The Simpsons 'No-No Sheets’

[@KidLeavesStoop]

Thanks for 100,000 subscribers!

[@SomeUsernameSomeoneElseTookIt]

you're welcome

[@chipchamp8580]

no problem og

[@MajoraWaffle]

no problem fam! you deserve the silver play button!

[@johnnymartinez478]

bro you need to release more vidyas

[@VeryTastySoup87]

Congratulations

[@DangStank]

Another lovely fact is that Matt Groening hated Hans Molemans design when he first appeared and demanded that he never appear again. But the crew loved him too much and only found it funny that Matt hated him. So they just kept putting him in

[@wolfetteplays8894]

LOL

[@ItsYourBoiUhh]

"no one likes Molemans" lmao that line makes a lot more sense now

[@jesusramirezromo2037]

Is that why they made him the butt of the joke?

[@chaoticneutral7976]

Well that explains why he's always getting killed

[@WJINTL]

I can imagine his anxiety every time he just lets an episode go to airing without looking at it... only for it to feature a moleman scene

[@horpuscorpus8299]

My favorite "No-No Style Guide" for animated shows has to be Plank's expression for Ed, Edd n Eddy. Danny Antonicci created a sheet that listed all of the "expressions" Plank should emote depending on how he was feeling. The joke was that all of his expressions were the exact same, but this was a serious guide for animators/storyboard artists to follow because Danny didn't want anyone to change Plank's iconic face if they wanted to.

[@THICCTHICCTHICC]

Sounds reasonable to me. There's always that off chance someone doesn't listen if you only tell things verbally

[@RustyNips]

You gotta be blind if you can't see the subtle changes to planks expression And now I got the "best friend plank" song stuck in my head thanks for bringing it up 🤣 😭

[@gearguts7259]

Danny is a hilarious guy for what I've seen of him

[@DogsRNice]

Wasn't there an episode where his expression was vandalized or am I misremembering

[@christopherwall2121]

Its all in how he's framed or lit, or how Johnny reacts to him.

[@davidsilverman1741]

As the designer of the opening sequence I may have more accurate answers. But to the point: the reason why this was cut -- not the right tone of humor for the show and the way it was evolving. Pretty simple, eh?

[@KidLeavesStoop]

Wow, didn’t expect to see you here! Thanks for all you’ve done

[@davidsilverman1741]

@@KidLeavesStoop haha - ya never know who may turn up! And thanks for bringing this up, it amazes me how much these things mean to so many. Very appreciated and thanks for the compliment. We all try to do a pretty decent job - !

[@Jvnet10]

Very cool to read straight from the source. Cheers!

[@ghhn4505]

Bring the bus stop bunch back with Mr. Gross with some style no nos thrown in, kino episode right there

[@shannon6365]

silverman, ofc haha

[@fluffcake]

I think a funny thing about these No-No sheets is that when the rare occasion the rules are broken it drastically increases the joke as well. Also it’s wholesome hearing the Simpsons are just silly fellas who are mischievous and not scoundrels

[@pravkdey]

Homers expression during the Shinning episode will make me laugh til the grave

[@josephlinden1630]

Too bad groening is a lil sus.

[@notNajimi]

@@josephlinden1630Yeah 😭

[@sandygrungerson1177]

no, theyre scoundrels.

[@merucrypoison296]

Imagine how stressful this is to the animators, having to keep all of these rules in their heads while drawing stuff that the average viewer won’t even care about lmao

[@fantasticbirdblue]

I think the reason we don't see them again is obvious: they no longer use the bus stop. Because Bart stole the bus stop sign

[@SuperbbConnor64]

After the 13th time they decided “Aaaaah, screw this. Every penny of that gas money is worth it.”

[@ramencatbattlecats]

@@SuperbbConnor64 accurate

[@nickrustyson8124]

Also because they all died in a car accident, Bart is a murderer

[@silentdork818-S]

@@nickrustyson8124 "Bart the murderer"

[@OpEditorial]

*The Babysitter Bandit* episode is an entire "No-No Sheet" come to life, not so much that the characters are poorly drawn or off model but the animation is so stylistically weird and (at times) beautiful to look at it became the gold standard of what not to do with early 90's era Simpsons.

[@floyd2386]

That's the best episode to watch as to why that style of animation worked so well. A modern animated version of that episode would make Lucille and the whole situation a lot less unhinged. That episode was very uncomfortable for me to watch as a kid which is exactly what it should have been.

[@Attmay]

The version that finally aired on Fox in May 1990 was nowhere near as sloppy as the original version.

[@Studeb]

Although I understand why they moved away from this style, I love it and nothing they have done since going digital has been near to the same quality.

[@PointsofData]

@@Studeb uh...are you guys talking about Some Enchanted Evening from the first season??? The one that was supposed to be the first episode but became the last?? That's the only one that came up for Babysitter Bandit, and wikipedia says they delayed the release of the episode because the overseas animation studio gave them a style they didn't like (too much like Warner Bros) and they had to redo 70% of it...I'm not sure why you're all talking like it was the pinnacle of Simpsons animation when it was an outside studio, and the internal team had to cobble a fix together to better match the style they wanted.

[@oopsallchromosomes8994]

@@PointsofData no

[@JimiVexTV]

I just realised, my bedsheets as a kid where some of these drawings. I thought it was weird how janky these pics of the Simpsons where, and why they had "NO" written all around them. What a weird, and much cooler than I thought, concept for bedsheets.

[@callumhearne6936]

Literally no no sheets

[@drezbrodudea7763]

​@@callumhearne6936 HAHA

[@justyumi4410]

You have lost Simpsons merch? That or you must've gotten a bootleg.

[@mrbarrington2709]

Wow,imagine sleeping over a huge list of ways you should NOT draw the characters in it

[@guyrocketram9698]

would LOVE a screenshot of these if you still have them. it sounds really intresting to me.

