Complete Eighth Season DVD Reviewed
By Wesley Mead (wesley@snpp.com) - August 19, 2006
"The Complete Eighth Season" DVD
set, featuring all 25 episodes from the series' eighth season (1996-1997), was released in the USA
and Canada on August 15, 2005. As ever, releases will follow in Europe, Australasia and Asia in the near future.
After another eight month wait, Fox delivers the goods once again in this four-disc set of the complete 25-episode
eighth season. The season that 'sought to focus on secondary characters' according to Josh Weinstein's commentary, sees Bill Oakley and
Weinstein himself take the helm as showrunners and the result is what is debateably the last truly classic season, and one of the series'
finest. The twenty-five episodes are spread across the four discs 6:7:7:5, are presented in the best AV quality yet and sit alongside
another stellar set of bonus features.
Season 8 is home to home to many of the most memorable Simpsons episodes of all-time. A personal favourite of mine
is the excellent "Simpsoncalifragalisticexpiala-D'oh!-cious", which sees English nanny Shary Bobbins ("an original creation, like
Rickey Rouse or Monald Muck") babysit the kids when Marge is feeling stressed - with help from extensive use of the medium of song, leading
to the finest 'musical' episode in the series' history. But it's far from the only notable episode on the set. "The Springfield Files"
sees The X Files' Mulder and Scully investigating Homer's extraterrestrial sighting; while in "Homer's Phobia" Homer grows
concerned over Bart's exhibition of homosexual behaviour traits. The Itchy and Scratchy Show gets a new character, Poochie, voiced by Homer.
Frasier references are rife when Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) meets his long-lost brother, Cecil (David Hyde Pierce). Marge gets a
job as a pretzel vendor. Prohibition of alcohol is reinstated in Springfield; Lisa helps a bankrupt Burns to become environmentally-conscious;
Ms. Krabappel and Principal Skinner get together on school grounds and Bart nearly gets killed while being babysat by Lisa. Oh, and Milhouse's
parents get divorced. Talk about a jam-packed season.
This season's guest star list is probably the longest yet, with voices from every field of celebrity showing up at some point or
another. Throughout the 25 episodes, Paul Winfield, Michael Buffer ("Let's get ready to rumble!", Rodney Dangerfield, Johnny Cash, David Duchovny,
Gillian Anderson, Leonard Nimoy, Jack Lemmon, John Waters, Bret Hart, Sab Shimono, Willem DaFoe and the aforemetnioned Kelsey Grammer and
David Hyde Pierce all guest star, alongside recurring guests Phil Hartman, Marcia Wallace, Jon Lovitz, Joe Mantegna, Frank Welker and
Albert Brooks, amongst others.
Once again, consumers have a choice over which box style they wish to have with season 8; the Maggie plastic
'head'
or the standard box right off the bat by issuing both
in stores and online. The downside is that there's no way to get both without buying
two copies of the set, but to most fans this won't matter too much. I received the head box; included in the package are the four discs in
a separate disc trays that can be opened like a book design (known as a digibook), thankfully entirely removable from the Maggie head for
easier and quicker access, as well as an excellent booklet set out like a photo album – entitled "Memories 1996-1997", it details episodes,
chapter stops and extra features. Unfortunately, while in the past I have been comparatively lenient on the head boxes, finding them a reasonably
decent way to store the discs, this time I'm not being so generous. The strong, clear tape used to hold the 'digibook' together has been replaced
by a terrible cardboard strip, which not only looks very weak but makes it hard to even open the digibook very well at all. I've no idea why Fox
changed this, the one aspect of the design which was absolutely fine with me – suffice to say I hope they go back to the clear tape for
season 9. I may come across as being too picky, but it honestly is a pain to get the discs out and the coardboard creases ridiculously easily.
Fix it, Fox.
