I was quickly hooked on The Simpsons once I actually started watching the show. I started picking up the show on DVD once the sets were released. I just finished watching The Simpsons - Season 9.
The Simpsons first appeared in short segments with rough animation between sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show. Those segments made the characters popular enough for them FOX to decide to do an animated show about them. The Simpsons began airing in 1989 and is still airing new episodes now. I believe the show is the longest running show that is currently still producing new episodes. The 400th episode aired in May of 2007 and The Simpsons Movie, a full length feature animated movie, was released on July 27, 2007. Groening also created another animated show, Futurama, that began airing in 1999.
The majority of the episodes in The Simpsons focus in on the members of the Simpsons family. Marge, Lisa, and Maggie tend to receive less attention than Homer and Bart. Homer continued acting like a bumbling idiot at times, which caused all sorts of problems and complications. Homer really received more attention than any of the others in the ninth season. Bart still did some things to cause trouble which did lead to some entertaining moments. Lisa did play a more important part in a few episodes like Lisa the Skeptic and Lisa the Simpson. It was finally shared how Lisa first got her saxophone in Lisa’s Sax. Marge was at least briefly in every episode and only had one episode, Realty Bites, that was focused mostly on her. It would have been nice if there was a bit more attention given to Marge throughout the season.
Patty and Selma, Marge’s sisters, didn’t turn up as often in this season. Grandpa, Homer’s dad, really wasn’t around as much either. The Simpsons has a huge cast of semi-regular characters since so many have been introduced over the first eight seasons. Most of them turned up at least briefly during the season with some of them receiving more attention than others. Moe tends to make several small appearances since Homer spends a lot of time at Moe’s bar. Dumbbell Indemnity actually revolved around Moe, something he plots, and his new girlfriend. Seymour Skinner was the focus of The Principal and the Pauper and a secret related to his past was shared. Apu had to deal with an arranged marriage in The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons. Krusty tried to do something new in The Last Temptation of Krust. Homer’s rich boss Mr. Burns turned up in several episodes and had a bit more to do in a few of them.
With only a few exceptions, the plots of the episodes have been self contained. There has only been one time when the same story carried completely through two episodes and that was when Mr. Burns was shot. Certain things that have happened previously are occasionally mentioned again without those things being the center of the newer episodes. For example, Lisa previously decided to become a vegetarian. The fact that she is a vegetarian has been mentioned in several other episodes in passing since that first episode. There were some episodes that seemed to be about one thing when they started and then went off in a totally different direction.
The ninth season continued the tradition of having a special Halloween episode. Treehouse of Horror VIII had the same type of spooky sounding music for the opening credits and featured three stories connected to Halloween in some way. The Homega Man and Fly vs. Fly were Simpsons versions of older movies and Easy-Bake Coven was based on witches in the time of the Witch trials. I always enjoy the Halloween episodes. There weren’t any other spooky episodes in the rest of the season, though there were one or two others that I believe were Simpsons versions of other movies. The season did include a Christmas episode, Miracle on Evergreen Terrace. There weren’t any clip shows like have turned up in some of the previous seasons, though there was a flashback used in Lisa’s Sax. Trash of the Titans was the 200th episodes for the series and while it was a little silly, it was entertaining.
The members of the Simpsons family were far from a typical, normal family which caused them to end up in some rather unique situations. Many of those situations did add humor to the episodes. I have enjoyed most of the things done for humor even though some of the things were rather silly. Homer and Bart especially had a tendency to do silly things. I think the silliness worked for the show, but others may not feel the same. I know from things I’ve read that many people feel that several seasons, including this one, just weren’t as funny or clever as previous seasons. I still enjoyed the season, though there were a few episodes that I didn’t particularly like that much. People that don’t care for silly humor will probably want to pick something else to watch. Some episodes, most notably Natural Born Kissers, were a bit more adult in nature. That episode focused in on Homer and Marge’s love life. Parents should watch the episodes first to make sure they are comfortable with their children seeing them.