[@nosidenoside2458]

They should do a treehouse of horror episode where they pretend all of the no's in the no-no book are yes's but is otherwise completely normal

[@Jamesharveycomics]

Also, one where we see what the show would be like if all Matt Groening’s ideas become canon. Homer was secretly Krusty this whole time. Marge is a rabbit. Etc etc

[@SonicMaster519]

@@JamesharveycomicsI would kill for that.

[@Jamesharveycomics]

America’s favorite blue collar TV dad: a clown who got married to a rabbit

[@HarvoSpoon]

and the plot twist is that the simpsons have been replaced with evil versions of themselves, explaining why they're so off-model and making sinister faces

[@1thousandarrows944]

You could totally make a segment a la Looney Tunes's "Invasion of the Bunny Snatchers", where everything is weird and fucked up but only Bart notices, it would be very fun to see them bend the style rules to create a very uncanny valley effect, where everything looks JUST OFF ENOUGH to be unsettling.

[@Trazynn]

The 'no cunning' rule is a great rule for any sympathetic protagonist really. They're never scheming, they're always taking whatever life throws at them and respond to that.

[@Rutherford_Inchworm_III]

Probably why everybody hates Peggy Hill.

[@Journey_to_who_knows]

Violated regularly for Bart and Burns and the Treehouse though

[@oz_jones]

​@@Journey_to_who_knowsThe Treehouse episodes are non-canon so they get a pass

[@annasolovyeva1013]

Why can't a sympathetic character plan ahead? Is strategy evil?

[@chaptap8376]

@@annasolovyeva1013 They're talking about revenge, or at least knowingly malicious acts. It would take a lot more nuance in the writing for sure, to keep em sympathetic. Maybe making it clear that they're setting limits for themselves, like "Ha! I could completely ruin them by planting this evidence on them! ...Okay, yeah, that's too far. Lemme do this other thing that's less harmful." Maybe throw in a "I don't wanna stoop to their level" for good measure.

[@MarcHendry]

as an animator I appreciate having these types of style guides highlighted, it's a major part of our jobs. This is hardly a hot take, but I do feel they've become TOO rigid with the rules of the show over time, at the cost of life, character and flexibility in the animation

[@nobody2021]

this is why i can't stand modern simpsons. aside from the writing, the animation and overall art style is way too rigid. twister head used to be a thing and there are a bunch of between frames you can find online that are hilarious to look at. all of that stuff is just gone now it's like it has no soul anymore.

[@kaneda7368]

When there's rules for literally everything it goes from being art to design. It loses a bit of that magic, and I understand having some guidelines but this seemed like micro-managing creativity.

[@andresamaya6187]

I feel the same but also think there is stuff they should have added to the No No list a long ago, like overly complicated, "simpsonified" celebrities cameo designs that breaks the flow of the style and the horrible Family Guy half closed eyes idle pose, it just makes the characters look uninterested in whatever they are doing, and if the characters don't give a toss about whatever they're doing why would the viewers?

[@DonnaChamberson]

You’re not an animator

[@MarcHendry]

@@DonnaChamberson not on the Simpsons at least, but I don't think I implied that

[@SM853]

I'm glad that Lenny was spared from the "no one else has Homer's beard" rule.

[@BenCol]

Too bad he wasn’t spared from being punched in the back of the head. Well, for him at least.

[@blibdo3216]

@JuneAdventure2 homah

[@MrGoneNucelar]

@JuneAdventure2 Lenny = White , Carl = Black

[@RyneMcKinney]

NOT LENNY!

[@ImGodTheMaryBanger]

I'm also glad that Lenny is the only one who isn't supposed to get (random object) in his eye

[@GreysToons]

This is legit the kind of video that reminds me of why I love this platform. A fascinating 20+ minute deep dive on how one example of an iconic cartoon’s early installment weirdness might or might not align with its style guide/“do’s & don’ts”. Ain’t no way you’re gonna get something like this on TV or Netflix lol

[@WILD__THINGS]

I thought the same thing. Took a subject I'm only mildly interested in and created a video that I didn't want to end.

[@MishKoz]

Budget be damned, KZbin videos will almost always be more interesting when it comes to things like this than TV or Netflix ever could be.

[@moosesues8887]

@@MishKoz it’s you!!

[@MishKoz]

@@moosesues8887 Zehahaha

[@moosesues8887]

@@MishKoz Juan peace moment

[@Vailskibum]

Looking at the guide also helps you realize how much work goes into every little decision, most viewers aren't even aware

[@reddeadspartan]

When you do things right, people won't be sure you've done anything at all.

[@joeikekidschannel8718]

Ye

[@TheMightyN]

That's some bullshit and you know it. Details are meaningless if you're lacking in the creativity.

[@justinallen500]

You commented on the last one too. I think it’s cool to see KZbinrs actually watching and enjoying content.

[@orlando-mal4589]

Irl Easter egg

[@TehSkullKid]

Style guides are some of the most interesting behind-the-scenes materials, and we rarely see many of them. Personal favorite is one from Invader Zim called "God Save the Dib" which gave lots of tips on how to draw that character and how not to, and lots of the potential mistakes were just labeled as "don't do this, it makes him look like a whiny bitch."

[@kimifw58]

The studio really thought people hated Dib, so they had to make him another Gir. It's sad. Good thing that didn't stick. As for his visual design, I quite liked it, though I think the "big head" comments are funnier when his head isn't big (and I'm not hearing them every single episode).

[@official-obama]

i looked it up, and the one i found that was remotely visible only said the eyebrows and mouth made him look whiny.

[@kimifw58]

@@official-obama static wikia nocookie net/zimwiki/images/7/74/Godsavethedib2 gif/revision/latest?cb=20100518231300 (Put periods in the spaces.)

[@safrith494]

@@official-obama The first page is mostly text, and it's all about how "Dib has become a whiny bitch" so "you artists have to save him by making him funny."