For the fourth season in a row now, the menu system remains the same - they must be happy with it; I know I am, as right
now they are both easily navigable and beautifully designed. The top half of the screen contains a animated screen featuring a variety of
Simpson characters revelant to the episodes on that particular disc posing for photographs, talking and generally playing around; it's
frequently worth playing through the menu a couple of times to check what's going to happen. The bottom half of the screen lists the episodes
along with the lovely "Play All" option, and an "Extras" button. Each episode has two small buttons next to it: choosing the first, displaying
a triangle similar to a Play button, will play the episode; the other, with a "+" mark, will open a sub-menu, also themed, of which there can
be several in a row, featuring scene, language, subtitle, commentary and deleted scenes options. There is a chapter stop after the opening
of the show for quick skipping.
As usual, the principal extra is the commentary on every one of the 25 episodes in the set, featuring a vast array
of contributors. Matt Groening, creator of the show himself, is present on almost all of them; as is showrunner Josh Weinstein. Other
regulars throughout the set include crew members Bill Oakley, Ken Keeler, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Wes Archer, David Silverman, Al Jean,
Mike Anderson, David S. Cohen, Mark Kirkland and Bob Anderson; and cast members Dan Castellaneta and Yeardley Smith. There are also many
other commentators who appear just on one or two episodes, such as Kelsey Grammer ("Brother from Another Series") and Ian
Maxtone-Graham ("Burns, Baby Burns"). Josh Weinstein's children, Molly and Simon, even show up on two episodes! Each commentary
track has anything from three to eight participants. The commentary tracks are, as ever, simultaneously hilarious and informative, and
often feature interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes and stories that we would otherwise never know – or care to find out! – and they
often go in-depth on the philosophical, mathematical or scientific side of the show, as well as detailing inspiration inspiration for
parodies, plotlines and characters. This season, they even answer questions posed by members of the online
No Homers Club, which for members of the "Club" and non-members alike should prove very interesting.
I won't reveal any particular tidbits from the commentaries, as the fun is really in listening for yourself, but I will say that Dave
Thomas's role as "Contest Winner" in "Mountain of Madness" helps to make it one of the best Simpsons commentaries yet, while
Kelsey Grammer and Hank Azaria (in a rare commentary spot) help make the commentaries they respectively feature on among the season's finest.
As ever, though, Fox have been much more generous than merely including commentary on every episode – no, there are
many more interesting bonuses to check out. Kicking off the additional bonus features is the "A Memento From Matt Groening" on disc 1, a
short three-minute reel of quick season eight clips over which Matt discusses the DVD set a great pace, in the same vein as the similar
featurettes on seasons 4, 5, 6 and 7.
Once again, deleted scenes are supplied in great numbers. 21 episodes feature deleted scenes, again totalling around
20 minutes. All are entertaining, and are in the later stages of production – the only thing really missing is some voice cleanup
and sound effects. You can view them inserted into their respective episodes via a branching feature, or as a 20-minute reel (in which
the scenes are preceded by 10 seconds or so of animation actually used in the episode, to give the scenes context) with optional
commentary on the final disc. The finest is undoubtedly Patty & Selma's "We Love to Smoke", an outtake from
"Simpsoncalifragalisticexpiala-D'oh!-cious", which fans may have heard previously on the
Go Simpsonic soundtrack.
Additionally, there are two in-depth "Animation Showcases" for the episodes "Treehouse of Horror VII" and
"In Marge We Trust" featuring multi-angle animation comparisons from different stages of the animation (though this time we
cannot compare with the final material for some reason). There are also original sketches, as well as several other animation-related
bonuses such as the brilliant "A Bit From The Animators" on "Treehouse of Horror VII", "Lisa's Date with Density",
"Homer vs. the Eighteenth Amendment" and "In Marge We Trust", in which show animators and staff commentate on part of
the episode with the ability to freeze-frame, rewind, draw on the screen and the like. Between them, they make a very entertaining 40
minutes, but I'd like to see even more in future sets.
