After finishing a concert at LakeSpringfield,Green Day tries to engage the audience in a discussion about the environment, but they refuse to listen and throw garbage at them. The pollution in the lake erodes the band'sbarge, causing them to be drowned. During their memorial,Grampa Simpson has aspiritual experience and frantically prophesies that a disaster will befall Springfield, which onlyMarge takes 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 andBart engage in a dare contest, in which Homer dares Bart to skate across town naked. After being caught by the police, Homer allows Bart to take the blame for the dare. At Krusty Burger, Homer adopts a pig to save it from being slaughtered. Marge, identifying the pig as a part of the prophecy, warns Homer to get rid of it, but he refuses and names it Spider-Pig, then renames him Harry Plopper. Homer's fawning over Plopper makes Bart, now fed up with Homer's carelessness, to look to their neighbor,Ned Flanders, as a father figure.
Marge orders Homer to dispose of an overflowingsilo full of Plopper's feces. Rather than disposing of it safely at Marge's request, he dumps the silo in the lake, criticallypolluting it, in order to arrive at the closing Lard Lad Donuts in time to get free donuts. Russ Cargill, head of theEnvironmental Protection Agency (EPA), informsPresidentArnold Schwarzenegger of Springfield's pollution crisis and presents him with five solutions. Schwarzenegger then randomly picks the third option – sealing Springfield off from the rest of the world under a giant glass dome.
Being trapped under the dome causes mass hysteria in Springfield and when Homer's silo is discovered on the news, hundreds of townspeople arrive atthe Simpsons' house in an attempt tolynch the family. They escape through asinkhole hidden underMaggie's sandbox, which destroys the house, the debris trapping in the rest of the town. The family is furious at Homer for his blundering, but he convinces them to follow him toAlaska, where he had always planned to go if something like the incident happened. Homer wins a truck by riding a motorcycle around aglobe of death and the family restarts their lives in a remote Alaskan cabin.
Meanwhile, as Springfield exhausts its supplies, the townspeople attempt to find another way to escape from the dome. Cargill, mad with power, tricks Schwarzenegger into ordering the town's demolition. The Simpsons seeTom Hanks on television advertising a "newGrand Canyon" on the site of Springfield. Realizing that their hometown is in danger, the family vow to save it, except for Homer, who refuses to partake because of how their friends had turned against them and storms out. When he returns the next morning, he finds his family gone and a videotaped message from Marge explaining that she and their children are returning to Springfield to save it. To prove that her decision is permanent, she tapes her message over their wedding video. AnInukshaman then helps a distraught Homer to have anepiphany about his selfishness and he vows to save the town. Meanwhile, Marge and the kids are captured by the EPA inSeattle and placed back inside the dome.
The EPA lowers atime bomb suspended by a rope through a hole at the top of the dome, and the townspeople try to escape by climbing the rope. Homer returns to Springfield and descends the rope, knocking the escaping townspeople and the bomb off, inadvertently shortening its countdown and further provoking the town's ire. Homer reconciles with Bart and they use a motorcycle to travel up the side of the dome with the bomb. Bart throws the bomb through the hole seconds before it detonates, shattering the dome and freeing the town. Cargill attempts to murder Homer and Bart for foiling his plan, but Maggie knocks him out by dropping a rock on his head. The townspeople forgive and praise Homer before he rides into the sunset with Marge as Springfield begins restoration.
The production staff had considered a film adaptation ofThe Simpsons since early in the series.[5] 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.[6] He intended the film to be made after the show ended, "but that [...] was undone by good ratings".[7] There were attempts to adapt thefourth season episode "Kamp Krusty" into a film, but difficulties were encountered in expanding the episode to feature-length.[8] 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.[9] Groening also expressed a wish to makeSimpstasia, a parody ofFantasia; it was never produced, partly because it would have been too difficult to write a feature-length screenplay.[10] At another point, it was briefly suggested to do an anthology-styleTreehouse of Horror film, but such suggestion was never pursued.[11] Recurring guest performerPhil Hartman had wished to make a live-action film based on his characterTroy McClure; several of the show's staff expressed a desire to help create it, andJosh Weinstein proposed to use the plot of the 1996 episode "A Fish Called Selma" for the film, but the project was canceled following Hartman's death in 1998.[12][13] The project was officially green-lit by20th Century Fox in 1997, and Groening andJames L. Brooks were set to produce the film.