[@XYZB0RG]

but he IS a whiny bitch!

[@impagain]

As a storyboard artist working on an animated series, your best stuff gets cut ALL THE TIME. Just like the squirrel house masterpiece, I've spent days crafting a perfect scene, getting it all approved, great feedback from everyone, and then had it completely cut because that scene just didn't work for the episode. We even lost an entire FINISHED character design from that cut (...which I was also the secondary character designer for...) Annoying, and a bit disheartening at the time, but literally nothing personal. If it doesn't work, it doesn't work, and there's nothing you can do but sigh and move on. That's the way of television animation.

[@vegemiteguzzler9783]

In my admittedly much more limited experience of animation, stuff that you worked SUPER hard on getting cut and never seeing the light of day is a core part of the artform as a whole, not just in TV. It‘s definitely something I had to learn to accept pretty much as soon as I tried out animating!

[@impagain]

@@vegemiteguzzler9783 Exactly! I think the term is something like "learn to kill your children" or something. You can't get so precious about anything that you can't let it go if it's going to hurt the project in general. Another way of putting it is 'polishing a turd'. Cuz at the end of the day, it's still a turd. It can be the most well rendered animation, with incredible drawings and everything. But if the animation itself is bad, you've wasted all that time on a turd xD

[@maxseigner5366]

A saying my theater teacher used to say all the time was “Sometimes you have to kill your darlings.” along with “Nothing is precious in theater.” And this comment reminded me of that

[@Tattooed_goldenretriever]

can I ask what series or company you work for? your job sounds so cool!!

[@impagain]

@@Tattooed_goldenretriever I work for an indie show, The Tuttle Twins. An educational kids show with a much different political leaning than myself. But it's a great job with excellent people! It's super creative and I get to board out all sorts of wacky scenarios and create characters I've never dreamed of! Proving even shows you would never watch are fun and fulfilling to work on 💛

[@soovcat74]

"These characters exist not as individuals, but rather as a group. They stand still together... They act shocked together... They lean back together." I want what they have 😩

[@professionalballsinspector2006]

friendship goals right there

[@Mothlord03]

Fr

[@ciscornBIG]

When you find it come back and let us know :)

[@wonkybiscuit2760]

Join the army or a cult 🤷

[@tavrosnitram1529]

Code name kids next store type beat

[@NYRfan85]

I love the derpy 'wall-eyed' expressions of the early seasons. That blank stare has been used to perfect comedic effect so many times, it really adds to the joke/scene. It's especially prevalent in Seasons 4-5, which had some of the most fun/wacky animation of the series. Boy-Scoutz 'n the Hood and Homer Goes to College are two of my favorite episodes in terms of the animation.

[@TheDanteEX]

I feel like the wall-eyed expression is what completed the "Homer talking to his brain" jokes from those early seasons. It wouldn't be nearly as funny if he didn't look dazed.

[@DemoniteBL]

​@@TheDanteEX sumpdon

[@pravkdey]

Some of the things I laughed at the most w early family guy was when a character was watching another do something stupid n silly but with their back turned to the audience n neutral body pose. The juxtaposition was so dang funny

[@OlYables]

Homer yelling "TRAMAMPOLINE!" Is another great wall-eye.

[@lowhp_comic]

They do this ALL THE TIME in Futurama whenever a character isn't speaking, even if they were angry in a previous scene or are getting yelled at, they all default into a derpy neutral 😐 expression and I love it every single time 😂

[@wumpus976]

I really wish the Simpsons wasn’t afraid off going off-model. I get that Matt Groening’s style is very specific, but I personally prefer the more rough-around-the-edges look of the earlier seasons. It just has a lot more charm.

[@gearguts7259]

The "sweet spot" was Season 3 to 12 iirc, where the roughness adds to the charm but it isnt too distracting or off model.

[@katlyndobransky2419]

All early animation was beautiful Imo. I hate the stiffy HD look

[@gearguts7259]

@@katlyndobransky2419 a lot of it is due to the colors and linework tbh, if the colors were less saturated and the lines were more natural a lot of the HD stuff would look great

[@GoodMomo]

You can see it immediately in the "How would they look today" example at 1:05, where it seems that whoever did that, followed the rules to a T, and removed all soul from them at the same time.

[@Hell_With_Perks]

@@GoodMomo fr they look so lifeless in the new character design style...

[@smugbowkid9919]

I would 100% watch several more videos just going over “Do’s and Don’ts/No-No Sheets” for animated media and examples within them, it’s just so interesting.

[@sykotikOG]

I really and truly miss the hand drawn animation for both this show and Family Guy. For me, a lot of the richness and charm and character comes from the "mistakes" of the animation process, where things go kinda wrong but it ends up making it even more enjoyable and expressive in the end.

[@pablocasas5906]

Animated cartoons are still being hand-drawn, I mean animators still draw characters frame by frame with pencils on paper and then color and composed them digitally. I know these days cartoons are also drawn on tablets, but a human still has to draw each individual picture. Don't think IA can replace animators, yet

[@c.d.rstudios4691]

​@@pablocasas5906 it's not drawn on computers, it's models that have points of articulation where they can move. The simpsons have (in the most recent season) started to use more smear frames. But family guy is just cardboard cutouts at this point

[@meyague]

​@@pablocasas5906 what??? that's not true at all, one bit. it's done digitally and the animation outsourced. lmao.

[@michaelbarker6732]

I feel like the idea for Mrs Gross might have morphed into lunch lady Dorris. “dont tell me how to do my job” is something i can picture her saying very clearly in my head.

[@matthewlawton9241]

As she ladles something sinister into a bowl from a metal drum.

[@toyotatacoma1616]

What’s really nuts is how those style guide tips have been subsumed into adult comedy animation as a whole.

