This is a short film about Matt Groening that anyone can watch and enjoy, even those who aren't fans of "The Simpsons". The funny thing is that while I'm not a big fan of "The Simpsons" myself, I do love "Futurama" and it's great to hear anything from this guy. The best bits are when he talks about how he was influenced by Charles Schulz. Yes, that's only because Charles Schulz is a massive influence on me too. Why am I not watching a documentary on him? Anyway, this was made in 2000, the early days of "Futurama".
It's at this time that Groening was busy with "Futurama" to the point where he was less involved with "The Simpsons" and the show was declining. I remember first coming to this website and reviews of "The Simpsons" were among the first online reviews I ever read. Again, I wasn't even a fan. This documentary itself deals with Groening's early life. He was raised in Oregon and the shows he watched inspired him to be against authority. Since he grew up as a teenager during the Vietnam War, it makes sense he would be anti-authoritarian.
It talks about his first project "Life In Hell", a comic strip. It even talks a bit more about that than "The Simpsons". It's always great to see where such a great cartoonist got his start. Although Matt Groening wanted to take on taboo material, he still really cared about writing characters that loved each other. Being rebellious doesn't mean neglecting your loved ones. I think it's a great lesson he wanted to teach. ****