The Simpsons is currently in its 27th season. So how do they keep doing it? It seems as if their formula has been working so well for so long. Here's taking a look at how they make each episode. Check it out:

1. The Pitch

The first step is to pitch an idea for an episode. Each pitch is a minute long and tweaks and suggestions are made to it. By the end of it, Matt Groening himself will provide feedback and give the green light to whichever pitch that made it.

2. The Draft

It takes two weeks to come up with the first draft. After that, they will spend four weeks re-writing their draft before it is ready for a table read.

3. The Table Read

The cast, producers, and writers get together for a live reading of the script. After this, the episode starts to take more shape.

4. Voice Recording

Cast members will gather in the studio to record the entire script. They will typically record each character separately.

5. Direction

This is the transition from script to screen. A director is appointed for the episode and will come up with a clear vision of where the animation will go and how it will look like.

6. Storyboard

The storyboard will create the blueprint for the episode. The director will pair vocals, and still images of scenes to show the flow of it. Once it is complete, they can start to animate it to give it more life.

7. Storyboard Revisions

The revisions are made in two weeks, where tweaking and revising the storyboard is done to make sure everything is in the right place.

8. Layout

This is where the animators will create a polished "flip-book" of the episode. It will take from a month to a month and a half to finish.

9. The Timer

People called timers will create a detailed map which pinpoints where dialogue and animation will match up. This is where the characters' mouths are mapped to match up with the words so it looks like they are really saying what you hear.

10. Scene Planning

Each scene gets digitally created in this step.

11. Checkers

Every thing needs to be double checked for redundancy and error checking. They will make sure that all of the individual frames match up with the dialogue and exposure sheets.

12. Akom

Akom is a South Korean animation studio. They've been helping out with The Simpsons for 25 years already. This is the biggest step in animation as it adds the color and fills in the space between each frame. This company gives the episode the crisp and finished touch.

13. The Final Review

After Akom is done, the team will watch it and go through it one last round to make sure it's perfect.



Sounds like a pretty long process, right?