Think The Simpsons Should Go Back To Making Shorts?

[shoz999]

Okay, I've seen the Simpsons Short, Maggie's Longest Daycare, and I have to say... this is way better than all the Modern Simpson Seasons Combine, and yes, even from my past threads, I'm a Classic Simpson at heart. Anyway, when I saw the humor and how beautiful the animation was executed but also how it was executed through a more "90's" approach but still digitally animated, it reminded me of the Classics instead of the Modern Simpsons. Don't care about how many awards it won but when I saw this short, and especially it's animation, as a hybrid between Classic and Modern Simpsons... which might be confusing... but yeah. Many Critics, not one negative review, even said that the Longest Daycare Short was much better than the Ice Age 4 Movie shown in theaters which the short was described as, "Witty, Clever, Creative, Imaginative, and with Artistic Maturity" and even one critic commenting "A Throwback To The Days The Simpsons has a Sentiment At It's Core". Even you have to agree with me that short was pretty damn good, if you haven't seen it, check it out, it will give you a big reminder of the Classic Simpsons and the Tracy Ulman Shorts. It really is good.

The short was so good that I thought how would it be if The Simpsons go back to making Shorts instead of episodes, going back to their real roots, at least until they relive the moment. Think about it, in the Modern Simpsons, haven't you seen one of those short-lived scenes that were interesting and pretty good and important to the storyline before it switched to something random off-topic or something that continues the plotline to something bad when it was just about to be pretty good. I've noticed that a lot in the reviews when a lot of you fans divided the episode into Three or Four Acts, commenting on the pros and cons, on it. I took another look at those acts, and some of them look like it might fit into at least a five minute short. That got me thinking... Would The Simpsons have a much better chance at making Shorts today rather than full episodes?


Described by critics as "Witty, Clever, Creative, Imaginitive, and with Artistic Maturity" than the Ice Age 4 movie. It has even been described as, "A Throwback To The Classic Days The Simpsons has a Sentiment At It's Core"

[TheSecondComing]

It all depends on the level of involvement of the current writing staff involved, they don't strike me as the artistic bunch. Not sure they could pull of good shorts or if they'd be like a five minute scene from the show. Also it depends on how much time goes into said shorts, if the answer is as long as it takes to write a full length episode then yeah they'll be better.

[ManiacalRoboKiller]

So you're saying this short is better than 300+ episodes combined? umm...ok? I've seen the short it's good not great and the animation looks like The Simpsons Movie.

[shoz999]

It's based on opinion. Also, remember there's a difference between the style of animation, like the Classic Simpsons hand drawn animation and Modern Simpson Digital Ink animation, and artistic direction of setting and structure that can capture the scene perfectly which you often see in the Classic Simpsons more than the Modern Simpsons. That's why I said it a hybrid, it used digital clear ink animation like the Modern Simpsons than the Classics but manage to capture the animated scenes perfectly to the audience in situations, tragedy, joy, and at times humor like the Classic Simpsons than the Moderns. Plus, this thread is about "If The Simpsons should go back to doing shorts", just saying because often debates go off topic more often these days.

[Lance.Uppercut]

The Longest Daycare benefits from the qualities that made so many of the Looney Tunes shorts so memorable and endearing, and I think a lot of it has to do with the benefits - and confines - of the short film. If you're constrained to less than seven minutes, you have just that much time to establish characters, setting, conflict and plot. You don't have time for subplots or a bevy of jokes to fall flat; shorts rely on a simple premise (say, Homer repairing the roof, the family's trip to Krustyland, where everything goes wrong and does, or Maggie's trials in a daycare center) and just feature gag after gag based on that premise. The Looney Tunes shorts are small stories with well-established characters, and The Simpsons could go this route as well, with the benefit that the characters and settings are already so well-established thanks to the show.

