听 After years of toil and hype, The Simpsons Movie was quite funny, but most fans of the show agreed they'd rather have spent the money on a box set of classic episodes. Still, with the original writing team let off the leash, there was room for more risque humour, including explicit scenes of pig love.
Drawing The Line
Of course the animation is basic, so apart from a commentary by the directors, there isn't much about that on this DVD. A separate track hosted by the writer/creators offers a more intriguing glimpse at the machinery. With the standard set at an average of 20 laughs per minute for the TV show, the pen pushers had their work cut out.
When they're not too busy cracking each other up, they pause the movie at regular intervals to explain all the different ways a joke could have been played and the many "spirited discussions" that shaped the final cut. Series creator James L Brooks explains that it's not just about the laughs - we had to feel for Homer as well. "The biggest conversation," he says, "is always about the tone of the movie." Matt Groening adds that, in the eagerness to experiment with the widescreen canvas, the script was "very coarse in its first incarnation".
Springfield Unseen
Writer Al Jean introduces six deleted scenes, including a 'slightly alternative ending' that finds Homer and Bart back on the roof laying shingle. There's more footage of the Springfield riots, but the funniest of the batch sees a government lackey struggling to explain the alert level system to the dim-witted President Schwarzenegger. It involves a chair and tiptoes.
A few other skits find Homer promoting the movie on US television. He gives Simon Cowell a taste of his own medicine on American Idol, critiquing his rendition of the Pussycat Dolls 'Don't Cha', and he tries to usurp Jay Leno as a America's favourite chat show host. Forget the celebrity cameos though, the best gag sees a drooling Homer chase down a talking hotdog in Let's All Go To The Lobby.
All the teasers and trailers leading up to the film's release are thrown in too. It's a shame the voice artists don't get more of a look-in (just the odd word edge-wise in the writers' commentary), but this DVD should still appeal to all those sofa-bound disciples of Homer.
EXTRA FEATURES
The Simpsons Movie DVD is released on Monday 10th December 2007.