"If every episode ofThe Simpsons is a celebration, which we try to make it, then the movie is like a big celebration. It's a way of honoring the animators, allowing them to really strut their stuff and really go as far as they can with the art of the handwritten gesture. It's a way of honoring the writers, because we were able to get the best all-star writers ofThe Simpsons and write our hearts out, and it's a way of honoring all the great actors."
The voice cast was signed on to do the film in 2001,[14] and work then began on the screenplay.[15] 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.[16] Groening and Brooks invitedMike Scully andAl Jean (who continued to work asshowrunner on the television series) to produce the film with them.[17] They then signed series directorDavid Silverman to direct the film.[17] The "strongest possible" writing team was assembled, with many of the writers from the show's early seasons being chosen.[16]David Mirkin,Mike Reiss,George Meyer,John Swartzwelder, andJon Vitti were selected.Ian Maxtone-Graham andMatt Selman would also join later, and Brooks, Groening, Scully, and Jean also wrote parts of the screenplay.[16]Sam Simon did not return having left the show over creative differences in 1993. Former writerConan O'Brien expressed interest in working with theSimpsons staff again, although he later joked that "I worry that theSimpsons-writing portion of my brain has been destroyed after 14 years of talking toLindsay Lohan and that guy fromOne Tree Hill, so maybe it's all for the best."[18] The same went for directorBrad Bird who said he had "entertained fantasies of asking if [he] could work on the movie", but did not have enough time due to work on films likeThe Incredibles andRatatouille.[14] The producers arranged a deal with Fox that would allow them to abandon production of the film at any point if they felt the screenplay was unsatisfactory.[19]
Work continued on the screenplay from late 2003 onwards,[19] taking place in the small bungalow where Matt Groening first pitchedThe Simpsons in 1987.[20] The writers spent six months discussing a plot,[21] and each of them offered sketchy ideas.[20] On their first brainstorming session, Scully suggested a story in whichSteven Spielberg (intended to be voiced by Spielberg himself) would try to blow up Springfield so he could shoot a film withTom 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.[11] Jean suggested the family rescuemanatees, which became the 2005 episode "The Bonfire of the Manatees", and there was also a notion similar to that ofThe 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 gameThe Simpsons Game.[14] Groening read about a town that had to get rid of pig feces in their water supply, which inspired the plot of the film.[17] 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.[22]Hank Scorpio, 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.[23]
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".[16] The film's screenplay 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.[19] The screenplay was rewritten over 100 times,[21] and at one point, the film was a musical. However, the songs were continually being shortened and the idea was dropped.[24] 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".[25]
DirectorDavid Silverman looked at some of the television episodes he had directed for inspiration.
Animation for the film began in January 2006,[17] with theItchy & Scratchy short being the first scene to bestoryboarded.[26] Groening rejected making either alive-action or aCGI film,[20] calling the film's animation "deliberately imperfect" and "a tribute to the art ofhand-drawn animation".[27] The film was produced in a widescreen2.40:1 aspect ratio, to distinguish it from the then4:3 fullscreen look of the television series at the time,[16][26] and colored with the largest palette the animators ever had available to them.[6] A lot of the animation was produced usingWacom Cintiq tablets, which allowed images to be drawn directly onto a computer monitor to facilitate production.[26] Animation production work was divided among four studios around the world:Film Roman inBurbank, California;Rough Draft Studios inGlendale, California; and its division along withAKOM, inSeoul,South Korea, all of whom previously worked on the series. As with the television series, the storyboarding, character designs, background layout, general animation, andanimatic parts of production, were done in America. The overseas studios completed the camera work,inbetweening, anddigital ink and paint before shipping the animation back to the United States.[28]
Director David Silverman said that unlike the TV series where "you [have] to pick and choose", the film gave them the opportunity to "lavish that attention [on] every single scene". The characters have shadows, unlike in the show.[19] Silverman and the animators looked to films such asThe Incredibles,The Triplets of Belleville, andBad Day at Black Rock for inspiration, as they were "a great education in staging because of how the characters are placed".[19] They also looked for ideas for a dream sequence, inDisney films such asDumbo and thePluto cartoonPluto's Judgment Day[20] and for crowd scenes inIt's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.[22] Silverman looked at some of theSimpsons episodes he had directed, primarily his two favorites, "Homie the Clown" and "Three Men and a Comic Book".[29]Mike B. Anderson,Lauren MacMullan,Rich Moore andSteven Dean Moore each directed the animation for around a quarter of the film under Silverman's supervision, with numerous other animators working on scenes.[28]
