Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Martin Liebman July 15, 2024

If there is anything on the entertainment landscape that is worthy of the "Icons" designation, it is The Simpsons. Matt Groening's animated series about the Simpson family -- father Homer, mother Marge, and children Bart, Lisa, and Maggie -- made FOX into a major network, made its creator untold millions, and made legions -- and literally generations -- of fans. And, at 35 -- yes, 35 -- seasons and 768 -- yes, 768 -- episodes, it is the longest-running scripted primetime TV series in the U.S., ever, and by a wide margin. And it would appear a shoe-in to reach 1,000 episodes, because the show just keeps going. Its stamina is due to a number of reasons -- a timeless style, a static setting, memorable characters, great voice work, unique animation, continued cultural relevance, sharp writing, great humor, and even, some might say, an uncanny prescience for predicting future events (cue the theme music from another FOX TV icon). For these reasons and more there is no stopping the show (and it definitely works best on TV; for all that success there is still but a single motion picture).

Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons explores the making of the show in detailed fashion across six episodes that run around 45 minutes each, offering plenty of time to explore the gamut of the show, from its origins to its legacy and everything in between. This narrative- and interview-rich documentary assembles an incredible talent roster that speaks of the challenges of its production, the joys of its creation, the secrets of its success, and so much more. The episodes move quickly with tight and enthralling insight that builds the story with eager explanation yet detailed delivery. The episodes are themed to various aspects of the show's history, beginning, of course, with its origins (including the beginning of the FOX Network), building the pilot episode, tensions in the creative process, the show's look, its expansion in reach and in popular culture, and its legacy all these decades later.

It feels strange to use the word "legacy" with a running TV show, but here is the odd amalgamation of things, the once-in-a-lifetime alignment of the stars where a show's legacy is cemented while still continuing to build its legacy. That's a seemingly impossible proposition, but that is exactly what The Simpsons is doing. This documentary does a great job of breaking it all down to build it back up, looking into every nook and cranny with unmatched access. Certainly, the program is not packed with revelations, and hardcore franchise fans won't find many "new" nuggets here, but suffice it to say there's a treasure trove of content here that explores the show with a depth and tangible excitement for the material that only adds to the allure of watching the show's story play out on the screen.

Indeed, there is far more here than a mere perusal of Wikipedia's The Simpsons page can offer, and that it's all in one place and very well organized makes it both convenient and enjoyable to pour through, especially the linear structure. The information is relevant, the participants deeply involved in a number of aspects in and around the show, and the program is well structured and well researched, asking the right questions of the right people and edited together at the right time for maximum dramatic value and entertainment impact. To be sure, The Simpsons fans will get the most out of all of this, but I think that casual viewers, maybe those moderately interested or only lightly invested in the show, will still find it to be of great value for its deep, yet accessible, narrative exploration of what is certainly TV royalty.

Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Mill Creek releases Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons to Blu-ray with a fine 1080p transfer. The mage is framed at 1.78:1, generally, with the odd frames appearing at different aspect ratios, either as a means of preserving original aspect ratio integrity of vintage elements, or by offering a stylized appearance for program impact, but such are very few and far between. The image is largely crisp with the interview segments taking center stage as the main visual driving force. Clarity is always very good, offering fine definition to faces and clothes in what are usually static backgrounds. Nice pops of color come off of clothing elements, too. Of course, there are all sorts of stylistic elements, like artificially grainy photos and the like, while there are clips of old TV programs and stock footage of varying quality. These do not factor into the overall score because they're a case of "they are what they are." The main interview segments look just fine, and viewers should be delighted with the good essential quality on display in every episode.

Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Mill Creek releases Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons to Blu-ray with a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. The presentation is very simple with various interview snippets and narration serving as the primary sonic elements the program has to offer. Dialogue is very clear and images nicely to the center with very little, if any, sense of drift away from that prized center imaging location. There is often some support music accompanying interviews, and the clarity is good and the balance with the dialogue is excellent. However, there is very little sense of space away from center even for the music. The presentation is largely front and center, which is fine for a program of this nature. There's not much more here. Of course, some vintage clips from old episodes of The Simpsons or even Married...With Children, for example, understandably sound a little more shaky based on the source, but those brief snippets have not factored into the scoring here. This is a basic track, but it is effective in delivery nevertheless. The score does not reflect activity but rather essential faithfulness to the sources.

Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

This Blu-ray release of Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons contains the following extras on the following discs. No DVD or digital copies are included, but Mill Creek has included a non-embossed slipcover.

Disc One:

• Bonus Interview: Bill Oakley (1080p, 2:22:52): Additional in-depth content that further explores the show's origins and history.

Disc Two:

• Bonus Interview: Rob Kenneally (1080p, 1:29:53): Additional in-depth content that further explores the show's origins and history.

Disc Three:

• Bonus Interview: Ken Estin (1080p, 1:46:21): Additional in-depth content that further explores the show's origins and history.

Disc Four:

• Bonus Interviews: Included are Garth Ancier (1080p, 2:37:40) and Jon Vitti (3:19:01): Additional in-depth content that further explores the show's origins and history. Note that these extras supply the totality of content on disc four; the program proper is divided into six parts spread across the first three discs.

Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Like its Star Wars counterpart before it, Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons is a compelling and very thoroughly well-crafted documentary that looks deeply into every nook and cranny behind the making of what has been one of the top TV shows for 35 years now. Wow! I still remember my "don't have a cow, man" T-shirt back when I was a kid. Crazy. Fans of The Simpsons are going to want to devour this content heavy but well-paced deep dive into what is certainly worthy of the "cultural icon" status. The video and audio presentations suit the material well, and the extras are comprised of lengthy support interviews. Recommended.