Ahh, The Simpsonssss… It’s been a consistent presence in our lives since 1990, with Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie providing a hilarious, satirical commentary on what it is to be a middle class American family. There have been celebrity cameos, there have been doughnuts, and there have been many a joke that has made us obnoxiously “Ha ha!” à la Nelson Muntz.
And while Matt Groening may have broken his promise not to wait another 20 years to release another Simpsons Movie (as per the lines Bart did on the blackboard in the opening credits of first episode to air post-The Simpsons Movie release), we couldn’t be happier to be heading to Springfield for another feature length family movie come 23rd July, 2027.
To celebrate the news that Homer is indeed coming back for seconds, we’ve delved into the scenes from The Simpsons Movie (2007) that live rent free in our minds, and it all starts with “Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig, does whatever a Spider-Pig does…”
The “Spider-Pig” jingle
Homer rescues a pig before he can be slaughtered by Krusty the Clown. From there, a beautiful friendship is formed as Homer takes to styling his hair, doing compelling impressions of Marge, and dreading his muddy hooves across the ceiling to the absolute earworm that is “Spider-Pig, Spider-Pig, does whatever a Spider-Pig does. Can he swing from a web? No he can’t, he’s a pig.” Banger!
Bart and Lisa create an avalanche
The Simpsons run away to Alaska after Russ Cargill outs Homer as the reason for Springfield being sealed under a giant glass dome, having dumped a silo full of Spider-Pigs feces into the already incredibly polluted lake.
For a time, the move seems idyllic, and one hilarious moment sees Homer out collecting firewood while his two eldest children, Bart and Lisa, watch from afar. Bart insists he's just finding ways to pass the time and begins clapping. From far away, Homer is touched to see his son applauding him and insists Lisa join in. In actual fact, Bart is clapping in order to cause an avalanche of snow.
In a satisfying piece of animation, the avalanche of snow perfectly shuffles Homer down the mountainside to the front door of their cabin.
The Homer gag on the wrecking ball
We’re not saying Homer influenced Miley Cyrus’ 2013 track “Wrecking Ball”, but he just might have. That’s not why this moment in The Simpsons Movie is funny, though. It’s the excellent gag written into the scene, in which Homer is swinging from a wrecking ball between a literal rock and a bar called ‘A Hard Place’. We love a bit of word play.
Bart’s blackboard scene in the opening of The Simpsons Movie
They may have hit the bigtime with a feature length film, but The Simpsons Movie still starts like every other episode of The Simpsons, including the sequence in which Bart is in detention, writing lines on a blackboard. Every episode, the sentence changes, but in movie magic style, Bart is seen scrawling “I will not pirate this movie” before the bell rings and he’s released from the shackles of Springfield Elementary.
When Homer sees his reflection in the dome
In the initial days after the dome is placed over Springfield, it takes some time to adjust to their new existence. Trying to reassure Marge, Homer notices his reflection and mistakes himself for being beyond the dome in the woodland beside their house. He lets out a “Whoop!” and celebrates, seemingly running away from the glass (with his reflection looking to be running into the trees) only to find himself back in his house and decidedly not free of the dome.
Homer attempts to deter the angry mob by pretending to have a chainsaw
When the rest of Springfield learn Homer is the reason for them being stuck under the dome, they gather their torches and pitchforks and march to the Simpsons’ home. Watching from out of the bedroom window, Homer laughs and mocks the mob for not knowing where they live as they appear to be about to walk straight past their house. Of course, this simply alerts them to the Simpsons.
As they approach the front door, punching holes in it, Homer begins to mimic the sound of a chainsaw to scare them off. Initially the mob withdraw their clawing hands, but then eyes appear at the holes and they learn it was Homer all along.
Homer getting stuck in a sink hole
The Simpsons discover a sink hole in Maggie’s sandpit which leads outside of the dome. Escaping the mob, each member of the family goes into the sink hole with Homer going last. Incredibly smug, he makes some rude gestures at the rest of Springfield, only to get stuck in said sink hole.
When the people of Springfield try to appeal to Mr Burns’ softer side
With Springfield left without energy, Dr Hibbert, Apu, and Chief Wiggum head to Mr Burns’ manor in the hope he might share some of his wealth. When asked to give him reasons why, Apu goes rogue, asking Mr Burns’ to look into his heart to find the answer, all the while Mr Burns’ frown is deepening and Smithers – his assistant – is trying to discourage Apu from saying anymore. The scene then cuts to dogs barking and the yells of the three men – Mr Burns has released the hounds!
“I wish Homer was my father.”
Towards the end of the film, Homer rides a motorcycle up the walls of the dome with a bomb, intending to throw it through the hole at the top and save Springfield from distinction. In awe of his heroics, Todd, Mr Flanders’ youngest child, says, “I wish Homer was my father,” to which Mr Flanders’ rare but darkly comical response is, “And I wish you didn’t have the devil’s curly hair.”
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