For one, even a casual fan would note the absence of several classic characters in the storyline.  Apu the Kwik-E-Mart clerk, Monty Burns and his assistant Smithers, Marge Simpson’s twin sisters Patty and Selma, and even Krusty the Klown were all mysteriously left out of the movie, among others.  Each made a cameo, yes, but for those who thought The Simpsons Movie marked some kind of finale to a show that began nearly two decades ago, it would’ve been reasonable to assume some of the most famous characters would’ve played a larger part.  Perhaps the movie marked a beginning more than an end.

Questions about the film’s success arose last summer with the initial marketing.  Most notably we wondered why it had taken so long for a Simpsons movie to be made.  The show’s best days were clearly behind it, with competition in recent years coming from South Park and Family Guy, two shows so cutting and controversial they’ve made The Simpsons look, at times, like a Saturday morning cartoon.

But anyone who coughed up $10 last weekend ($72 million in tickets were sold, making it #1 by a mile) remembered within the film’s opening scene why they were fans of the show to begin with.  It’s not as fresh as it once was, but it’s clever and sharp as ever, and seeing it on the big screen enhanced the experience and offered effects and screen angles we’ve never seen on the TV version.

The Simpsons also have a knack for storytelling that makes the longer film form a reasonable feat.  Family Guy, for example, might struggle with the format because of its thin story lines; the show’s humor is derived, after all, from the constant flow of character flashbacks (ie, “You think that’s bad, remember the time when…”).  In fact when you consider that a 90-minute Simpsons movie neglected so many key characters, choosing instead to zero in on the family itself, and pulled off a winner, it’s clear that the show’s humor and sophistication comes from the plot at least as much as it does from the characters.  That bodes well for future films.

But perhaps I’m only hoping the movie is the first in a long series.  It surpassed my expectations and reminded me of everything I like about the show.  Will it make me return to the TV version, one that I’ve long abandoned for the dozens of alternatives?  Maybe, at least for the short term, and perhaps that was part of the strategy.  But then again I’m on board for sequels, which seem a cheaper, better alternative for 20th Century Fox, considering the potential returns.  Count this as my singular vote in support of a long life for The Simpsons Movie series.

Scott Goldberg