MOVIES- TV
Disney Had A Simple Message For The Simpsons After The Fox Merger
By MATTHEW BILODEAU
After more than three decades on the air, it's wild to consider the amount of history "The Simpsons" have lived through, and there's one event in particular that could have affected the series in a major way. After the merger between Disney and 20th Century Fox, it's easy to imagine that it could've reshaped the show but in a recent interview, executive producer Al Jean said he was told to essentially keep things the way they were.
Jean stated, "When we were bought, we were just told, 'You are who you are. Be yourself. And we'll try to let you do what you do,' and that's what's happened.” Not to say that the merger didn’t start off a bit bumpy and some viewers have noticed that the Disney reign has caused a few episodes to look less like parodies and more like commercials for the Disney brand.
“The Simpsons” Disney lampoonery has definitely softened compared to their years under the Fox umbrella making it just another example of Disney puppeteering its 20th Century acquisitions to serve their own brand. While the changes haven't fully shaped the new era of the "Simpsons," the mouse is gonna do what the mouse is gonna do.