The Truth About That Post-Credits Scene In The Good, The Bart, And The Loki
When Disney acquired Fox in March 2019, "The Simpsons" fans were thrilled that the animated sitcom would eventually be available to stream on Disney+ when the platform launched in November 2019. The team behind the long-running show was happy, too. "It's a perfect fit, and you know, 100 million subscribers" said "The Simpsons" executive producer Al Jean when speaking to Variety in July 2021.
However, the streaming giant hasn't promoted the series as much as it has its other properties. While Disney, Marvel, Pixar, National Geographic, and Lucasfilm all have tiles on the Disney+ homepage (and on all of the company's marketing materials), "The Simpsons" is absent, despite its equal cultural relevance. Series co-creator and executive producer James L. Brooks had a clever idea to change this: "The Simpsons" should invade the rest of the streaming service, through a series of mini crossover films.
Disney+ subscribers first got to see this in May 2021, with "The Force Awakens from Its Nap," finding Maggie Simpson inside the world of "Star Wars." Upon the success of that short film, the "Simpsons" team decided "Loki" was the perfect vehicle for a crossover with Marvel.
"The Simpsons: The Good, the Bart, and the Loki," which dropped on Disney+ on July 7, answers a question we didn't even know we had: What if our favorite Springfield residents became Avengers? In the short film, after getting banished to Earth by Odin, Loki (voiced by Tom Hiddleston) lands in Springfield, where he quickly infiltrates the Simpson family and wreaks havoc upon the town. Amusingly, he disguises himself as Bart (Nancy Cartwright), while Lisa (Yeardley Smith) wields Mjölnir and becomes a version of Thor.
Staying true to Marvel tradition, "The Good, the Bart, and the Loki" also features multiple mid- and post-credit sequences — including one that completely evokes the set of the TVA, recreating the moment when Loki first appears in front of Judge Revonna Renslayer.
Animators had a tight turnaround to create the post-credits scene set at the TVA
It's uncanny how similar the animation in "The Simpsons: The Good, the Bart, and the Loki" is to the look of the live-action "Loki" series, and apparently, it was a "real nail biter" to create — particularly when it came to the final post-credit scene set at the TVA. Executive producer Al Jean sat down with Variety for an interview to discuss the crossover short, and shared that the team had only a week to create the final post-credits sequence.
"[Producer] Jim Brooks said, 'Oh, we've got to do something with the series now that it's on,' because ['The Good, the Bart, and the Loki' is] coming out July 7. So that [final post-credits scene] was based on the first episode only. I hadn't seen the other three, and obviously, I have no idea how it ends, either. I suspect Loki is up to no good. That's my theory," Jean told Variety.
He then confirmed that the ending minute or so of "The Good, the Bart, and the Loki" was indeed written, recorded, and animated in one week. "We recorded Dawnn Lewis as the Judge. David Silverman turned it around that fast," said Jean.
As anyone who has seen "The Good, the Bart, and the Loki" knows, the animation team absolutely nailed the TVA look. There are no reported plans for any further Marvel- "Simpsons" crossovers, but we would certainly be thrilled to see these two legendary universes meet again.