Finally, we have a 3.5-minute "The Simpsons House" featurette; "Original Sketches" and "A Few Promos",
pretty much self-explanatory; and a Special Language Feature enabling us to view "Homer's Enemy" in German, Parisian French,
Japanese and Czech.
The audio-video quality on this set is again excellent – it's continuing to improve with each successive season,
and whilst we're still not quite up to the impressive digital quality we'll be expecting with the later seasons, we're getting very close
now. The full-frame presentation is bright, sharp and fully detailed; it's only marred by the limitation of the source material. There
is minimal grain and shimmering, and colours are vivid. The DD5.1 remaster is again excellent, and whilst largely front-focused,
directional effects sometimes do make their way to the back, and the overall clarity makes for an improved listening experience.
Dialogue and music alike come through clearly, if not quite as loud as you might hope. French and Spanish DD2.0 soundtracks are also
included, as are Spanish and English SDH subtitles. I extensively tested the English subtitles, which appeared accurate and true to
the spoken word. On occasion, the subtitles "drop out" for about 5 seconds, and then quickly catch up – I believe it is to do with
the deleted scenes branching option, which also prevents manual switching of subtitles during the episode. Unfortunately, the
commentaries and extras are still not subtitled, a let-down for fans with hearing impairments; note that the UK R2 release does feature
subtitles on the bonus features.
In his introduction to the set in the aforementioned booklet, Groening states "It's been an honor selling these
formerly free TV shows to you". And it's been an honour buying them. Despite this set's problems, it's an excellent buy, no doubt.
But as good as this season is, it cannot be denied that it's all downhill from here. Still, for now, go pick this up, and revel
in the last truly classic season, complete with the continued supply of excellent extras Fox so generously include.
The Simpsons - The Complete Eighth Season
EPISODES: A+ - The last classic season, brimming with Simpsonic excellence
PRESENTATION: A- - Minor box problems drag this down; AV and menus remain excellent
EXTRAS: A+ - More supplements that inform and entertain consistently.
OVERALL: A - If you've come this far, no further recommendation is necessary. Purchase this; you won't be disappointed.
Future news concerning the DVDs, including the forthcoming Season 9 release, and various other compilation discs, will be added to our DVD News page.
Psychology and World and Simpsons
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - June 13, 2006
Fans of the Simpsons have two new books to grab to make rainy summer days more fun.
"The Psychology of The Simpsons" is a
compilation of compelling and entertaining essays written by well-known psychologists from a wide variety of specialties. The book's seventeen
essays talk about the Simpsons as a family, Marge and Homer's love life, feminine fury, sanity and normativity on The Simpsons,
Homer's brain and soul, intelligence and learning. It is easy to see that the essays are written by recognized experts of the area. Fortunately,
despite numerous references to various psychological theories and academic studies, the essays steer clear of becoming too serious, and
manage to stay entertaining throughout the book. The connection to the show and its events is solid and psychological points are illustrated using
explanatory snippets from the Simpsons. If you liked
"The Simpsons and Philosophy", this one is a safe
bet for you, but it will surely serve any literate fan with hours of thought-provoking fun.
Another new book, "The World According to The
Simpsons", is a thoroughly revised and expanded version of author Steven Keslowitz's first book,
"The Simpsons and Society". Keslowitz takes a look at
how The Simpsons has influenced an entire generation over the course of the series' run. "The World According to The Simpsons" is an
insightful study of what The Simpsons has to say about society, and how society is affected by The Simpsons. Keslowitz demonstrates the impact
of The Simpsons, and the importance of the use of satire in our democracy. Like the psychology book, "The World According to The Simpsons"
keeps fans alert with dozens and dozens of Simpsons quotes and references to laugh with.
Each family member gets their own chapter, but the supporting characters have not been forgotten either. Celebrity culture,
as well as more serious topics such as globalization, gun control and education are discussed in the book in relation to the life in Springfield.
Keslowitz's book is a book made by a fan, for a fan, and the author's love for the show is apparent throughout the book.
