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Simpsons Christmas 2
Who doesn't love The Simpsons? If you say you don't, I figure you're a dirty, dirty liar. I'm not sure how anyone can't get into what is realistically the most consistently funny show on television. But I digress. As those of us who are waiting patiently to complete our collections buy purchasing each and every one of the lovingly produced complete season boxed sets start to go numb with anticipation for Season Five, Fox gives us a quick dose to feed our needs just in time for Christmas with this Holiday themed foursome.
Homer Vs. Dignity (Season 12)
When Smithers leaves Mr. Burns' service to appear in Malibu Stacey – The Musical, Burns hires Homer to work as his officially sanctioned prank monkey. His duty? To amuse the deranged millionaire by performing stunts and pranks that pretty much eat up any small amount of dignity that Homer had left. Leeza Gibbons has a small cameo as a parade commentator appearing alongside Kent Brockman and Homer learns the hard way that Panda bears give tough love. Will Lisa be able to talk him out of giving up his self worth for the almighty dollar? Or will Burns continue to pay Homer to humiliate himself for his amusement.
Skinner's Sense Of Snow (Season 12)
An unexpected blizzard cripples Springfield and we find Skinner and Groundskeeper Willie trapped in the school with the usual gang of trouble making students. Homer gets stuck in a chimney and Bart tries to get the students to revolt and find their own way out, rather than sit in the school under Skinner's rule and do what they're told. Luckily Homer and Ned, all hopped up on exhaust fumes, are on the case and set out to rescue the detainees.
Dude, Where's My Ranch? (Season 14)
Homer, in a moment of inspiration, decides to write a brand new Christmas carol. His song? A classic number entitled 'Flanders is a Jerk.' What with it being the Holidays and all, the song immediately finds and audience and becomes a hit. With the money they make off the song they head off to a ranch for some much needed rest and relaxation where Homer and Bart hook up with a strange tribe of native Americans who want to get rid of a dam that blocks the running water that their village needs. Homer and Bart take on some beavers to make this happen for their new friends while Lisa gets a crush on Lukas, a cowhand who is a few years older than she is.
'Tis The 15th Season (Season 15)
When Mr. Burns gives Homer a mint condition Joe DiMaggio rookie card he quickly sells it for a small fortune and decides to treat himself and do some shopping – Homer style. When he catches a showing of 'A Christmas Carol' on the television he has a change of heart and becomes filled with the Christmas spirit. He begins a one-man crusade of good will and Flanders becomes jealous knowing that he's supposed to be the nicest man in town, not Homer. He and Flanders spend the rest of the episode trying to out do one another and prove who the nicest guy really and truly is.
The DVD Video:
The shows are all shown in their proper fullframe aspect ratio and thankfully, they look great! Seeing as these are later season episodes, the colors are all very bright and robust and the black levels are solid and deep. There's a little bit of edge enhancement noticeable throughout but nothing to report in the way of compression artifacts of shimmering effects. The colors are very distinct and don't bleed into one another as some animation tends to do on DVD, and overall, the video presentation on this release looks very, very nice.
Sound:The English Dolby Digital 2.0 Soundtrack is fine. Again, as on the other single disc releases, the sound isn't quite as robust as the Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround Sound mixes we've been treated to on the box sets, but we're still treated to clean dialogue without any hiss or distortion problems. There are a few moments where the distinct channel separation adds to the effect, and background music and sound effects are consistently mixed properly into the soundscape, never overshadowing the oh so important dialogue. There are optional dubbed mixes supplied in Spanish and French as well as English and Spanish subtitles and English closed captioning.
Extras:The only real extra on this set is a pretty interesting one. For the 'Tis The 15th Season episode you can watch certain segments in animatic or storyboard format, and then watch those segments with the storyboards also displayed in the corner for comparison's sake. It's an interesting feature and it lends some insight into how the show is developed visually. There's also chapter selection for each of the four episodes and there is also a 'Play All' feature that allows you to watch all four episodes in order without having to go back to the menu.
Final Thoughts:The Simpsons Christmas 2 is a great way to get the Holiday Season kicked off right. Plenty of laughs from four killer episodes provide a whole lot of replay value that make this little compilation fun any time of the year. While most of us are patiently waiting for the complete season boxed sets, this affordably priced Christmas disc easily comes recommended.
Ian lives in NYC with his wife where he writes for DVD Talk, runs Rock! Shock! Pop!. He likes NYC a lot, even if it is expensive and loud.
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