, consequently, The Simpsons.
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