What’s this? What’s this? Springfield has a brand new look this Halloween! The Simpsons’ “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII” opens with a stop motion parody of Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas, turning the Simpson family into the residents of Halloween Town. The episode premieres Sunday, October 25 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on FOX and streams the next day on Hulu.
Meet the Simpsons of Halloween Town
The opening reimagines Springfield’s most famous faces as characters from the 1993 Disney classic:
- Bart as Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King
- Marge as Sally
- Homer as the two faced Mayor of Halloween Town
- Ned Flanders as Oogie Boogie
- Santa’s Little Helper as Zero, Jack’s ghost dog
Keep an eye out for more surprises, including Krusty the Clown on a unicycle and a one eyed creature sporting Sideshow Bob’s unmistakable hair.
How the Stop Motion Opening Was Made
The opening was created by Stoopid Buddy Stoodios, the studio behind Robot Chicken. The team spent about three months on the project, using hand sculpted puppets and sets built from cardboard and foam.
The animators studied the lighting, movement and character designs of the original film. They even shifted the Simpsons’ famous yellow skin toward blue to match the moody look of Halloween Town. The music, a spoof of “This Is Halloween,” was created by Bleeding Fingers.
What to Expect From Treehouse of Horror XXXVII
The episode airs 36 years to the day after the very first “Treehouse of Horror” premiered in 1990. After the opening, it features three spooky stories:
- Marge’s mystery husbands: Every time Homer walks into the shed, a different husband walks out, from Lenny to Kang and Kodos.
- Bart and Santa’s Little Helper: After a terrible accident, Bart and his dog come back from the grave with their bodies swapped.
- Homer’s driving lesson: Teenage Bart and Lisa discover that witch versions of Patty and Selma have trapped Homer inside an endless loop of terrifying driver’s education films.
Guest stars include Tiffany Haddish and Survivor host Jeff Probst as himself. The episode is directed by David Silverman and written by Joel H. Cohen, Jessica Conrad and Tim Long.
A Disney Halloween Double Feature
This crossover feels right at home in the Disney family. The Simpsons and The Nightmare Before Christmas are both part of Disney today, and you can stream The Nightmare Before Christmas on Disney+ to compare the original with Springfield’s version. This isn’t the first time The Simpsons have teamed up with another part of Disney either. Remember when they took over an NFL game in The Simpsons Funday Football?
Will you be watching “Treehouse of Horror XXXVII” on Sunday? What did you think of the Nightmare Before Christmas opening? Let us know in the comments!
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