Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie Simpson are household names around the world thanks to the longest-running scripted primetime television series of all time – The Simpsons. ICONS UNEARTHED: THE SIMPSONS highlights who and what has kept this beloved series rolling for so long, unpacking backstage stories and the continual comedy gold that has made this series the ultimate animation juggernaut!
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Video Quality
Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons arrives on Blu-Ray featuring a mostly solid transfer with a swath of different material rendered to decent effect. Mill Creek Entertainment spreads these six episodes over three discs with bonus features also present on each disc plus an additional disc solely for special features. This allows for a bit more room to breathe than the Icons Unearthed: Stars Wars that was released earlier this year with six episodes on one disc. While occasional compression issues pop up to reveal artifacts, this is not a persistent issue.
Interview segments are capably composed and look crisp and clear with natural skin tones and subtle facial features on display. The series clips, behind-the-scenes footage, and other archival material presented seem to be the highest quality versions that were available when the episodes were produced, with most of it holding up nicely. There may be a few nagging issues, but things appear fetching in high definition. Mill Creek has done a nice job here.
Audio Quality
This Blu-Ray disc comes with a favorable DTS-HD 2.0 Master Audio track that showcases this series as it needs to. Environmental sounds from some of the footage and the music make the soundscape feel a bit more robust, but overall the show has measured sonic ambitions. This is primarily an interview showcase with an array of talking heads featuring dialogue right up front in the center channel. This audio track is not doing anything exceptional, but all of the information flows through very well. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided.
Special Features
- Complete Interviews: A few of the complete interviews with the main subjects are provided as they relay interesting anecdotes that could not fit into the traditional episodes.
- Bill Oakley (2:22:52)
- Rob Kenneally (1:29:53)
- Ken Estin (1:46:21)
- Garth Ancier (2:37:40)
- Jon Vitti (3:19:01)
Final Thoughts
Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons is a fun deep-dive into the landmark series that welcomes newcomers with familiar insights while unveiling some secrets for those who have been obsessed with the series from day one. The structure is light and engaging with a good mixture of creative figures from the show and cultural critics offering additional perspectives. This does not give you access to some of the behind-the-scenes heavy hitters, but it still proves to be a valuable watch. Mill Creek Entertainment has provided a Blu-Ray set with a good A/V presentation along with some terrific additional footage. If you generally like this format of entertainment-focused documentaries, this will treat you well. Recommended
Icons Unearthed: The Simpsons is currently available to purchase on Blu-Ray.
Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.
Disclaimer: Mill Creek Entertainment has supplied a copy of this set free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.
Dillon is most comfortable sitting around in a theatre all day watching both big budget and independent movies.
