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Credit: UniversalIn 2019, The Walt Disney Company purchased 21st Century Fox for a whopping $71 billion. With that acquisition, Disney got the rights to some major films and television franchises, including Avatar, Die Hard, Fantastic Four, Ice Age, Bob’s Burgers, Family Guy, and American Dad. However, perhaps the largest franchise that came with the purchase was The Simpsons.
Over the past six years, there has been near constant speculation whether Disney would be bringing the first family of Springfield to its theme parks. The biggest thing standing in the way was the fact that a Simpsons-themed area already exists in both Universal Studios Hollywood and Universal Studios Florida.
Related: Disney Takes Steps to Bring The Simpsons to Theme Parks
Universal currently owns the rights to The Simpsons, but those are expected to expire in 2028. However, there is at least one person who would be “shocked” if the iconic animated show made its way from Universal over to Disney — Simpsons showrunner Matt Selman.
In speaking with Entertainment Weekly, Selman said that he couldn’t imagine the show leaving Universal, and he isn’t sure that Universal Hollywood could thrive without it.
“I would personally be shocked if The Simpsons did not continue at Universal. I don’t have any inside information, so I’m just a fan. This is not an official announcement. I’m not party to those negotiations.”
“Think about it, what would they put there? They’d have to close it, shut it down for what, two years? And build another area, right in the middle of Universal. I was just there. They’re building a giant Fast and Furious outdoor rollercoaster right there. And they just built all this Mario stuff. Like how would they— it would destroy them!”
Related: ‘The Simpsons’ Showrunner Reveals How Many More Episodes Are Left
Springfield opened at Universal Studios Florida in 2013 and at Universal Studios Hollywood in 2015, replacing Back to the Future: The Ride, which had been in place for years.
Despite its age, Selman still thinks Homer, Marge, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie draw an incredible crowd and shouldn’t be replaced.
“The Simpsons Ride is, even though its technology is 20 years old, is great,” he says. “The in-line experience is funny. People ride it again and again. The Springfield food court is amazing. Cletus’s fried chicken on the bone is so good. The Krusty Burger is so good. The branding and level of Springfield specificity is fantastic.”
“Just as a Simpsons fan, it does not seem logical to me that they could close that, or that they would be so shortsighted to do that. But that’s not an announcement. That’s just me speculating. What would they possibly do?”
Related: Several Universal Orlando Attractions Expected To Be Retired by 2030
Despite Selman’s belief that it wouldn’t make sense for the Simpson family to leave Universal theme parks, there has been a lot of speculation that the area — particularly the one in Universal Hollywood — will be replaced sooner rather than later. For a while, there was a widespread belief that the area would be rethemed into a land dedicated to Bob’s Burgers, but that was never confirmed.
This would not be the first time that Disney and Universal crossed paths when it comes to themed lands. Walt Disney World Resort is not allowed to feature many Marvel superheroes in its theme parks due to the contract Marvel Comics has with Universal. That contract does not exist for the California parks, which is why Disney was able to build Avengers Campus.
Disney has not commented on a potential Simpsons Land in its theme parks, but with the continued popularity of the show, it would be surprising if the company did not take advantage once Universal’s contract ends.
Would you like to see The Simpsons come to Walt Disney World Resort or Disneyland? Or do you think Disney and Universal should create a new contract and keep the Simpsons Lands where they currently are? Do you think Universal should close Springfield U.S.A. and create a new land in its parks? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!