The Simpsons' Al Jean talks new Disney Plus short, Lisa breaking bad, and shitposting
The Simpsons has gone from ‘Eat My Shorts’ to binge my shorts. While the world was introduced to Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie during a series of brief cartoons on The Tracey Ullman Show in 1987, The Simpsons’ latter-day history of bite-sized adventures have been a far cry from that crudely-drawn era – and a chance to really flex the team’s animated muscles.
The show’s first theatrical short ‘The Longest Daycare’ was nominated for an Academy Award, while the post-Disney acquisition has seen the one-time Fox poster child roll out a series of celebrity and character-driven shorts on Disney Plus for their new mouse-eared overlords. Now, to mark Disney Plus Day on September 8, Lisa Simpson is all set to forgo dreams of becoming a Disney Princess to break bad with some classic villains in ‘Welcome to the Club.’
GamesRadar+ recently had a chance to sit down with Al Jean – The Simpsons showrunner, writer, and producer who has been involved since the show’s very first season back in 1989 – to discuss the latest short. From working with The Little Mermaid’s animators and Disney’s surprisingly hands-off approach, to the show’s bizarre second life as an internet shitposting standout, The Simpsons mainstay is the most qualified person to cover the evolution of the show from counter-culture phenomenon to its place under a corporate umbrella. In our interview ahead of ‘Welcome to the Club’s’ release, Jean also discusses how a new generation of writers are keeping the show’s "great tradition" alive and well. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
GR: Where did the idea for Welcome to the Club come from? And why was it the right idea to do this one now? Because you must have dozens of ideas tucked away in a drawer
Read more on gamesradar.com