[@belot217]

Really gives most current adult animated comedies the feeling of procedural background noise sludge.

[@Slop_Dogg]

It’s crazy to think Simpsons was only 11 years in when Family Guy premiered, yet this was already very true.

[@originaluseername]

OMG SO NUTES SO CREZIE what’s wild is that you still won’t stfu

[@artsyscrub3226]

i think because adult animation is so new, I mean think about it, adult animation really didn't get its start until the mid 1900s in the 50s Animation for children has been around for almost as long as film has been around! Disney has been a company for over 100 years And adult shows only started getting popular when tv started being mainstream in homes

[@GippyHappy]

Except for the not being evil part. Adult animation loves to make their characters evil and unlikeable for some reason.

[@aortaplatinum]

I've always preferred traditional, hand drawn cel animation to digital flash animation, but this made me realize that the more rigid, standardized poses and character models that could just be reused with digital animation, were probably a godsend for shows that like to strongly adhere to style guides and model sheets like The Simpsons and sometimes Family Guy, while still allowing for that variability and sort of fantasy feel with something like SpongeBob SquarePants or especially Steven Universe

[@CaptainJZH]

Oh yeah Steven Universe deviated from their style guide constantly

[@aortaplatinum]

@@CaptainJZH Yeah, I'm glad the animators and storyboarders were allowed more freedom, but it was really distracting at times when characters' relative heights would fluctuate and even the entire art style wasn't consistent between episodes, ESPECIALLY in season 1.

[@samp.8099]

@aortaplatinum8506 It might not seem like it, but The Simpsons doesn't use flash animation, it's still traditionally animated (albeit digitally)

[@aortaplatinum]

@@samp.8099 Oh that's right, it's still hand animated, just digitally. Though I'm sure there are tools and add-ons they use to ensure consistency more easily than just freehanding every keyframe and trying to manually follow the guidelines

[@BlinksAwakening]

@@CaptainJZH did Steven Universe initially even have a style guide? That show was so sloppy through most of its run. I mean I'm sure they must have, but it really feels like they rarely were even attempting to adhere to it.

[@2chickenbone]

The twist head has to be my favourite Simpson quirk. It shouldve been exclusive to Bart, giving him more character

[@Luigifan4ever11]

Having these sheets is lovely, and I imagine it helps the animators out a lot to know what they should/shouldn't do from the get-go. But that said... I feel like those earlier seasons, where they did more no-nos and broke some of these very rules are some of my favourites artistically - it feels like there's more life, less rigid. Modern day Simpsons is sadly an eyesore to me.

[@Crazylaika]

The original bus-step characters are so expressive in their design, you can almost tell their personality from the shape of their bodies. I feel like attempting to be so mathematical with drawing characters can have advantages, but sticking too much to a format means that something special is lost

[@DeathnoteBB]

Yeah, it makes it technically very clean and consistent, but it loses a charm to it as well. It explains why the new seasons feel so “clean” in art-style.

[@da4127]

exactly, the characters look very generic now, before, some good characters were made, sure some uncanny ones too, but now everyone looks the same, so no good new designs either

[@lookmeat]

You have to understand the evolution of these rules. There was a lot of problems that they'd send something to be tweened in Korea, and it'd come completely ruined, due to cultural misunderstandings. The rules are a reflection of how to keep a solid and good style, but also make it work when hundreds of people may be drawing them. Similarly it tells artists to avoid things that may look good on paper, but just don't work on TV (and consider this was during the day of blurry cathode-tube SD TV). When you have the style and rules change every few minutes within a single episode, you gain some expresivity in the season, but lose any expression or style that would exist within the episode, let alone the whole season. Nowadays some of these rules may not be imposed, but the Simpsons already had evolved a style and look and stuck to it. As you say there's a balance, and there's moments to break the rules, but you have to do it with care. These rules, most of them, were in the first years, and cover more of the 2-8 seasons of the Simpsons, and honestly the style is pretty expressive and covers. The biggest change was the movie, which resulted in heavier vectorization and less human expressiveness in individual moments. I think that there something was lost.

[@The_Boctor]

@@lookmeat Nailed it. Coordination at a high scale can be a big enough problem that tradeoffs might have to happen for a project to even survive. And I say this as someone with an unfair bias in favor of the loose feeling of S1 and S2.

[@andieallison6792]

The transition to digital animation can be blamed, not having guidelines and rules for animation.

[@matthewsenn]

As an animator, I guarantee we sometimes put hidden dialogue in background conversations

[@JAlonge017]

Give me an example so I can start looking for them!!

[@HinX808]

⁰

[@matthewsenn]

@@JAlonge017 Well, I'm not sure which episodes, or if they've aired yet, but myself and others put some in Summer Memories.

[@elrayporchas9643]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/hp_FeKqcqaiAbrs

[@matthewsenn]

@@elrayporchas9643 Yeah that's the show

[@ThirstySerolf]

Wow, it's crazy how a cut scene from the opening led to such a wild rabbit hole of rules and regulations animators are given. Great video! It's always so fascinating to see some more obscure "behind-the-scenes" stuff like this

[@laurisaarinen1126]

I always heard people say animation takes a lot of time, but this kind of breaking down of things makes you realize it really takes A LOT of time.

[@lavenderstarzzz]

for some reason i keep watching this. its just so rewatchable for me

[@joedee9811]

I have always wished they would publish the Simpsons style guides. It’s long overdue. Fans of the show would love it and I’m sure animators could learn from it too

[@Attmay]

Now that Disney owns them, I’m surprised they haven’t already. They created a cottage industry of books about their own animated works.

[@SlapstickGenius23]

@@Attmay hey, before he created the two first ever Super Sentai shows, Goranger and JAKQ, Shotaro Ishinomori made his own ‘how to draw manga’ book. It’s a classic which has been released from the mid 1960s onward.

