I think The Simpsons is one of the best shows ever made, animated or otherwise. The adventures of the Springfield residents never cease to make me laugh, and I’m often streaming random episodes on Disney+ because it’s so convenient, even though I own all the DVD box sets.
If you also stream The Simpsons on Disney+, you might be watching it incorrectly. The streaming service displays the show in an objectively weaker format by default, and you’re likely missing jokes without realizing.
Disney+ Streams The Simpsons in a Remastered Format
The Simpsons first aired in 1989, when the standard aspect ratio for television was 4:3. If you’re old enough, you likely owned a CRT TV with a nearly-square screen. For many years, The Simpsons produced all its episodes in this format because it looked great on everyone’s TVs.
The standard eventually changed, with a rectangular 16:9 ratio becoming (and remaining) the chosen format for TVs. In 2009, for the 10th episode of the 20th season, The Simpsons switched to high definition and a 16:9 aspect ratio. This was a major undertaking. For starters, the title sequence had to be remade, which hadn’t changed significantly since season two.
If you watch any 4:3 show on a 16:9 TV, ideally it should have black bars on the left and right to maintain the original aspect ratio. However, the broadcaster or your TV may stretch the output to fill the entire screen. This results in a distorted image.
With The Simpsons on Disney+, the situation is a little different, though not better. Disney+ uses a “remastered aspect ratio” by default. Rather than stretching the image to fill the screen, the same result is achieved by cropping the top and bottom of the frame.
This means that, for the first 20 seasons, you’re seeing less of the original image and missing jokes. You can see an example of this in the tweet below, where the gag that all three variants of Duff beer come from the same tube is entirely lost in the remastered version.
Thankfully, you can disable this and watch the golden age of The Simpsons the way its creators intended.
Technically, Disney+ doesn’t have all episodes of The Simpsons. The season three episode Stark Raving Dad starring Michael Jackson was pulled from circulation in 2019 and has never been available on Disney+.
How to Stream The Simpsons in the Correct Format
It takes a few button presses to switch to the 4:3 format, but you need to know where to look. You can do this on any device you watch Disney+ on. To begin, navigate to the Simpsons page on Disney+. Next, switch to the “Details” tab and disable the “Remastered aspect ratio” toggle.
This change applies immediately across every applicable episode and all your devices; you shouldn’t need to restart the Disney+ app. Remember, episodes designed in 16:9 will still use that wider format. Perfectly cromulent!
When Disney+ launched, there was no option to switch to the 4:3 format. Disney promised a solution, but it took six months to arrive. This Medium blog post written by Disney employee Joe Rice details the technical challenges involved.
Enjoy More Simpsons on Disney+
Did you know that Disney+ also has exclusive Simpsons specials and episodes that you can’t see anywhere else? Search for “The Simpsons” and you’ll find shorts like the Sideshow Bob-starring The Most Wonderful Time of the Year and the Star Wars parody May the 12th Be With You.
Also, on the Simpsons page itself, use the season selector and pick “Exclusives” to find three full-length episodes that never aired on TV.
If you want even more from the yellow family, The Simpsons Movie is streaming on Disney+, which sees Springfield trapped under a giant dome. There are also special features, like deleted scenes and commentaries, accessible from the “Extras” tab. A sequel is due in theaters in 2027, two decades after the original, and I can’t wait.
- Subscription with ads
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Yes, the Disney Basic plan
- Price
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Starting at $10/month
Stream The Simpsons, along with family favorites, old classics, and exciting new TV, all in one place.
