An all-new short film featuring The Simpsons will screen before theatrical showings of Pixar’s Onward. It’s become standard practice for Pixar to put their animated shorts before their feature-length films. Many of these shorts have gone on to win Oscars for the Best Animated Short Film. In 2019, Bao, the short film shown in front of The Incredibles 2, took home the award.
The Simpsons have dabbled in short films before as well. In 2012, a 3D animated short called Maggie Simpson in “The Longest Daycare” was attached to screenings of Ice Age: Continental Drift. The film ran just under five minutes and followed the youngest Simpson through a hellish day at the Ayn Rand School for Tots. It was nominated for an Academy Award in 2013 but lost to a Disney-produced short called Paperman. However, that was before Disney acquired Fox in 2019, meaning (at the time) the two studios were competitors.
Now, via The Simpsons Instagram page, we know that the short film being shown before Onward will be the first Disney-produced Simpsons short. The post includes a picture of Maggie seated next to a young boy, overlooking a view of what appears to be the Greek islands. The short will continue the same naming-scheme established for “The Longest Daycare,” this time Maggie stars in Playdate with Destiny. Considering the picture and title, it would make sense that the narrative follows some adventure between Maggie and the boy sitting beside her.
Disney’s decision to buy Fox last year was one of the biggest shake-ups in the entertainment industry. It’s interesting to see the deal now manifesting itself in more concrete ways. Although The Simpsons is a common name in America and around the world, this could be viewed as a risky decision from Pixar. Pixar’s animated shorts have taken on their own identities, and replacing their in-house shorts with The Simpsons may leave some audience members confused. However, as fans learned from “The Longest Daycare,” Maggie-driven shorts can be as charming and entertaining as the Pixar shorts they’ve grown accustomed to seeing.
The Simpsons are one of the most popular Fox properties included in the acquisition. Subscribers of Disney + can watch episodes of the series whenever they want, and The Simpsons movie is also available on the streaming service. Audiences won’t have to wait long to get even more of The Simpsons with Onward set to release Friday, March 6th, 2020.
More: 10 Best Modern Disney Shorts, Ranked
Source: Instagram