The same group of voice actors continued to provide voices for the main characters as well as several of the more supporting, returning characters. Most of the voice actors provide voices for multiple characters. Yeardly Smith is the only main cast member who only voices one character. Most of the time, Julie Kavner only does the voice for Marge, but she also does the voices for Patty, Selma, and their mother when they make an appearance. Marcia Wallace is listed as a guest voice even though her character Edna Krabappel is a regular supporting character and turns up in several episodes at least briefly.
Phil Hartman was basically a cast member in my opinion since his characters of Troy McClure and Lionel Hutz frequently turned up. He also did the voice for other characters every so often as well. The ninth season also included several guest star voices like Martin Sheen, Mike Judge, Joe Namath, Jan Hooks, Alex Trebek, George Harrison, Jim Varney, James Earl Jones, Janeane Garofalo, Bobcat Goldthwait, Jay Leno, Hank Williams Jr., Steven Wright, Helen Hunt, Bob Denver, Rod Steiger, Paul Winfield, Steve Martin, Brendan Fraser, Steven Weber, and the members of U2. Most of the guest stars portrayed regular characters, but one or two appeared as themselves.
The episodes in the ninth season had the same bright colors that have been used for the previous seasons. The vibrant colors, especially having most of the characters be yellow, help to give the show a unique look. The animation was very well done and had a crisp, clean look. It isn’t as advanced as the newer computer animation, but it is still well done. The animation in the first few seasons had a somewhat cruder look. Nothing was changed for the opening sequence other than what Bart would write on the chalkboard and the image in the last shot.
DVD Information
The Simpsons - Season 9 was the fourth DVD set for the show to have two different cases available. One case is shaped like Lisa’s head and the other is the more traditional unfolding case. I have the unfolding case. I have the case shaped like Homer’s head for season six and I found it to be a bit awkward to get to the discs. I have the unfolding type of case for this season. The twenty-five episodes are on four discs. Each disc is on a different plastic holder that can be flipped over like the page of a book.
The booklet for season nine was made like a Simpsons version of Rolling Stone magazine called Rocking Stone. The first page had little short bits that were like letters written to the editor of the magazine and a partial list of songs. The second page had the message from Matt Groening in which he briefly mentioned a few things connected to the season. The next page included a list of the episodes, broken down by which disc they were on and a list of the principal cast. Special features for each disc were listed and there was an icon key that would identify the different special features connected to each episode throughout the rest of the booklet. The rest of the booklet had short plot summaries for every episode. Information about the guest stars, when they first aired, and icons for the special features were also included. Some of the pages also included graphics that continued the music magazine theme in some way. I really like having the information in the booklet.
Every episode in season had a commentary done be people involved in the making of the episode. Some of the commentaries featured several different people and others only included a couple of people. Many of the episodes had at least one deleted scene. Bits from the animators, animation showcases, and original sketches were shared for some episodes. There was only one featurette, A Moment with U2. Each disc had an animated menu that included some characters standing in a line waiting to get into some sort of nightclub. The characters shown would be connected to a specific episode on the disc. If a selection wasn’t made fast enough, the animation would change a bit to show the characters doing something. I thought the animations were cute. There was the option to play all the episodes, one after the other, or to select them one at a time.
Episode List
The City of New York vs. Homer Simpson The Principal and the Pauper Lisa’s Sax Treehouse of Horror VIII The Cartridge Family Bart Star The Two Mrs. Nahasapeemapetilons Lisa the Skeptic Realty Bites Miracle on Evergreen Terrace All Singing, All Dancing Bart Carny The Joy of Sect Das Bus The Last Temptation of Krust Dumbbell Indemnity Lisa the Simpson The Little Wiggy Simpson Tide The Trouble with Trillions Girly Edition Trash of the Titans King of the Hill Lost Our Lisa Natural Born Killers
I really enjoyed The Simpsons - Season 9 and am glad that I have it. Fans of the show will probably enjoy the set as well, though I know some people didn’t like season nine as well.
Welcome to Season Nine of The Simpsons on DVD -- twenty-five jam-packed episodes of malicious cartoon frivolity that helped make 1997 and 1998 such en...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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