I think shorts have worked well for Pixar, as they've created, in my opinion, some of their most memorable work in the medium of the short film. Rabbit Fire, Duck Amuck and many, many others solidified the Warner Bros. name, and it's also through the short cartoon that we were introduced to Mickey Mouse. It's how The Simpsons started off. I think I'd much rather see the occasional short every two to three years, after the show is over, than half-hour television specials or just season after season of episodes. And you know they're gonna throw in a reunion special a decade down the road.

[lolcats]

They should make shorts like on the Tracy Ullman Show.

With actual animation

[hammster]

I'd be all over going back to shorts rather than full length episodes. It'd never happen but *shrugs*

Edit: you could even do that Tales of Springfield spin-off idea as a series of shorts.

[Insecthero]

I've always wanted a return of "The Adventures of Ned Flanders"...

[Bertholomew]

I'd prefer full length episodes, but less of them, say 10 a season instead of 22, as it's hard to get any emotion in a short, and more interesting plots can be made.
Sadly I doubt Fox would allow it as it might be seen as less profitable or w/e.

[YellowFever]

Whilst I doubt the show would go fully to just shorts I'm sure we'll be seeing many more of these shorts before films in the cinema over the next few years and then quite possibly afterwards. It would be a nice bookend to the series, starts with shorts, ends with them.

I also like Bertholomew's idea a lot, less episodes per year would mean much more time and dedication could be put into them, rather than just coasting with a lot of sub par episodes. Say imagine if we could condense the worst seasons into 10 episode runs, the quality would probably be better. It's like British shows, shorter runs, a lot less filler, a lot greater quality. Spending the amount of time on 10 episodes as you would with 22 well those 10 episodes are going to be a lot better than 22. Let's have 10 great episodes rather than 22 'okay' episodes. Having said that, I wouldn't want to give the writing team twice the amount of time to edit the script to oblivion, dumb it down for the masses and screw it up! Although something like this should really really happen, but it wont.

[The Governor]

Um...how would Fox decide when to air an 11 episode season? Nov-May, but rerun the episodes 5 times?

IMO, the show should go to Shorts in other animated movies and the actual, full-length stories should be shown as movies every 3 years. Granted the voice actors are getting up there in years, but Fox could find a way to make it work.

[lolcats]

I'd like to see some old fashioned animation shorts like on the Tracy Ullman Show, maybe attached to another show.

[Bertholomew]

Well does anyone know why the first season only has 13 episodes, and why fox pressured the producers to produce extra clip shows in some seasons?
Interestingly South Park produces less episodes (14 in recent seasons), despite them taking less time to produce, though they are on a different network (I don't know how American TV differs from UK TV btw)

[lolcats]

Because in 1990, FOX wasn't a Seth Macfarlane loving, money making machine.

[Zombies Rise from the Sea]

I'd like to see some old fashioned animation shorts like on the Tracy Ullman Show, maybe attached to another show.

You mean with hand drawn designs and non-digital cell painting? Those days we can only dream of my friend.

[lolcats]

How I Wet Your Mother proves they're still capable of doing cheap animation.

[zach]

if they are like "the longest daycare", then no.

[shoz999]

I personally, besides many others, thought The Longest Daycare was good. I simply mentioned that because that's where I got the idea of what if The Simpsons should go back to making shorts, because it was good. In this case, I'm asking If The Simpsons Should Go Back To Making Shorts which basically means going back to short, it doesn't have to be like "The Longest Daycare" even if you are one of the few who dislike it, which also could mean if you suggest you want old animation or just have The Simpsons, Krusty, Jake The Barber, and Itchy and Scratchy the only Simpson Characters around but no 20 Minute TV Series Characters around or it could work since lots of people grade Modern Simpson Episodes by Act saying Act I A+ and Act II F, leaving that Act I potiential to be a short, of course that's just an example right their. It's based on the opinion of whether you think shorts are a good idea, even adding a few adjustments of classic standards and doesn't have to be the five minute theatrical short.

[zach]

and i was just saying i don't want to see anymore shorts that don't have dialogue.