Whether or not shows like Aqua Teen Hunger Force or The Simpsons succeeded in translating their television dynamics to the big screen depends on your point of view, but the release of Speed Racer this weekend raises a more specific question about the viability of turning an animated series into a live action spectacle on the big screen. The Adventures of Rocky and Bullwinkle and Underdog both suggest how this goal can go wrong -- namely, by imploding on its absurd conceits. You may disagree with the inclusion of some of the following titles, all of which culled their material from animation, but it's fair to say that each of them takes its subject matter at face value, allowing the natural ingredients of the original sources to remain intact. Well, maybe not Super Mario Bros., but that one is a special case (fire away, if you must). Until somebody makes an Animaniacs movie with real actors, I'm sticking to this list.

1. Popeye (1980)

Robert Altman's offbeat ode to the famous Fleisher cartoon starring the spinach-eating strongman and his darling Olive Oil is the great misunderstood work of the director's career. Robin Williams and Shelley Duvall manage to bring utterly ridiculous characters into a realm of believability that you could never imagine when watching the show. Suddenly, Popeye made sense -- goofy, almost surreal sense, but sense nonetheless -- in the real world. Thanks to veteran adult cartoonist Jules Feiffer's screenplay and a soundtrack so catchy Paul Thomas Anderson borrowed from it twenty years later in Punch-Drunk Love, the classic status of Popeye can't be denied.

Well, there has been another bidding war in Hollywood, and another studio gets to emerge victorious. The Hollywood Reporter announced that Warner Bros. have purchased the film rights to Josh Lieb's young adult novel, I Am a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President (and while I'm normally not a huge fan of overly long titles, this one is pretty cute).

The story centers on a chubby and awkward 13-year-old boy with the reputation of being the dumbest student in the seventh grade. What his classmates don't know is that, in fact, the boy is actually an evil genius with one of the largest fortunes on the planet. He's even got an underground lair underneath his suburban split-level. In an attempt to please his do-gooder dad, he comes up with the idea of running for class president.

This wouldn't be the first time that a sequel recycled material from the first movie, but since Night at the Museum 2: Escape From the Smithsonian has apparently gone so far as to change the museum setting from New York's Museum of Natural History to D.C.'s Smithsonian Institute, I'd think it would want to avoid repeating material from the original. I guess not. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Night at the Museum sequel will feature an "all-powerful Egyptian pharaoh" played by Hank Azaria, who is best known for the 1,000 voices he does for The Simpsons. If you remember, the plot of the first Night at the Museum involved a gold tablet stolen from the tomb of the fictional mummified pharaoh Akmenrah. In this sequel, which again stars Ben Stiller and again is directed by Shawn Levy and is again written by Thomas Lennon and Ben Garant, the pharaoh's name is Kah Mun Rah. It isn't stated whether or not the character will be a villain or not, but if Azaria does play an evil pharaoh, it wouldn't be the first time he played a nuisance to Stiller. In 2004's Along Came Polly, he was a scuba instructor who steals Stiller's character's new bride (played by Debra Messing) on the couple's honeymoon.

The trade also notes that Azaria has been cast in another ancient-history kind of role. He will play Abraham in The Year One, the Biblical-era-set comedy from producer Judd Apatow and director Harold Ramis, which Monika first told us about back in June, 2007. That movie stars an all-star lineup that includes Jack Black, Michael Cera, David Cross, Christopher "McLovin" Mintz-Plasse, Eden Riegel, Oliver Platt, Olivia Wilde and Vinnie Jones. Be prepared to hear Azaria do some crazy accents for each of these films, even though he typically avoids the cartoony voices in his live-action work (such as next month's hilarious comedy Run, Fatboy, Run).

Here's a phrase you might be hearing at some point in the near future: "Kids, pack up the car -- we're heading to Missouri to visit the brand new Brad Pitt museum!" I kid you not. According to a story over at Hollywood.com, Pitt's hometown of Springfield, Missouri is in the early planning stages of building a museum celebrating all things Brad Pitt. The decision comes after the town noticed -- their words, not mine -- "a growing number of fans making a pilgrimage to the area to learn more about where their idol spent his formative years."

