The Show
After well over a decade of creative ups and downs and dry spells and oases, it's no wonder that The Fourteenth Season of The Simpsons is a mixed bag. To the writers'/producers' credit, they were still able to come up with promising premises like Lisa skipping a year as Bart is demoted so they are suddenly in third grade together, and Marge getting a boob job, always good for a couple of chuckles. So too do they show their ongoing fondness for music and an ability to attract music legends (Mick & Keith!) to lend their voices to the comedic cartoon frolics.
But these animated renditions of top- and medium-tier celebs portraying themselves grows thin rather quickly due to overuse of the gag, while the sheer lameness of some episodes, such as this season's return of erudite, homicidal Sideshow Bob (Kelsey Grammer) pales in comparison to his stellar outings past. There's something for everyone though, and at only about 22 minutes per, it's not too much of an investment to find a tale that clicks.
The Picture
The Simpsons' 2002-2003 season predates their digital transition by a few years, and the show arrives in its original 4:3 aspect ratio, pillarboxed with large vertical black bars left and right. The AVC bitrate varies significantly, but is often deep in the 30s (megabits per second) and sometimes crossing into the 40s! We can certainly appreciate how fat and occasionally somewhat squiggly the black line art is, but this video image is also prone to a bit of chop and flicker, more noticeable during longer panning shots. The classic show opening footage can look soft when compared to the newer animation that follows, but the bright colors really pop and even the faint shadows behind the figures are discernible.
The Sound
Both the familiar theme by Danny Elfman and the weekly stylings of Alf Clausen are wonderfully reproduced in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and they are the prime beneficiaries of the two rear channels as their music spreads out to surround the viewer. Beyond that, there might be occasional, quick multichannel effects for the more elaborate moments of action. Small discrete effects are evident, as when characters throw things offscreen. Gunshots are pleasingly sharp, and Homer's voice phases cleanly between speakers as he runs around wildly.
The Extras
This set seems to emphasize its scary science-fiction mayhem, as evidenced by the box art, the menus and so on, and showcased annually in the "Treehouse of Horror" episode. But in truth this season packs no more of those monster/alien-fueled shenanigans than any other, and all of those are relegated once again to the season-opening Halloween installment. To make up the difference, we are given a "Haunting" welcome from creator Matt Groening, collections of Halloween episode openings past, vintage scary Simpsons clips, a tentacleful of Kang and Kodos' greatest bits, and two earlier, complete "Treehouses of Horror."
Deleted scenes, where available, can be selected when we play the episode, and then they are seamlessly reintegrated into in full quality and in the correct spot, with an onscreen scissor icon. They are also available with a Play All function on Disc Three, with an optional introduction and commentary from executive producer Al Jean. Full audio commentaries are provided for all 22 episodes from Jean, fellow exec Mike Scully and a varied gang of visiting supporters including writers, actors and directors.
Two brief episode-specific Sketch Galleries reveal the early designs behind "Barting Over" and "How I Spent My Strummer Vacation." Each of these also receives its own behind-the-scenes featurette, and watching Keith Richards in the recording booth in the latter is, like a trip to rock 'n' roll fantasy camp, priceless.
The Animation Showcase for the season-ending episode "Moe Baby Blues" allows us to toggle between the storyboards and animatics for a five-and-a-half-minute portion via the Angle button, while the final version plays in a small picture-in-picture window. A special language feature presents the entire episode "Three Gays of the Condo" with selectable Portuguese, German, Czech and Italian audio, each in Dolby Digital 2.0. All of the video extras are presented in either 1080p/24 or 1080p/60 HD.
Final Thoughts
That's one of the great things about a season of The Simpsons neatly collected on disc: Their adventures are like a box of chocolates, and biting into a new piece is just a few clicks away. The nine-year-old animation holds up quite well in HD, and the audio is dependably clean, so don't blame Blu-ray if you're not laughing.
Product Details
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