Well, it finally came. The Simpsons and Family Guy finally crossed paths to create an hour long special, but was it worth it?
The plot involved Peter writing misogynistic cartoons for the local paper, which causes an uproar in Quahog, forcing him and his family to hightail it out of Quahog and hit the road. At a gas station, their car is stolen, forcing them to locate the nearest town and call for help. The nearest town, of course, being The Simpsons' Springfield.
The jokes come fast and hard, especially in regards to meta humour. Characters joke about themselves and their own shows, showing a vast self-awareness that was always funny to watch and analyze. The most meta joke of the hour (arguably) involves Homer (during a very lengthy and very funny fight against Peter) throwing Emmy Awards at Peter, only for him to yell, "Hey, that's not fair! I ain't got none of them!" Either that, or the whole subplot involving Pawtucket Ale blatantly ripping off Duff beer. It was a good hour for self-aware and self-deprecating humour for Family Guy, and I think they pulled off those jokes nicely.
The animation was very fluid and tight, including the aforementioned chicken fight, which includes Peter and Homer turning radioactive and taking to space (where they hit the alien's spaceship from The Simpsons), and also neat little tricks like Homer emerging from the shadows at the Kwik-E-Mart, and the slow motion car wash that Peter and Homer give in the hopes of luring Peter's car thief. Overall, it was a very well produced and well animated hour.
That said, there were some negative gripes of mine. I personally found the Simpsons to be underused. Yes, it is technically a Family Guy episode, but apart from Homer, none of the Simpsons really got a chance to shine. Marge paired with Lois in a very weak subplot. Lisa was paired with Meg, highlighting how inferior Meg is to Lisa in every way, and while funny, only continued the well-trodden trope of Meg bashing humour, something which seems to be very hit or miss. Stewie and Bart had a fun subplot which involved Bart showing Stewie his ways of pranking, only for Stewie to take it one step too far and become a little sociopathic. It was a fun way to highlight the difference in these two characters' ideologies regarding bullying and violence, but Bart had very little to do and very little chance to be funny, being upstaged by Stewie. Finally, Brian and Chris paired with Santa's Helper, which involved him running away and Brian trying to cover it. It's a well-worn storyline, and the jokes fell a little flat.
Every performer did a good job, the meta humour was tight and on- point, and the animation was fantastic. I just wish there was a little more Simpsons in this "Simpsons Guy."
+ Animation
+ Very funny meta humour
+ Voice acting was good, and it was interesting to hear them in the same conversation
– The Simpsons family didn't get to do enough
*** out of *****
CHARACTER MVP I have to give this one to Stewie. I think his and Bart's storyline was my favourite, and it was good to see evil Stewie back again. I'm always reminded of just how funny and evil he can be when the show uses him to his fullest potential.
MVS (MOST VALUABLE SCENE) I loved the fight between Peter and Homer, however long it may have been.
COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: The Brian/Chris/Santa subplot. It never went anywhere, the jokes didn't land, and it only ate up valuable time that could have been spent with more Simpsons.
To read more reviews, see nathansharp28.wordpress.com
The plot involved Peter writing misogynistic cartoons for the local paper, which causes an uproar in Quahog, forcing him and his family to hightail it out of Quahog and hit the road. At a gas station, their car is stolen, forcing them to locate the nearest town and call for help. The nearest town, of course, being The Simpsons' Springfield.
The jokes come fast and hard, especially in regards to meta humour. Characters joke about themselves and their own shows, showing a vast self-awareness that was always funny to watch and analyze. The most meta joke of the hour (arguably) involves Homer (during a very lengthy and very funny fight against Peter) throwing Emmy Awards at Peter, only for him to yell, "Hey, that's not fair! I ain't got none of them!" Either that, or the whole subplot involving Pawtucket Ale blatantly ripping off Duff beer. It was a good hour for self-aware and self-deprecating humour for Family Guy, and I think they pulled off those jokes nicely.
The animation was very fluid and tight, including the aforementioned chicken fight, which includes Peter and Homer turning radioactive and taking to space (where they hit the alien's spaceship from The Simpsons), and also neat little tricks like Homer emerging from the shadows at the Kwik-E-Mart, and the slow motion car wash that Peter and Homer give in the hopes of luring Peter's car thief. Overall, it was a very well produced and well animated hour.
That said, there were some negative gripes of mine. I personally found the Simpsons to be underused. Yes, it is technically a Family Guy episode, but apart from Homer, none of the Simpsons really got a chance to shine. Marge paired with Lois in a very weak subplot. Lisa was paired with Meg, highlighting how inferior Meg is to Lisa in every way, and while funny, only continued the well-trodden trope of Meg bashing humour, something which seems to be very hit or miss. Stewie and Bart had a fun subplot which involved Bart showing Stewie his ways of pranking, only for Stewie to take it one step too far and become a little sociopathic. It was a fun way to highlight the difference in these two characters' ideologies regarding bullying and violence, but Bart had very little to do and very little chance to be funny, being upstaged by Stewie. Finally, Brian and Chris paired with Santa's Helper, which involved him running away and Brian trying to cover it. It's a well-worn storyline, and the jokes fell a little flat.
Every performer did a good job, the meta humour was tight and on- point, and the animation was fantastic. I just wish there was a little more Simpsons in this "Simpsons Guy."
+ Animation
+ Very funny meta humour
+ Voice acting was good, and it was interesting to hear them in the same conversation
– The Simpsons family didn't get to do enough
*** out of *****
CHARACTER MVP I have to give this one to Stewie. I think his and Bart's storyline was my favourite, and it was good to see evil Stewie back again. I'm always reminded of just how funny and evil he can be when the show uses him to his fullest potential.
MVS (MOST VALUABLE SCENE) I loved the fight between Peter and Homer, however long it may have been.
COULD HAVE DONE WITHOUT: The Brian/Chris/Santa subplot. It never went anywhere, the jokes didn't land, and it only ate up valuable time that could have been spent with more Simpsons.
To read more reviews, see nathansharp28.wordpress.com