Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire

"Simpsons Roasting On An Open Fire" is one of the sweetest and greatest Simpsons episodes of all time, and this was the very first episode.

Even though the animation might be a little crude, but that's the fun of it! I actually thought the animation from "The Simpsons" back from Season 1 to Season 4 was actually really good.

This was the episode that we first fell in love with The Simpson family; Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. It also marked for characters like Mr. Burns, Grandpa Abe, Patty & Selma, and of course, Santa's Little Helper.

Overall, this is a sweet, beautiful, and heartwarming Christmas episode that's great to watch around Christmas time.

I've never seen the show before, so this this be my first time going through it. This is a decent enough pilot, but I've only heard the show gets better after the first season. The second episode, Bart the Genous, is much better and I hope the show is more like that than this, but this is still good enough. The voice acting is pretty good, the animation still sort of sketchy right now, as is to be expected. It gives us a good insight into what the characters will be like, and overall I very much look forward to watching the show and seeing all the reasons why it's so acclaimed and considered so highly (well, the first 10 seasons or so). Recommended.

It's interesting to look back at the Simpsons first episode, one that was not necessarily meant to be the series opener and see how it still succeeds. Expanding on the original shorts, the episode does a good enough job by giving each family member a proper introduction. Of course most the episode is dedicated to Homer and Bart, but it demonstrates early on the that despite how dense Homer might be, he is still a loving father who goes out of his way to ensure his family has the best holiday possible. It really is the strength of these early Simpsons episodes in that while they may not be as funny as those from the later golden age, they still have a heart and sincerity to them that makes them special.

I remember hearing about this special back in the third grade, "The Simpsons was the best cartoon, and you just had to see it!" Unfortunately, we didn't get Fox in my little Idaho town. Finally, when we did get Fox, I started my weekly ritual of visiting the Simpsons every Thursday and then on Sundays.

This is a solid Christmas special. It's a more heartfelt episode compared to the episodes produced today. Homer wasn't nearly as much of a buffoon as he is today, and this episode isn't as hysterical as future episodes, but what it may lack in some comedy, it makes up in story and character development. While Bart was quite the troublemaker, he still cared deeply for his father and his family. Plus, the family singing of Rudolph played in the credits was great!

This was our first meeting with the Simpsons, and it would continue to be a great relationship.

I purchased the "Simpsons" first and second season box sets a couple years ago, and what I was most astonished at is the shift in animation (more so than the humor itself) - the Simpsons look more like the Berenstain Bears than the familiar yellow cartoon characters we've grown accustomed to over the years.

The animation is rough, edgy and the transitions are awkward - there are no quick cuts punctuated by clips from the "Simpsons" theme song (which is what they use today to often transition scenes) - all of this isn't instantly noticeable, but after seeing older episodes a couple times I started to realize what was subconsciously making it feel like an entirely different television show.

Still, they had to start somewhere, and for what it is this is a very good pilot for the TV show.

It takes place at Christmas time (obviously). Mr. Burns announces that there will be no Christmas bonuses this year, meaning less spending money. Bart goes to the mall and gets a tattoo, and when Marge has it removed, it costs them all of their Christmas stash.

Homer takes advice from Barney and dresses up as Santa Claus at the mall, then bets on a dog at a local race track with the poor amount of money he's earned, but things continue to spiral downhill and Homer is left feeling like a failure - until, of course, everything is wrapped up quite nicely (without spoiling it).

Compared to episodes from Seasons 4 & 5 this is a rather flat and poorly animated "Simpsons" fare. However, when you take into account that this was the pilot and the start of everything, you know they had to start somewhere and, all considered, this was a good place to begin.