DVD Release Date: December 13, 2005

Cast:

click here to buy this DVD from Amazon

By Adam Rosenberg

This is a familiar song, one that’s been sung many times before. There’s a new full-season DVD collection of The Simpsons out, the seventh in this case, that offers classic episode after classic episode and a robust collection of bonus content. Here’s another thing that’s also been said before; if this one isn’t better than the last, it’s at least on level (with a few minor exceptions). Yup, that’s right – fans of the dysfunctional, four-fingered, yellow freak family have the chance yet again to pick up another collection of classic TV comedy – on schedule, no less. The original plan of releasing Simpsons box sets six months apart seems to be back on track, and there’s every reason to believe that things will carry on this way.

THE SEASON
There were 25 episodes in this ‘peak year’ season of The Simpsons, some of which were the funniest and most memorable in the show’s televised immortality (17 seasons and counting). Where to begin? It’s safe to say that the season started with a bang, providing closure for the rabid viewers who couldn’t (and could) figure out the mystery of who shot Mr. Burns in part two of the aptly named kickoff episode, “Who Shot Mr. Burns? – Part Two” (it was Maggie). Cruising along on the publicity high garnered by the Mr. Burns contest, The Simpsons went through a sort of rebirth in its seventh season – helped in no small way by the consistently strong writing and diverse array of guest voices, of course.

The season was marked by some memorable episodes, both in the traditional vein of other Simpsons classics and a few that worked outside the box (to fantastic effect). One such piece of experimentation, 22 Short Films About Springfield (the title is “borrowed” from the film 32 Short Films About Glenn Gould which, according to the commentary, the episode writers haven’t even seen), shows up on most top 10 (or at least top 20) all-time Simpsons episode lists. Showcasing the supporting cast of the series, this series of slice-of-life vignettes jumps around from person to person, usually with some clever prop or set piece used for smooth transitions. Also in this season was the famed Treehouse of Horror VI episode, which brought The Simpsons (at least, Homer and Bart) into the 3D world for some mind-bending fun. The episode pre-dates the release of Toy Story, making it especially noteworthy as an early example of cartoonish computer animation. Best of all was the highly publicized Homerpalooza episode, in which Homer joins the freak show on the “Hullabalooza” tour. The episode featured a memorable cast of supporting guest voices, including Cypress Hill, Peter Frampton, Sonic Youth and Smashing Pumpkins (then at the top of their game).

On the more traditional front, you need look no further than King-Size Homer. Homer, who’s always had a weight problem, intentionally pushes himself up to 350 lbs. in order to get on disability, which allows him to work from home. There isn’t anything much funnier than watching the obese baldy nonsensically explain why he needs to steal an ice cream truck while the poor driver flees in terror. A Fish Called Selma is yet another ‘Selma gets married’ episode, this time to Troy McClure (Phil Hartman, we hardly knew ye). There’s a clear season highlight in this episode with excerpts from a theatrical musical adaptation of The Planet of the Apes, starring McClure. Two Bad Neighbors poked fun at the senior Bush back when it was still humorous (and not disconcertingly frightening) to poke fun at presidential figures. Bart and Bush Sr. share a Dennis the Menace-Mr. Wilson connection while Homer ultimately slugs it out with the former commander-in-chief.

Not enough? There’s still the ultimate Lisa episode where she swears off meat forever (Lisa the Vegetarian). It also features one of the better “flying pig” jokes to appear on television or otherwise. And Raging Abe Simpsons and His Grumbling Grandson in “The Curse of the Flying Hellfish, probably the longest title of any episode (definitely the longest up to that point). Part of the fun is the mystery; suffice to say that any episode which squares Mr. Burns off against Grandpa Simpson (with more than a little help from Bart) in a film-noirish action-adventure caper is one for the books. Of course there’s also Bart the Fink, which has one of the most twisting, sharply written first acts to ever grace TV screens (and Handsome Pete to boot). And who can forget the clip show to end all clip shows, The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular, which was hosted by Troy McClure and featured deleted scenes and a short reader mail section. Ah… the good old days of The Simpsons. Take heart, fans… there are still three assuredly solid DVD releases for seasons eight, nine, and ten. Anything beyond that is open to argument, but for now rest easy knowing that a new batch of Simpsons greatness is on the way.

SIGHTS AND SOUNDS
Yawn. Nothing new to report here. All 25 episodes look and sound as good as the last 25 featured in the Season Six DVD release. Each one is available with an English Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround soundtrack or a Spanish or French Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround soundtrack. In addition, English and Spanish subtitles are available for the hearing impaired or the dialogue curious.

PACKAGING AND LAYOUT
Fox seems to have learned from the massive mistake they made in releasing the “Homer’s Head” packaging on Season Six – somewhat at least. Two different versions of this Seventh Season box set are available (at the same price): one packaged in another flimsy plastic head (Marge this time) and the other in the same cardboard slip-sleeve case that we’ve all become accustomed to. The same goes for the menu setup, which is exactly the same as the most recent releases with humorous animated footage on the top half of the screen and selections on the bottom half.