Look, I understand the pilgrimage thing for folks like Elvis, Jim Morrison, John Lennon and that cupcake featuring the face of the Virgin Mary. But Brad Pitt? Springfield, Missouri? Really? I guess this means Springfield, Missouri has officially given up their quest to be known as the home of The Simpsons -- and I don't blame them. That's a fictional cartoon family, and this is a real-life human being, who, we've heard, melts the hearts of anyone who stares at his smile for more than 30 seconds. Literally! Like, their hearts melt and they go poof! (Can you tell I'm reachin' here?) Anyway, if you live anywhere near Springfield, Missouri, do let us know when this museum opens up. I'd personally love to go ... and I'll be wearing this mask when I show up -- for no other reason than to freak people out who walk past me.

I was a fan of The Simpsons back when they were still on The Tracy Ullman Show. But back then, I was a fan of anything on television. Those old shorts weren't even that funny. A few years later, though, when I grew out of watching TV, I remained loyal only to The Simpsons. Why? Because it got funnier, but also as a movie geek, I couldn't get enough of the series' constant homages to cinema. It seemed there were references in every single episodes. Some were little throwaway bits, either verbal or visual winks, while others were more blatant, full-on tributes or parodies. In both cases, there are sequences using near-exact shot duplication -- something only an animated show could do so well -- and these are the kinds of nods that kept me a fan for years and years and years (I did kind of abandon the series in its regular run after about 12 years, though).

There have been a number of guides and websites to The Simpsons that provide lists of movie references and parodies. However, none of them are visually comprehensive. Coming close, though, are a few sites that place side by side a Simpsons still and its corresponding reference. Here, we can really see how dead-on some of those frames are, and how loosely adapted some others are. So, in preparation for the soon-to-be-released Simpsons Movie DVD, a blog titled The Adventures of Accordian Guy in the 21st Century (aka JoeyDevilla.com) put up a decent collection of these comparison shots over the weekend. He admits he found the images, but his spread is appreciated, nonetheless. He also doesn't list the movies, so I'll take a second and list the ones included: The Shining; Vertigo; The Graduate; Citizen Kane; Miracle on 34th Street; A Clockwork Orange; The Godfather, Part II; Goodfellas; Tom Jones; The Karate Kid; Psycho; Full Metal Jacket; The Longest Day; Apocalypse Now; Stripes; An Officer and a Gentleman; The Ten Commandments; North by Northwest and Saboteur. Additionally, the blog has posted small, individual sections on Simpsons tributes to Raiders of the Lost Ark; Citizen Kane; Midnight Express; It's a Wonderful Life; 2001: A Space Odyssey; The Pride of the Yankees; One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest; How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Steamboat Willie.

Obviously there are countless more movies the blog doesn't include (commenters mention some good ones), as well as a number of shots and references within his list that are excluded. But we must understand that a comprehensive project would take a long, long time. However, if you know Spanish (or even if you don't), you could take a look at Actualidad Simpson's movie reference section, which is apparently where the blog got the images (I couldn't tell you if they took them from elsewhere), and where there are lots, lots, lots more (with titles).

Pretty much everyone I've talked to felt exactly the same way after seeing The Simpsons Movie -- relieved that they didn't blow it, a lot of laughs, but it wasn't quite the earth-shattering event we'd been dreaming of since we were kids. The film was measurably better than the current episodes, but not up to the show's heyday of seasons 1 - 10. Still, I don't think anyone could argue that the film is a rock solid comedy, and that was more than enough to make it stand out in the dreary summer season we just sludged through. But do I really need to revisit the movie? After reading the details on the DVD, that answer might be "yes." Releasing here on December 18th, The Simpsons Movie DVD looks to be quite d'oh-lightful.

