Matt Groening, the creator of The Simpsons, recently reflected on the history of the iconic series during his appearance at the Annecy Festival, the most important animation event in the world. Groening began his television adventure with no prior experience, relying on his work with the comic strip Life in Hell. In the beginning, he thought that the segment he was commissioned for The Tracey Ullman Show would be fleeting and little remembered. However, the success of Bart Simpson was unexpected, leading to the production of a series that now has nearly 800 episodes over 36 years.
It is reflected in the character of Milhouse
In his talk, Groening shared details about the creation of the characters, revealing that many of their names are tributes to his own family, such as Homer and Margaret, his parents, and Lisa and Maggie, his sisters. The creator even made a humorous comment about his own role in the series, stating: “I am Milhouse,” in a joke about his identification with the character.
As the series continues its journey, with four more seasons secured on Fox, Groening has found new motivation in surprising himself and the audience. “We don’t think about being responsible. Our main motivation is to surprise ourselves,” he explained. In this vein, he made predictions that mix humor and satire, such as that the Statue of Liberty would be returned to France when the word “freedom” is forgotten in America, or that electric cars will use a source of energy driven by hatred towards Elon Musk.
In addition, he gave advice to the younger animators present: creativity and the ability to surprise should be the foundation on which the animation of the future is built. Groening, on the verge of turning 71, continues to set the standard with his innovative vision of animation.