Complete Seventh Season DVD Reviewed
By Wesley Mead (wesley@snpp.com) - December 27, 2005
"The Complete
Seventh Season" DVD set, featuring all 25 episodes from the series' seventh season (1995-1996), was
released in the USA and Canada on December 13, 2005. It will be released in other countries around the
globe throughout the early months of 2006.
After the shortest wait between season sets yet – just four months – Fox brings
us the complete season seven of The Simpsons, another season adored by fans that maintained the consistent
runs of gags season 6 had brought us while also bringing emotional storylines and important characterisation
into the mix. The twenty-five episodes are spread out in the ration of 6:6:7:5, alongside a veritable
plethora of the bonus features we Simpsonites have become accustomed to.
First though, the most important part of any season set: the episodes. This season
brought us the eagerly awaited conclusion to "Who Shot Mr. Burns?"; Lisa's decision to go vegetarian;
Homer in 3-D in the "Homer3" segment of "Treehouse of Horror VI"; Bart selling
his soul to Milhouse; the Flanders family taking in the Simpson kids by order of the Child Protective
Services; George Bush (Sr.) moving in opposite the Simpsons; Apu facing deportation; Homer taking over
from Smithers as Burns' lackey; Homer's bowling team, the Pin Pals; Selma's short-lived marriage to Troy
McClure; Krusty's tax troubles; Marge's attempt at social climbing through Chanel suits and country clubs;
Homer's visit from his law-evading mother; and Troy McClure's tribute to the show's first 138 shows.
Alongside all this, a multitude of guest stars feature, including among others Paul and
Linda McCartney, Phil Hartman, Paul Anka, Glenn Close, Bob Newhart, Donald Sutherland, Kirk Douglas, Jeff
Goldblum, Cypress Hill, Peter Frampton, The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Christina Ricci and Kelsey
Grammer, returning as Sideshow Bob.
Following the controversy about season 6's Homer head-design box and the mail-in offer
allowing fans to recieve a box more similar in style to season 1-5's, this time Fox have made it easier by
allowing us to choose either the Marge head or the
standard box right off
the bat by issuing both in
stores and online. The downside is that there's no way to get both without buying two copies of the set,
but to most fans this won't matter too much. I recieved the head box; included in the package are the four
discs in a separate disc trays that can be opened like a book design (known as a digibook), thankfully
entirely removable from the Marge head for easier and quicker access, as well as an excellent booklet that
parodies an issue of "Variety" (right down to the picture captions and advertisements at the end);
entitled "Vanity" it details all of the episodes and extra features included.
As with season 6, there are no changes to the menu system this season; things remain
the same as they have done since season 5 – a good thing, as the menus are excellently designed and
easily navigable. The top half of the screen contains a screen featuring a variety of Simpson characters
relevant to the episodes on that particular disc dressed elegantly, posing for photographs on a red carpet,
implying they are going to an awards ceremony; the bottom half of the screen lists the episodes along with
the lovely Play All option, and an "Extras" button in the shape of a movie ticket.
Each episode has two small buttons next to it: choosing the first, featuring a triangle
similar to a Play button, will play the episode; the other, with a "+" mark, will open a sub-menu, also
themed, of which there can be several in a row, featuring scene, language, subtitle, commentary and
deleted scenes options. There is a chapter stop after the opening of the show for quick skipping. All of
the menus are animated to some extent, and many feature audio – it's frequently worth playing through
the menu a couple of times to check what's going to happen!
