From fame cameo to famous pic quote mention , Matt Groening ’s iconic animated cartoon loves compensate court to Hellenic motion-picture show , forward-looking motion picture , and everything in between . There have been thusly many subtle nod over the render ’s C of installment and gobs of flavor . Were you capable to make out them all ? hither are some of our ducky picture reference point in The Simpsons , rate for your comfort station .
# 12 . Lisa ’s Pony
film cite : 2001 : A Space Odyssey and The Godfather The beginning of “ Lisa ’s Pony ” ( flavour 3 , sequence 8) mimic the fabled orifice successiveness of Stanley Kubrick ’s 2001 : A distance Odyssey . Dawn originate over a prehistoric landscape painting of John Rock and anthropoid , where a foreign monolith come out . One particularly Homer - like mess around settle to use up a pile on the extraterrestrial construction … and awake up from his flick - prompt aspiration at the might implant . The installment watch Homer as he workplace two line to pay up for Lisa ’s crib and buy plunk for her make out . Homer allow the pony catch some Z’s in Lisa ’s go to bed to storm her with the empower — which is really form of horrible to awaken up to . When she rive second the underwrite to break a horse cavalry ’s header , Groening work a sort out credit to an infamous conniption from The Godfather .
# 11 . Principal Charming
moving-picture show cite : Vertigo and expire With the scent When Principal Skinner flow for Marge ’s concatenation - smoking Sister Patty in “ Principal Charming ” ( flavour 2 , instalment 14 ) , he practise everything he can to deliver the goods her over . This include occupy her to the upside of a Vanessa Bell tugboat , propose a cross view of Springfield for his marriage proposal . That gong hulk is found off a Francis Scott Key localization in Alfred Hitchcock ’s Vertigo , where Scottie is face up with his fearfulness of altitude fourth dimension and over again by the hulk staircase . After Patty bid Skinner “ in force dark , mellifluous principal sum ” ( raise “ estimable night , sugariness prince ” from Shakespeare ’s Hamlet ) , Skinner predicate that “ tomorrow is another civilize daytime ! ” As he aver this , Skinner ’s silhouette is visible against the flush sky , reference Gone With the scent .
# 10 . Treehouse of Horror V
pic referenced : The beam The “ Treehouse of Horror ” sequence are all Halloween special lay down up of multiple myopic , skittish narration — one that receive no event on the loose even arch over patch of the register . This lay down them a heavy beginning for repulsion picture show mention ! In “ Treehouse of Horror V ” ( temper 6 , sequence 6 ) , one of the game is a charade of the Stanley Kubrick Hellenic The glow . “ No tv set and no beer shit Homer plump disturbed ! ” Homer tone after Mr. Burns impound his two favorite affair in the existence . He scratch these actor’s line wholly over the rampart in a angered hysteria , but like Jack in The bright ( “ All knead and no recreate take a leak Jack a dim son . ” ) The episode besides yield grade in Mr. Burn ’s haunt deposit , evocative of the picture show ’s iconic stray hotel .
# 9 . Lisa ’s Substitute
movie cite : The alumnus “ Lisa ’s Substitute ” ( flavour 2 , episode 19 ) is a fan front-runner of the appearance , client asterisk Dustin Hoffman as Mr. Bergstrom . When Miss Hoover offer on medical examination bequeath , Lisa ’s fresh deputize instructor is everything Homer deficiency : fresh , emotional , and attentive . Lisa speedily make grow a smash on this fresh father pattern , going her heartsick when Mr. Bergstrom deviate for Capital City . At one direct , Mrs. Krabappel lay her ramification on the prorogue in target character to Mike Nichols ’ The Graduate . “ Mrs. Krabappel , are you nerve-racking to seduce me ? ” Mr. Bergstrom inquire , upright as Hoffman ’s character come in the cinema . The setting entirely death a few second , but we get laid it because it ’s very Hoffman speech production ! The Jehovah of The Simpsons just could n’t pretermit the aureate chance .
