Art Resources

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

In the Media: Simpsons Couch Gag


Last Sunday, Fox sprung what must have been one of the most closely held secrets in American television history. The Simpsons episode "MoneyBART" featured an opening sequence storyboarded and directed the notorious graffiti artist Banksy.  The sequence began with a few small visual gags, like the town billboard beginning defaced and Bart writing the line "I must not write on walls."  Then, it took a rather shocking turn with a minute-long sequence depicting a sweatshop of animators churning out Simpsons animation cells and merchandise.

According to The Showbiz 411, the political commentary is particularly eye-brow raising in light of reports that the sequence was inspired by reports that the behind The Simpsons now, in fact, outsources most of its animation to a South Korean company. You can read more at the New York Times, where Al Jean, an executive producer of The Simpsons, talks about the Banksy intro.

TechCrunch is reporting that Fox is yanking down clips of the opening sequence as fast they can find them, even from Banksy’s OfficialYouTube account.  So, I've posted screenshots below.  Still, for a short time, you can watch the entire the episode on Hulu.  Also, don't forget to check out the official Banksy website.














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