8.3 | / 10 |
Users | 4.4 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.9 |
Comedy | 100% |
Animation | 90% |
Family | 72% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.78:1, 1.33:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit)
French (Canada): Dolby Digital 5.1
Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1 (448 kbps)
french track dubbed in Quebec
English SDH, Spanish
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Three-disc set (3 BDs)
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A, B (locked)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 3.5 | |
Audio | 3.5 | |
Extras | 4.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
TV critics and pop-culture pundits have slagged The Simpsons in recent years—well, the past decade—for favoring out-of-left-field non sequiturs over character-driven stories, for never re-reaching the savage satirical highs of its first nine seasons, and, in short, for losing much of its banana-yellow luster. Newer, flashier, wackier shows, like The Family Guy and South Park, have since unseated The Simpsons from its animated satire throne, but I don’t think this is such a bad thing. The series isn’t in decline, really; it’s just settling. Now that the show is a bonafide cultural institution, it’ll always command a certain level of love and respect, even through lean years when the episodes are more miss than hit. And frankly, even The Simpsons at its worst is far better than most of the sit-com schlock that shows up on network television, lasts for a few seasons, and fades away into obscurity. The Simpsons has staying power. It may not be as relevant—or as funny—as it once was, but you’re always guaranteed a few good chuckles each episode. You’ve heard of “pick up and play” video games—games that you can hop in and out of without a huge time commitment? Well, The Simpsons is a pick up and play TV series; it’s good to have on hand when you need a laugh but don’t have the time to sit through a feature length comedy.
The Parent Rap
Season 13 marked the end of an era for The Simpsons, as it was the last full season to use traditional cell animation. However, while this season was shot on film, it was likely assembled using a standard definition digital intermediate, meaning that a true high definition presentation is out of the question. What we have here, then, is a 1080p/AVC-encoded up-convert. Before you heave a sigh of exasperation, though, read on. It actually looks quite good, and the up-rez yields a stronger image than if you were to let your Blu-ray player up-convert a DVD. Naturally, the picture isn't going to be as crisp and defined as the latter half of season 20—when the series switched to high definition —but the material definitely benefits from being on Blu-ray. Outlines are a little soft, but clarity is much better than you'd imagine when you hear "upconvert of an animated television show." Color is fantastic as well—bright, vivid, and mostly uniform. There were only a few instances when I noticed any fluctuations. Of course, the other huge benefit to Blu-ray is less compression. Aside from some slight blotchiness and minor banding on occasion—usually in the characters' bright yellow hues—there are few compression-related artifacts, and none that I would deem distracting. Plus, with more storage space on Blu-ray, there are fewer discs to swap/keep track of/potentially lose. Some doubt the merits of up-converted material on Blu-ray, but in this instance, I'm sold.
Another reason to choose Blu-ray over DVD for this season is the presence of DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround tracks on every episode. Granted, the show's somewhat spartan sound design never takes full advantage of the lossless codec, but at least you're getting the best possible version of each episode's soundtrack. Obviously, dialogue is the main element of each mix, and it's handled perfectly—clean, always intelligible, and comfortably balanced. You'll never miss a joke because of poor mixing or a muffled line. The 5.1 surround sound implementation, however, rarely lives up to its name. Rear channel output is infrequent and inconsistent. Even when cross-channel movements are used—like Artie Ziff's helicopter zipping from side to side—they stand out from the otherwise front-heavy presentation. Rather than seeming like an integral part of the audio, pans and directional sounds seem to call too much attention to themselves, if that makes sense. No big deal, though. You're probably not watching The Simpsons for an intense audio experience. Where it counts—dialogue reproduction, a balanced mix—this Blu-ray set delivers.
Audio Commentaries
Talk about value for money! The three-disc set includes new audio commentaries for all 22 episodes. Show creator
Matt Groening leads seven of the tracks, and the rest are hosted by an assortment of writers and animators. And as
you'd hope, there's never a dull moment. Most of the time the conversation veers way off topic, but there's much
joke cracking and reminiscing. There are several guest commentators as well, including comic creator Stan Lee on
I am Furious (Yellow), James Lipton of The Actors' Studio on The Sweetest Apu, and former poet
laureate Robert Pinsky on Little Girl in the Big Ten.
Disc 1
A Token From Matt Groening (SD, 1:52)
Show-runner Matt Groening introduces the 13th season.
Ralphisms (SD, 2:40)
A montage of Ralph's greatest lines from throughout the series.
Animation Showcase: The Parent Rap (SD, 7:20)
Toggle between storyboards and animatics for The Parent Rap episode using the "angle" button on your
remote.
Special Language Feature: Treehouse of Horror XII
Use the "audio" button on your remote to listen to the German, Czech, Japanese, and Portuguese dubs of the entire
Treehouse of Horror episode.
Disc 2
Animation Showcase: Sweets and Sour Marge (SD, 6:24)
The People Ball: Sweets and Sour Marge (SD, 1:14)
"It's an animators nightmare," says one of the show's artists of the giant "people ball" that's featured in the
Sweets and Sour Marge episode.
The 13th Crewman (SD, 1:14)
A brief behind-the-scenes on the making of a Bart Simpson-themed racing schooner. No joke.
Blame it on the Monkeys: Blame it on Lisa (SD, 1:39)
A quick look at the controversy over the Brazil-centric episode.
Disc 3
Commercials (SD, approx. 2 min.)
Four Burger King commercials and an ad for Sabritas potato chips.
The Games (SD, 8:01)
Gamers of a certain age will probably remember Bart vs. The Space Mutants, The Simpsons Arcade Game, Escape
From Camp Deadly, and the other video games we see short clips from here.
The Sweet Life of Ralph (SD, 6:10)
A collection of some of Ralph's greatest moments, such as, "Me fail English? That's unpossible!"
Sketch Gallery (SD, 6:13)
Deleted Scenes (SD, 14:41)
A handful of deleted scenes from throughout the season, with optional commentary.
Some have questioned the point of bringing pre-high definition seasons of The Simpsons to Blu-ray, but this release should silence all the doubters. The episodes look strong upscaled to 1080p, the lossless audio is cleaner and clearer than the Dolby Digital tracks you get on DVD, and the entire season fits tidily on three BD-50 discs, complete with a generous bounty of supplements. (Including 22 commentary tracks!) If you'd like to see more seasons of The Simpsons reissued on Blu-ray, send 20th Century Fox a message and pick up season 13. Recommended!
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