The Simpsons Movie on DVD…a double-dip waiting to happen?

[Phil]

Matt Groening said (this is from memory, but I know I’ve seen it in more than one source) that they cut enough from The Simpsons Movie that it amounted to two whole other movies. Even if that is an exaggeration, which it almost certainly is, then that means the mere five minutes’ worth of deleted scenes on the DVD is a pretty pathetic amount.

You may say, “Well, Phil, just because something was cut doesn’t mean it was fully animated.”

True. But I do remember reading that they got as far as building trailers for the film that included these removed scenes…so that the trailers themselves had to be reconstructed. Obviously they wouldn’t have included scenes in the story-board stage in a trailer…

I don’t know. This single disc release…I hesitate to buy it. I liked the film and I really want to hear the commentaries (apparently the commentators here actually PAUSE THE FILM to discuss certain things that would otherwise flit by too quickly…and that arouses me greatly) but I can’t shake the nagging fact that we’re going to be hit with a special edition double-disc’er before long.

I’m still waiting for the Borat double-dip, as well, as there was far, far more footage shot than made it into the film…so much that the meager selection of deleted scenes on that release don’t even scratch the surface.

Topic

[Ben Paddon]

If they release a Special Edition it’ll be some time next year, probably either near Easter or near the 1 year anniversary of the film’s release in theaters.

[peas_and_corn]

I’ve got the single disc, and it’s disappointing for the reasons you mention. The commentaries are great and yes they pause the movie. There will be a 2-disc one coming out, I’m pretty sure of that

[thomasaevans]

Did I not say the same in another post?

Absolutley right tho Phil. Theres plenty more on the way.

[thomasaevans]

OH…and Its probably gonna be out in time for ‘The Simpsons 2’.

[Phil]

>The commentaries are great and yes they pause the movie.

Is this the first commentary to do so? It’s such an interesting idea, but not something I’ve encountered before.

>Did I not say the same in another post?

I have trouble keeping my eyes off your fabulous bod. Actually, if you did mention this already, I apologize. I was just reading a few reviews of the DVD and even though practically all of them mention an inevitable double-dip, nobody seems that turned off by it.

Personally I’m not going to chalk it up to greed on the part of Groening and his cronies. It’s just as likely that a great DVD set is also in the works right now, which wouldn’t have been ready for the holidays, and so Fox had them rush out a slimmer version to cash in on xmas.

Sigh. We’ll see…

[Andrew]

> Is this the first commentary to do so? It?s such an interesting idea, but not something I?ve encountered before.

Not by a long shot. Seabiscuit certainly does it, and wasn’t the first either.

[thomasaevans]

– “It?s just as likely that a great DVD set is also in the works right now, which wouldn?t have been ready for the holidays, and so Fox had them rush out a slimmer version to cash in on xmas.”

Is the right answer.

[Phil]

>Seabiscuit certainly does it, and wasn?t the first either.

I kind of figured it wouldn’t have been the first, but I find it surprising that I’d never seen it before. It sounds like a great idea…I wonder why more films don’t do it. I presume it requires a separate video track?

[Andrew]

> I presume it requires a separate video track?

Branching usually – you get the regular film, but by selecting the commentary from the menu, you’re instructing the disc to stop at certain points and go to an alternate video track. Which could be video of a paused frame, or (as in Seabiscuit’s case) some behind the scene stills, or whatever.

I guess it doesn’t happen a lot because a) most directors struggle to stay interesting for the full duration as it is, and b) seamless branching is one of those tricksy things that you can only do with a bit of moolah. Even the first X-Men DVD didn’t have it, and had to make do with dreadful pauses to drop in the cut scenes.

I once pitched the idea that the RD cast commentaries could include the ‘light pen’ version used in, among other things, Men in Black. Sure, it would mostly have led to Llewellyn drawing willies on-screen, but at least it would have been something new. Nobody liked the idea much, though, so it was ditched.

[Jonathan Capps]

They do it on the Lost Series 1 DVD, too, and have never done it since. It’s the commentary on the Pilot episodes and every now and then JJ uses the FORCE OF WILL to pause the episode and show behind the scenes footage as he talks at length about what is happening. It needs to be done more.

[peas_and_corn]

>Personally I?m not going to chalk it up to greed on the part of Groening and his cronies.

From what I gather, it’s a FOX thing- Groening doesn’t have that much control over his show

>Branching usually – you get the regular film, but by selecting the commentary from the menu, you?re instructing the disc to stop at certain points and go to an alternate video track. Which could be video of a paused frame, or (as in Seabiscuit?s case) some behind the scene stills, or whatever.

Yep, that’s how it’s done- it branches, the pic slowly fades down, and the talking continues.

[Ben Paddon]

From what I gather, it?s a FOX thing- Groening doesn?t have that much control over his show

From what I gather, this is largely a voluntary thing. I think he’s just become bored with it. He’s focusing on Futurama again now, which is brilliant, and he also has another idea in the pipeline which might get developed at some point in the future.

I’ve also heard he still wants to animate some of the old Life in Hell cartoons, however they are entirely unfunny and doing so would result in catastrophic death to all viewers.

[Pete Part Three]

I’ve always wondered how much Groening does for the show. While he obviously created the show, his writing credits usually only stretch to the characters that he created about twenty years ago. One thing I gather from the commentaries is that the “rules” he has laid down for the programme seem to be broken on a regular basis.

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