Overview

• Groening accepted Annecy’s Honorary Cristal Award for lifetime achievement, calling the festival the world’s best and paying tribute to his family members who inspired the show’s characters.
• The festival’s tribute featured Frenchified Simpsons shorts, an accordion-driven intro for Lisa, a snail-savoring Homer and a premiere of a new French-dubbed episode.
• He outlined the series’ creative ethos of surprising its own team to keep its over-800-episode run fresh and emphasized preserving hand-drawn animation quality.
• The creative team joked about the show’s knack for forecasting real events, citing examples from President Donald Trump to playful predictions like the Statue of Liberty returning to France.
• Looking ahead to season 37, the writers plan a dedicated tribute to American cartoonist Jules Feiffer as part of their ongoing celebration of animation heritage.