[@ExaltedUriel]

Especially the older ones like we see here, considering that basically none of what made the animation appealing or likeable is present in modern day Simpsons, lmao.

[@mazda9624]

I miss "Twister Head" Bart, but I can understand why they felt the need to stop doing it. It was always so jarring and noticeable when it happened in the early seasons.

[@nonyabidness8676]

Seeing it happen again, I realized how much I missed it too. If Bart is supposed to be kind of a twitchy kid, that's a great way to sell part of it through mannerisms.

[@alexneill8338]

The shot of Vampire Bart in ToH IV boasting about drinking BLOOD always freaked me out a lot!

[@floyd2386]

@@alexneill8338 The old animation style definitely worked so well with the Treehouse episodes as well as other more tense episodes like Babysitter Bandit. I can't imagine that episode being anywhere near as uncomfortable with modern animation.

[@tiablue9106]

I agree, it's kinda weird and off-putting but I still like it for some reason :0

[@hugoclarke3284]

It's jarring in a satisfying way

[@d-boivids]

15:27 "even some of the ridiculous season one background characters follow these body principles" the guy in the middle of the crowd: *w i d e*

[@jonathanielpringlemaniii]

Chowder lookin ass

[@whompronnie]

Don't neglect the interlocked Barts above him

[@D.G.M.]

That's why I love watching the 1940-1950 Warner cartoons - many characters didn't yet have their designs and personalities completely set and a lot of cartoons contain various quirks that slowly disappeared into the 50s.

[@skeeter197140]

I know it's not cool to mention John K., but what I loved so much about Ren & Stimpy's animation was the fact that the rules seemed to be more about no rules. I thought I remember hearing he never wanted to see the same expression twice. I understand needing these style guides as they help define the characters so well, but it's nice to see almost an "anti-style guide", as it were.

[@Kedai610]

John K is a great example of a talented artist held back by being a truly terrible person. The man did so much to develop animation in the 90s, had a massive impact, a super distinctive and interesting style - and pissed it all away by being a nasty narcissistic pedophile.

[@skeeter197140]

@@Kedai610 Well said.

[@stevendobbins2826]

I imagine that the Spumco office had a big sign saying "DO THE OPPOSITE OF WHAT FILMATION SAYS."

[@kimifw58]

@@stevendobbins2826 I think he was one of those animators who told his teams to forget everything Disney taught them.

[@Persun_McPersonson]

@@kimifw58 Definitely. John hated Disney.

[@wilderulz]

animators are really some of the most talented and underappreciated professionals out there, Mad respect to all of you

[@schloob]

14:57 am I the only person that finds this whole part extremely unsettling?? Why is his face like that?? Is homer just a demon in a costume!?!?

[@bonbonbonbons]

Life in Hell

[@JRS06]

For the Simpson's 35th anniversary, they should do a HD opening that has the bus stop bunch (who run right to follow the bus to make the scene flow better), the random guy at the nuclear plant eating a sandwhich and the shots of Lisa on her bike.

[@matthewlawton9241]

For the Simpsons' 35th anniversary they should not have a season 35. It's the only decent thing to do at this point.

[@Xhepyxopila]

​@@matthewlawton9241naaaah

[@LuluTheCorgi]

​@@matthewlawton9241nah then they stop making money The horse will be beaten until it stops moving

[@dreamieramune]

makes me wonder if there's been anybody who followed all of these guides and created a fanmade but VERY convincing simpsons episode

[@Gaia_BentosZX5]

Oh, there are fans.

[@vitalepitts]

I am patiently awaiting your next masterpiece.

[@KyleWall]

The early days of Simpson animation are an absolute treat imo. I loveeee that early style! Sidenote; this has quickly become one of my favorite channels on KZbin. Really interesting topics Ive never even thought about before

[@JanetStarChild]

You _loveEEEEE?_ ...Of all the letters in the word 'love', why would you stretch out the one silent letter?

[@imagery5425]

@@JanetStarChild grammar man.

[@SirYodaJedi]

Loooove is a bit awkward as well, because it can be misread as that art museum in Paris.

[@SonicMaster519]

Jesus Christ, everybody is getting in a fight over the word "love" and how to stretch it out. No need to whine about grammar, the point comes across, right?

[@BEASLAND000]

given the infinite length of the series i hope the bus stop gang gets their own 'waiting for godot' style episode

[@Galactipod]

And I hope there's an episode where all these rules get broken. At first, people would just know there's something wrong but they're unable to place it. Then the demons come out.

[@HarvoSpoon]

and then it ends with bart stealing the bus stop so they never even get to the bus, but then in a plot twist the middle guy is revealed to be future bart (well, one of the future barts) feels like a treehouse-o-horror type thing, a very experimental one becoz all the characters are either "new", or ones that haven't appeared in ages

[@CaptainJZH]

Middle one always looked like adult Bart to me lol

[@notsure1969]

Me too.

[@i.m.evilhomer5084]

Yeah, it's one of the reasons why they got rid of that hairstyle after season 1 for non-simpson family members.

[@TheGoldenDunsparce]

Great video! Seeing "character bibles" is always super interesting! I remember talking to my friends about Dragon Ball Z, and how they didn't have a strict character bible for the show, but did for merchandise, and that's why characters would look weird as hell in certain scenes. It was because artists would do entire scenes on their own. Some artists had their own style, which was completely off compared to the characters' canon appearances. Sometimes, you'd get giant forehead Vegeta, Vegeta with dark red hair, Vegeta with super big eyes, Vegeta with boney collar bones, etc. all in the same episode! Sometimes they'd be crunching for time, and so scenes would look like absolute doo-doo on live TV, but would be reanimated and fixed on their DVD release. When Super came out, they had a rush of new artists working their butts off to cough out episodes as quick as possible, and you'd get rough animations that never had a chance to be brushed up before airing on TV. That's why we have that horrid SSJ3 Goku vs Berus fight scene where Goku's face and arms look like a badly painted action figure; in the DVD release that no one bought, it was polished and fixed up, but the damage was already done when it aired on TV and that same footage was distributed in anime pirating sites.

