The Simpsons Movie is a 2007 American animated comedy film based on the Fox animated sitcom The Simpsons by Matt Groening. The film was directed by the show's supervising director David Silverman and stars the show's regular cast of Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright, Yeardley Smith, Hank Azaria, Harry Shearer, Pamela Hayden, and Tress MacNeille reprising their roles and Albert Brooks as the film's main antagonist, Russ Cargill, head of the EPA. The film follows Homer Simpson, who irresponsibly pollutes the lake in Springfield, causing the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to imprison the town under a giant glass dome. After he and his family escape, they ultimately abandon Homer for his selfishness and return to Springfield to prevent the town's demolition by Cargill. Homer works to redeem his folly by returning to Springfield himself in an effort to save it.
Although previous attempts to create a Simpsons film had been made, they failed due to the lack of a script. Eventually in 2001, producers James L. Brooks, Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully and Richard Sakai began development on the film and a writing team consisting of Brooks, Groening, Jean, Scully, Ian Maxtone-Graham, George Meyer, David Mirkin, Mike Reiss, Matt Selman, John Swartzwelder and Jon Vitti was assembled. They conceived numerous plot ideas, with Groening's being the one adapted. The script was rewritten over a hundred times, also continuing after work on the animation began in 2006. Consequently, hours of finished material was cut from the final release, including cameo roles from Erin Brockovich, Minnie Driver, Isla Fisher, Edward Norton, and Kelsey Grammer, who would have reprised his role as Sideshow Bob. Tom Hanks and the members of Green Day voice their own animated counterparts in the final cut of the film, while Albert Brooks, a frequent guest performer on the series, provides the voice of its main antagonist, Russ Cargill.
Tie-in promotions were made with several companies to promote the film's release, including Burger King and 7-Eleven, the latter of which transformed selected stores into Kwik-E-Marts. The film premiered in Springfield, Vermont, on July 21, 2007, and was released theatrically six days later on July 27 by 20th Century Fox across the United States. The Simpsons Movie received positive reviews and grossed $536.4 million worldwide, becoming the eighth-highest-grossing film of 2007, the second-highest-grossing traditionally animated film (behind Walt Disney Animation Studios' The Lion King), and the highest-grossing film based on an animated television series. The film received very positive reviews for its humor, emotional weight, and callbacks to early seasons. The film was nominated for numerous awards, including a Golden Globe Award for Best Animated Feature Film at the 65th Golden Globe Awards.
Plot
After finishing a concert at Lake Springfield, Green Day tries to engage the audience in a discussion about the environment, but their audience refuses to listen and instead throws trash at them. The pollution in the lake erodes the band's barge, causing them to sink and drown. During their memorial, Grampa Simpson has a spiritual experience and prophesies that a disaster will befall Springfield. However, only Marge takes it seriously. Concerned about the terrible state of the environment, Lisa and her new friend Colin hold a seminar and convince the town to clean up the lake. Meanwhile, at Krusty Burger, Homer adopts a pig to save it from being killed by Krusty the Clown. Marge, identifying the pig as a part of the prophecy, warns Homer to get rid of it, but he refuses. Homer's fawning over the pig makes Bart, now fed up with his father's carelessness, look to their neighbor, Ned Flanders, as a father figure.