There’s only one thing to do at a moment like this: strut!
What you need to know
- Disney+ is replacing its 16:9 versions of the first 19 seasons of The Simpsons with the original 4:3 content.
- The streaming service landed exclusive rights to the show last fall.
- Many of The Simpsons’ details and punchlines were cut off with the lost vertical space in the converted widescreen episodes.
The Simpsons is one of the longest-running shows of all time, and as such, it was a valuable addition to the Disney+ lineup when it landed exclusivity last fall. There was just one problem: all of the older episodes had been cropped and converted to 16:9.
For the first 19 seasons, The Simpsons was aired in 4:3. Cropping the show to a widescreen format cut off important details that were key to many of the show’s jokes, frustrating familiar viewers.
WOO HOO! We love a prediction for #TheSimpsons, especially coming from @AlJean himself in 2015. Episodes in original 4:3 aspect ratio are coming to #DisneyPlus on May 28. #DisneyBundle pic.twitter.com/WxEs9TC5D5
— Disney+ (@disneyplus) May 20, 2020
Today, Disney+ announced on Twitter that on May 28th, it will be correcting this issue and updating its catalog with the proper 4:3 versions of affected episodes.
This will, of course, result in letterboxing on widescreen TVs when watching older episodes, but restores much-needed context to countless scenes.
