The Simpsons has been around for decades, meaning that we've seen the series evolve and change several times over, and the biggest visual change was the shift from the 4:3 aspect ratio to widescreen half-way through its 20th season. Unfortunately, the previous seasons, which consist of more than 400 episodes, have frequently been re-reun in a cropped 16:9 ratio, which destroys many of the series' visual gags.
The entirety of The Simpsons can be found on the Disney+ streaming service, but once again, those early episodes were the cropped widescreen versions. At the time, Disney+ said, "We presented The Simpsons in 16:9 aspect ratio at launch in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons. Over time, Disney+ will roll out new features and additional viewing options. As part of this, in early 2020, Disney+ will make the first 19 seasons (and some episodes from Season 20) of The Simpsons available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio, giving subscribers a choice of how they prefer to view the popular series." Disney+ is about to make good on their promise as Simpsons writer/producer Al Jean took to Twitter to announce that the 4:3 versions will finally be available on May 28th.
The even more important most important tweet I can make!
As always you have been heard! @theSimpsons episodes will be available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio on #DisneyPlus beginning 5/28.— Al Jean (@AlJean) May 20, 2020
This is very welcome news to this Simpsons fan (and Disney+ subscriber), and I'll definitely be revisiting the series now that it's in its original form.