[@TripleEye_Josh]

Some day somebody's going to make a documentary about that guy who made seven great YT videos that all got millions of views and then randomly disappeared. I look forward to that documentary.

[@Cool_Kid95]

I like the original ones a LOT more than their modern reimaginings.

[@toast8221]

Me too

[@gearguts7259]

the problem is the linework and the posing. The linework is way too clean, which makes the shapes look flat, the poses are also very "static", leading to them looking lifeless.

[@alchemistofsteel8099]

The Simpsons and AVGN are two shows that don't transition well into HD

[@Cool_Kid95]

@@alchemistofsteel8099 I like Modern AVGN. He just got calmer as he grew up.

[@Cool_Kid95]

@@gearguts7259 I think that’s it!

[@calvinrath8612]

A few words on Mrs. Gross; I think she does appear in that finished animation; it's just that the animator drew her a bit off-model. Her clothing and hairstyle did remain consistent. she has appeared in one episode fully; "The Telltale Head" from season 1. Look at the crowd of townsfolk when they see the headless statue for the first time; she'll be seen near the left in the front of the crowd, with orange hair. Not Mrs. Gross related, But the Candy most Dandy shopkeeper also from "The Telltale Head" is in "Streetcar Named Marge". He can be seen more clearly when the auditions for the play take hold, he is is also near Mrs. Gross, Just drawn weirdly in the final cut as well. These are just tiny nitpicks, but if the Bus stop group gets to have their time to shine; then so should this random background lady. It seems she caught the bus after all.

[@Teemu_TV]

As a huge Simpsons fan I was delighted to learn about Mrs. Gross. I didn't know she was supposed to be a minor character. Can't even find more info about her by googling!

[@KairuHakubi]

@@Teemu_TV yeah that was insane

[@dustinmalpass]

I love the bus stop guys. They break the rules in a very charming way. They're out of place but perfectly in place

[@QuintonReviews]

I had to watch this twice before I caught the "eye crimes" gag

[@clay800]

i caught this immediately and knew it was a tribute to you

[@Spoinzy]

15:06 just noticed that there’s a nod to Homer actually being Krusty the Clown on this page.

[@NoahChrysler]

This video is incredible. You can tell the practical b-roll shots were put together meticulously, and they’re only on screen for a handful of seconds. The narration is perfect, the script is extremely well written, and music & sound design are super fitting. This level of production would feel right at home on Netflix or Discovery. The video is also incredibly well structured. Focusing on the bus stop gang provides a compelling consistent through-line, and enhances the understanding of what these rules actually look like in action. More than anything, the level of research that’s clearly gone into this makes it evident that these aren’t just your opinions or interpretations, but rather the facts & truth behind how these boards were really used. Incredible video. One of the best I’ve seen all year. So excited to watch your channel explode.

[@ocpmovie]

In 2006, I tried out for layout on The Simpsons and was given a style guide packet exactly like the examples shown here. I didn't find it helpful, since at that point The Simpsons had changed to a more modern style, which does not allow for the sort of deviations seen in the early seasons. You really have to be perfectly on model, and they hadn't sent more modern model sheets. Having not drawn the characters before, I found it hard to work in the "perfected" modern style and did not get the job. I probably still have that material ...

[@nemou4985]

u p l o a d

[@salaltschul3604]

Out of frame, but forever in our hearts. We miss the Bus Stop Five

[@eggjohnson5280]

i swear to god this only came out a year ago? this thing has appeared and reappeared in my recommended a million times

[@katagirl3000]

I told my husband over a decade ago how these characters disappeared. He kept telling me I made them up and no such characters existed - especially since they were so hard to find on the internet back then. I knew I didn't make them up because my cousins and I would always wait for them to show up so we can point out the 'bart man' (i.e. the guy with the bart hair lol). Thankfully they started making an appearance online a few years ago and husband had to admit his defeat lol

[@ToonrificTariq]

If this isn't the greatest video I've ever seen in my entire life, it is definitely in the top ten.

[@Brushedmetal69]

Verified youtuber with no replies how is this possible?

[@Arri7979]

​@@Brushedmetal69 - People are sadly sleeping on Toonrific Tariq. His channel is amazing 🤩

[@groovylobster]

It blows my mind that twister head is a conscious stylistic choice and not an early season animation mistake.

[@tiablue9106]

I always thought it looked p intentional. I'm no animation expert but I think it occurred too many times and for too many frames for that to be a mistake (but it does look weird lol)

[@RatzaChewy]

The "Walleye" Marge from You Only Move Twice is probably mine and my brother's favourite bit of animation in the entire series. Julie Kavner nailed the reading of "I think owning the Denver Broncos is pretty good!" and the derp-eyed expression that goes along with it sells the joke perfectly.

[@AWonderingPanda]

Fun fact: the Bart seen at 2:39 holding the game controller with regular Bart pointing at him going "I'm Bart Simpson who the hell is that?" Was drawn by Mr.Warburton, AKA the guy who made Codename: Kids Next Door, when he did a test to apply for the show 🥲 He says it's a funny story now!

[@meyague]

the shoes and the mouth are a dead give away, that's so cool

[@HarvoSpoon]

I can see a lil' bit of his trademark giant shoes and hands in there...

[@beIIabeIIa]

16:19 the "wittle gwin" part caught me off guard 😂😂

[@jamesforrest9837]

something about early the production methodology of the simpsons is fascinating, especially stuff like the "no evil expressions" bit.

[@tiablue9106]

I agree, the fact that the simpsons are described as these impulsive creatures who don't plan their misdeeds is a little weird considering pranks are a big part of bart's personality. but ig they didn't wanna paint him as overly malicious?

