Disney has confirmed that almost all the first twenty seasons of “The Simpsons” will be available to stream on the Disney+ service in its original 4:3 aspect ratio format from the end of May.
The series aired in 4:3 from its debut in 1989 all the way until partway through its 20th season in 2009 when it switched to standard 16:9 widescreen. When Disney+ first launched in November, the company put up all the episodes in 16:9 “in order to guarantee visual quality and consistency across all 30 seasons.”
In order to get that 16:9 image for the first twenty seasons, parts of the 4:3 frame were chopped off – losing a bunch of visual gags in the process. Fans have complained, demanding the original episode ratio.
Now, Disney+ says on its social media accounts: “We appreciate our fans’ patience and are working to make the first 19 Seasons (and part of 20) of [The Simpsos] available in 4:3 versions on [Disney Plus]. We expect to accomplish this by the end of May.”
All the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ are in cropped widescreen format — this means you miss out on tons of great visual jokes, like how Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry all come from the same tube. pic.twitter.com/cTy9adulFl
— Tristan Cooper (@TristanACooper) November 12, 2019
