The Simpsons – Season 3

DVD Wholesale Quick Overview:

I have the first two Seasons of The Simpsons and love them both. I grew up with The Simpsons defying my mom who didn’t want me watching such “violence”. I watched it anyway. When I saw the episode with MJ’s voice-over I just had to find out what season the episode was from. I found out it was season three. That’s when I decided I wanted the Box Set for the season. Also I didn’t want it JUST for that episode. Season Three has a lot of really good episodes. I plan on getting every single Season Box Set of The Simpsons at some point.Also, there is NO commentary unlike some of the lower rating reviews have said. If anyone reads a 1 or 2 star review about Season Three of The Simpsons having commentaries in the beginning of each episode, they are wrong. This Box Set does not have unwanted commentaries. More than likely the setting is in the Special Features option.The first episode on disk one is “Stark Raven Dad” which features the guest voice of Michael Jackson who was credited as “John Jay Smith” instead of his actual name.Disk two has “Tree House of Horrors II”. It’s a great start to the second disk. I had actually read the short story “The Monkey’s Paw” when I was in school and it was one of few short stories that I enjoyed reading that I actually read.There are four disks to Season Three and I enjoy this season very much. I would recommend it as well as Seasons One and Two.
-Anna Renee

The third season of “The Simpson’s” defines the beginning of the show’s peak, and is arguably the best season ever. The animation is finally at the level we are now familiar with, the voices have pretty much settled into their permanent tones, and the effective use of celebrity voices becomes a highlight of the show. Perhaps most importantly though, season three sees Homer become the centerpiece of the show, as Bart’s shtick had become rather tired by this time. As a result, the show’s humor takes on a more adult edge, and the possible selection of story lines expands to include the nuclear power plant, Moe’s, and other “grown-up” locales. Moreover, after being freed from being the show’s centerpiece, Bart takes on a more interesting, varied personality.
All that said, what is really important is whether or not the episodes make you laugh, and without fail season three delivers. As much as I love “The Simpsons” there are always one or two stinkers in every season, but fortunately, this collection is the exception that proves the rule. From top to bottom there isn’t a single episode in season three that I would skip over. At the same time, these episodes are for some reason rarely seen in syndication, so seeing them here uncut makes them all the more enjoyable; sort of like reuniting with a long lost friend.
In fact, I can’t recall having ever seen the “Bart the Murderer” episode in syndication, and I had actually forgotten that it even existed. Likewise, “Flaming Moe’s” my all-time favorite episode, and perhaps the most bitingly satirical episode ever, shows up once in a blue moon. The same can be said for “Black Widower” which reintroduces a much more polished Sideshow Bob, “I Married Marge”, the first of many fantastic “flashback” episodes and “Bart the Lover” which features some great lines from Homer and the best end credits graphic ever.
I could go on, but any fan of “The Simpsons” will know and love these episodes as well, if not better, than I do. I will say, though, that these DVD’s are a step above the first two seasons. Instead of the ugly, clunky menus, there is a streamlined interface, which includes the much requested option to play all of the episodes on the disc back to back. At the same time the color is rejuvenated, as one would expect from the prior releases, but perhaps somewhat surprising is how good these discs sound. The first two seasons always sounded a little off to me in 5.1 surround, but season three sounds fantastic; the producers deserve a lot of credit for taking full advantage of the available technology. Likewise, the addition of commentary for every episode speaks to the dedication to these releases, even if it is unlikely I’ll ever listen to all twenty-four of them.
In the end, if you are a fan of “The Simpsons”, nothing I say here is going to make it more likely that you’ll buy this set. Like me, you’re compelled to for the sake of owning the episodes, even after the lackluster production values of the first two seasons. However, I can reassure you that this set defines a new standard for Simpson’s collections, and the additional features are worth every penny. Conversely, if you’re a casual fan, but thinking about buying one of the seasons, start with this one. If it isn’t the best season ever, it is certainly in the top three, and the layout and extras on these discs are light years ahead of the previous two collections.
Enjoy!

DVD Wholesale Main Features:

Actors: Dan Castellaneta, Nancy Cartwright, Julie Kavner, Yeardley Smith, Harry Shearer
Directors: Alan Smart, Carlos Baeza, David Silverman, Jeffrey Lynch, Jim Reardon
Format: Multiple Formats, Animated, Box set, Closed-captioned, Color, Full Screen, NTSC
Language: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), French (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround), Spanish (Dolby Digital 2.0 Surround)
Subtitles: English, Spanish
Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only.)
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number of discs: 4
Rated: Unrated Not Rated
Studio: 20th Century Fox
DVD Release Date: August 26, 2003
Run Time: 551 minutes
ASIN: B000067DNE