Animators Reimagine the ‘Simpsons’ as Pixel Art

Fans of The Simpsons take note: A pair of Australian animators have recreated the long-running cartoon’s iconic opening sequence entirely in pixel art, in the style of your favorite old school 16-bit video game.

The culprits behind this pop culture gem are Paul Robertson and Ivan Dixon, of Melbourne-based company Rubber House Studios. There’s even a computerized version of the classic Simpsons theme song, courtesy of Jeremy Dower.

For fans of the animated sitcom, the roughly two-minute long video contains lots of inside jokes and gags based on the long-running series. But even for the uninitiated it offers a tantalizing glimpse of an arcade game that clearly needs to happen.

One scene sees Bart write “Pixel art is not real art” over and over again as a punishment at school. According to the seemingly comprehensive Simpsons Wikia, the familiar gag in the series opener has seen art-related chalkboard messages before: “I will not create art from dung” and “Shooting paint balls is not an art form.” Obviously, some artists would disagree (see Chris Ofili’s Glittering, Dung-Encrusted Paintings Return to New York and Originality Feud Flares Among Brooklyn Artists Bedazzling Dog Poo).

View the Simpsons Pixel art for yourself!