As usual, the principal extra is the commentary on every one of the 25 episodes in
the set, featuring a vast array of contributors. Matt Groening, creator of the show himself, is present
on two-thirds of them; other regulars throughout the set include David Mirkin, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein,
Wes Archer, David Silverman, Susie Dietter, Jon Vitti, Greg Daniels, David S. Cohen, Mark Kirkland and
Bob Anderson. Unfortunately, the only cast member around this time is Yeardley Smith. Each commentary
track has anything from two to ten participants. The commentary tracks are, once again, simultaneously
hilarious and informative, and often feature interesting behind-the-scenes anecdotes and stories that we
would otherwise never know – or care to find out! – and they often go in-depth on the philosophical,
mathematical or scientific side of the show, such as the equations featured in the "Homer3"
segment, and the emotional side of "Home Sweet Home-Diddly-Dum-Doodily". They even make reference to
"the nerds on the Internet" when commenting on episodes particularly loved or unloved by web-wizrd fans.
As ever, throughout the full-length commentaries there is barely a dull moment with every episode
featuring multiple contributors, and any fan of the show will regale in the trivial tidbits being passed on.
As ever, though, Fox have been much more generous than merely including commentary on
every episode – no, there are many more interesting bonuses to check out. Kicking off the additional bonus
features is the "Introduction From Matt Groening" on disc 1, a short two-minute reel of quick season seven
clips over which Matt discusses the DVD in the same vein as the similar featurettes on seasons 4, 5 and 6.
Once again, deleted scenes are supplied in great numbers. 29 episodes feature deleted scenes,
once again totalling around 20 minutes. All are entertaining, and are in the later stages of production –
the only thing really missing is some voice cleanup and sound effects. You can view them inserted into their
respective episodes, or as a 20-minute reel (in which the scenes are preceded by 10 seconds or so of contextual
animation actually used in the episode) with optional commentary on the final disc.
Additionally, there is are three in-depth "Animation Showcases" for the episodes "Home Sweet
Home Diddly-Dum-Doodily", "Raging Abe Simpson and His Grumbling Grandson" and
"Summer of 4 ft 2" featuring
multi-angle animation comparisons from different stages of the animation and original sketches, as well as
several other animation-related bonuses such as the brilliant "A Bit From The Animators" (similar to
illustarted commentaries on previous sets) on "The Day The Violence Died" and "Summer of 4 ft 2";
and a sketch gallery on disc 4.
Finally, we have a recipe for Paul and Linda McCartney's Lentil Soup, read aloud by
Paul McCartney himself; a very interesting 6-minute featurette on the 3D animation used in "Treehouse
of Horror VI"; and a Special Language Feature enabling us to view "22 Short Films About Springfield"
in German, Italian, Japanese and Brazilian Portuguese.
The audio-video quality on this set is once again excellent – it's continuing to
improve with each successive season, and whilst we're still not quite up to the impressive digital quality
we'll be expecting with the later seasons, we're getting a lot closer. The full-frame presentation is bright,
sharp and fully detailed; it's only marred by the limitation of the source material. There is minimal grain
and shimmering, and colours are vivid. The DD5.1 remaster is again excellent, and whilst largely
front-focused, directional effects sometimes do make their way to the back, and the overall clarity makes for
an improved listening experience, though the dialogue is sometimes rather quiet. French and Spanish DD2.0
soundtracks are also included, as are Spanish and English SDH subtitles. I extensively tested the English
subtitles, which appeared accurate and true to the spoken word. Unfortunately, the commentaries and extras
are still not subtitled, a let-down for fans with hearing impairments; note that the UK R2 release does feature
subtitles on the bonus features. Other reviews on the Internet have claimed subtitles on the episodes are
not present; they are, they just have to be accessed by choosing a language on the "Language Selection"
menu before accessing a further sub-menu offering subtitle options.
Another brilliant package from Fox; the choice of box covers this time around will
keep the majority of fans happy, and there's no arguing with the fact that this collection of episodes and
bonuses is nothing short of outstanding. Another boxset that I highly recommend to even the most casual fan.
The Simpsons - The Complete Seventh Season
EPISODES: A+ - Still in the "Classic Era"; still consistently excellent.
PRESENTATION: A - Great menus and AV - and there's now a choice of box
EXTRAS: A+ - Extensive and entertaining.
