The long national nightmare of not having The Simpsons available in its original aspect ratio on Disney+ is finally coming to an end, as announced this morning on Twitter by current showrunner Al Jean and the official Disney+ Twitter feed.
According to the tweets, the first nineteen seasons of The Simpsons will be updated to the correct 4:3 aspect ratio (as they were created and originally aired) on Thursday, May 28, though it’s not clear whether the cropped 16:9 versions will still be available. Also coming to the streaming platform the following day is the 2012 Maggie Simpson short “The Longest Daycare,” which first premiered in theaters alongside the Blue Sky Studios film Ice Age: Continental Drift.
What’s happening:
- For its first 19 seasons, The Simpsons was created in a 4:3 aspect ratio, conforming to the standard shape of most 20th-century television sets. With season 20 the show went to a 16:9 aspect ratio to fit the shape of an HDTV. However, until now all episodes of the show have been presented in 16:9 on Disney+.
- On Thursday, May 28 those first 19 seasons will be corrected to 4:3, restoring the integrity of the series’ original image format.
- Also coming to Disney+ for the first time on May 29 is the 2012 Maggie Simpson theatrical short “The Longest Daycare,” which was available through official channels on YouTube until recently, but has since been made private.
What they’re saying:
- Al Jean, The Simpsons executive producer and showrunner: “As always you have been heard! The Simpsons episodes will be available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio on Disney+ beginning 5/28.”
- Disney+: “WOO HOO! We love a prediction for The Simpsons, especially coming from Al Jean himself. Episodes in original 4:3 aspect ratio are coming to Disney+ on May 28.”
From @Animated_Antic on Twitter
The first thirty seasons of The Simpsons are available now to stream on Disney+.