Disney Has Ruined The Simpsons Shorts
Not a lot of people know this, but The Simpsons has been nominated for an Oscar. While The Simpsons Movie itself missed out (though it was nominated for a BAFTA and a Golden Globe), the very first Simpsons short, Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare, was up for Best Animated Short Film. Though it eventually lost to Paperman, it felt like a historic moment for The Simpsons. This came in 2012, well after the Golden Age had disappeared, and after the feature-length movie was snubbed for even a nomination, it was clear this was not a charity pick on name-brand recognition. The short, which is entirely silent and relies on excellent characterisation of Maggie, was still recognisably The Simpsons with a blend of silly yet intelligent humour, heartfelt moments immediately offset with gags, and better quality animation than the show had ever seen at that point. So what the hell happened?
Following the success of Maggie Simpson in The Longest Daycare, we received a sequel - Maggie Simpson in Playdate With Destiny - which was pretty good, although a little derivative. This was used to set up The Unbearable Lightness of Being a Baby, a full-length episode that, while not entirely silent like the shorts, was supposed to be an extension of them to see if Maggie could carry a whole episode. You would think, after Puffless a few years earlier, they would have learned that she could not. Playdate With Destiny premiered on Disney+, but the timing of the short suggested that it was in motion before Disney bought Fox, and with it picked up The Simpsons. Even though Playdate setting up Unbearable Lightness wasn't a smashing success, it felt like the shorts were fertile ground for the show to try something fresh. As Disney got its claws
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