Summary

Matt Groening is a cartoonist, animator, and producer best known for creating The Simpsons, television's longest-running primetime animated series. Although it debuted as a series of cartoon shorts for another television show in 1987, The Simpsons launched on its own in 1989, making the dysfunctional family of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie famous almost overnight. At the time, Groening was already a successful cartoonist, whose Life in Hell comic strip appeared in underground newspapers and book collections. The Simpsons became a cultural phenomenon, and Groening's characters soon appeared in a wide range of products and venues. Groening went on to create the animated science-fiction series Futurama, launched a Simpsons-based publishing company called Bongo Comics, and produced The Simpsons Movie. Matt Groening describes the life and career of one of animation's most successful artists, known for his unique drawing style and quirky sense of humor.

Chapters include:

• Drawn to Weirdness
• Life in Hell
• Hitting a Homer...D'oh!
• The Makings of a Television Classic
• Spinning Off into the Future.

Specifications

Full-color and black-and-white photographs and illustrations. Bibliography. Resources. Index.

About the Author(s)

Jeff Lenburg is an award-winning author, celebrity biographer, and nationally acknowledged expert on animated cartoons. He has written nearly 30 books—including such acclaimed histories of animation as Who's Who in Animated Cartoons and The Great Cartoon Directors. His Facts On File book The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons is considered to be the definitive reference for animation fans. His books have been nominated for several awards, including the American Library Association's "Best Nonfiction Award" and the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association's Gold Medallion Award for "Best Autobiography/Biography." Lenburg lives in Arizona.