Overview
Less than two weeks after their animated tribute to The Simpsons went viral on YouTube, a pair of Melbourne animators have confirmed their video will be featured on the show. Creator Al Jean even high-fived the pair on Twitter.
Created by roommates Ivan Dixon and Paul Robertson, the two minute pixel art animation (below) recreates the program's iconic opening sequence in the style of classic video and arcade games. Full of clever references to both old games and classic Simpsons moments (Mr. Sparkle makes a late appearance), the video has amassed more than two million views since it hit the internet on February 1.
After catching wind of the video, The Simpsons team emailed Dixon and Robertson, asking them to call as soon as they could. While the pair initially assumed the message was a hoax, they got in contact. Now the video is set to open the show's next episode, which airs in the United States this Sunday at 8pm.
Both Dixon and Robertson work in animation. Dixon is one half of independent animation studio Rubberhouse, while Robertson has worked on episodes of Disney's Gravity Falls.
The announcement sees the pair join an exclusive group of people who have been invited to retool the show's famous titles. Cult animator Bill Plympton had Homer fall in love with the couch...
... while Pan's Labyrinth director Guillermo del Toro provided this creepy take for Halloween.
British graffiti artist Banksy raised the eyebrows of Fox executives with his scathing take-down in 2010...
while last year's effort by Oscar nominee Don Hertzfeldt is amongst the weirdest things the show has ever put to air.
Via The Age.