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18th Nov 2019

Disney+ to fix Simpsons formatting after viewers complain about missing jokes

Carl Kinsella

Should be fixed in time for the Ireland launch…

The launch of Disney’s online streaming service, Disney+, has not been without its teething problems.

Customers watching old episodes of The Simpsons quickly noticed that the formatting of the show’s older episodes had been changed, which had several negative effects on the show quality.

The 16:9 aspect ratio cut out several visual gags that happened towards the top of the screen, and also made some characters’ heads and bodies look stretched and weird.

Now, Disney have said that they will soon allow users the option of changing the formatting on the first 20 seasons of The Simpsons, meaning that the classic episodes can be viewed in their original 4:3 aspect ratio format.

Modern episodes will still be 16:9 only, but anybody who’s watching them is a freak of nature anyway.

Confirming the news, a Disney spokesperson said:

“Over time, Disney+ will roll out new features and additional viewing options.

“As part of this, in early 2020, Disney+ will make the first 19 seasons (and some episodes from Season 20) of The Simpsons available in their original 4:3 aspect ratio, giving subscribers a choice of how they prefer to view the popular series.”

The aspect ratio isn’t the only change that’s been made to The Simpsons since the launch of Disney+.

Season three episode Stark Raving Dad has also been removed from the archive, due to it featuring Michael Jackson.

While the Disney+ service isn’t yet available in Ireland, it is set to launch here on 31 March, 2020.