What's the hold-up w/ Simpsons Season11 DVD?

[vince]

Anybody know what's going on with this?

[Vidiot]

I wish they'd go back and redo the shows from scratch for HD. This would require rescanning all the old animation cells (back when the show wasn't done via CGI) and creating wider backgrounds, but it's not that ridiculous an idea, given how many billions of dollars it's made.

I'm not sure if they've done the new episodes in 16x9, or if they only exist in 4x3 (aka 1.33). The shows wouldn't be any funnier in widescreen, but I think they would look better on current HD monitors.

For the record, I'm opposed to them blowing up the shows and tilt/scanning them up and down for 16x9, since this would cut off the image in HD, not reveal more image.

[Derek Gee]

I wish they'd go back and redo the shows from scratch for HD. This would require rescanning all the old animation cells (back when the show wasn't done via CGI) and creating wider backgrounds, but it's not that ridiculous an idea, given how many billions of dollars it's made.

Do we know if the cells were saved so refilming could be done?

Derek

[PageLesPaul]

I'm not sure if they've done the new episodes in 16x9, or if they only exist in 4x3 (aka 1.33). The shows wouldn't be any funnier in widescreen, but I think they would look better on current HD monitors.

The Simpsons in HD is still 4X3.

[Claviusb]

Do we know if the cells were saved so refilming could be done?


I worked at Fox 1994-1996 and my department handled all of the cels after they went under the camera in Korea.

There is no way way those cels could be reshot. Too many have been lost, stolen or sold. Many were archived, though.

[Taurus]

I dunno - would this show really benefit from a high definition presentation? Because sometimes the image quality is a little rough looking even on my 27" CRT monitor (I'm talking about pre-CGI days). I have no problem with hand drawn animation but viewing it in hi-def & then blowing it up on a 50" screen IMO would reveal too much of that hand drawn-ness (is that a real word? :)).

[Pinknik]

I figure going back to cells would be impossible, but maybe going back to negative film could work. I assume the cells were shot on film, and the show was finished on video, but is that correct?

P.S. I'm for leaving the old aspect ratio the way it is. I was watching season 10 tonight and could see a lot of dot crawl, which would seem to indicate that, not only was the show edited on video, but composite video at that.

[Pinknik]

I dunno - would this show really benefit from a high definition presentation? Because sometimes the image quality is a little rough looking even on my 27" CRT monitor (I'm talking about pre-CGI days). I have no problem with hand drawn animation but viewing it in hi-def & then blowing it up on a 50" screen IMO would reveal too much of that hand drawn-ness (is that a real word? :)).

Well, old Warner cartoons available on DVD look better on my HDTV than The Simpsons DVD's, and they're just standard definition. I think some of the cruddiness comes from all the work in standard definition video. Maybe, that is, as I'm not involved in how the show is made. The Simpsons Movie on blu-ray looks fantastic, but the animation techniques may have been completely different.

[Yankee8156]

Anybody know what's going on with this?

For a while it seemed like they had established an August-December release schedule, but The Simpsons Movie was released in lieu of another season in December. They must have felt that the casual buyer wouldn't go for the movie and a season for Christmas, although I'm sure some would argue that the movie release would only help Season 11 sales. My guess would be that they'll probably get back on track to the August-December releases starting with Season 11 in August.

I highly doubt that Fox would put these DVD releases on hold. I understand that many people consider Season 10 to be the last set they would be willing to purchase, but I can't imagine that they would expect Seasons 11+ to perform so poorly they wouldn't consider releasing them. I guess stranger things have happened though.

I'm also not positive about the effects of the strike on the recording of DVD commentaries. I don't know how far ahead they are with recording commentaries, so if they don't do them too far in advance, it's possible they needed to wait for the strike to be settled to get the writers to participate in any commentaries not yet recorded.

[balzac]

Maybe they've taken so long with Season 11 because they're trying to figure out a new packaging gimmick to use. :)

Will they continue with the "heads" of some of the secondary characters (how about a Nelson Muntz head?), or go with something else?

I would agree, though, that the movie has contributed to the delays. Work on the movie may have slowed work on the DVD's, and the marketing schedule of putting the movie out may well have pushed back scheduling the next season even if they had already finished work on it.

I would be surprised if Season 11 on DVD sold significantly less than Season 10. I'm just guessing, but I think a lot of the sales on these sets come from either die-hard fans that will buy all of the seasons, and then more casual fans that are less likely to be as discerning to the point of thinking Season 10 is worth buying, but Season 11 isn't. I would think the dedicated but discerning fan who feels the series dropped off enough that they won't buy later seasons is a minority among consumers of the sets, but I wouldn't say it's far-fetched that sales will drop to some degree. But then again, I've already seen some of the more discerning fans of the show say they will stop buying the sets after Season 5, or 6, and so on. So if they've already lost some of those types of fans, the sets are still selling well enough without some of those fans.

But, considering the series is apparently one of the best selling TV-on-DVD products in the industry, I would think there is still a huge market for putting the rest of the seasons out on DVD.

[Pinknik]

What are you two guys trying to pull? Answering the original poster's question? :D

[Spirit Crusher]

I wish they'd go back and redo the shows from scratch for HD. This would require rescanning all the old animation cells (back when the show wasn't done via CGI) and creating wider backgrounds
"HD" does not equal "16:9".

