The opening sequence of the Simpsons Essay Example for Free

The opening sequence of the Simpsons Essay Analyse the opening sequence of the Simpsons. How does the opening sequence appeal to a variety of age groups? Is this a successful title sequence? Matt Groening changed television forever when he brought animation back to primetime with this immortal nuclear family. It was first screened on 14th January 1990 and it has become one of the worlds most famous cartoon as it always captured a regular audience of 24 million each week. It has also established itself as an award-winning international pop culture phenomenon. It is the longest-running sitcom of all time and it is also one of the most literate television programs on the air. It contains many references to subject matter and scholars from various academic fields. It also contains over a hundred instances of mathematic ranging from arithmetic to geometry to calculus. Most episodes of The Simpsons contain significant math that relates to material we normally cover in our classes. The programmer is also an ideal source of fun. The show is funny with bad language and offensive things! At the opening sequence the Simpsons appear out of clouds, and then it shows us Homer in the Nuclear Power Plant and after that throws the little piece of fuel out of the car on his way home. Secondly it shows us Bart writing on the skating board and when bill rings he jumps out of the school skating on air and then crosses the traffic. Thirdly it shows us the mother, Marge Simpson doing her shopping and it also shows us that Maggie got scanned. After that Lisa Simpson comes up in her music class playing her saxophone and also she got kicked out of the class. The sequence ends in a funny way as the whole family sets on sofa watching T.V. The town of Springfield is full of places that the Simpsons family go and which most of the scenes occur. The Nuclear Power Plant is where Homer Simpson works in as the safety inspector. The school where Bart Simpson does his detention and writes silly quotes on the board with the chalk, For example: No one wants to hear about my sciatica, I cant see dead people, I did not win the Nobel Fart Prize, I have neither been there nor done that, etc The music store is where Lisa goes and looks for some music equipment as she is fascinated by music equipments and musicians. She is also in the school music team and a saxophonist. T.V store in which Bart like to miss around as he is known as a naughty boy! The shopping centre which Marge Simpson goes with Maggie does her shopping for her family and buys food We learn that Homer works in a nuclear power station in which he makes radioactive metals. He drops it while he was on his way home which means that he is careless and stupid! He nearly got ran over by a car which means he is clumsy and got a slow reflex action. We also learn that he is a slacker who is completely unqualified for his job. We also learn that he is a pig when it comes to food!! Marge Simpson doesnt appear a lot in the opening sequence as she only appears twice. First time is when she was shopping with little Maggie and funnily Maggie got scanned. The second time she appeared was when the whole family gathered around the sofa to watch T.V. which means that she is a good mother and she is looking after her familys needs. Bart Simpson is simply a rule breaker, he always gets in trouble and he stays at school to do detention and he writes some silly words on the board, e.g. I will not encourage others to fly, I will not fake my way through life, I will not sell my kidney on eBay. He also appears when he was skating, and when he crossed the street and almost got hit by a car. He is a poor student who enjoys comic books and television and hates girls. Lisa Simpson only appeared once when she was playing her saxophone in the band and she didnt follow the note and so she got sent off. So she is kind of a role breaker as well but she is not as bad as her brother! She can be described as an excellent student who is completely the opposite of Bart except they both enjoy violent cartoons. The cartoon shows the family always gets in little arguments. It also shows that its impossible to be good all the time. E.g. when theyre eating at home they use no table manners and when they go to church they try to be like normal families. There are also times in the show when they change from comedy and give a meaningful message about family values, or friendship, etc.. There are also some funny situations where they cant take the correct action at the beginning of the problem but they manage to get through it by the end of the show. Here is a little description of each character of the Simpsons family: Homer Simpson is a man who can only be described in one word overachieving. For a man with no brain, athletic, logical, social, or any other kind of skills, he has done a lot, including having three successful kids, a loving