So as you are probably more than aware, Disney+ officially launched yesterday.
And along with offering almost every classic movie and TV show Disney has created, the streaming service is also home to all 30 seasons of The Simpsons.
Of course the show streams in HD — including the early seasons which were made before HD was even a thing.
But, people are noticing that the old episodes that have been upgraded to HD have had the aspect ratio changed from 4:3 to a 16:9 widescreen, and that in some cases the new aspect ratio cuts out sight gags:
All the classic Simpsons episodes on Disney+ are in cropped widescreen format -- this means you miss out on tons of great visual jokes, like how Duff, Duff Lite and Duff Dry all come from the same tube.
And they are NOT happy:
Booo, Disney+ ruined the aspect ratio of The Simpsons (and I’m sure many other old properties)
Since the old episodes of the show were created in a 4:3 ratio the only way to make into a 16:9 widescreen is to crop it.
Here is the thing, this isn't Disney+'s fault. The old episodes of The Simpsons were upgraded to HD a long time ago (way before Disney even considered buying 20th Century Fox).
In fact, this was the problem that FXX ran into in 2014 when it aired the old episodes of the series in HD for the first time.
And, again, it was the same issue fans complained about when Simpsons World was launched that same year.
It wasn't until a few months later that FX made the 4:3 ratio episodes of the series available to stream on Simpsons World as an option — but with a catch, the 4:3 ratio episodes were only in standard definition.
.@thesimpsons #EverySimpsonsEver The most important tweet I can make: 4:3 available on simpsons world! Seasons 1-7 now, rest soon thx FXX!
This has also been the case if you want to buy the series digitally. The old seasons that have been converted to HD are in a 16:9 ratio, if you want to get it in 4:3 you have to buy it in standard definition.
So basically, Disney, in an effort to stream the show in the highest quality possible, is having to stream it in 16:9 — which is the format they ~inherited~ it in.
Now the only real question is if Disney+ will listen to Simpsons fans and make the 4:3 aspect ratio episodes available for streaming (even in they're in standard definition)?
