Fun
Frisky
Nostalgic
Intense
Adventurous
Choked Up
Curious
Romantic
Weird
More On:
The Simpsons
-
Stream It Or Skip It: ‘Mulligan: Season 2’ on Netflix, Which Offers More Gummy Satire and Pop-Culture References For Your Shrugging Bemusement
-
'The Simpsons' Star Harry Shearer Says Fans Think His Character Has Been "Affected" Since Getting Replaced By Black Voice Actor: "Folk Say The Show Has Become Woke"
-
'Fallout' Needs More Two-Headed Cattle
-
Easter Movies on Disney+ That Are Great For Kids (And Some Shows, Too!)
Updated, Wednesday, May 20: Disney+ announced today that the Simpsons episodes in 4:3 ratio will premiere May 28.
Months after the streaming service launched in November 2019, Disney+ will air The Simpsons the way it was meant to be seen. Disney+ initially aired nearly 20 seasons of the show in 16:9 aspect ratio. The problem? That cut out some of the funniest parts and most loved gags, and fans quickly took notice. But starting in May, the series will officially be available in 4:3 ratio on Disney+.
The way The Simpsons was created, in a 4:3 ratio, means that it was crafted for a standard TV at four width units and three height units. Because the series debuted over three decades ago in 1989, it existed before the time of modern, flatscreen TVs, which today typically show images in the 16:9 ratio (16 units of width, nine units of height). So when you watch a show or movie in 4:3 aspect ratio on a modern television, you’ll see black bars on either side to make the image fit without warping it or cutting anything out.
In a statement from Disney last year, the company explained that they’d be airing the first 19 seasons of The Simpsons to fit with modern TVs in 16:9 aspect ratio. “We presented The Simpsons in 16:9 aspect ratio at launch in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons,” they explained. “Over time, Disney+ will roll out new features and additional viewing options. As part of this, in early 2020, Disney+ will make the first 19 seasons (and some episodes from Season 20) of The Simpsons available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio, giving subscribers a choice of how they prefer to view the popular series.”
The reason The Simpsons is only available in 4:3 for about 20 seasons is because they switched to the widescreen format in 2010, halfway through Season 20. Twitter users were quick to celebrate the upcoming change on Disney+, especially after Simpsons fans posted their own comparisons between 16:9 and the original 4:3 ratio in earlier Simpsons episodes to show the difference:
Once Disney+ launches episodes of The Simpsons in 4:3 ratio next month, subscribers will have the choice to watch the way the show how it originally aired from Seasons 1 to 20, or stick with the 16:9 ratio Disney+ has been showing these past few months — but viewer beware, because odds are you’ll miss some jokes that are cut out of the frame.