OVERALL: A+ - An outstanding package for an outstanding season.
Future news concerning the DVDs, including the forthcoming Season 8 release, and various other compilation discs, will be added to our DVD News page.
Me Fail Klingon?
By Jouni Paakkinen (jouni@snpp.com) - November 10, 2005
Harper Paperbacks, an Imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, has released two new
books in its "The Simpsons Library of Wisdom" series. The line of books was introduced a year ago
with "The Bart Book"
and "The Homer Book".
"The Ralph
Wiggum Book" starts with a rundown of a typical day for Ralph, from leaving the house naked in the
morning to doing the same thing after bedtime. Other topics include Ralph's Lunch Box Restipees (sic), Ask
Ralph, Ralphie's scrapbook, Anatomy of Ralph and Homemade Holiday Crafts. And of course, as the name of the
series suggests, Wisdom of Ralph. The book is very heavy on illustrations rather than text, but that is not
to be considered as a handicap, as it suits the style of the books. Eight pages of a
safety story under the title "A Wiggle Puppy Adventure", however, make a nice exception.
The second new book,
"Comic Book Guy's Book of Pop
Culture" , takes the reader through the lonely word of fast food, Internet, online dates, music,
video games and naturally comic books. Similar to the "Ralph Wiggum Book", the book begins with a
a day in the life of the propretior of the Android's Dungeon, which includes making a winning bid for Anna
Kournikova's bra at eBay, meeting Mr T, and hanging out with a David Hasselhoff lookalike. We also get
a chance to take a peek at how CBG lived in his parents' basement in the 80's. A spread on the 12 types of
fantasy gamer is written in a style that is likely to please all "Life in Hell" fans.
Both books succeed nicely in presenting the bits and pieces in a fashion that is suitable
for the title character. Even if the books are not tightly connected to the episodes, the liberties that have
been taken in characterizations are logical and plausible. Therefore, fans can grab easily these books without
the fear of getting annoyed over out-of-character behaviour or drastic continuity errors (or, for hoping that
someone got fired for them). As the title of the "Comic Book Guy's Book of Pop Culture" implies, it
also contains references to the real-life popular culture phenomena, which makes it especially enjoyable for
readers who are into similar things as the Comic Book Guy himself.
"The Simpsons Library of Wisdom" is an ongoing series of portable and quotable books
that explore the human condition and the meaning of life through the eyes of the show's characters. The
series is conceived and edited by Bill Morrison, whose known for his work as the creative director of
Matt Groening's Bongo Comics and the art director for "Futurama".
Al Jean & Mike Reiss Awarded
Courtesy The Writers Guild of America - November 9, 2005
The Animation Writers Caucus (AWC) of the Writers Guild of America, presented its eighth
annual Animation Writing Award for lifetime achievement in the medium to veteran animation writers Al Jean and
Mike Reiss at its annual reception held yesterday in Los Angeles.
"Mike and Al have been have been friends and colleagues of mine for over 25 years, since
our childhood playing together in the schoolyard at Harvard. Presenting this award is a proud testament to
the highest achievement in both animation writing and blatant cronyism," said WGAw President Patric M. Verrone.
"The talents and abilities of Al Jean and Mike Reiss go without saying. Everyone knows how
much they've contributed to the quality of the animated series they've worked on. Less well known are their
efforts and involvement in bettering conditions and circumstances for their fellow writers. For all of that,
they are to be congratulated – and made fun of," said AWC Chair Craig Miller.
Jean is currently executive producer/showrunner of The Simpsons, where he has worked since
the show first launched on Fox in 1989, credited on over 300 Simpsons episodes, winning six Emmys and a
Peabody Award for his work on the long-running series. Jean co-created the animated series "The Critic"
(with Reiss), as well as serving as producer on Emmy-nominated series "The PJs". Jean's non-animated TV
credits include "It's Garry Shandling's Show", "Alf", and "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson".
