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:
Episodes: Dog of Death, Marge Be Not Proud, The Secret War of Lisa Simpson, Mayored to the Mob
Other Info:
Fullscreen (1.33:1)
Dolby Digital Surround Sound
Spanish and French Languages
Running Time: 112 Minutes
Synopsis:
The following is from the DVD cover:
“Episodes:
Dog of Death: The Simpsons’ dog needs an operation that the family can barely afford. They save the animal’s life but resent the dog so much that he runs away. He becomes one of Mr. Burns’ infamous hounds-til Bart’s love wins him back.
Marge Be Not Proud: Bart shoplifts from a store, and thinks his crime has been successfully concealed. Then the Simpsons go to the store for a Christmas photo and Marge is ashamed to learn what her son has done.
The Secret War of Lisa Simpson: Bart joins an all-male military school-as does Lisa. Her grit is tested more than it ever has been, particularly when she must survive an obstacle course known a “The Eliminator.”
Mayored to the Mob: The family attends the Springfield Bi-Monthly Science Fiction Convention (Bi-Mon Sci-Fi Con). After Homer saves Mark Hamill from unruly fans, he decides to become a bodyguard for Mayor Quimby-whose life is now being threatened by mobster Fat Tony.
Features the guest voices of Willem Dafoe, Mark Hamill, Phil Hartman, Joe Mantegna, Dick Tufeld, Lawrence Tierney, Marcia Wallace.
The Simpsons: Bart Wars is not rated.
The Series:
Looking at the cover of this DVD you would think that Fox was trying to cash in on the hype surrounding Star Wars, and you’d be right. You’d also assume that all these episodes feature their hilarious Star Wars parodies, but you’d only be 25% right.
Only one episode has anything Star Wars related and that’s “Mayored to the Mob” where Mark Hamill has a brief cameo playing himself at a science fiction convention. You also get to see C-3PO and R2 battle Cylons from Battlestar Galactica as well as some Wookiee jokes. Hamill’s cameo is a little bittersweet because it’s fun to see him on The Simpsons, but the Star Wars fans are portrayed like well Star Trek fans. They act like idiots and mob Hamill at the show. It’s no wonder Hamill rarely attends conventions with fans if this is how he would expect to be treated. (As a Star Wars geek, maybe I’m taking it too personally.)
Unfortunately, none of the other episodes have Star Wars material. I would have loved to see the episode where Ralph bends his Wookiee. There are a lot of other episodes with Star Wars related jokes that could have also been included. Too bad they are not here. If you’re buying this DVD just for the Star Wars hype, then move along, move along. This isn’t the DVD you’re looking for.
Star Wars gripes aside, any episode of The Simspons is a fun episode. However, I’d think you’d rather simply buy the full season set rather than buy episodes here and there in this format. It’s more cost effective to buy an entire season at once.
The Extras:
There’s only one bonus feature included on this DVD. You can watch “Mayored to the Mob” in rough line drawing format. It’s interesting because it not only reveals the creative process, but because some of the scenes and dialogue are completely different than what’s in the final version.
The Bottom Line:
The Simpsons: Bart Wars is a good attempt to cash in on Star Wars hype, but the final product is a disappointment because only one of the four episodes has anything Star Wars related.
