The Annecy International Animation Film Festival recently celebrated Matt Groening, the legendary creator of The Simpsons, with a heartfelt and humorous tribute. The event resembled a classic Simpsons episode—funny, emotional, and unexpectedly silly, complete with a spontaneous fart joke.
Groening received the honorary Cristal Award for his lifetime achievements in animation. “Forty years ago, Matt Groening dropped a bomb on animation,” declared Annecy’s artistic director Michael Jean, referencing the 1987 debut of The Simpsons as short sketches on The Tracey Ullman Show, which later evolved into one of the most successful primetime series in television history.
As part of the tribute, Annecy showcased several French-adapted shorts of Groening’s work, including a reimagined Simpsons opening with Lisa playing an accordion and Homer indulging in snails. They also premiered a newly dubbed French episode of The Simpsons.
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Groening, visibly touched, lifted his Cristal trophy and said, “Merci for the payoff!” He acknowledged collaborators, studio executives, and notably the French voice actors for Homer and Marge, who received warm applause. Most of all, he expressed gratitude to his family—who inspired and lent their names to the Simpson characters. “It’s a little-known fact that my parents’ real names were Itchy and Scratchy,” he joked. “Actually, my father is Homer, my mother is Marge, my siblings are Lisa and Maggie, and my grandfather is Abe. People always ask: ‘Does that make you Bart?’” With a pause, he concluded, “The truth is — je suis Milhouse.”
Joining Groening on stage were The Simpsons executive producer Matt Selman and longtime animator David Silverman for an engaging Q&A session. Now in its 36th season, the show continues to evolve and remain relevant. Groening emphasized that their creative drive stems from surprising themselves first. “If we can surprise ourselves, we’ll probably surprise the audience too,” he remarked.
Selman echoed this sentiment, noting the joy and enthusiasm behind their work. He highlighted that many of today’s young viewers, ages 8 to 12, are discovering The Simpsons via Disney+, often becoming devoted fans for years before moving on to more mature content. “The show helps shape their worldview,” he said, “teaching them to be skeptical, curious, and empathetic.”
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However, he wryly downplayed the show’s global impact, quipping, “We can’t say we saved the world—we might’ve destroyed it. Would there be a Fox News without The Simpsons?”
Selman also praised the show’s animation team, explaining that The Simpsons, being writer-driven, places high pressure on animators. “Writers only notice mistakes,” he noted. “You never get credit for the farts you hold in. That’s true in animation and in marriage.”
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In recent years, The Simpsons has developed a reputation for predicting the future, from Donald Trump’s presidency to Disney’s acquisition of 20th Century Fox. At Annecy, the team embraced this role, drawing humorous predictions from a blue Marge Simpson wig. Among them: the Statue of Liberty being returned to France due to Americans forgetting the meaning of “Liberty,” and a self-driving electric car powered by public disdain for Elon Musk.
And in a nod to the show’s enduring success: “The Simpsons will still be on air in the year 3000,” they predicted. “Sadly, critics will say it’s been declining for the past 1,000 years.”
