"Dark" Simpsons opening creates controversy

Political statements aside, my main problem with the couch gag was that it just wasn't funny. There was no wit or humor to be found, just an old joke I heard on other shows several years ago. I have little issues with what Banksy's message is. It's just how it was done that I found poorly delivered.
 
I finally watch this clip to see what the heck was going on, all I can say is. I aint laughing. But I'm rather surprised that they would pull a stunt like this when Family guy usually gets the trouble. But then again, the simpsons did get into trouble once in awhile.
 
I don't understand how people are saying it's a mean spirited joke. It wasn't meant to insult people in those types of situations, it was supposed to be a statement about it and make people think about it.

How do you live being that sensitive?
 
We're not complaining about it being mean-spirited, we're complaining that it wasn't a good joke. If Banksy wanted to make a statement on foreign labor, then good for him. But if he was gonna use The Simpsons as an outlet for it, he should've been prepared to do more than just a monotonous scene showing kids making Simpsons merchandise with unicorns.
 
My main complaint about the couch gag wasn't that it was mean spirited (heck,if I was that easily offended,I wouldn't watch The Simpsons,let alone series like Family Guy or South Park),it's that it wasn't that funny(OK, the half-dead unicorn punching holes in the DVDs kinda was),and it was kind of jarring to see something that depressing to begin the show...
 
I thought it was funny in its absurdity, especially the unicorn hole punch, the kitten shredder and the sick panda. Oh, and all the sad little Bart-Simpson sized-skeletons. I agree with buttah, people are being way too sensitive about it. And some people, here and other places, are complaining about the alleged spirit of the thing more than the humor, so buttah is not wrong there, either.
 
Just saw it on HULU and I have to say it wasn't mean-spirited, heck it was funny in some parts.

South Park and Family Guy have done much much much worse stuff than this, the reason the Simpsons gets away with making fun of Fox, is because the simpsons is still a huge property which they will not loose or strain too much.

I guess people are mixing their feelings of the "Classic" Simpsons with the new ones which doesn't let them get a objective view of the issue.

I don't really see the controversy when South Park and Family Guy have done way worse.
 
To be honest, i don't really have a problem with this couch gag at all. I mean sure it wasn't the pinacle of comedy, but what Simpsons couch gag has been? Even during the classic episodes, its not like the simpsons were putting out hilarious couch gag after hilarious couch gag from seasons 3-12 (or whatever). They have pretty much always been at this level.

But really, i don't think theres been a couch gag thats been head and shoulders better than this one. They've always kinda been at this level. Its always just been a joke that barely scratches the surface of comedy, and i kinda like it that way. So yeah, i didn't really think twice about this one.

Also, Al Jean's line in the interview with the New York Times "This is what you get when you outsource" is perfect.
 
Yes, that's how I've always pictured what the inside of a Korean animation studio looks like.

A little off topic but relevant to the video:
In one part of the video, Nelson Shin says the voices are dubbed in after the animation is completed. :confused: I thought that was unheard of in American industry for original productions.

It's also interesting to see Mr. Shin having characters from his unavailable "Empress Chung" movie as statues lined up in the studio. Makes me wish he'd allow an international or even home video release of that film, so I could see it.:sad:
 
Honestly? While it was a touch disturbing (and morbidly funny) for the Simpsons... Family Guy and South Park have done worse.

Much worse.
 
They've got to keep changing it up.
You know that couch gag is coming, if they didn't take it a different direction from time to time it would really get stale.
People didn't like that Ka$ha video last year, but I've got to give them credit for giving me the unexpected.

The gag itself, you've got the Simpsons on the couch as your jumping off point, I can see going with making fun of the animation studio and merchandising.
It was more of a eyes wide open, mouth a-grimace kind of funny, not ha-ha funny.

Yeah, but my criticism of these later season episodes is that a lot of their best moments come from gags rather then story elements. So if it's taking time away from a so-so story or just replacing another gag, I don't see it as a big loss.
As long as most of them aren't so long.

If this was Family Guy, they would have just put this in a cut away.


You, sir, make rainbows cry!
 
This is simply a joke, people are blowing it WAYYY out of proportion. I remember "The Critic" did a joke where it was implied that simpsons merchandise was made by children working in sweatshops (and this was when both shows were on fox btw). Same thing here essentially.
 
I liked it. Sure, it's blunt satire, but even blunt satire is better than the shows usual style these days of having virtually no satire at all (you know, considering that The Simpsons is supposed to be a satirical show).
 
The same gag was used in the 4th Season's "Itchy and Scratchy the Movie", the scene where Kent Brockman was showing American audiences the Korean animation studio where guards are poking the animation staff with bayonets.

Compare that to the opening in Season 22 where they do not trust the audience to understand and bash the jokes into the viewers's faces. I'm willing to bet if Bansky had nothing to do with the couch gag's production, no one outside this message board and the No Homer's Club would care.
 
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