Here’s the bad news. The inner packaging is NOT the lovely heavy, glossy cardboard that you know from the season one through season five box sets. No no no…Fox chintzed out here by instead using the packaging that was found inside the head with the last release. Namely, lighter cardboard and four flimsy plastic trays, stacked one on top of the other, for each disc. C’mon guys… go back to the original formula. You’ve nailed every other part of this Simpsons box set gig; can’t you get the packaging right? If it’s done with a head towards saving time between releases, that’s one thing. But if it’s just a money-saver… well, that’s too bad. Everything else in these releases is done with an eye towards quality; so, why not the packaging as well?

SPECIAL FEATURES
Woo-hoo! Bonus content! The deleted scenes are back with a vengeance. As always, there are two options: the first is to view the cut footage in each episode (when the option is turned on, you press “Enter” on your remote when a little pair of scissors appears on-screen to play the footage). The second option is to watch all of the excised content played together in one long sequence (about 20 or 30 minutes worth), with or without commentary. It’s now time to repeat the request that’s made with each of these Simpsons box set review: please Fox, for the love of God, find some way to restore the cut footage enough so that it can be integrated to automatically play within the episode. Please! It can’t be that hard. And if it’s rougher than it could be (with temp voices and the like) that’s okay! We’re already choosing to watch the episode with cut content, so a little roughness is to be expected.

Also returning in this release is the “commentary for every episode” offering. At this point, the various writers, producers, actors, creator, etc. have their game down pat. The commentaries have a breezy air about them; the participants are all seasoned pros who step in and offer plenty fascinating (and humorous) comments and anecdotes. Lisa-voice Yeardley Smith shows up on two tracks and guest voice actor Jeff Goldblum shows up on one (A Fish Called Selma). This material is great and really adds to the value of the set; the commentaries are entertaining unto themselves and color in some classic episodes with a great deal of background information.

As for the disc-specific bonus content, it’s as follows:

• An Invitation From Matt Groening – Pretty self-explanatory. Groening runs down the more fabulous aspects of the season, including his favorite line, the guest voices, the crowing moments, the bonus content, etc. etc. Fantabulous.
• Homer in the Third Dimension – Appearing on disc one, this is a short feature that explores the technical aspects of the Homer3 segment of Treehouse of Horror VI. It’s basically a commentary track for the sequence, mixed with animatic and storyboard stills. Best of all, the speakers get into some of the insider jokes seen floating around in the background of the 3D world that Homer finds himself trapped in.
• Paul & Linda’s Lentil Soup – This is what you hear when you play “Baby, I’m Amazed” backwards. Not really, but it’s true of the rendition that played during the end credits of Lisa the Vegetarian. In this second extras offering on disc one, you get Paul McCartney reading the ingredients for the soup with the text visible on-screen. No word yet if the soup is any good, but it did come from a Beatle.
• Animation Showcase – For Home Sweet Homediddly-Dum-Doodily, the last extras selection on disc one. This should be familiar to fans by now. Storyboards or animatics can be viewed in sequence as original footage from the episode plays, picture-in-picture style.
• A Bit From the Animators – Skip ahead to disc three for this one, since disc two is bare of bonus content (excepting the commentaries and deleted scenes, of course). This feature is a special sort of commentary track for one act of The Day the Violence Died; note that it’s incorrectly listed on the Extras menu as coming from Scenes from the Class Struggle in Springfield. Mark Kirkland, Wes Archer and Matt Groening sit down to talk about what went into animating the episode and all of the little things they weren’t happy about, have noticed, and snuck into the frame for the pleasure of perceptive viewers. The three commentators each have a light pen to point things out on-screen as well as control of a remote control that is (often) used to pause, slow down, or rewind the action. This is more than a little throwaway feature; there’s some funny and informative stuff to be found here.
• Special Language Feature – Disc four now. This is more “old hat” for buyers of previous sets. A portion of 22 Shorts Films About Springfield plays in either Italian, Japanese, Brazilian Portuguese, and German.
• Art & Animation – There’s another “Animation Showcase,” this one taken from Raging Abe Simpsons and His Grumbling Grandson in “The Curse of the Flying Hellfish.” Also in this section is another “Bit From the Animators,” this one from the first act of Summer of 4 Ft. 2. Same lineup, same shtick… great stuff. The last selection is entitled “Original Sketches.” As the title would suggest, you get a bunch of pre-production art that can play as a slideshow or with presses of the button (your choice). All of this “Art & Animation” material is found on disc four.

FINAL THOUGHTS
Let’s lose the “head” collection, shall we? With the exception of a repeat on the shoddy packaging of Season Six (and this reviewer’s own issues with the presentation of deleted scenes), The Simpsons – Complete Seventh Season DVD box set more than lives up to expectations. When all is said and done, Fox has done a great job of giving the fans exactly what they want to see with each release – namely, classic episode after classic episode of The Simpsons. Gift-buyers take note: there’s a good chance that your parent/child/relative/significant other wants the non-head packaging if they’re a die-hard fan, familiar with prior release. The price is the same, but the case is far more susceptible to damage. Keep that in mind. Everyone else… you know the drill. Run, don’t walk.

DVD Season Score: A+
DVD Audio/Video Score: A
DVD Packaging and Layout Score: B
DVD Special Features Score: A-
Overall Score: A

Click here for the "Simpsons - The Complete Seventh Season" DVD page