wife, and a steady job as the safety inspector at the Springfield Nuclear Power Plant. He is also an alcoholic!!! Marge Simpson is the glue that holds the Simpsons together. Without her continuous cleaning, scrubbing, mopping, the family would fall apart. Marge is always there to keep her husband in check, motivate Bart, cheer up Lisa, and just keep Maggie satisfied. She is very proud of her husband and she also has strong relations with her sisters. Bart Simpson is, first and foremost, a rebel. He is well-known across the city as a troublemaker and an underachiever, calling in prank calls, working in burlesque houses, etc However he got a sense of humour as he always cracking jokes and always up for an adventure. Lisa Simpson is straight student, a brilliant saxophonist, and an amateur philosopher. She is full of great thoughts and talents. She is always happy with herself. She is only 8; however she cant wait for collage. Maggie Simpson is a silent staple in the Simpsons family. She is always seen with the family, never speaking, but always secretly thinking. Bart Simpson writes on the blackboard. The writing changes every title sequence and it actually shows us what Bart does in his everyday life. E.g. I will not sell my kidney on e-bay, this quote tells us that Bart tried to sell his kidney on the Internet. The opening sequence also tells us that Bart is usually misunderstood. Wrongly pegged as an underachiever and troublemaker as he is always in detention. It also tells us that he is careless and doesnt care about his life or doesnt look out for dangerous things such as when he crossed the road and almost got hit by a car, this is also tells us that he is a bit stupid!! Homer Simpson was doing his little experiment on the Nuclear Power Plant with the radioactive piece of fuel and then it went in his hood and then he throws it out of the car. This tells us that he only cares about food because when teatime came he left his job in a hurry and that piece of fuel went in his hood and then he didnt recognise that it was a radioactive thing when he threw it out of the car window which tells us that he is very careless. We also saw Lisa in the music class playing her saxophone and she the teacher sent her out because she didnt follow the note and went on playing her own note, the funny bit was when she kept on playing with the saxophone after the teacher sent her off. It sounded like she was just trying to get the teachers off. Another funny situation when Marge Simpson was shopping and Maggie wondered off and got scanned by the machine and then she suddenly appeared at one of the bags on the trolley. And finally when the whole family sat on the sofa watching T.V which shows us how important T.V is in their life. Its also funny when they were rushing to sit on the sofa and then they crashed and fell on the floor I think the opening sequence suits every age-group. E.g. when Bart Simpson was in detention and he was writing his quotes on the blackboard I will not sell my kidney on eBay, they are laughing at me, not with me, garlic gum is not funny, I will not Xerox my butt, I will not do that thing with my tongue all these things appeal to the teen-agers in which it grabs the people in my age group to watch The Simpsons. Another example, little kids like 3-6 years old might like Maggie Simpson as she does some funny moves, like when she wandered of her mum, or when she feeds the dog. She also wandered the town of Springfield all by herself, and shes shot Springfields richest man because he attempted to steal her lollipop!!! She also tries to walk without falling which the younger kids might like to see. Here comes the most interesting part of all, the Simpson cartoon was also very successful in grabbing the eldest attention. The Simpsons makes the family sit on the sofa together watching the Simpson which rarely happens in our lives as older people usually watch shows and films which younger children dont see. and they dont watch cartoons either. However Matt Groening had the ability to make a cartoon which parents like to watch. Families and older people like to watch the Simpsons because it discusses problems in our lives sometimes and it shows us the argument between the family and how they solve it. It also shows us the father telling something to his son like giving him advice; he is also very funny and sometimes cracks jokes and acts funnily. Also Mr. Groening was successful to make something to show that the mothers always play the most important part in the family. Therefore he created the perfect character of all, the mother, Marge Simpson; she is like the glue that holds the Simpsons together. Without her constant cleaning, scrubbing, mopping, and gentle nagging the family would fall apart. Marge always keeps her husband in check, motivate Bart, cheer up Lisa or keep Maggi satisfied. She stands up against cartoon violence and she can also be trusted in taking ethical decisions.