For inspiration for the crowd scenes in the film, the production staff referenced a poster featuring more than 320Simpsons characters.[30] Groening said they tried to include every single character in the film, with 98 having speaking parts,[17] and most members of the crowds being previously established characters instead of generic people.[26] The series' regular voice actors:Dan Castellaneta,Julie Kavner,Nancy Cartwright,Yeardley Smith,Hank Azaria andHarry Shearer, as well as semi-regular performersTress MacNeille,Pamela Hayden,Marcia Wallace,Maggie Roswell,Russi Taylor andKarl Wiedergott, reprised their roles.[7]Joe Mantegna returned asFat Tony,[31] whileAlbert Brooks, who supplied many guest voices in episodes, was cast as the mainantagonist Russ Cargill[16] after he told the staff that he wanted to be part of the film.[22] 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.[28]
The shot of an angry mob coming for Homer features cameos from more than 320 characters.[21]
The cast did the first of threetable readings in May 2005,[7][32] and began recording every week from June 2006 until the end of production.[33] 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".[34] Some scenes, such as Marge's video message to Homer, were recorded over one hundred times, leaving the voice cast exhausted.[22]
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.[22]Everybody Loves Raymond creatorPhilip Rosenthal provides the voice of the father in the "newGrand Canyon" commercial with Hanks.[26] 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.[35]Edward Norton recorded the part of the man who gets crushed as the dome is implemented, performing aWoody Allen impression. The staff felt the voice was too distracting, so Castellaneta re-recorded Norton's dialogue with a different voice.[26]Isla Fisher andErin Brockovich also recorded cameos, but their scenes were cut.[17][36]Kelsey Grammer recorded lines forSideshow Bob, who was to appear at several different points,[26][28] but these scenes were also cut.[22]Johnny Knoxville was also touted as a possible guest star.[22]
Although he does not provide the voice, Arnold Schwarzenegger ispresident of the United States rather than the contemporary real-life incumbentGeorge W. Bush, because according to Groening "in two years ... the film [would be] out of date".[21] Brooks was nervous about the idea, noting that "[Schwarzenegger's]opinion polls were way down", and has said that they "were [hoping] he'd make a political comeback".[6] The animators began by drawing an accurate caricature of Schwarzenegger,[22] but one of the staff instead suggested an altered version of recurring characterRainier Wolfcastle as president.[29] 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.[22]
Every aspect of the film was constantly analyzed, with storylines, jokes and characters regularly being rewritten.[26] Although most animated films do not make extensive changes to the film during active production due to budget restrictions,[14]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.[26] James L. Brooks noted, "70 percent of the things in [one of the trailers]—based on where we were eight weeks ago—are no longer in the movie."[30] Matt Groening said that enough material for two more films was cut.[20] Various new characters were created, and then cut because they did not contribute enough.[14]
Originally Marge was the character who had theprophetic vision in church. The writers however considered this to be too dark and it was changed to Grampa.[26] The role of Lisa's love interest Colin was frequently revised. He was previously named Dexter and Adrien, and his appearance was completely altered.[22] One idea was to haveMilhouse act as Lisa's love interest, but the writers realized "the audience was not as familiar with [his] long-standing crush on [Lisa] as [they had] thought".[26] Acar chase in which Homer throws flamingmummies 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.[26] 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 anR-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.[11]
Further changes were made after the March 2007 preview screenings of the film inPortland, Oregon andPhoenix, Arizona.[26] This included the deletion ofKang and Kodos heavily criticizing the film during the end credits.[17][37] A lot of people at the screenings found the original film too coarse, and some of Homer's behavior too unlikable, so several scenes were toned down to make him appear likable.[26] Russ Cargill was redesigned several times, originally appearing as an older man whose speech patterns Albert Brooks based onDonald Rumsfeld. The older model was the one used byBurger King for the action figure.[26]
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.[22] One excised scene, before the dome is put over Springfield, hadMr. Burns reminding viewers that it was the last point in the film that they could get a refund.[26] Other deletions included Homer's encounter with a sausage truck driver, a scene with Plopper the pig at the end,[38] 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.[26] Several musical numbers, at various intervals throughout the film, were cut.[26] These included a song about Alaska, featuring music byDave Stewart ofEurythmics. Jean said it "got pretty far along in the animation, and then we got scared that the movie began to drag in that section."[39][40]
