Hail Homer. Review on The Simpsons Movie

After a staggering 18 years and 400 episodes of unmatched humour, the world’s most adored family, ‘The Simpsons’ finally hit the silver screen to the overwhelming joy of its fans. Creator Mat Groening’s long awaited dream finally took shape after almost 16 years since the first idea floated for a movie based on the animated series. After finalising on the project way back in 2001, the script went through over 100 revisions before the team decided to go ahead. Voted by Time Magazine as 20th century’s best television series, The Simpsons have come a long way from the confines television to the big screen.

The plot revolves around the Simpsons family and the people of Springfield following an environmental massacre spearheaded by, well, no prizes for guessing, Homer Simpson.

Springfield’s lake is facing a high-level pollution threat, and Lisa manages to convince the residents to stop dumping further waste into it. Meanwhile, tired of Homer’s highly annoying fatherhood, especially after he diverts all his attention to his newly adopted pig, Bart finds compassion and love in the most unlikely person acquainted to the Simpsons family, Ned Flanders. Homer’s increasing attachment towards the pig, which he fondly calls ‘Spider-Pig’ and ‘Harry Plopper’ creates unrest in the household. When Marge enquires about where he disposes his pet’s waste, Homer unveils his state-of-the-dump crap-disposal drum at their backyard. Fumed by the incorrigible sight, Marge orders Homer to get rid of it immediately, but he does the unthinkable by dumping it in the lake. Within seconds, the lake turns into a toxic nightmare threatening the very existence of its residents. The environmental protection agency gets the US government’s permission to place a giant quarantine dome over the city of Springfield. Doomed and lost with hope, the residents fume with anger after finding out that Homer is responsible for the chaos. The angry mob march towards the Simpsons home to avenge Homer, but the family miraculously escapes from the mob and the doom itself. With no home, job or friends, the Simpsons head to Alaska to find a new life, but shortly after settling down, they hear a dreadful news and Homer is put to the ultimate test of his life… D-oh!

In the case of a feature, one must accept certain compromises, as many fans were not generally happy over the creators not giving more screen-time for a bunch of the series’ favourite characters including Apu. But although I was also one among the angry mob, I got to understand the mammoth job of slicing in characters in a confined timeslot could be tedious and might lead to people getting bored (which I strongly doubt in the Simpsons case). However, the film is just wonderful with all the right ingredients sprinkled at right amounts to make it a joyful experience.

The film finally reveals the location of Springfield as homage to the long running joke in the TV series of not pinning down its exact position, and finally we get to know where it is, and I don’t want to give away the humour here. Mat Groening rejected the idea of making a live-action or a CGI film stating that the animation is a tribute to the art of hand-drawn animation. Known for its celebrity guest appearances in the TV series, the movie roped in Tom Hanks, Green Day, and Kelsey Grammer among others. With a worldwide gross of $526 million, the film broke many records, including the highest opening weekend for a film based on a television series. Studded with its unmatched humour, wit, sarcasm, and colourful characters, this film is just what the fans ordered.