[8/10] I’ll admit to having some sentimental attachment to this one. It is (I think?) the first Simpsons-related thing I ever saw. My folks had a VHS tape with the short recorded on it, and I watched it again and again. To be frank, I’m not sure what drew me to it. Maybe it was just the accessibility of a cartoon matched with the depiction of a dysfunctional family. But whatever it was, this one has a special place in my heart.
But it also feels the most complete of any of the shorts so far. It’s not just a series of bumpers built around a theme, which function like video equivalents of Matt Groening’s comic strips. Instead, it’s a little scene, separated vaguely by photo takes, but mostly telling one continuous little story about the Simpsons’ abortive attempts to take a nice family photo.
There’s still some things that are off about it. Lisa’s more of a trouble-maker than she’d eventually become. Homer seems more antagonistic from the started rather than good-natured with a temper. But the roots of this nutso clan, trying to pretend they’re a “nice normal family are there.” We even get our first “Why you little!” So even if this isn’t The Simpsons finest hour, it’s always going to feel a bit special to me and, given how many times the show’s brought it back in one form or another, it seems pretty special to the folks who created this series too.
Review by Andrew BloomVIP 9BlockedParent2021-04-27T05:18:18Z
[8/10] I’ll admit to having some sentimental attachment to this one. It is (I think?) the first Simpsons-related thing I ever saw. My folks had a VHS tape with the short recorded on it, and I watched it again and again. To be frank, I’m not sure what drew me to it. Maybe it was just the accessibility of a cartoon matched with the depiction of a dysfunctional family. But whatever it was, this one has a special place in my heart.
But it also feels the most complete of any of the shorts so far. It’s not just a series of bumpers built around a theme, which function like video equivalents of Matt Groening’s comic strips. Instead, it’s a little scene, separated vaguely by photo takes, but mostly telling one continuous little story about the Simpsons’ abortive attempts to take a nice family photo.
There’s still some things that are off about it. Lisa’s more of a trouble-maker than she’d eventually become. Homer seems more antagonistic from the started rather than good-natured with a temper. But the roots of this nutso clan, trying to pretend they’re a “nice normal family are there.” We even get our first “Why you little!” So even if this isn’t The Simpsons finest hour, it’s always going to feel a bit special to me and, given how many times the show’s brought it back in one form or another, it seems pretty special to the folks who created this series too.