Producer James L. Brooks choseHans Zimmer to compose the film's score, as they were good friends and regular collaborators.[41] Zimmer felt that the score was a "unique challenge", and he had to "try and express the style ofThe Simpsons without wearing the audience out".[42] He usedDanny Elfman's originalopening theme, but did not wish to overuse it. He created themes for each member of the family. Homer'sleitmotif was a major focus, and Zimmer also composed smaller themes for Bart and Marge.[43] Regular television series composerAlf Clausen was not asked to score the film, noting: "sometimes you're the windshield, sometimes you're the bug".[44]
In addition to their appearance in the film, Green Day recorded its own version of theSimpsons theme, and released it asa single.[45] 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 32dubbed 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.[43]
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.[46] 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 theEnvironmental Protection Agency.[17] Reviewer Ed Gonzalez argued the plot was a satire of the government's reaction to the effects ofHurricane Katrina onNew Orleans.[47] Ian Nathan ofEmpire magazine criticized this focus, believing it gave the film an "overt political agenda [which] border[s] onpolemic".[48] James D. Bloom ofMuhlenberg 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'."[49]
Religion is focused on in Grampa's momentary possession, and Marge believing what he said to be a message from God.[50] Groening joked the film "posit[s] the existence of a very active God", when asked if he believed it was likely to offend.[46] Mark I. Pinsky, author ofThe 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 ofMoe'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 [the] willingness ofThe Simpsons to depict all the different sides of us [...] that makes it so rich and funny on our complicated relationship with religion."[51] Trees are amotif in the film, and they were implemented in every important or emotional scene throughout the film. The animators inserted anapple tree behind Lisa and Colin during their initial meeting, which was a reference to the biblical figures ofAdam and Eve and theGarden of Eden.[28]
Many cultural references and allusions are made throughout the film. Green Day plays "Nearer, My God, to Thee" on violins as their barge sinks, in a sequence parodying the filmTitanic.[26][52] When Bart is riding his skateboard naked, different passing objects are almost constantly covering his genitalia, a nod to similar techniques used inAustin Powers: International Man of Mystery.[28] Homer and Marge's love scene parodies manyDisney films, includingCinderella,[20] with Disney-style animals helping them undress.[22] Originally, the music fromThe Wizard of Oz was used in that scene, and thefawn had white spots; these were removed because the animators felt it resembledBambi too clearly.[26] Bart impersonatesMickey Mouse on the train, calling himself "the mascot of an evil corporation".[22] Homer playsGrand Theft Walrus, an allusion to thevideo game seriesGrand Theft Auto. In the game, his character shoots a tap-dancing penguin in reference to the filmHappy Feet.[26] The "Spider-Pig" song is a parody of thetheme song of the 1967Spider-Man TV series,[43] and the name of Lisa's lecture isAn Irritating Truth, a play onAl Gore's filmAn Inconvenient Truth.[50] Thebomb disposal robot was based onVincent D'Onofrio's character Leonard "Pyle" Lawrence from the filmFull Metal Jacket, who commits suicide in a similar way.[28] At the end of the film, the crowd's celebration is similar to the conclusion ofReturn of the Jedi, withCarl performing exactly the same hand gestures asLando Calrissian.[28]
The $1,000 Homer received when entering Alaska is a reference to theAlaska Permanent Fund Dividend.[53] 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 actorBuster Keaton,[26] while the epiphany scene features homages to the filmBrazil and the works ofSalvador Dalí.[28]Hillary Clinton appears as Itchy's vice president, while anOrc fromThe Lord of the Rings appears in the mob scene.[26] A scene that was cut had Marge and the kids appear on the TV talk showThe 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 withJoy Behar.[26] Another dropped scene featuredMoe describing Springfield's varying physical states inside the dome, one of which was theDisneyland rideAutopia.[26] There are several references to events in previous TV episodes ofThe Simpsons. These include the wreckage of the ambulance from the episode "Bart the Daredevil" crashed into a tree next to Springfield Gorge.[22]The Carpenters' song "(They Long to Be) Close to You" was used in Homer and Marge's wedding video and had also been used in several emotional moments between them in the TV series.[26]
OnApril 1, 2006, 20th Century Fox announced that the film would be released worldwide on July 27, 2007.[54] The film was released a day earlier in Australia and the United Kingdom.[55][56][57][58] 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'sSimpsons because I like the plot.' You just tune in and see what happens."[14]
