Happy Musings Thursday my friends! After a week off, I’m back with another musings post for you. I’ve got some thoughts, so let’s get to ’em…
I know we’re nearing the end of THOH XXX, and this is usually when I give my thoughts on the event overall. However, I want to put a pin in that for right now. I’ll share my overall musings about the lackluster THOH event next week. Instead, I thought I’d change things up a little bit.
This week I want to share some thoughts about Disney +, Disney’s new streaming service that launched this past Tuesday. (at least here in the US) Why am I talking about Disney+ when this is a website about The Simpsons? Because…in case you’ve been living under a rock the last year or so…Disney now owns FOX. Which means Disney now owns the Simpsons. And Disney + is the exclusive streaming home for The Simpsons.
This means no more Simpsons World or FXX App. No more access to The Simpsons episodes for free, as long as you have a subscription to a cable provider. So let’s jump into those thoughts…
I want to note that I’m not being paid to write this post (we’ve never been paid to write any posts). All the opinions are mine, and no one’s paying me to say them.
It’s no secret that I’m a huge Disney fan. I love the history of Disney. I’ve loved Walt Disney and his work forever. I love the movies, well most of them, and the theme parks. I don’t always agree with things the modern version of the Disney company does or says…but I don’t believe in the cancel culture. If I like something, I like it. End of story. I’m a pretty simple person.
It’s also no secret that I have two little kids, who both love Disney. Riley loves princesses and Minnie, and Sam is all about Mickey Mouse…and Buzz and Woody.
So when Disney + was first announced I was all about it. Disney movies? Disney TV shows? Classic shows from when I was a kid? Under $10 a month? Shut up and take my money! And this is without the addition of FOX shows. Throw The Simpsons on there…I’m ready to cancel my Netflix account. (although the final season of Fuller House needs to air first…I’m a sucker for 90s remakes)
Fast forward to this past Tuesday…Disney + launched. There were some initial issues using the App on phones, BUT I had zero issues getting in via computer. And guys…Disney + is freaking awesome! Yes, there are some issues…and yes they did some things I don’t agree with…but overall it’s freaking awesome!
So let’s talk about The Simpsons on Disney +…because that’s why you’re here. Most of you don’t care what I have to say about Mickey.
First, it’s important to note that Simpsons World…and The Simpsons on the FX App…has been completely disabled. You go to Simpsons World and the website redirects you to Disney +.
The basic interface of Disney + is similar to Netflix. Pretty easy to navigate, you can skip intros if you’d like, and every episode is listed. It also kind of reminds me of a YouTube interface. In that it doesn’t just give you a list of episodes, it shows you a little icon box for each episode. Making it easier to click.
The Simpsons have a heavy presence on Disney +, so you don’t have to search too hard for it. Which is nice.
Every episode of the show is available…EXCEPT…Stark Raving Dad. The Michael Jackson episode. This is one of those things I don’t agree with. Although I know The Simpsons Producers have said they wanted to pull it from the catalog. So I’m not surprised by this. There’s more on the Stark Raving Dad issues here.
Another initial issue has to do with the Aspect Ratio of the show. Disney + has everything in High Def, a widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio. However, the Simpsons…and their 31 seasons of shows…did not switch to High Def until Season 21. Which means there are 20 seasons of the show in Standard Def or 4:3 Aspect Radio.
So what does this mean in terms most of us can understand? Seasons 1-20 of the show on Disney + are more zoomed in than they should be. The result is a lot of the image is missing. And in some cases, the images are more stretched out than they should be. Examples…
All the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ are in cropped widescreen format — this means you miss out on tons of great visual jokes, like how Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry all come from the same tube. pic.twitter.com/cTy9adulFl
— Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) November 12, 2019
Not only are the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ awkwardly cropped, but they're stretched in a lot of places too. Bart's head looks 4 inches wider here: pic.twitter.com/fCpmTPasGj
— Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) November 12, 2019
However, while they should have known better, this isn’t all Disney’s fault. Nor is it the first time this happened. Back in 2014 when Simpsons World launched, the same issue happened. (this also happens to DVDs of the older seasons, unless you buy the SD DVD) It wasn’t until months later (seriously…it launched in 2014, and was fixed in 2015)…after a lot of outcries…that FXX made SD versions of the show available for streaming as well.
.@thesimpsons #EverySimpsonsEver The most important tweet I can make: 4:3 available on simpsons world! Seasons 1-7 now, rest soon thx FXX!
— Al Jean (@AlJean) February 13, 2015
So yes, Disney…and the guys at The Simpsons…should have been prepared for this, based on experience. But they’re just trying to put out the highest quality possible of the show. Hopefully, they’ll add an SD option soon.
Another bummer going from Simpsons World to Disney +, you lose all that great extra Simpsons content. There were always loads of fun facts that appeared when watching the show via Simpsons World. That’s a feature that’s been taken away now…and that’s disappointing.
And finally, one other thing I wanted to mention…as a “con” of sorts…you can’t screenshot! That to me is a big downfall…and something you could do on the FX App.
Overall, I think the Disney + app is freaking awesome. Loads of great content…even the Tiny Addict was excited to see The Simpsons on her Disney + for kids app…
Thoughts? Have you made the jump to Disney +? Worried about the aspect ratio? Sound off below, you know we love hearing from you!