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The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!

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The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! is a documentary special that examined the "cultural phenomenon" of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on January 10, 2010.[1] The special was directed by Morgan Spurlock.

The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice!
GenreDocumentary
Comedy
Based onJeremy Chilnick
Morgan Spurlock
Directed byMorgan Spurlock
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
Production
Running time42 minutes
Production company20th Century Fox Television
Original release
NetworkFox
ReleaseJanuary 10, 2010 (2010-01-10)[1]

Content

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The film examines the "cultural phenomenon" of The Simpsons and includes interviews with both the cast and fans of the show.[2]

Production

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Background

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Director Morgan Spurlock had been a fan of The Simpsons since his college days.

In 2009, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the premiere of The Simpsons, Fox announced that a year-long celebration of the show titled "Best. 20 Years. Ever." would run from January 14, 2009 to January 14, 2010.[3] Morgan Spurlock, an Academy Award-nominated documentary filmmaker (Best Documentary Feature for Super Size Me in 2004) and fan of The Simpsons since his college days,[4] was asked to direct the special in February 2009.[5]

The producers of The Simpsons were impressed with an animated sequence in Spurlock's 2008 film Where in the World is Osama Bin Laden? and decided to ask him to direct the special.[6] Spurlock immediately accepted the offer, describing the opportunity as "the coolest thing I could ever get to do in my career."[5] The special was later announced in July 2009.[5][7]

The producers spent several months deciding on the content and format of the film.[2] Spurlock believes "the reason [the producers] called [him] to begin with was to not have a show that would be a glad-hand, pat-everyone-on-the-back special, that's why rooting it in the people who kept this show on the air for the last 20 years is important."[4] It was originally scheduled to air on January 14, 2010, exactly twenty years after the first broadcast of "Bart the Genius", the first regular episode of the series after the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".[5] However, it was instead shown on January 10, 2010 alongside "Once Upon a Time in Springfield", which was promoted as the 450th episode of the series despite being the 451st.[1]

Despite its promotion as a special event broadcast, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! was directed by Spurlock as a component of the series' 20th production season. It therefore received a Simpsons episode production code (LABF21, seen in the closing credits), one production number higher than the episode which aired alongside it ("Once Upon a Time in Springfield", LABF20).

Filming

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"Our goal was to bring the [special] in through the viewpoint of how the world sees the show and how the show sees the world. We spoke to a ton of fans, the people who kept the show on the air for 20 years."

Morgan Spurlock.[8]

The special includes interviews with fans from ten to fifteen countries.[9][10] Filming of the special began at San Diego Comic-Con.[2] A casting call for fans was held on July 25, 2009, with the hopes of finding "some of the most incredible super-fans that the world has ever seen."[11] Spurlock has filmed interviews with a man who grew real-life "Tomacco" (a mix of tobacco and tomato, based on the episode "E-I-E-I-(Annoyed Grunt)"), the man with the most Simpsons tattoos[12] and a couple that had a Simpsons-themed wedding.[4]

On August 12, 2009, Spurlock and The A.V. Club writer Steven Hyden[13] attended a Pacific Coast League baseball game between the Albuquerque Isotopes and Tacoma Rainiers at Isotopes Park in Albuquerque, New Mexico.[14] The Isotopes' name was inspired by the season 12 episode "Hungry, Hungry Homer", where Homer attempts to thwart the Springfield Isotopes' plan to move to Albuquerque. Subsequently, when an Albuquerque Tribune online survey helped the team decide its new name, "Isotopes" received 67 percent of the 120,000 votes.[15]

Spurlock filmed several scenes in both Glasgow and Aberdeen, Scotland. Both cities have claimed to be the home of character Groundskeeper Willie, based on various bits of dialogue from the series. He also conducted tongue-in-cheek interviews with former Lord Provost of Glasgow Liz Cameron and former Aberdeen FC manager Mark McGhee.[16]

Reception

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In its original broadcast, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special – In 3-D! On Ice! earned a 5.6 Nielsen rating in the 18–49 demographic and had approximately 13 million viewers.[17] The first half got 13.462 million viewers and a rating of 6.3 and 15% share for the 18–49 rating and the second half got 11.171 million viewers with a rating of 5.4 and a 12% share.[18] The episode ranked 14th in the weekly ratings and ranked 6th in the 18-49 rating.[19]

The special got an average Metacritic rating of 64.[20] Robert Canning of IGN called the special "impressive", saying that "It's really just one big fan talking to a bunch of other fans (which includes the creators) about a series we all love. And heck, the special is worth a watch if only to hear how Conan O'Brien would write the ending to the longest-running series in the history of television."[21] Emily VanDerWerff of The A.V. Club gave the special a B−.[22]

