Disney+ To Begin Streaming “The Simpsons” In Original 4:3 Ratio At End of May

Fans of The Simpsons who were looking forward to many of the seasons being available in the 4:3 aspect ratio on Disney+ have waited a while, but they don’t have to wait too much longer according to a tweet from the streaming service earlier today.

What’s Happening:

  • For almost the entirety of its early run, The Simpsons was produced in the 4:3 aspect ratio, going to a 16:9 widescreen format midway through its 20th season.
  • Disney+ tweeted earlier today that they are working on making the first 19 seasons as the well as the portion of season 20 of the series available by the end of May.
  • When the show premiered on the Disney+ streaming service, the 16:9 ratio was kept for every episode, meaning the episodes with the original 4:3 ratio were cropped, and much to fan’s dismay, many of the visual gags were cropped as well.
  • It didn’t help that fans had already seen the 4:3 ratio on the original episodes when they all premiered on the FXX streaming service, so when The Simpsons debuted exclusively on Disney+, there was no apparent reason as to why the original episodes intact with their original ratio didn’t appear immediately.

What They’re Saying:

  • Tweet from Disney+: “We appreciate our fans’ patience and are working to make the first 19 Seasons (and part of 20) of #TheSimpsons available in 4:3 versions on #DisneyPlus. We expect to accomplish this by the end of May.”

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