While The Simpsons Movie 2's arrival. The Simpsons Movie was a huge financial success upon release in 2007. The first cinematic spinoff of the acclaimed animated sitcom earned over $500 million internationally while gaining largely positive critical write-ups.
However, there has not been much news on The Simpsons Movie 2 in the fifteen years since the original movie arrived in theaters. 2022 did see the arrival of The Bob’s Burgers Movie, a Simpsons-inspired sitcom’s first theatrical release, meaning there is a public appetite for more feature-length, family-oriented animated sitcom shenanigans. A more modest affair than The Simpsons Movie, The Bob’s Burgers Movie still managed to match The Simpsons Movie’s impressive 87% Rotten Tomatoes rating.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie earned largely impressive reviews thanks to its decision to keep the spinoff’s story contained, leaving the movie feeling more like an extended episode rather than a big, ambitious theatrical affair. This has naturally led viewers to wonder whether The Simpsons Movie 2 could copy this approach since a smaller story would speed up the production process of the sequel after the long gap between movies. However, tonal differences between the two source shows make this a tricky proposition for The Simpsons Movie 2. Bob’s Burgers, meaning the show's movie spinoffs are naturally bigger affairs.
Why The Simpsons Movie 2 Shouldn’t Copy The Bob’s Burgers Movie
While The Simpsons season 33 proved the show’s ambition could hinder its success, The Simpsons remains a less grounded series than Bob’s Burgers. The Simpsons Movie reflected this tonal difference, with its plot taking place across America and concerning the fate of Springfield and all its citizens. For all its flaws, The Simpsons wouldn’t benefit from reining in its ambition, meaning The Simpsons Movie 2 should be as much of a considerable cinematic experience as its predecessor. Producer Al Jean reaffirmed this when he noted that any future Simpsons movies would be theatrical releases rather than straight-to-streaming. In contrast, the Bob’s Burgers Movie succeeded as a smaller project precisely because the source show has always been a smaller series.
The Bob’s Burgers Movie didn’t add new characters to the show’s cast or add more locations to the show’s universe because the spinoff didn’t need to. This is one place where The Simpsons Movie could have learned from The Bob’s Burgers Movie, which didn’t waste valuable screen time introducing a new villain. However, in broader , The Simpsons Movie 2 copying the style of The Bob’s Burgers Movie wouldn’t make sense. While this would make the sequel a more modest proposal, it would also detract from the larger-than-life appeal of The Simpsons as a series. The Bob’s Burgers Movie could afford to tell a small story, while The Simpsons Movie 2 would be betraying The Simpsons Movie and its source series by downsizing the iconic show's ambitions.
