It’s Time To Re-Animate The Simpsons
I love The Simpsons! I’ve watched it virtually every night since every episode was easily available on FXX (and now Disney+). It’s always controversial when older episodes are cropped or stretched - an issue that FXX solved at launch and Disney+ is still working on fixing. Purists say that older episodes should only be watched in 4x3 in beautiful standard definition. Jokes are lost, characters are morphed, and quality is lessened. While those are valid opinions, I’ve got a better idea.
Coronavirus-related revenue loss aside, Disney should foot the bill to re-animate all old shows in vectorized 4K so they match all current and future episodes. Crisp lines, updated character-models, improved color schemes, and more. Keep the audio, perhaps re-master it. No need to get the cast involved, unless you want to get really fancy and re-record them. Older audio still holds up, so that’s the least of my concerns. The Simpsons will continue airing in syndication and on streaming platforms for decades to come, so the improved quality will more than pay for itself.
I’m no expert on what it takes to bring an animated show from concept to final airing - but I would imagine that processes like storyboarding, layouts and lip-syncing would take much less time because the majority of the work was already done over a decade ago.
This idea shouldn't just be reserved for The Simpsons! Netflix and other streaming platforms should even consider taking this task on for other evergreen shows like Spongebob Squarepants, Family Guy and The Flintstones. Remastered versions of these shows will bring old audiences back, and grow new audiences that aren’t turned off by decades-old animation quality. It’s currently a big event when an older live-action show or movie is remastered and re-released - and there is no format more suited for re-mastering than animation.
Sure, there may be some royalty and contractual issues that need to be dealt with - but everything old can be new again.
Social Media Manager and Content Creator
4 年South Park did this with their older episodes and they look great. However, I imagine there also might be logistical issues, especially with cartoons that are cell animated.
Hmm, well this is a bizarre and objectively terrible idea.
My Phoenix, Arizona based digital marketing agency helps businesses across the United States grow their digital presence and get leads. ??
4 年No way !
Entertainment + Media Innovation | Writer, Producer, Brand Strategist
4 年I demand to see Jabba the Hutt inserted into every single episode. It's the way they originally intended, but technology of the time could not accommodate. Duh.
As ingester-of-content Jeff, I don't. I love watching old Bugs Bunny and Looney Tunes cartoons, and I would hate them to be redone. Just like I don't think Casablanca should be colorized. BUT, as creator-of-content Jeff, I think a creator, or the rights owners, have the right to update their creations to take advantage of techniques that didn't exist, or to better work in new formats. And, any update creates marketing opportunities around that, both financial and for audience growth. Both Jeff's agree on one thing, however: replacing the guns in ET with walkie talkies and having Greedo shoot first, just because you can, is never okay, ever.