Most intriguing are the two commentary tracks. One track will feature James L. Brooks (a hero of mine), Matt Groening, Al Jean, Mike Scully, David Silverman, Dan Castellaneta (voice of Homer and many other characters), and Yeardley Smith (voice of Lisa). The other will be a directors' commentary by Silverman, Mike B. Anderson, Steven Dean Moore and Rich Moore. There will also be deleted scenes, though not as many as I was expecting considering all the versions the movie went through on its way to release. These include: an alternate ending, something called "Sausage Truck," and additional work from Albert Brooks as Russ Cargill - whom I would argue stole the film. He certainly delivered its funniest line: "Rats can't be trapped this easily. You're trapped like...carrots." You also get Homer's amusing Tonight Show monologue, the Simpsons judging American Idol, and alternate character designs by the directors and Groening. Oh, and on DVD you can pause all the hardcore full-frontal Bart action!

Never a stranger to taking controversial stances, The Guardian is stirring up some heated debate by accusing the Simpsons character Apu Nahasapeemapetilon of being a "crude racist stereotype." Writer Manish Vij says "Culture-vulture Simpsons fans have felled entire forests in arguing that he's a parody of a stereotype, rather than the stereotype itself. But the plain fact is that most viewers are laughing at Apu, not with him. They're enjoying the simple pleasures of a funny, singsong brown man with a slippery grasp of English." Vij takes major issue with 7-Eleven's recent Kwik-E-Mart makeover promotion (which Erik told you about here), as well. 7-Eleven employees at the converted convenience stores are, as Vij puts it, "being asked to don Kwik-E-Mart costumes with Apu nametags, come to work under banners mocking their ethnicity, and bid customers goodbye with the phrase, 'Thank you, come again!'" He closes the article by saying, "Today, we expect American companies to promote racial tolerance. Yet like an outbreak of a long-dormant virus, 7-Eleven is spending millions of dollars to push a crude ethnic stereotype well past its sell-by date. It's tin-eared and unconscionable. The company should cancel Apu and issue an apology."

Now, I could definitely argue that The Simpsons is, and always has been, satire. It makes fun of anything and everything, and though it's certainly poked fun at race relations over the years, I've never seen anything on the show I'd consider racist. The Apu character talks with an exaggerated accent, but it's an animated comedy show -- everybody does. And it's certainly an equal opportunity offender. Everyone on the program is a stereotype, and those stereotypes are frequently addressed, exposed, disproved, and mocked. Stereotypes exist on The Simpsons to provoke the viewer, as all good comedy should. Fat Tony could offend sensitive Italians, Groundskeeper Willie could offend sensitive Scotsmen, Bumblebee Man could offend sensitive Hispanics, and so on. But I hardly think the intent of The Simpsons' writing staff is to spew hate.

I have to disagree with Vij about Apu being crude and racist. If anything, he's one of the more intelligent and positive presences in Springfield, and I find the author's comparisons of Apu to "minstrel shows" and "Jim Crow America" to be really pushing it. But the 7-Eleven thing is sort of a grey area for me. I haven't visited one of the revamped stores, so I don't know how the "Apu" issue is being handled, but it certainly sounds like potentially dangerous turf. What do you think? Is Mr. Nahasapeemapetilon an offensive racist caricature? Is this a serious issue or much Apu about nothing?

Have you always dreamed of landing a guest spot on The Simpsons? Have you wondered what you would look like as a resident of Springfield? Well, thanks to the glorious thing that is movie marketing, you can now create your own Simpsons character (based on you or someone you know) and show it off to all those people who claim you don't have a lot of time on your hands. Interested? Oh, I know you are. To play, you can either head on over to the official The Simpsons Movie website (where they allow you to create your own avatar -- see me to the right of your screen) or the Burger King Simpsons site (where they allow you to upload a pic of yourself which you can then alter once in Simpsons mode).

