Update: On May 20, Disney+ confirmed a tweet from The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean that episodes in their original 4:3 aspect ratio will be available to stream beginning on May 28. This news will surely please the most Comic Book Guy–ish of fans, because it will return the older-format Golden Age episodes to their original glory, full to the brim with gags that are cropped out in 16:9 HD. It’s worth it for this framed portrait of a saltine alone.
If the first thing you attempted to watch among Disney+’s vast and overwhelming new offerings is Simpsons episodes that you loved as a kid, well, we can’t blame you. We also can’t blame you for grumbling when the platform’s decision to stream The Simpsons in today’s widescreen 16:9 aspect ratio inadvertently cropped out certain sight gags from the series, which was largely made in a 4:3 aspect ratio. Among the true fans who noticed was Dorkly’s Tristan Cooper, who posted examples of sadly lost and distorted Simpsons images on Twitter. Well, according to Disney+, they have heard your plea and want to reassure you that you will be able to watch The Simpsons in the correct aspect ratio. Eventually.
“We presented The Simpsons in 16:9 aspect ratio at launch in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons,†a Disney+ spokesperson said in a statement to Vulture on Friday. “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.†The show switched over to HD widescreen during its 20th season, meaning you will be able to see every Simpsons episode as God and Matt Groening intended. In a few months or so.
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