The Simpsons couch gag for the Christmas episode “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas” features the “obligatory Frozen reference.” It stars the Simpson family as Frozen characters. Elsa (Lisa) creates an ice castle to stop her brother Kristoff (Bart) from throwing snowballs at her. Homer is literally disgusted with himself. He’s transformed into a Olaf the snowman and immediately regrets his attempt to eat his carrot nose.
There is an updated version of last year’s The Simpsons opening. Some of the changes are subtle such as even more snow falling on Lisa when walks out of school. Santa Barney has been replaced with Rich Texan, who uses bulls instead of reindeer. Captain McCallister joins the sled race with penguins mushing through the snow. The best addition is Maggie giving a Christmas present to her nemesis Unibrow Baby, who still sports the defective stamp she gave him last year.
The opening pays tribute to the Krusty the Clown’s departed father Rabbi Hyman Krustofski and Joan Rivers. Their ghosts are seen in a Chinese restaurant that Bart snowboards past. The Rabbi’s ghost notably no longer has pointy elf ears perhaps out of respect or simply by mistake.
The angels of Mrs. Krabappel, voiced by Marcia Wallace, and Simpsons writer Don Payne, have been removed ascended to Heaven. Wallace and Payne passed away in 2013.
The Simpsons “I Won’t Be Home for Christmas” premieres Dec 7, Sunday 8PM on Fox (encore Dec 21).
Animation Domination Christmas 2014 preview
