Glenn Whipp of LA Daily News speaks to series creators Matt Groening, James L. Brooks, and Al Jean as well as myself in order to piece together The Simpsons Movie.
“I will say this — we have things in the movie that you can’t do on TV,” Groening says. “There may be some nudity. It may be people you want to see naked. It may be people you don’t want to see naked. But you will see things that you’ve never seen before.” As the mind reels at Groening’s minor-key revelation, it should be noted that “The Simpsons Movie” will be rated PG-13 (“we hope,” Groening jokes), feature every character in Springfield’s vast universe and attempt to strike a balance between Homer’s slapstick stupidity and character-based comedy.
“We’ve put out some phony stories,” Brooks says. “It used to be that comedies never put their best jokes in trailers. Now, as marketing has become king, you start the trailer with your best joke. We’re trying to strike a balance between the two.” Adds Groening: “But don’t take the pig waste disposal thing lightly. You botch that and it could really put a crimp in someone’s day.”
Simpsons website maintainer Adam Wolf doubts the movie can “recapture the magic of the early to mid years.” “The show is completely different now,” Wolf says. “To return to the glory years now would be a feat nothing short of amazing, but would also pose the question as to why every show couldn’t be as good as the movie.”
To which “Simpsons” vet Al Jean, who has been the show runner since season 13, answers: “To take people by surprise after 18 years is hard. But, the truth is, I’ve been dealing with that feeling since season 2. It’s not new.”
SOURCE: LA Daily News