[balzac]

"HD" does not equal "16:9".

I don't want to speak for Vidiot, but I think the idea was that if they were going to, for all intents and purposes, "re-compose" the material with the eye towards transferring the stuff to HD, they would probably do it in 16:9 if they could because most material that is specifically composed for HD is done so in 16:9. I'm all for keeping OAR, especially when it comes to keeping 4:3 material intact when in HD.

But this theoretical re-do of the early seasons would seem to amount to partially or completely re-composing the episodes from scratch, and I would imagine (and would prefer I suppose) that something that is basically a new creation specifically for HD be done in 16:9. In other words, if they had kept every scrap of material in the animation process and were able to basically just re-transfer them in HD the same way they originally did in SD back then, then it would make sense to keep it in 4:3 as it was originally. But assuming they didn't keep all of the materials needed to do this, and would have to make new backgrounds and other elements, then I would have no problem with basically a re-make being done in 16:9.

I don't personally see much reason to do such a thing with "The Simpsons", and I doubt anything along these lines would be undertaken anytime soon. But if such a thing were ever attempted and required re-composing elements if not entire episodes (basically simply using the same script/soundtrack), it probably would be done in 16:9 since the end result would be intended specifically for HD release and/or broadcast.

[Spirit Crusher]

My point is that High Def is not intrinsically 16:9; High Def is not an aspect ratio. It can be any aspect ratio. Why can't the Simpsons be left in its native aspect ratio and still be broadcast high-def?

[balzac]

My point is that High Def is not intrinsically 16:9; High Def is not an aspect ratio. It can be any aspect ratio. Why can't the Simpsons be left in its native aspect ratio and still be broadcast high-def?

I agree. I don't think anybody was arguing otherwise. In fact, someone pointed out in an earlier post that it is in fact broadcast in 4:3 in HD.

But I don't see any problem with composing a new item in 16:9 with an eye towards HD broadcast/release, and in fact would prefer it. I'm all for keeping things originally composed in 4:3 that way, and anything that today is composted in 4:3 should be kept that way as well. But I don't see any reason not to compose something in 16:9 if it is intended for HD broadcast and/or release. So as it pertains to "The Simpsons", I would be totally against cropping episodes already produced. But if newly-produced episodes were composed in 16:9, I wouldn't have a problem with it (and I don't even subscribe to HD television; I do have Blu-Ray and HD-DVD players though). What was being discussed here is some sort of hybrid where we would be dealing with old episodes, but they would be re-composed (not just re-shot or re-transferred), and if re-doing backgrounds and things of that nature were required, I wouldn't have a problem with the material being done in 16:9, because that does seem to be the most common aspect ratio for material composed specifically for TV broadcast in HD and release in HD.

[SoundAdvice]

In one of the past commentary tracks, Groening mentioned that most of the animation cels available for purchase where stolen. He was gutted about many of the complete episode (whole seasons?)frames that were missing.

[ffracer]

Maybe they've taken so long with Season 11 because they're trying to figure out a new packaging gimmick to use. :)

.

Tell me about it. I have bought all the seasons out when they came out as major fan. The digipak is totally stupid. At least 4/10 of the digipaks are broken after handling with kid gloves and of course, have worn edges.

Should have put them in standard Amaray cases, but that would have made sense.

I bought one of the heads packages and it fell apart upon opening.

It is not like they are cheap!

[Claviusb]

In one of the past commentary tracks, Groening mentioned that most of the animation cels available for purchase where stolen. He was gutted about many of the complete episode (whole seasons?)frames that were missing.

Setups were stolen from the 1st two seasons only, when the cels were shipped back to the original animation house. I would say that many setups were stolen (some episodes suffered worse than others), but not "most." I say this from 1st hand experience, having actually handled the cels. The remaining cels (read: MOST) from the first two seasons were turned over to Fox and the materials from season 3 onward were shipped directly to us from Korea.

BTW, I also did a lot of work that can be seen in the season 10 DVD packaging...

[Oatsdad]

In one of the past commentary tracks, Groening mentioned that most of the animation cels available for purchase where stolen.

You mean that cel of Scratchy's arm that cost me $300 wasn't legit??? :laugh:

[SoundAdvice]

You mean that cel of Scratchy's arm that cost me $300 wasn't legit??? :laugh:

Did you trade it for the Mary Worth telephone?

[Oatsdad]

Did you trade it for the Mary Worth telephone?

I wish! :D

[vince]

BTW, I also did a lot of work that can be seen in the season 10 DVD packaging...
YOU DID? I will admit, that one IS 'sturdier' than the others. :righton:

[Claviusb]

To be clear, Vince, all of the work I did was in the Studio Tour booklet that was included. I wasn't involved in the "head" design at all.

I could be wrong, but I thought I read on the internet somewhere that there wasn't going to be any more heads after season 10.

[vince]

Ah, I see. Well, I'm still wondering why no one's heard anything about a release date. Or if any time was booked to do the commentaries.

[Anthology123]

I can for new shows to see them switching to 16:9 only after the 2009 HD switch and not a moment earlier. However, for consistency of all 19 seasons, they are likely not to switch anytime soon, or ever to 16:9, except for any future films.