Fox held a competition among 16Springfields across the United States to host the American premiere.[59] Each Springfield produced a film, explaining why their town should host the premiere, with the results being decided via a vote on theUSA Today website.[60]Springfield,Minnesota dropped out on May 31, 2007.[61] The winner was announced on July 10 to beSpringfield,Vermont.[62] The town beatSpringfield,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.[60] Springfield, Vermont hosted the world premiere of the film on July 21 with a yellow carpet instead of the traditionalred.[62]
The film was rated PG-13 by theMotion Picture Association of America for "irreverent humor throughout";[63] the production staff had expected this rating.[15] However, theBritish Board of Film Classification passed the film as aPG with no cuts made.[64] A BBFC spokeswoman said regarding Bart's brief nude scene, "natural nudity with no sexual content is acceptable in PG films".[65] The film was banned inMyanmar, not for the scene of nudity, but for the excessive use of the colors yellow and red, which is prohibited in the country.[66]
Theconvenience store chain7-Eleventransformed 11 of its stores in the United States and one in Canada intoKwik-E-Marts, at the cost of approximately $10 million.[67][68] 7-Eleven also soldSimpsons-themed merchandise in many of its stores. This included "Squishees", "Buzz Cola", "Krusty-O's" Cereal, and "Pink Movie Donuts".[68] This promotion resulted in a 30% increase in profits for the altered 7-Eleven stores.[69] Homer performed a special animated opening monologue for the edition of July 24, 2007 ofThe Tonight Show with Jay Leno, as part of another promotion.[70]
McFarlane Toys released a line of action figures based on the film[75] whileEA Games releasedThe Simpsons Game to coincide with the film's DVD release, although the plot of the game was not based on the film.[76][77]Samsung releasedThe Simpsons Movie phone,[78] andMicrosoft produced a limited editionThe Simpsons MovieXbox 360.[79]Ben & Jerry's created aSimpsons-themed beer and donut-flavored ice cream, entitled "Duff & D'oh! Nuts".[80]Windows Live Messenger presented their users with the opportunity to download a free animated and static content for use within their conversations.[81] Burger King produced a line ofSimpsons toy figures that were given away with children's meals, and ran a series ofSimpsons-themed television adverts to promote this.[69]JetBlue Airways held a series of online sweepstakes to win a trip to the film'sLos Angeles,California premiere. They also included a channel dedicated toThe Simpsons on their planes'in-flight entertainment system.[69]
TheEmpire State Building was illuminated yellow to promote the film's home video release.
The film was released onDVD andBlu-ray Disc worldwide on December 3, 2007, and on December 18[82] in the United States by20th Century Fox Home Entertainment. It containscommentary tracks from both the producers and animators, six short deleted scenes, and a selection of material used to promote the film release.[83] An unfinished deleted scene of the townspeople singing the Springfield Anthem was also included onThe Simpsons The Complete Tenth Season DVD box set.[84]
Promotions for the DVD release occurred across the United States. TheEmpire State Building was illuminated yellow, the first time the building had ever been used as part of a film promotion.[85] In the United Kingdom,Fox launched a £5 million advertising campaign.[86] They also signed a £1.6 million deal with the yogurt companyYoplait, to produce aThe Simpsons Movie design for their brand Frubes.[87] In its first week it topped the U.S. DVD chart, and generated $11.8 million in rental revenue.[85]
On thereview aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes, 87% of 220 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 7.50/10. The website's 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."[88]Metacritic, which uses aweighted average, assigned the film a score of 80 out of 100, based on 36 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.[89] Audiences polled byCinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A−" on an A+ to F scale.[90]
British newspapersThe Guardian andThe 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".[91]The Guardian's Peter Bradshaw stated that it "gives you everything you could possibly want" and that he thought, "Eighty-five minutes [was] not long enough to do justice to 17 years of comedy genius".[92] Ed Gonzalez praised the film for its political message, likening theItchy & Scratchy cartoon at the beginning to President Schwarzenegger's situation later on, as well as the film's visual gags.[47] 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".[93]Roger Ebert gave a positive review of three out of four stars, but admitted he was "generally [not] a 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".[94]Richard Corliss ofTime said that the film "doesn't try to be ruder or kinkier, just bigger and better".[95]
Julie Kavner (pictured in 1974) was praised for her emotional performance as Marge and was nominated for anAnnie Award for voice acting. To date it is her last performance in a feature film.
