disney plus – The Comedy Bureau

The Simpsons’ Aspect Ratio Fixed at Disney Plus So Sightgags Won’t Be Cut Out

May 21, 2020

Cultural touchstone animated comedy The Simpsons began airing when TV and broadcast technology was a far cry from where it is now. Thus, it was created and distributed in the 4:3 aspect ratio without any the thought that visual jokes might get cut out when aspect ratios would change for higher definition TV in the future.

The arrival of The Simpsons at Disney’s streaming service Disney Plus brought up this very issue as almost no new content is in 4:3 and translating the format to 16:9 indeed cropped out many of the visual gags that are signature part of The Simpsons as well as stretched. Today, Disney Plus, after suffering the ire of Simpsons fans, announced that it would be reverting back to the original aspect ratio as to preserve the integrity of The Simpsons back catalog, which lives exclusively at the streaming service now.

As the streaming services amass more and more content, specifically entire classic sitcoms as far back as the 60s, we’ll be curious to see if this will continue to be an issue. If so, will a “horizontal letterbox” become a thing?

Disney+ Will Have a Talk Show Hosted by a Blue Alien Puppet “Earth to Ned” from Jim Henson Co.

October 25, 2019

Uncategorized

disney plus, earth to ned, eliza skinner, puppets, talk show

Disney+ Will Have a Talk Show Hosted by a Blue Alien Puppet “Earth to Ned” from Jim Henson Co.

We so enjoyed No, You Shut Up! with Paul F. Tompkins, we were curious when puppets mixing it up with real folks would pop up once again some sort of talk format.

Disney+ is taking up that niche by doing their version of a talk show with a blue alien puppet (that looks much much friendlier than another blue alien talk show host Gorburger). The alien is one that becomes obsessed with pop culture and, thus, interviews actual celebrity guests.

While all of that is well and good and the combo of puppets and real people is always fun, we’re truly excited to know that the one and only Eliza Skinner is the head writer and co-EP of this new Disney+ talk show, Earth to Ned. There is a lot of ways this show could go, but we feel pretty good about Earth to Ned being in the trusty hands of both Eliza and the Jim Henson Co.