The Simpsons: Playdate with Destiny Review!

Playdate with Destiny features baby Maggie and is charming even at its 5 minute running time!  It started streaming on Disney+ on April 10th after it was screened with Onward.  This is a high profile promotion of bringing The Simpsons to Disney+.  The Simpsons have been a staple of television viewing since the animated shorts that were on the Tracey Ullman Show in 1987.  The animated show has incredible longitivity since it began in 1989, winning several Emmy Awards, and holding the record for longest running sitcom!  It was really some time when I realized that young people don’t know when there is a world without The Simpsons.  No Flintstones or The Jetsons.  There was The Simpsons Movie (2007) movie and a short The Longest Daycare which screened with the Fox animated film, Ice Age: Continental Drift.  Springfield and The Simpsons Ride opened in Universal Studios in 2008.  Disney’s purchase of 21st Century Fox of course featured the crown jewel of Fox for Disney+ instead of the non-family fare on Hulu.  

The short is directed and co-written by David Silverman who has directed episodes of the animated show and The Simpsons Movie.  There is a large writing team made up of creator, Matt Groening, the producer that helped develop the show, James L. Brooks, executive producer, Al Jean, and co-executive producer and writers, Michael Price and Matt Selman, and producers Max Pross and Tom Gammill.  It opens with a silhouette of Mickey Mouse that is really Homer with two donuts!  The funny gag is seen in the commercials for the short.  Then the title card appears “Disney Welcomes The Simpsons.”  We have a typical day with Marge happily driving Maggie who is in her car seat.  She turns at a park with a clever name.  Marge takes Maggie from her car seat to the sandy playground so she can read parenting books with very funny titles next to other mothers.  A kid is about to go down the slide and smash his shoes into Maggie, but she is pulled away in time!  

Maggie turns to see a boy with a curl on the top of his head and a smile.  This is Hudson who later showed up in the episode, “The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby.”  Maggie gives Hudson her hair to wear as a neck tie.  They introduce themselves with their names written on their clothing!  They go around the playground riding the bouncy horses and imaginging riding real ponies.  There is also a beach picnic with sips of glasses which is really a fountain.  Then, time spent in a Mediterreanean villa while the sun sets which is actually time on a playground set.  This is a fun twist on childhood imagination and reality.  Maggie covers her eyes and suddenly find that Hudson is gone!  He is in his mother’s car and waves to Maggie.  At night, Maggie goes to sleep in her crib and in her dreams the objects around her room turn into Hudsons.  

Springfield at Disney Studios for Light Up The Season, 2019, photo by the author.

She spits out her pacifier and then wakes up happy.  Maggie gets ready, very funny is Maggie spraying a cloud of baby powder and walking in it!  She is in her car seat when Maggie finds it is Homer driving!   He passes up the park and Maggie frantically beeps her toy car horn.  He drives to another park and goes to a taco truck.  Maggie takes a skateboard from Nelson.  She uses it to reach the top of ramp to see Hudson in the other park.  Homer pulls her away and stops any chance of seeing Hudson!  Morning, some jazzy sax-a-ma-phone plays as Maggie takes a drink from her milk bottle!  She has a picture of Hudson that she shows a toy of a police officer.  Funny.  There is still separation from Hudson and Maggie has to find a way to get back to him!  It is all told by music by Jim Dooley for Bleeding Fingers Music and the sounds of Maggie’s pacifier.  There is no dialogue from Homer or Marge, there is words spoken by Maggie’s Phonic Frog (Chris Edgerly) toy, and we don’t get to see Lisa or Bart.  This is all Maggie’s story.  Playdate with Destiny is a fun short capturing all of the cleverness of the show!  

Five Pacifiers out of Five!  

#PlaydatewithDestiny, #DavidSilverman, #Maggie, #Hudson