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The Simpsons
S2.E7
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Bart vs. Thanksgiving

  • Episode aired Nov 22, 1990
  • TV-PG
  • 23m
IMDb RATING
7.6/10
4.7K
YOUR RATING
Nancy Cartwright in The Simpsons (1989)
Adult AnimationHand-Drawn AnimationSatireSitcomAnimationComedy

On Thanksgiving, Bart runs away after refusing to apologize to a distraught Lisa for accidentally destroying her cornucopia.On Thanksgiving, Bart runs away after refusing to apologize to a distraught Lisa for accidentally destroying her cornucopia.On Thanksgiving, Bart runs away after refusing to apologize to a distraught Lisa for accidentally destroying her cornucopia.

  • Director
    • David Silverman
  • Writers
    • George Meyer
    • Jon Vitti
    • John Swartzwelder
  • Stars
    • Dan Castellaneta
    • Julie Kavner
    • Nancy Cartwright
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.6/10
    4.7K
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • David Silverman
    • Writers
      • George Meyer
      • Jon Vitti
      • John Swartzwelder
    • Stars
      • Dan Castellaneta
      • Julie Kavner
      • Nancy Cartwright
    • 12User reviews
    • 1Critic review
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos17

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    Top Cast7

    Edit
    Dan Castellaneta
    Dan Castellaneta
    • Homer Simpson
    • (voice)
    • …
    Julie Kavner
    Julie Kavner
    • Marge Simpson
    • (voice)
    • …
    Nancy Cartwright
    Nancy Cartwright
    • Bart Simpson
    • (voice)
    Yeardley Smith
    Yeardley Smith
    • Lisa Simpson
    • (voice)
    Harry Shearer
    Harry Shearer
    • Marty
    • (voice)
    • …
    Greg Berg
    Greg Berg
    • Rory
    • (voice)
    Maggie Roswell
    Maggie Roswell
    • Mrs. Spencer
    • (voice)
    • …
    • Director
      • David Silverman
    • Writers
      • George Meyer
      • Jon Vitti
      • John Swartzwelder
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    User reviews12

    7.64.6K
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    Featured reviews

    9g-bodyl

    Great Episode!

    The seventh episode of the second season of the Simpsons is a great episode despite the lack of comedy and little more drama than we expect. As the other reviewer pointed out, this episode is sad which is true thanks to what goes on in the plot. But don't worry, there is much happiness to be found here as well.

    In this episode, "Bart Vs. Thanksgiving," Bart destroys Lisa's centerpiece at the dinner table and he is told to go to his room. Thinking he doesn't do anything wrong, he runs away from home. he goes to a homeless shelter to find food and that is where he may find the true meaning of Thanksgiving.

    Overall, this is a good dramatic episode that lacks the comedy we are used to seeing. But because the drama is so good and the episode is moving, I'll decide to let that slip by. This is a good episode with some special holiday meanings. I rate this episode 9/10.
    9Analog_Devotee

    9/10!

    A dysfunctional Thanksgiving with The Simpsons! The character of Marge's mother is hilarious!

    Definitely one of the great episodes of Season Two!
    10santifersan

    Thanksgiving Realism and Heartfelt Emotions

    The episode begins with the family preparing for Thanksgiving Day. Even though I'm from Spain, where we don't celebrate this holiday, we do have similar gatherings to what's shown in the episode. That's why I can enjoy the humorous details because the episode's director creates a genuine and relatable family atmosphere. It's like your father, Homer, lighting the fireplace and tuning in to the football game on the car radio while picking up your grandfather, just like your grandparents with their peculiar indifference to life because they feel they're nearing the end of their journey and don't care much about anything anymore. Then there's Marge, acting just like your mother, occasionally glancing at the TV as she goes in and out of the kitchen while setting up the festive table. Homer and Grandpa gossiping about the news anchor, like your father and grandfather do in real life, and so on. That's pure humor, depicting family life and making it endearing. But then, what happens in a family like mine occurs, of course: an older brother who always has to be there to lower your self-esteem when you think you've done something worthy of admiration to impress the adults, just like Bart with Lisa and her centerpiece.

    Then, masterfully, the episode's script shows us that there's no courtesy between these two siblings. Remember that courtesy is the tool we have to please others with good manners and education because we believe we deserve respect, like the naive beings we are, and assume that all human beings should have it. But masterfully, it shows us what other TV shows don't, the reality that doesn't exist among certain children with siblings. It's highly relatable. What follows is also very relatable, an angry child mad at their parents, wanting to run away from home to give them a scare, secretly desiring to do it deliberately out of resentment.

    Further on, there are some very decent humorous details, but the best one is when Kent Brockman is in the soup kitchen delivering a banal and insincere news report about heartwarming solidarity.

    However, the reason this episode gets my 10 out of 10 rating is because Lisa's sadness is remarkably well represented, very realistic. They've captured everything from real life masterfully. The way it ends with Bart and Lisa makes you want to cry because it's so well done.

    That's why, my friends, I say that seasons 1 and 2 were the best of the series. Even in season 3, which is the best in terms of comedy and parody, that masterful realism and that heartwarming, relatable family atmosphere that was present in those underrated first two seasons is already lost.
    8Hitchcoc

    Touching

    Bart is in an ugly mood, ruins something his sister has worked hard on, and upsets an already contentious Thanksgiving. There are some nice moments, especially where a gasbag reporter does a story on dinner at a mission. The Simpsons are a mess, but somehow their hearts are in the right place.
    7snoozejonc

    If I'm not back at the home by nine...

    Bart spoils the Simpsons' thanksgiving dinner.

    This is an enjoyable episode with some nice character moments.

    It has a decent conflict between Bart and Lisa that drives the plot and results in some nice moments between the two characters.

    Most of the humour comes from the other characters and it is very good, but not as prolific as some other episodes. Grandpa Simpson and Marge's mother made me laugh the most, along with Homer's phone call to the operator.

    One quite scary scene where Bart imagines the family behaving quite malevolently towards him Is very well animated.

    Related interests

    Seth Green, Mila Kunis, Alex Borstein, and Seth MacFarlane in Family Guy (1999)
    Adult Animation
    Jodi Benson, Jason Marin, and Samuel E. Wright in The Little Mermaid (1989)
    Hand-Drawn Animation
    Peter Sellers in Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964)
    Satire
    Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry in Friends (1994)
    Sitcom
    Daveigh Chase, Rumi Hiiragi, and Mari Natsuki in Spirited Away (2001)
    Animation
    Will Ferrell in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy (2004)
    Comedy

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The first occasion when Mr Burns unleashes the hounds.
    • Goofs
      When Marge finishes talking to Lisa about dinner and is about to leave the bedroom, she opens the door from the left side where the hinges are located.
    • Quotes

      Homer: Hello, operator. Give me the number for 911.

    • Connections
      Edited into The Simpsons: Radio Bart (1992)
    • Soundtracks
      Get Dancin'
      (uncredited)

      Written by Kenny Nolan and Bob Crewe

      Performed by Monti Rock III (as Disco-Tex and the Sex-O-Lettes)

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    FAQ24

    • What does Bart Simpson write on the chalkboard in one of the classrooms at "Springfield Elementary School" at the beginning of this episode?
    • What happends in the couch scene at the beginning of this episode?
    • What phone joke does Bart Simpson tell in this epiode?

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • November 22, 1990 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • United States
    • Official sites
      • FOX
      • Official Facebook
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • USA
    • Production companies
      • Gracie Films
      • 20th Century Fox Television
      • 20th Century Fox Television
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      • 23m
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Dolby
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.33 : 1

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