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Shows like The Simpsons that were only made for broadcast never had a film negative. It was likely mastered to analog tape.

NoMoreNicksLeft 1y ago
They're solidly pre-digital. Somewhere, the individual frames were drawn/painted on cel, were they not? In principle, remastering should still be possible.
- HideousKojima 1y ago
  Assuming the cels weren't lost or destroyed. Or auctioned off to fans/collectors, as was often done: https://www.animationconnection.com/original-production-cels https://www.animationconnection.com/original-production-cels In fact there's an episode of the Simpson's where Bart buys an Itchy & Scratchy animation cel and is disappointed when it's just a segment of Itchy's arm (or something like that). EDIT: https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Itchy_%26_Scratchy_animation_cel https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Itchy_%26_Scratchy_animation_c... The cel had Scratchy's arm, and it was in the episode "Lady Bouvier's Lover" (S05 E21).
  - Stratoscope 1y ago
    Guilty as charged! This brings back a memory from around 1980. I ordered an animation cel from Original Animation Art (Starshine Group). You had to mail them a check and a description of what you were looking for, and hope for the best. The first one they sent me was a little bit better than Scratchy's arm, but not by much. I returned it and asked for something with the entire character in it. They sent Daffy Duck nearly off the edge of the frame with a nasty scowl. Not fun to look at. For the third try, I asked if I could please have something with the character smiling and in the center of the frame. And they sent a wonderful cel of Porky Pig from A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court! It looks very much like this one, but only Porky and not the background: https://www.comic-mint.com/chuck-jones/a-connecticut-rabbit-in-king-arthurs-court-1978-directed-by-chuck-jones https://www.comic-mint.com/chuck-jones/a-connecticut-rabbit-... That cel must have been from the same scene as mine, as some elements of it are identical, particularly his right hand holding the torch. Many years later I bought the DVD of this movie, stepped through it and found the exact frame with my cel. Too cool!
- gnomesteel 1y ago
  I shouldn't have said never had a film negative. They likely scanned hand-drawn cells to film, then transferred that to tape. At the time they likely saw the NTSC tape as the master.
  - rbanffy 1y ago
    The same way that today we rescan originals at 4 or 8K is also telling we aren’t thinking about 16K or 32K with 30 bits per hyperspectral channel. Even though you need really great quality originals to make it work.
- neckro23 1y ago
  It would take a ton of work, especially for a show as long-running as The Simpsons. The original materials probably aren't even available anymore. I believe the reason they were able to remaster lots of old Japanese anime OVAs in HD is because the animation was recorded to film first. I wouldn't be surprised if the Simpsons just used videotape instead.

NoMoreNicksLeft 1y ago

They're solidly pre-digital. Somewhere, the individual frames were drawn/painted on cel, were they not? In principle, remastering should still be possible.

HideousKojima 1y ago
Assuming the cels weren't lost or destroyed. Or auctioned off to fans/collectors, as was often done: https://www.animationconnection.com/original-production-cels https://www.animationconnection.com/original-production-cels In fact there's an episode of the Simpson's where Bart buys an Itchy & Scratchy animation cel and is disappointed when it's just a segment of Itchy's arm (or something like that). EDIT: https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Itchy_%26_Scratchy_animation_cel https://simpsonswiki.com/wiki/Itchy_%26_Scratchy_animation_c... The cel had Scratchy's arm, and it was in the episode "Lady Bouvier's Lover" (S05 E21).
- Stratoscope 1y ago
  Guilty as charged! This brings back a memory from around 1980. I ordered an animation cel from Original Animation Art (Starshine Group). You had to mail them a check and a description of what you were looking for, and hope for the best. The first one they sent me was a little bit better than Scratchy's arm, but not by much. I returned it and asked for something with the entire character in it. They sent Daffy Duck nearly off the edge of the frame with a nasty scowl. Not fun to look at. For the third try, I asked if I could please have something with the character smiling and in the center of the frame. And they sent a wonderful cel of Porky Pig from A Connecticut Rabbit in King Arthur's Court! It looks very much like this one, but only Porky and not the background: https://www.comic-mint.com/chuck-jones/a-connecticut-rabbit-in-king-arthurs-court-1978-directed-by-chuck-jones https://www.comic-mint.com/chuck-jones/a-connecticut-rabbit-... That cel must have been from the same scene as mine, as some elements of it are identical, particularly his right hand holding the torch. Many years later I bought the DVD of this movie, stepped through it and found the exact frame with my cel. Too cool!
gnomesteel 1y ago
I shouldn't have said never had a film negative. They likely scanned hand-drawn cells to film, then transferred that to tape. At the time they likely saw the NTSC tape as the master.
- rbanffy 1y ago
  The same way that today we rescan originals at 4 or 8K is also telling we aren’t thinking about 16K or 32K with 30 bits per hyperspectral channel. Even though you need really great quality originals to make it work.
neckro23 1y ago
It would take a ton of work, especially for a show as long-running as The Simpsons. The original materials probably aren't even available anymore. I believe the reason they were able to remaster lots of old Japanese anime OVAs in HD is because the animation was recorded to film first. I wouldn't be surprised if the Simpsons just used videotape instead.