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THE SIMPSONS:
THE COMPLETE TWELFTH SEASON |
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| Featuring: Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer, Hank Azaria> |
| Creator: Matt Groening |
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Studio: Twentieth Century Fox |
| DVD release: 18 August 2009> |
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Runtime: 473 minutes
(4 discs)> |
| Format: AC-3, Animated, Box set, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, DVD, Full Screen, Subtitled, NTSC> |
| Features: Aspect ratio 1.33:1, Audio tracks (Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround - English; Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo - French, Spanish), Subtitles (English, French, Spanish), Commentaries (exec. producers, writers, directors, cast), Illustrated commentary (Lisa the Tree Hugger, HOMR, I'm Goin' to Praiseland), Animation Showcase (Treehouse of Horror XI, Day of the Jackanapes), Deleted scenes, Special Language Feature: Homer Vs. Dignity, "Comic Book Guy: Best. Moments. Ever." featurette, Global Fanfest, Sketch Gallery> |
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The Simpsons. To begin with, the twelfth season includes guest stars The Who, Gary Coleman, Drew Barrymore, Joe Mantegna, Stephen King, Jay Mohr, Amy Tan, John Updike, Joshua Jackson, Leeza Gibbons, Patrick McGoohan, Edward Norton, Michael Keaton, Charles Napier, Robert Schimmel, Bruce Vilanch, Tom Savini, Pete Sampras, Serena and Venus Williams, N' Sync, Stacy Keach, Kathy Griffin, Jan Hooks, Shawn Colvin, and Kelsey Grammer. Take that star-studded cast, add to it the extra features and easter eggs included in every season of The Simpsons, and you have a winning collection.
The Simpsonsfans but animation nuts in general.
The theme of season twelve's packaging is a comic book convention.
"Best season ever." I can't in good conscience say that, but nor is it the worst. The episodes hold steady, though the wit is not quite as sharp as in earlier episodes. Don't get me wrong - there are really good episodes here, just no awesome standouts. Better episodes include "Trilogy of Error," in which Homer gets his thumb cut off. This episode is sliced into three segments, each beginning at the same time but telling the story from a different character's perspective. We don't get a full picture of the story until the very end. "HOMR" tells the story of how Homer has had a crayon lodged in his brain since he was six, contributing to his stupidity all these years. The doctors remove it, and his IQ darts up to 105.
The best years of The Simpsons were the first ten or so. That's not to say there won't be standout episodes to come, but its heyday is past. Despite this belief, I will continue to collect every season of The Simpsons until they stop making it because I love animation and I love the way the show is deconstructed, analyzed, and presented. Matt Groening and the writers, directors and other supporting staff have produced a pretty consistent product over the years, and they love to share that product with the audience.
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