Simpsons Pixels

This is such a gorgeously-animated tribute opening to the landmark American sitcom that I wish it was in an actual episode. It's not like the series has had openers that weren't as crazy or awesome as this one. Simpsons Pixels is the brainchild of animators Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon, accompanied with music by composer Jeremy Dower.

Baby on board.

 It's a fair guess to make that if you frequent this site, you already know Robertson for his superbly intricate psychedelic pixel-art animations for Adult Swim and independent illustrations. This opener makes my heart yearn for a proper remake to the Simpsons Arcade game released in '91.

Don Hertzfeldt's Simpsons Opening Is Completely Insane

I'm partially kicking myself for having not posted this sooner, but after watching Don Hertzfeldt's mind-shattering opening for the Simpsons' season premiere last Sunday, I needed a couple of days to put my head back together. In his attempt to correct his accidental aging, Homer inadvertently speeds up time and reality to a terrifying alien future of amorphous amoeba-like existence fueled only by capitalism. Sound familiar?

Can't wait to see a David Cronenberg Couch Gag.

Remaining true to his legacy of juxtaposing dark humor and stick figure simplicity, Hertzfeldt's couch gag is a meta-commentary on the once venerable sitcom's longevity and whether anything good can truly last 26 seasons. My question is, how the hell did this make it on the air!?

The Simpsons "Anatomy" Couch Gag By Michal Socha

It seems like the quantity of high profile couch gags is getting exponentially higher as The Simpsons continues down it's...25th season? Drawing from the talent of critically acclaimed Polish animator Michal Socha, we're offered an impressionistic romp through Homer's brain. Red, black and white are the only colors at play during this interior exploration, similar to his award winning 2009 short called Chick.

This latest couch gag follows takes by the likes of Sylvain Chomet (Triplets Of Belleville) and even John K. of Ren and Stimpy fame. In a sense it seems like the classic couch gag might soon turn into a rite of passage for any established animator at this rate, offering different directors a chance to take their own stabs at the iconic opening.

Triplets Of Belleville Director Takes A Stab At The Simpsons Couch Gag

Triplets of Belleville director Sylvain Chomet just recently jumped onto the Simpsons couch gag bandwagon, delivering his own very uniquely French take on the classic opening. A blackout serves as a gateway into a world of stereotypically French tropes: An escargot eating Homer, Bart toying around with a slightly disturbing do it yourself foie gras kit and a shrill Marge yelling 'Ou est Maggie' (Where's Maggie?) over and over again, leading to another gag. Of all the couch gags in this aging show, this probably ranks up there with the bizarre John K (Ren & Stimpy) styled opening.

Bartkira Is Out Of Control (In The Best Way Possible)

(Via)

I can't make this stuff up. I'm in awe of what the internet has enabled us to do..No scratch that, the entire internet has lead up to this moment right here: A Simpsons flavored recreation of the entire Akira saga that Otomo masterfully crafted decades ago. The original comic/anime was for many their first taste of the mind blowing fruits that the Japanese anime industry had to offer, myself included. The Simpsons offered pop culture a more grown up taste of what syndicated Western cartoons could provide, with protagonists that were anything but role model quality. And in 20XX/2013? These two cultural juggernauts have collided in an absolutely incredible display of collective awesomeness, as marked by the incredibly active Bartkira blog.

Initiated by artist Ryan Humphrey, the project has grown to have over 700 active artists contributing to recreate the entire series in the ultimate collective project we've seen yet. The Tumblr blog is filled to the brim with samples of what's to come, including 'Bartkira'd' promotional materials, covers, sample pages and more. Check out just a few images from the incredible blog after the break starring Milhouse's dark decline, and praise the moment in time in which such a bizarre, yet wonderful idea came to be.

A Ren And Stimpy Take On The Simpsons

(The fun starts at 0:50)

Not sure how many people still watch the Simpsons, but I'm kind of glad they've stuck to letting guest artists sometimes animate the classic 'couch' sequence of the intro. For the episode that aired on October 2, John K of Ren And Stimpy fame stepped in to deliver one of the most unnerving and bizarre intros I've ever seen. I mean, I thought his animation style was warped back in the nineties...but it looks like the years have pushed his style into unimaginable realms. His frame to frame animation is so nuts it doesn't seem like it could possibly work..But John K has mastered his craft to a level attained by few. Check out a sample frame below.

MARGE? Oh lord. (Via)

DJ Fong Fong Takes On The Simpsons

DJ Fong Fong, an awesome French scratcher tackles the classic Simpsons theme in full garb and destroys it. He went all out...Mask, green screen and all to really get into the Springfield vibe. If you want to see more of DJ Fong Fong, check out his Myspace for more awesome scratch vids.