In entertainment news that I’m not sure anyone was expecting in 2025, The Simpsons is headed back to theaters. After years of talk about a sequel, and Matt Groening explaining that the last attempt nearly killed the team, the upcoming movie has a poster and a release date. As a long-time fan of the franchise who recently enjoyed the show’s return to the 2025 TV schedule, I’ll admit I have mixed feelings about this movie.
CinemaBlend gave The Simpsons Movie a favorable review back in the day, and the team here isn’t alone. In fact, many critics and audiences were high on the movie in a way I wasn’t, despite being a superfan of the franchise from age 7 on. Now, almost two decades later, I feel the same way, and I can’t help but feel the need to speak out about my concern this time.
The Simpsons Is Living On Legacy Alone At This Point
While fans of The Simpsons will have differing opinions, the general consensus from the mainstream over the years was that the show peaked in Seasons 3 through 9. I’d say the show continued to hold my interest well beyond that, but I can’t deny that when The Simpsons Movie came out around Season 19, my interest had started to wane. I still found time to watch in 2007, but it wasn’t quite appointment television like it was when I was younger.
A couple of decades later, I can’t sit here and say The Simpsons is more relevant than it was then. Sure, the show is still going on Fox, and there are some shorts available to watch with a Disney+ subscription. It’s a legacy, and I’ll always have love for it, but at the same time, I’ve spent the bulk of my year covering Rick and Morty‘s latest season, celebrating King of the Hill‘s return, and preparing for Smiling Friends Season 3. All due respect to animation’s royal family, but the new season is little more than white noise.
The Simpsons Movie Was Far From The Greatest Thing The Show Ever Did
As I mentioned, there’s no shortage of praise for The Simpsons Movie, but as a longtime fan, the movie fell flat for me. I think what was jarring was how different it felt from a standard episode. I was hoping for the. same type of goofy humor, funny gags, and celebrity cameos I saw in the usual episodes.
I feel like the film really tried to do a lot of things differently than the show normally would. The humor was racier in bits, there was some real drama that felt reminiscent of Season 2, and I legitimately felt sad while watching at points. It wasn’t necessarily bad, it just wasn’t what The Simpsons was to me. It still isn’t, even after rewatching over the years, and even when I compare it to a more modern episode of the series, it just doesn’t feel the same. Some people may appreciate it, but I fear I’m the Comic Book Guy saying “Worst episode ever,” in the back of the theater.
Why Now? It’s Been Almost 20 Years
I’m not sure when the right time for The Simpsons to release a sequel to the original movie would be, but I can certainly say that a nearly two-decade gap between movies is quite a choice. Granted, I would wager that the movie won’t be tied to the plot of the original, but even so. It’s not like people have been talking nonstop about this happening, and creatives are finally just now getting around to it.
Not only that, the release isn’t tied to any significant date in the legendary show’s history. I guess I figured if there would ever be another movie, there would be a reason tied to it happening; like the long-running series finally coming to a close, or something of that nature. I guess if they were planning a legitimate holiday movie, I’d be on board with that, though they’ve already done it plenty of times on television. In fairness, I’m not sure of a plot the show hasn’t done, which makes me all the more curious why a movie is happening.
There Are So Many Other Acclaimed Animated Shows That Don’t Have A Movie
It isn’t The Simpsons‘ problem, of course, but there is a part of me that wonders how it gets a second movie when so many other acclaimed animated shows do not. Rick and Morty, Smiling Friends, American Dad, Family Guy, and other successful animated shows have not had a movie greenlit, and I would imagine if this franchise can get a second movie where it’s at currently, why not any of those shows?
I also look at a show like South Park, which might be the peak animation show in terms of relevance in 2025, and could make a case that butts would be in seats to see a movie if one were announced. I’m not 100% sure that’s the case with The Simpsons, deserving as it may be.
Then again, I know that when CinemaBlend talked to Al Jean he revealed that The Simpsons and Bluey are among the top shows on Disney+ streamed consistently. The latter is also getting its own movie, and is the hottest kids show on the block, so maybe there’s something to this sequel idea that I don’t quite understand yet.
One thing I will say is that Disney+ has made it really easy to show this series to my young daughter, and she’s obsessed. Assuming that there are other parents like me out there showing their children the show, and they’re also getting hooked, I could see The Simpsons Movie 2 doing very well, and maybe being the catalyst to a major resurgence for the long-running series. I’d love it if that were the case, but we’ll just have to wait and see what’s planned.
More details about The Simpsons Movie 2 will come in time, and the series remains available to stream on Disney+. I’m about to do my binge of the “Treehouse of Horror” episodes, and now that I’m thinking about it, how cool would it be if the sequel were Halloween-themed?