L'Osservatore Romano congratulated the show on its 20 years as a show, stating "Without Homer Simpson and the other yellow-skinned characters, many today wouldn't know how to laugh".[23] The special also received a nomination for Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Nonfiction Special. It lost, however, to Teddy: In His Own Words, a special about Ted Kennedy.[24]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Fox announces 2009-2010 midseason schedule". FoxFlash. November 24, 2009. Archived from the original on October 13, 2013. Retrieved November 24, 2009.
  2. ^ a b c Kung, Michelle (July 13, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock Spills the Beans on his Upcoming "Simpsons" Doc". The Wall Street Journal. Archived from the original on November 26, 2017. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  3. ^ Wallace, Lewis (January 13, 2009). "Simpsons Poster Contest Will Have Fans Seeing Yellow". Wired. Archived from the original on April 1, 2009. Retrieved January 14, 2009.
  4. ^ a b c Harris, Bill (August 1, 2009). "Simpsons' special special to filmmaker". London Free Press. Sun Media. Retrieved August 13, 2009. [dead link]
  5. ^ a b c d Ward, Kate (July 13, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock tapped for 'The Simpsons' 20th anniversary special". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on July 17, 2009. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  6. ^ Zaino, Nick (August 1, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock on The Simpsons Anniversary Special -- In 3-D! On Ice!". TV Squad. Archived from the original on October 6, 2009. Retrieved August 15, 2009.
  7. ^ Harris, Bill (July 14, 2009). "The Simpsons to celebrate in style". Edmonton Sun. Retrieved July 15, 2009.[permanent dead link]
  8. ^ Keveney, Bill (January 8, 2010). "A supersized 'Simpsons' marks show's 20th anniversary". USA Today. Gannett Company, Inc. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  9. ^ "Simpsons documentary films at Isotopes Park". KOB. August 12, 2009. Archived from the original on July 22, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  10. ^ Rogers, Troy (July 27, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock Searches for Comic Book Guys for Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special". The Deadbolt. Archived from the original on July 31, 2009. Retrieved August 12, 2009.
  11. ^ DiNunno, Gina (July 23, 2009). "Morgan Spurlock Announces Casting Call for Simpsons Super-fans". TV Guide. Archived from the original on October 22, 2020. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  12. ^ Pergament, Alan (August 19, 2009). "What's Ahead for Homer and Dr. House". The Buffalo News. Archived from the original on May 25, 2012. Retrieved September 2, 2009.
  13. ^ Hyden, Steven (January 14, 2010). "How I ended up in Morgan Spurlock's Simpsons documentary (barely)". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on April 8, 2010. Retrieved July 3, 2010.
  14. ^ "The Simpsons Documentary To Visit Isotopes Park". Our Sports Central. August 7, 2009. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved August 13, 2009.
  15. ^ "Doh! Go Isotopes!". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Hearst Corporation. May 13, 2003. p. C8.
  16. ^ Patterson, Stuart (August 28, 2009). "Supersize Me filmmaker Morgan Spurlock on trail of Simpsons hero in Scotland". The Daily Record. Archived from the original on August 31, 2009. Retrieved September 6, 2009.
  17. ^ Kissell, Rick (January 11, 2010). "Football powers Fox, 'Simpsons'". Variety. Archived from the original on January 17, 2010. Retrieved January 11, 2010.
  18. ^ Gorman, Bill (January 11, 2010). "TV Ratings Sunday: Cold Case Ratings, Criminal Minds Ratings, America's Funniest Home Videos Ratings, Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Ratings, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special Ratings, The Cleveland Show ratings, Chuck premiere ratings, NCIS: Los Angeles, Desperate Housewives Ratings, Brothers & Sisters ratings, 60 Minutes ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 28, 2012. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  19. ^ Seidman, Robert. "TV Ratings: Pro and College Football and The Simpsons and NCIS top weekly viewing". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on January 15, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  20. ^ "Search Reviews, Articles, People, Trailers and more at Metacritic". Metacritic. Archived from the original on February 9, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  21. ^ Canning, Robert (January 8, 2010). "The Simpsons: "20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!" Review – TV Review at IGN". IGN. Archived from the original on April 7, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  22. ^ VanDerWerff, Emily (January 11, 2010). ""Once Upon a Time in Springfield"/The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special in 3-D on Ice/"Love Rollercoaster" | The Simpsons, The Cleveland Show, Family Guy, American Dad". The A.V. Club. Archived from the original on December 2, 2010. Retrieved November 24, 2010.
  23. ^ "Vatican Paper Praises 'The Simpsons'". The Huffington Post. December 12, 2009. Archived from the original on December 27, 2009. Retrieved June 28, 2010.
  24. ^ "Nominees/Winners | Television Academy". Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Archived from the original on May 27, 2016. Retrieved July 14, 2016.
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