"There’s something that feels particularly crass about parceling out The Simpsons this way, especially when it’s done so blatantly in the interest of promoting not only a new streaming service but Disney’s increasingly monopolistic franchises," says Julie Muncy of the Marvel, Disney and Star Wars supercuts. "Back in the day, the references The Simpsons made about these things—particularly about Disney itself—were biting. Itchy & Scratchy was used to comment on the cruelty, pettiness, and outright thievery of early animation with an extended parody version of Steamboat Willie. The Simpsons isn’t Family Guy—its pop culture references were regularly used to comment on broader culture or mock fandom and corporate entertainment. No matter what The Simpsons has later become, it was, at least at first, incredibly cynical about the precise type of cultural reproduction that a series of YouTube gag videos produced as advertisement represents."
TOPICS: The Simpsons, FOX, Disney, Marketing