The Film
It would be great to say that TV shows always get better with age, but this is seldom the case, even with a show as solid as The Simpsons. Given that it is now the longest running animated series of all time it is pretty much a safe bet to say that The Simpsons has had as a few contenders for the "worst episode ever," but in retrospective the show's lucky 13th season (2001-2002) has any many high moments as low ones. From the season opening "Treehouse of Horror XII" with its Harry Potter inspired segment to the finale "Poppa's Got a Brand New Badge," there are no truly awful episodes and actually even a few good standouts - such as the excellent "Tales From the Public Domain." As these episodes are nearly a decade old there are some dated jokes of course, but after years of seeing only the edited for syndication versions, the Blu-ray makes these stories seem fresh again, and reminds us why this show remains a classic.
The Picture
As this was from the 2001-2002 TV season the episodes are preserved in the original 1.33:1 presentation. The 13th season marked the last to use cell animation, and this is quite noticeable on the Blu-ray, especially when compared to the 20th season. There are some slight but perceptible color issues in a few scenes, and the inconsistency in the animation can also be seen at times. Yet the Blu-ray makes this season look about as good as it is ever going to look. It is just a shame more wasn't done to improve the look of some of the bonus materials - including the highlights of Ralph's early appearances, as those seem all the more grainy in this version.
The Sound
The audio gets the full 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio treatment, but it isn't exactly put to its full potential. This isn't so much a complaint as it is just a matter of fact, as at the time these episodes aired many viewers were probably not even seeing the show in stereo, let alone surround sound. As a result even in the most bombastic of episodes there is little true channel separation. That said, The Simpsons has always had very good audio effects to compliment the visuals and these come across quite well on the Blu-ray. Where this can really be seen is in the menu screens, which have some nice sound effects - if only the episodes sounded that good.
The Extras
The Blu-ray package features loads of bonus material to satisfy fans beginning with a full color booklet. In addition to the complete 22 episodes, there is "A Token from Matt Groening," audio commentary on every episode, mini-featurettes on "Ralphisms," "The People Ball," "The 13 Crewman," "Blame It on the Monkeys," games, sketch gallery and of course deleted scenes. The three-disc Blu-ray box set also features an HD menu screen that is set partially around Ralph, and partially around arcade video games. The problem with the latter decision is that these include jokes that aren't really related to episodes or the era. For example, the second disc has a menu screen that pokes fun at "Guitar Hero," a game that wasn't around in 2002. It might be funny today, but it seems strange for a box set as that joke will get old too.
Final Thoughts
This is the second full season to be released on Blu-ray, and much of the material simply doesn't live up it visually. The final complaint however is that Simpsons' fans may face a hard decision. The Blu-ray version is only available in a standard BD box, whilst the collector's edition DVD follows the usual pattern of being available with a plastic "head shaped box." Should we think that Fox is trying to get us to buy it twice? Only Ralph would fall for that one!
Product Details
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