 |
Business | Industries | Finance | Tax |
| Index: > A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z |
|
|||||
| First Prev [ 1 2 3 4 5 ] Next Last |
Many of the characters in the Simpsons take their names from important people and places in Groening's life:
Other name origins:
See also: Who's Who in Springfield
The Simpsons opening sequence is one of the show's most memorable trademarks. Almost every episode opens with a title shot coming through the cumulus clouds and into the school where Bart is writing sentences on the class chalkboard, presumably set as a punishment by one of his teachers for some mischievous deed or wayward comment; Marge and Maggie are shown checking out at the supermarket with Maggie travelling across the scanner, ringing up at $847.63. The sequence then introduces Lisa and Homer, where the family is on their way to their house at 742 Evergreen Terrace (the address varied in the beginning, but the writers now use 742 Evergreen Terrace exclusively). The members of the family weave dangerously through traffic and in between fellow (and familiar) Springfield denizens, miraculously reaching home at the exact same time. Upon entering, they all speed towards the family room couch where, in comedic parallel with the audience, they settle to watch their "must-see" TV show.
For each episode, the sequence includes four variations: Bart writes something different on the chalkboard, Lisa plays a different solo on her saxophone, Homer screams in a differing way (only done in the first couple of seasons), and the family attempts to sit on the couch as something goes awry in an often surreal manner.
In the syndicated version, all or part of the opening sequence is usually not broadcast in order to include more commercials in the show's allotted timeslot.
The "couch gag" sequence is frequently used to help show staff make the show longer or shorter, depending on the length of the episode itself. Most couch gags last only about five seconds, but the longest one on record lasted 46 seconds.
The first season opening sequence featured a number of differences from the later seasons, including a shot of Lisa riding her bike on the way home and Bart's way home consisting of snatching a bus stop sign, forcing several dazed Springfieldians to chase the bus, rather than just riding past a number of well-known characters.
The series' distinctive theme tune was composed by musician Danny Elfman. The current arrangement was orchestrated by Alf Clausen .
See main article: List_of_The_Simpsons_episodes
An annual tradition is a special Halloween episode, entitled Treehouse of Horror, consisting of three separate, self-contained pieces. The tradition began in the second season with Bart and Lisa telling scary stories to each other in their treehouse while Homer secretly listened in. Neither Bart nor Lisa was scared, but Homer was terrified. In later years the episode dropped the treehouse storytelling "frame", but kept the Treehouse title; for several years the characters broke the fourth wall and introduced their pieces directly to the audience. These pieces usually involve the family in some fantasy setting, and always takes place outside the normal continuity and rules of the show. Regular Simpsons characters play humorous special roles, and the two space aliens Kang and Kodos, featured in the original Treehouse episode, always make an appearance, albeit sometimes at the last minute and for no reason but simply to continue the tradition of their appearances. These Halloween segments have parodied many classic horror and science fiction films, and one segment is often a parody of a classic Twilight Zone television episode. The Halloween episodes have traditionally been quite popular.
In "Treehouse of Horror II", the writers decided to give everyone scary names in the opening and closing credits. It has become a tradition now, and has been done in every halloween episode except I, XII and XIII. The names have changed in subsequent seasons.
In a section of "Treehouse of Horror VI" called "Homer³ ", Homer and Bart go into a three-dimensional world. The computer animation company Pacific Data Images created the only time any part of The Simpsons was not drawn in 2D.
| Politics | Business | Finance |
 |
 |
 |
|