When Disney + announced its release, many began to rub their hands knowing that they could watch their favorite episodes of The SimpsonsHowever, not everything was going to be good news. With the service inaugurated, the fans detected an error in the broadcast that did not allow them to see the chapters in their correct format. And of course, they took it as an insult.
a matter of perspective
The problem was quite serious. The service decided to show the chapters in 16 format: 9 to fit today's screens, however, they did not take into account that this would imply cropping in the image, loss of information and, in some cases, even a disproportion that would distort the image.
Not only are the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ awkwardly cropped, but they're stretched in a lot of places too. Bart's head looks 4 inches wider here: pic.twitter.com/fCpmTPasGj
- Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) November 12, 2019
Criticism was immediate, and many soon shared on social networks the huge mistake that Disney had made with its cult series. And it is that the problem was quite evident, even affecting one of the great elements of the series: humor. As could be seen in one of the chapters, the clipping did not leave the joke about the Duff beer factory, in which it could originally be seen how the three types of beer that the factory sold were actually the same, since It came from the same pipe.
All the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ are in cropped widescreen format — this means you miss out on tons of great visual jokes, like how Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry all come from the same tube. pic.twitter.com/cTy9adulFl
- Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) November 12, 2019
Better late than never
But Disney has known how to rectify, and six months after the launch of the service, the brand has announced that the episodes of the first 19 seasons will be available on the original format 4:3, thus finally eliminating the image problem that had caused so much controversy.
WOO HOO! We love a prediction for #TheSimpsons, especially coming from @AlJean himself in 2015. Episodes in original 4:3 aspect ratio are coming to #DisneyPlus on May 28. #disneybundle pic.twitter.com/WxEs9TC5D5
- Disney + (@DisneyPlus) May 20, 2020
This was confirmed by the producer of the series, Al Jean through his Twitter account, responding to his own tweet in which 6 years ago he announced the same thing, although in this case it affected the first 7 seasons that were broadcast on the FXX channel. It is interesting to see that 6 years later they have made the same mistake with the format. Knowing the problems they caused and since the public immediately rejected the widescreen format, what were they thinking when they decided to repeat the same strategy?
The even more important most important tweet I can make!
As always you have been heard! @theSimpsons episodes will be available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio on #DisneyPlus beginning 5/28.— Al Jean (@AlJean) May 20, 2020
The Simpsons in 4:3
That being said, if you have a Disney Plus subscription, all you have to do is wait for the May 28 so that the chapters appear in the correct format. That's when you can breathe easy and enjoy the adventures of the famous Springfield family without limitations.