During his 15 years writing for The Simpsons, Reiss has won four Emmys and a Peabody
Award for his creative contributions to the successful series. Along with co-creating "The Critic", Reiss also
created Showtime's hit cartoon series "Queer Duck", which earned rave reviews. Reiss' other notable non-animation
TV writing credits include "It's Garry Shandling's Show", "The PJs", and "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson".
Reiss' original dramatic screenplay, "Fat Man", is currently in development with Adam Sandler attached to star.
In addition, his caveman detective story, "Cro-Magnon P.I.", won an Edgar Award as Best
First Mystery, and Reiss' best-selling children's book
"How Murray Saved Christmas",
will soon be a feature film from Nickelodeon.
Founded in 1994, the WGAw Animation Writers Caucus represents over 600 animation writers
and works to advance economic and creative conditions in the field. The Writers Guild of America, west represents
writers in the motion picture, broadcast, cable, and new media industries in both entertainment and news.
For more details, visit www.wga.org.
Seventh Season Heads To DVD
By Wesley Mead (wesley@snpp.com) - November 5, 2005
The seventh season of The Simpsons hits DVD later this year, once again just before
Christmas: the set has a December 13th street date in the USA and Canada. The set comes a mere four months
after the season 6 set, the shortest wait yet, which began the tradition of packaging the sets in Simpson family
members' heads.
The
Complete Seventh Season DVD set, featuring all 25 episodes from the series' seventh season (1995-1996),
will be released in the USA and Canada less than two weeks before Christmas. As with the season 6 set,
the four-disc package will be issued in a character's head – this time, Marge – but for those fans
who didn't like the new box design, and were forced to send away for a regular digipak last time, the good
news is that this time the set will be available in a
standard box in addition to
the 'head' packaging right from the street date. Both sets have a suggested retail price of $49.98
(CA$69.98 in Canada).
Once again, the package is packed with bonus features, as collectors of the series
would expect. As ever, the primary bonus on this set is the collection of commentary tracks – one for
each episode – featuring banter from a different collection of cast and crew on each episode.
Participants include Matt Groening, David Mirkin, Bill Oakley, Josh Weinstein, George Meyer,
Jeff Goldblum and Wesley Archer amongst others – an impressive array.
There are many other special features too: season seven will also feature deleted
scenes for most of the episodes, several illustrated commentaries (which allow the participants to sketch
and draw diagrams on the screen whilst the animatic plays), sketch galleries, several featurettes,
Animation Showcases and Kelsey Grammer audio bloopers from Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming. This list
is yet to be confirmed by Fox, however, so please note that these features may be subject to change.
The 25 episodes will be spread across four discs, and presented in 1.33:1 full frame
with DD 5.1 sound in English, as well as DD 2.0 sound in French and Spanish, and English and Spanish
subtitles, as with previous releases.
A disc-by-disc episode breakdown follows (some extras are still to-be-confirmed).
Disc 1
"Who Shot Mr Burns? (Part Two)"
"Radioactive Man"
"Home Sweet Home-Diddly-Dum-Doodily"
"Bart Sells His Soul"
"Lisa the Vegetarian"
"Treehouse of Horror VI"
Disc 2
"King-Size Homer"
"Mother Simpson"
"Sideshow Bob's Last Gleaming"
"Two Bad Neighbors"
"The Simpsons' 138th Episode Spectacular"
"Marge Be Not Proud"
"Team Homer"
Disc 3
"Scenes From The Class Struggle In Springfield"
"Bart the Fink"
"Lisa the Iconoclast"
"Homer the Smithers"
"A Fish Called Selma"
"The Day The Violence Died"
"Bart on the Road"
Disc 4
"22 Short Films About Springfield"
"Raging Abe Simpson in "The Curse Of The Flying Hellfish"
"Much Apu About Nothing"
"Homerpalooza"
"Summer of 4 ft 2"
Future news concerning this release, and other future releases, will
be added to our DVD News page.