I thought I'd like the Burger King site better (since you can use a pre-existing photo of yourself), but the one I created on The Simpsons Movie website came out a tad closer to what I actually look like. Just picture sideburns, a little scruff and bit more roundish physique. That's not to say the Burger King one won't work -- I guess it just depends on the picture you provide (they ask for a close-up shot). In case you've been living under a rock, they've been promoting the hell out of this movie. Earlier this month, a handful of 7-Elevens were converted to Kwik-E-Marts, while a flurry of Simpsons-related products hit shelves in thousands of stores across the country. (I managed to pick up some Buzz Cola, although it was a tad too sweet for my taste). On top of the 7-Eleven thing, a contest was also held featuring all of the U.S towns named Springfield. Basically, each town had to submit a video saying why they should be chosen to host The Simpsons Movie premiere. In the end, Springfield, Vermont won (check out all the submitted videos here). All this talk, I bet you're dying to see the movie already. Well, fear not, we only have to wait two more weeks -- The Simpsons Movie arrives in theaters on July 27.

[via JoBlo]

I've seen some pretty wild movie promotions in my lifetime, but this one has to be one of the more elaborate and fun (if you're a die hard Simpsons fan). As part of the "most massive and complex" monthlong promotion, a dozen 7-Eleven convenience stores across the United States and Canada have undergone a facelift, and have now officially become a Kwik-E-Mart -- based on the popular location featured in The Simpsons TV show. Those stores with exterior changes are located in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Burbank, CA., Los Angeles, New York City, Las Vegas, Buena Vista, Fla., Seattle, Mountain View, CA., Bladensburg MD., and Coquitlam, B.C., Canada. Why they didn't transform a 7-Eleven located in one of the many Springfields across the country, I have no idea. Nevertheless, the promotion will run through the film's release on July 27, and come down at the end of the month.

Ah, but a change of name is only the beginning. Over one thousand customized in-store displays and signs have also been created, along with actual products featured in the TV show. Among those items you can currently purchase in all 6,400 stores are KrustyO's frosted cereal and Buzz Cola. Those famous 7-Eleven Slurpee machines have also been re-invented as the Kwik-E-Mart Squishee, featuring the WooHoo! Blue Vanilla Squishees from the show. Additionally (and this is something I'm definitely picking up), Matt Groening's Bongo Entertainment Group has created an original 32-page Radioactive Man comic book, numbered 711. It comes wrapped in plastic and will be sold exclusively at 7-Eleven for $3.99. The one item not on the shelves, unfortunately, will be Duff Beer, because it doesn't jive with the film's PG-13 rating. Bummer. Same goes for the character Snake -- his thieving ways aren't exactly PG-13 friendly ... even if he is just a cartoon character. So make sure to stop by your local 7-Eleven, and definitely let us know what else there is to snatch up. Oh, and I could not find the exact locations for those dozen stores dressed up as Kwik-E-Marts, so if you know where they are, let everyone know in the comments section below. The Simpsons Movie hits theaters on July 27.

There is probably nothing that fans don't already know about the upcoming big screen version of The Simpsons, and this is just the latest thing in a long line of teasers, posters, and preview screenings. ComingSoon.net has the first look at yet another poster for the animated comedy and Fox has also launched the movie's official site. It's a relatively elaborate site with plenty to do, or at least it will be when Fox gets the entire thing up and running. At the moment, there are only a couple of games, that mainly involve cartoon destruction, so it looks they aren't kidding with the Michael Bay-style extravaganza they've hinted at in the trailers. For the less destructively inclined, there's also a little "three card Moe." You can also take a crack at creating your own Simpson's avatar, and of course there are the usual offerings of icons, a screen saver, and desktop wallpapers.

At this point, I think it's fair to say that I have lost track of the different posters for the film, so I can't say that this one is going to stand out any more than the rest. However, there is something to be said for the "classical" Homer, complete with donut. Fans have been anxiously waiting for July 27th to see if this is the Simpsons movie they have been waiting for, or if Groening and company have somehow managed to screw it all up, and as the wait goes on, Fox certainly seems to be giving the film all the support they can.