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@Tia Blue Yeah because then the emotional moments can actually hit. It's what separates it from live action comedies like Seinfeld and IASIP and animated ones like South Park or Family Guy, the show isn't trying to make its characters do the most despicable things ever in increasing awfulness. It's a much older style of comedy, helps Simpsons actually had things to say unlike most of those.

[@AluminumFusion22]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 Shows like Always Sunny and Seinfeld aren't bad shows, though. They're primarily there to tell jokes and in Always Sunny's case there IS character consistency. The viewer can catch on to little character quirks that each member of The Gang has, like Charlie's illiteracy and the famous Pepe Silvia gag. It's not painstakingly spelled out to the audience that Charlie is illiterate in the scene itself, but it's a consistent trait that he shows in some episodes, so the viewer can infer what's going on.

[@ChangedMyNameFinally69]

@Scott Grant I never said they were, but they had different priorities. The Simpsons were almost innocent in the problems they caused unlike how malicious Jerry and his friends, the Gang, the Griffiths, or even Cartman are

[@AluminumFusion22]

@@ChangedMyNameFinally69 So they're more akin to the Belchers, then.

[@ForTheOmnissiah]

Guidelines for drawing like at 2:20 are such a godsend if you're working as an animator. It's simple to understand and VERY to the point with specific examples and short, concise explanations.

[@MrJoeyWheeler]

There's a great irony in the bus stop crew being cut for time when the early seasons occasionally ran so short that they had those really long intros where you not only had the full opening sequence but the circus couch gag. And these days couch "gags" can take up over 2 minutes.

[@dunebasher1971]

You may not have seen the comment from David Silverman above - the bus stop crew *weren't* cut for time, they were cut because they didn't fit with the tone of the show as it evolved. Character design issues aside, that group run cycle does look much more Hanna-Barbera than Simpsons.

[@DaL33T5]

11:35 Marge's death glare on the lower left is so intense, it's even scarier than the weird accent drawings.

[@Fauxsushi]

I've never been a huge fan of the Simpsons, but I really appreciate the work that went into the rules of making the show so iconic. This is an awesome video! I love kinda niche stuff like this.

[@panqueque445]

All of them running in the same run cycle could just be a reference to how old cartoons (like Scooby Doo) ran that way.

[@shinyagumon7015]

Idk if it's deliberate but some of them even look like old school cartoon characters. Like the second to last one looks a lot like Barney Rubble to me.

[@samp.8099]

They probably did that because 1. It's easier to animate and 2. It's more visually striking and funny to look at

[@faithkennedy1411]

If you didn’t know, the Simpsons changed their opening scene in season 2 because in season 1 there was an error in the opening scene where Lisa’s bike disappears when she goes into the house.

[@tiablue9106]

there were several things they wanted to change like some of the colors and this bus stop part. also at homer's part at the power plant a dude behind him bites into a sandwich but the sandwich clearly stays whole; in the season 2 intro he's scrapped and replaced w/ burns & smithers

[@KairuHakubi]

surely they could just fix that instead of doing a new intro No I think they wanted to do a new intro that showed the new characters

[@jeepmega629]

Man, the process of drawing a Simpsons character is more complicated than I ever thought

[@meyague]

it's actually not

[@KC-zm5lg]

i cant believe this has been one of my comfort videos for 7 months already...

[@OriginalNakedStrats]

After watching this I feel a bit grateful for learning some simple yet fascinating drawing and animation techniques. Thanks to everyone who helped putting this video together; informative, fairly entertaining and nostalgic as hell! Not going to lie, I do feel a little inspired to get back into drawing after watching this. You should keep up the excellent work!!❤

[@freakishuproar1168]

It's a real testament to how talented the creators of The Simpsons were, in that the expressions and facial details they tried to avoid for stylistic cohesion are still really entertaining to look at. They only look "wrong" because were all visually literate in the particular look the shows animators/designers deliberately crafted, but they're really genuinely funny. The two rightmost accent drawings in this still (11:50) are amazing... xD I'm quite surprised they haven't yet been drafted into meme fodder.

[@steves1015]

I didn't search for this, but am I glad this was recommended. It is a really interesting look at how precise the Simpson's character drawing needs to be. Makes you have even more respect for the skill of those artists!

[@fleckmylife]

As a 2D animator & lifelong Simpsons fan, it's like this video essay was tailor-made for my exact interests. Thank you so much, this was incredibly fascinating.

[@drmegaman]

Hope you come back soon man. You are one of those golden KZbinrs that would make me drop a baby to click on a new vid.

[@HaxStudio]

Man, this was such a good watch. I don’t normally tune into animation videos since I gave up on that dream as a teenager, but this made me feel something. Great video, hope to see more from you.

[@TheLugiaSong]

I know rules are there to keep it all consistent among the different artists, but... I love the early seasons and especially the shorts before the series started _because_ it's all so off-model and weird perspective. It has a lot more heart and character imo. The newer style with its rigid rules is so much more soulless.

[@lethauntic]

I think that I agree with you to a degree, but I never liked the discussion about things like "soul" or "charm" and all that. Again, I see what you mean and I do share that same feeling to a point, but I don't agree with the idea that something needs to be off-model or really exaggerated to have charm or soul to it. I think there's an area where something like this could be off-model sometimes for exaggeration, though I guess at that point it would become on-model.

[@seronymus]

I see you a lot. You know ZUN said no one in Gensokyo is gay and he's disgusted by degenerate western fans obsessed with ruining touhou right? Seek Christ

[@TheLugiaSong]

@@lethauntic fair and I get your point, I suppose I mean it's drawn from feeling > rules. With more freedom to express something how you feel it should be expressed is more heartfelt than following set-in-place rules whose very purpose is to not allow that freedom of expression. I dunno how to word it, so I dunno if that makes sense.

