The Simpsons - The Movie - 07.27.07

[Sean]

Originally Posted by holden

Can't believe we're debating cartoons worth... They're supposed to make you laugh, is all.

Originally Posted by grady

True they are just cartoons,

Okay....check yerselves, people. "Just cartoons"? Do you have any idea how much work goes into making an animated short, commercial, television show, or feature film? Or how many incredibly talented artists it requires to be able to pull it off? And I suppose that shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy have two strikes against them in that they're also comedies...Hollywood's least respected genre. All based on ignorance. Most any great comedian could also deliver a high quality dramatic performance, but not so many dramatic actors can deliver a high quality comic performance. Put simply, great comedies are about a hundred times harder to make than great dramas.

All that being said, I think it's hard to compare Simpsons to Family Guy to South Park to any other animated show on tv. They all just have very different approaches. South Park's put down of Family Guy seemed kind of failed to me because it was essentially criticizing a bird for flying. The comedic style of Family Guy is unabashadly to go off on tangeants as the opportunities present themselves, just as a bird's main mode of transportation is to fly. South Park is a more solid three act structure. The Simpsons falls somewhere in the middle, but probably closer to the three act structure again.

I hope the Simpsons movie is good. I honestly haven't heard anything about the film from friends working over there since they're all preoccupied with the fact that the studio's shutting down when they finish up the projects they're already working on.

[grady]

Originally Posted by Sean

Okay....check yerselves, people. "Just cartoons"? Do you have any idea how much work goes into making an animated short, commercial, television show, or feature film? Or how many incredibly talented artists it requires to be able to pull it off? And I suppose that shows like the Simpsons and Family Guy have two strikes against them in that they're also comedies...Hollywood's least respected genre. All based on ignorance. Most any great comedian could also deliver a high quality dramatic performance, but not so many dramatic actors can deliver a high quality comic performance. Put simply, great comedies are about a hundred times harder to make than great dramas.

To quote myself Sean, So yeah, they're cartoons, but much greater thought and care goes into each episode of the Simpsons.

I do have an idea of the amount of work goes into creating an animated short, a feature, a commercial and a feature length film. I've been privy to people who've worked on the simpsons, as well as others in the film industry, the context of that quote is taken a bit too far, but I can understand your knee jerk response sean, esp. in light of the recent thread regarding animated films a few weeks back. I feel I've pretty well checked myself and have tried to avoid the simple breakdown you've made regarding the big three(Simpsons, S.P., and F.Guy).

Everyone one has their bias regarding the big three and you could almost draw and analogy to political parties with the shows in questions. But at this point in the evening I don't have the patience to do so.

So to answer your query, I do understand the amount of work, time and creative ingenuity that goes into constructing a 30 second shot, or a 30 second spot, or a 30 minute short.

[den]

As far as Simpsons vs. Family Guy goes, here are my thoughts. The Simpsons, partially becauase of their longevity (and speaking as a whole, not specific recent or past seasons), is a lot more characeter based. Think about how many episodes there have been about secondary characters, like Apu or Moe, that are more story driven. You actually care about the characters. Family Guy is more random and skit based, without the attachment. Besides Brian and Stewie, I feel like most of the other characters aren't that compelling, at least not to base a whole episode around. I'm not saying that one show is funnier than the other, they're just funnier in different ways.

One show I have recently enjoyed more is Futurama (also apparently coming back with new episodes). I think it has the development of the characters, but also a lot more freedom for random stories and parodies. My favorite episode is the one with the Harlem Globetrotter planet and the time crystals. Completely hilarious, but it also ends on a sad and touching note. And there's also that Fry's dog episode.

[koisk]

Originally Posted by den

My favorite episode is the one with the Harlem Globetrotter planet and the time crystals. Completely hilarious, but it also ends on a sad and touching note. And there's also that Fry's dog episode.

While you were gone, the Globetrotters held a press conference informing everyone that I was a 'jive sucka.

Look people. Here's the facts: Season 3-8 Simpsons > Futurama > South Park > Family Guy > Season 1-2 Simpsons > Simpsons after season 8