Starring:
Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson/Grampa/Barney Gumble/Krusty the Klown/Groundskeeper Willie/Mayor Quimby/Hans Moleman/Sideshow Mel/Others (voice)
Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson/Patty & Selma Bouvier/Others (voice)
Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson/Nelson Muntz/Todd Flanders/Ralph Wiggum/Kearney/Others (voice)
Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria as Moe Szyslak/Chief Wiggum/Apu/Comic Book Guy/Cletus/Prof. Frink/Others (voice)
Harry Shearer as Montgomery Burns/Waylon Smithers/Ned Flanders/Kent Brockman/Rev. Lovejoy/Principal Skinner/Dr. Hibbert/Rainer Wolfcastle/Others (voice)
Marcia Wallace as Edna Krabappel (1990-) (voice)
Phil Hartman as Lionel Hutz/Troy McClure (1991-1998) (voice)
Tress MacNeille as Jimbo Jones/Agnes Skinner/Others (voice)
Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten/Rod Flanders/Others (voice)
Special Features:
‘Tis The Fifteenth Season Animatic
Other Info:
Full Frame (1.33:1)
Stereo Sound
Spanish and French Language Tracks
English and Spanish Subtitles
Running Time: 128 Minutes
Synopsis:
This disc features four episodes from The Simpsons from various seasons:
Homer vs. Dignity To make money, Homer lets Mr. Burns hire him to perform increasingly degrading acts. Finally, Homer is forced to choose between wealth and self-respect when Burns orders him to spoil a holiday parade.
Skinner’s Sense of Snow A freak blizzard traps the students of Springfield Elementary inside their school. Their lives at stake, they are at the mercy of the rescue efforts of a woozy Homer and Ned.
Dude, Where’s My Ranch? Homer’s attempt to write a Christmas carol turns into an anti-Flanders ballad that goes to the top of the charts. To escape it, the family heads to a dude ranch, where Homer battles beavers and Lisa falls in love.
‘Tis the Fifteenth Season Homer spends his entire Christmas bonus on an extravagant gift for himself. But when he watches “Mr. McGrew’s Christmas Carol” on TV, he sees the error of his ways. He becomes the nicest guy in town, leading to a battle of good vs. goody-good with Ned Flanders.
The Simpsons Christmas 2 is not rated.
The Movie:
If you buy this DVD expecting Christmas episodes, you’ll be disappointed. “‘Tis The 15th Season” is the only episode that fits that profile. The rest have only passing references to Christmas or they feature snow.
“‘Tis The 15th Season” is notable because it features a hilarious Claymation California Raisins parody. You’re treated to dancing prunes and the cartoon actually switched from traditional 2-D animation to clay figures. They also do it again for a Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer parody. Look for a parody of Mr. Magoo as well.
Guests in these episodes include Leeza Gibbons, Joe Mantegna, Andy Serkis, Jonathan Taylor Thomas and Marcia Wallace.
Unless you love these particular Simpsons episodes, I wouldn’t recommend buying this DVD. You’re probably better off saving your pennies and buying the DVD set containing a full season. But if you’re on a tight budget and you want some Simpsons episodes on DVD, this might be a good option for you.
The Extras:
This DVD has an interesting bonus feature. It contains an early version of “‘Tis The 15th Season”. It shows the episode in its early pencil / animatic version. What’s cool about it is that it is an alternate version of the episode. Many of the gags are quite different from what’s in the final version. You also have the option of watching this with the storyboards and final episode in picture-in-picture. Simpsons fans and animation fans should enjoy this.
The Bottom Line:
Unless you’re on a budget and can’t afford the full season DVDs, then The Simpsons Christmas 2 might be a good option for you. Just don’t expect much Christmas in these episodes.