[@TheLugiaSong]

@@seronymus source: my ass, right? Yeah no he never said that, unless you can provide a reputable source? He has however expressed gratitude and appreciation for the fandom he has created. Japan historically is actually not homophobic at all, it was the west that introduced that idea through Christian religion and unfortunately some of that does remain in Japan to this day, however it is still nowhere near as homophobic as countries where Christianity is the majority. So politely, fuck off.

[@seronymus]

@@TheLugiaSong that's a lot of words defending catching monkeypox dude. You know children use this site and you display this flag for millions of people around the world to think about poopy buttsex? Do your grandparents know what you look online? Touhou is a series of beauty and high culture. Even the atheist Soviets who slaughtered Christians en masse saw LGBT as capitalist decadent insanity. Think about it.

[@alittlebitd3ad]

I love how aggressive Matt is in his Simpson handbook

[@nermalmovement]

The fact that you’re able to make a 20 minute video analyzing a 2 second shot just goes to show how good the animation is in this show

[@deste7453]

3:54 Love that this is a thing the creators are aware of and understand the appeal of. But also if this video didn't exist I would have taken it for granted. Nice vid

[@fryode]

This video was intensely informative. I'm learning a lot about animation lately and learning the rules behind one of my all-time favorites has been enlightening. Thank you.

[@numberthread2493]

the fact that the character's run cycles are all the same makes it look like an episode from the original scooby doo. 21:12. I love it

[@Orpheusftw]

They "optimized" the fun out of the animation decades ago. I'll always love that inconsistent, occasionally creepy early artwork.

[@TheSultan1470]

...which the Simpsons isn't really. It's not a creepshow

[@sarcasticguy4311]

@@TheSultan1470 Agreed. They have a "creepshow" once a season.

[@GorgonPistolSMG]

The production value of this video alone is outstanding. Gonna share it where I can - Deserves way more views.

[@vaszgul736]

This fascinates me because it makes me realize as an artist how many rules I have with my own art, internally, that I never speak or explain to anyone. Just things I always keep in mind that end up defining my own art style. And every artists' own style is unique, ever evolving, and increasingly adding to those rules over time. It's maddening to imagine having to teach animators all of those rules, and continue to teach them all every new style rule over time. It's such a daunting task for what otherwise comes so naturally when you're the only one drawing.

[@QUIRK1019]

I remember noticing the change when it happened, but that memory wasn't triggered until you mentioned that the camera following the runners to the left was replaced with the camera following Bart to the right. It was that shift that originally caught my eye. I remember it feeling like Bart was going "slower" than he used to.

[@Canada_Gaming]

7:13 My name is Walter Hartwell White.

[@Rhedditor]

Personally, I think it's a shame that they omitted all background characters with the same hair/head color. Specifically those characters on the bus looked pretty neat and had a lot of personality to them. I'll take designs like that any day over the hundreds of modern characters with the exact same face and high cheek bones. Ugh.

[@LucaW.]

Ever since I read this comment ages ago, I can't stop noticing the high cheekbones thing now.

[@caseyjarmes]

It’s amazing how consistent you are at knocking it out of the park

[@jackmonster0017]

Oh where have you gone, my sweet prince...

[@bennyok4725]

brother dropped this banger then went silent for over a year

[@eliisgrumpy]

13:39 that’s one hell of a transition

[@lonniecynth]

A RECENT KZbin VIDEO WITH ACTUAL CAPTIONS 😭😭😭😭😭🥰 THANK YOU SO MUCH

[@HogartHughes]

youtube removed the feature that allowed other people to submit captions for videos

[@lonniecynth]

@@HogartHughes I know, that’s why I’m celebrating this video for having made captions by the creator

[@edsknife]

I like the juxtaposition of someone looking walleyed and someone very focused in the same frame. Really illustrates their senses.

[@TheMightyN]

10:26 Spoken from the guys whom hardly take their own careers to heart--in what world should we consider Groening and Silverman's word at face value if animating the Simpson characters isn't? The Comic Book Guy and Sideshow Bob, two examples whom showcase in instances where the animators break the rules--they're sometimes illustrated with a design that utilizes the "cross-eyed" technique and occasionally display a few premeditative expressions. And with one season succeeding the next after the next, bursting with newer characters, they surely will not be the last to do so. We've embarked on the journeys of when Homer went completely psycho throughout parts of the Treehouse of Horrors specials, Bart breaking down in the midst of defeat or other Simpsons characters participating or reacting in expressive ways that were premeditative or not. To set limits on future fans or animators that may would like to try a new blend of the flavor is kind of backwards regarding a show like the Simpsons--knowing it's long run. Now, I see why Bakshi always ragged on folks like Groening for submitting to the corporate animating. It can be a drag sometime.

[@Dexter744]

Love your content! You make the most of a random thing that grabs your attention and you demonstrate it to us in the best way possible. Keep up the good work

[@TrevorNWhite]

I’m reminded now of a style guide for some Disney or Warner Bros cartoon basically breaking down the math and proportions of what makes a “cute” character-always fascinating to become aware of these behind-the-scenes rules!

[@DeathnoteBB]

It’s also fascinating that it’s usually done after a design is made. Like they’re trying to reverse-engineer what makes their own design tick

[@NovaBlueNova]

I am always down for another channel that makes a few super well researched and well made video essays a year that get millions of views. These are honestly some of the best, I thought I'd just be in for a few minutes but I watched every video on your channel.

[@ghhn4505]

Father it's been a year, I desire another well edited, well researched video on an oddly specific topic

[@ThatGuy38757]

Oh hey a New video by a kid who left Stoop

[@JoJoseTv7]

He left the Simpsons stop

[@reda84.]

Oh hey a new song by american rap duo Kids See Ghosts

[@InnerCityX]

The name gets me every time

[@neoxus30]

Kid named Kid Leaves Stoop)

[@JoJoseTv7]

@@neoxus30 stop! A kid leaves stop