USA Today film criticClaudia Puig said that the story did "warrant a full-length feature, thanks to a clever plot and non-stop irreverent humor".[96] Patrick Kolan believed that the film was "easily the best stuff to come [from theSimpsons] sinceseason 12 or13" and praised the animation, but also said that the appearances of characters such asComic Book Guy andSeymour Skinner were "small and unfunny".[97] Kirk Honeycutt ofThe 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."[98]
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.[99]Lisa Schwarzbaum praised the voice cast but stated that the "'action' sequences sometimes falter".[100] 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".[101]The Monthly criticLuke Davies 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 ofThe Simpsons, this film will come to be seen as oddity rather than apotheosis."[102]
More negative reception came from the magazineEmpire, where reviewer Ian Nathan compared the film toNew Coke, saying that "it utterly failed".[48] 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".[103] 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".[104] 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."[105]Cosmo Landesman believed, "the humour seem[ed] to have lost its satirical bite and wit" and that "much of the comedy is structured around the idiocy of Homer".[106] This assessment was shared by Carina Chocano of theLos 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 toSouth 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 onThe Daily Show with Jon Stewart."[107] Bruce Newman criticized the fleeting appearances of many of the show's secondary characters, and found the film to be "a disappointment".[108]
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.[109] 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.[110] 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, surpassingThe SpongeBob SquarePants Movie.[111] This outperformed the expectations of $40 million that Fox had for the release.[112]
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, surpassingMission: Impossible 2. It was also the third-highest grossing opening weekend for an animated film.[113] 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 a20th Century Fox film.[114] It contributed to over half of the record 5.5 million people attending British cinemas that weekend.[115] In Australia, it grossed$13.2 million, the third-highest opening weekend in the country, and the highest for an animated film.[116] 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.[117] 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 million. It was the eighth-highest-grossing film worldwide and the tenth-highest grossing in the United States of 2007.[4]
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 [develop it], but we haven't. We're doing a lot of other stuff".[137] In December 2014, just prior to the broadcast of thetwenty-sixth season episode "The Man Who Came to Be Dinner", 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".[138][139] Jean later expanded that there was the fear of the potential film being considered "not canonical" with the TV series[139] and the potential backlash of overcoming it by using a "memory wipe".[140]
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.[11] On August 10, 2018, it was reported that a sequel was in development.[141] On July 22, 2019, Groening stated that he had "no doubts" thatThe Walt Disney Company, whichacquired21st Century Fox early that year, would likely produce a sequel one day.[142] In July 2021, Jean stated that discussions for the potential sequel had stalled due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[143] In May 2024, Jean expressed his hopes for a sequel: "I want to see the animation business completely returned to what it was before the pandemic. And then, I think if that was the case, it would make sense to do The Simpsons theatrically."[144]
^Groening, Matt; Al Jean, Mark Kirkland, David Silverman (2004).The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "Kamp Krusty" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^"Matt Groening". April 26, 2006.Archived from the original on March 19, 2021. RetrievedApril 12, 2017.
^Groening, Matt (2004).The Simpsons The Complete Fourth Season DVD commentary for the episode "A Streetcar Named Marge" (DVD). 20th Century Fox.
^abcdef"About the DVD".The Simpsons Movie.com.20th Century Fox. Archived fromthe original on March 23, 2013. RetrievedNovember 29, 2007. From the main page, go to the Simpsons' house, click on Lisa's book, click on "About the DVD" then on "Production Notes".
^Reiss, Mike; Klickstein, Mathew (2018).Springfield confidential: jokes, secrets, and outright lies from a lifetime writing for the Simpsons. New York City: Dey Street Books. p. 102.ISBN978-0062748034.
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