Disney+ UK Launch Date Confirmed

Mine too - finally, been worth the wait!

The option is also there on Sky Q too, quite the surprise today. The quality is just as a sharp as the 16:9 versions previously, as some of the older 4:3 broadcast copies can vary in quality.

Still no 4:3 for Chip 'n Dale or Goof Troop though, which I was hoping would come with these. I imagine we likely won't ever see them, probably not enough people interested for them to justify it.

https://medium.com/disney-streaming/bringing-new-aspects-of-the-simpsons-to-disney-d6067226556e has an explanation of some the work involved to get the service to handle multiple ratios.
Now the groundwork has been laid, it may open up the possibility of adding other shows far easier in future.

I was going to post a different article, but noticed you posted first! Here's the variety version, anyway:

https://variety.com/2020/digital/news/simpsons-4-by-3-aspect-ratio-disney-plus-1234618818/

Seems strange they didn't programme the option into Disney+ initially though seeing as the previous FXX Simpsons World app also had to be reprogrammed to add the same option after a similar backlash. You'd think they'd have learned from that.

Also interesting one of the pictures Disney used to demonstrate the cut off gags is the "big butt Skinner" balloon- which is from (as far as I'm aware) the only episode where the 16:9 version has ended up on Channel 4.

D'oh! I'd been looking in the global app settings, rather than on an individual episode (as Asa suggested). Now just to find some time to watch them.

Those years are the original airdates, right? So shouldn't that say 1989-2020, 31 seasons? Or if the current season isn't on there yet, 1989-2019?

Season 30 would've first aired in 2018 which I assume is what's it's going off (although the end of the season would've been in 2019).

There were almost certainly other priorities for app development. Having read the article I get the impression that their implementation is far more sophisticated than 'Simpsons World' - which likely had two completely separate versions of the episodes, didn't have multiple language tracks, less metadata. I'm not sure it even had playlists, skip credits, play next or other features that are in the Disney+ app.


Of course Disney could have replicated this, but they've spent the time developing something that, as they say, is far more efficient and could have other uses in the future.

Simpsons World didn't have multiple language tracks (no real need seeing as it was only available in the US), but it did have the commentary tracks from the DVDs, which I'm pretty sure you could watch with both the 4:3 and 16:9 versions.

Including some that still aren't on DVD, since those only go up to season 18.

Season 19 came out on DVD last year too.