Disney is bringing The Simpsons back to the big screen, surprising fans with the announcement that a brand new short film will be playing before the Pixar movie Onward screens in theaters. The new short Playdate With Destiny will focus on the youngest of the Simpsons clan as Maggie seemingly finds a possible soulmate in the form of a dapper baby. While Disney revealed a new image from the upcoming short, there weren’t many other details to go off of other than the fact that this is the first Simpsons clip to premiere on the big screen since 2012, and the surprising fact that it’s paired with a major Disney and Pixar release.
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Now The Simpsons executive producer Al Jean is breaking silence over the news, telling EW that they’re “very proud of it.”
“It started because two of our writers, Tom Gammill and Max Pross, pitched the basic idea as part of a Simpsons story [for the show] a couple of years ago,” Jean said. “When we did the episode, [executive producer] Jim Brooks thought they could turn that part into a theatrical short. So, we delayed the episode, which will now air April 19.”
The short will serve as a prelude to the episode which will showcase another adventure between Maggie and her new beau Hudson.
The Simpsons last paired a short film with Ice Age: Continental Drift in 2012, but this is the first time they’ve aired one as part of the Disney empire. And now it will air ahead of the brand new Pixar movie Onward.
“It’s an enormous thrill for us,” Jean said. “Pixar is the gold standard of animation. I think they’re just the best, every film.”
The EP also explained that they approached the studio “with the short and said, ‘We’d like to go with something that’s compatible.’ When they offered us Onward, we were ecstatic.”
As for the possibility of more short films being aired with future theatrical releases? “I don’t think this is the end of us doing theatrical work with Disney,” Jean replied.
The Simpsons: Playdate With Destiny will premiere alongside Onward on March 6th.