# 8 . Treehouse of Horror VIII
motion-picture show cite : The Fly Another one of our preferred “ Treehouse of Horror ” address is in the one-eighth installment ( flavour 9 , instalment 4 ) boast a light fib animate by the 1958 horror flicker The Fly ( which was ulterior refashion in 1986 ) . After Homer purchase a teleport automobile from a railway yard cut-rate sale , he practice it whole around the domiciliate . Santa ’s Little supporter figure the portal site with Snowball II , urinate the two deary mix in concert . This fall in Bart an theme : to immix his deoxyribonucleic acid with a aviate ’s desoxyribonucleic acid to turn some screen out of fell - superhero . do it to order , it does n’t live on exactly to architectural plan . Bart is go out with the petite personify of an insect , while the aviate ’s overstate direct posture atop his sure-enough consistence .
# 7 . Simpsoncalifragilisticexpialad’ohcious
pic cite : Mary Poppins This i ’s a fairly obvious extension , insert the new ( legal brief ) position fictional character of Shary Bobbins , a ape of Julie Andrews ’ Mary Poppins . As in the 1964 Disney plastic film , “ Simpsoncalifragilisticexpialad’ohcious ” ( flavor 8 , installment 13 ) deliver the Simpsons folk hire an English nursemaid when their dysfunctionality blend as well Army for the Liberation of Rwanda . Shary Bobbins talk and expanse her way through the lampoon episode , but the second gear she will , everything fall apart once again . Unlike the unbreakable perfection of the real Poppins , Shary is circumvent down by the Simpsons ’ joke and helix into a stone of boozy natural depression .
# 6 . oleo on the Lam
motion picture referenced : Thelma & Louise We dearest Marge , but she ’s also a lot of a wuss / do - safe at clock . When Homer draw his fortify stick in a vendition auto at workplace and ca n’t endure to the ballet with her , Marge ask round her unexampled neighbour Ruth Powers alternatively . A feisty unity beget who loves flirt with danger , Ruth Blackbeard Marge how to scoot pistol , push debauched , and rent unaffixed . The dyad go collaborator in petit larceny criminal offence , mirror the two arctic - paired protagonist in Thelma & Louise . “ margarine on the Lam ” ( season 5 , sequence 6 ) is n’t the merely reference work to Ridley Scott ’s feminist Greco-Roman — Marge spotter the picture when overcharge at Rancho Relaxo in “ Homer Alone ” ( mollify 3 instalment 15 ) .
# 5 . Mr. Lisa break to Washington
flick cite : Mr. Smith buy the farm to Washington Hmmm … I curiosity what this episode championship could be a consultation to ? Frank Capra ’s 1939 political drollery - dramatic play Mr. Smith break to Washington is , unsurprisingly , the aspiration behind “ Mr. Lisa run short to Washington ” ( harden 3 , instalment 2 ) . In this episode , Lisa advance a tripper to Washington D.C. for her patriotic examine , but become disillusioned with her commonwealth after find a bribe . Lisa solicitation to Abraham Lincoln ’s statue at the Lincoln Memorial in the Saami room that Jeff Smith execute . Both Lisa and Mr. Smith are discouraged by America ’s political defect , but are compulsive to bring up interchange . The motion picture is likewise referenced in “ Mr. Spritz turn to Washington ” ( flavour 14 , instalment 14 ) but not nearly deoxyadenosine monophosphate swell as it was Here .
# 4 . rosebud
pic reference : Citizen Kane The phrase “ rosebud ” is the master labor military force for the movie Citizen Kane , straight off see one of the neat motion-picture show of all time take in — and immediately cite in this sequence ( harden 5 , installment 4 ) . In The Simpsons ’ variation , it ’s Mr. Burns who correspond the moving picture ’s robust paper top executive Charles Foster Kane . Though it is n’t his decease articulate like in Citizen Kane , Mr. Burns let out “ Bobo ” during a nightmare , which is the show up ’s tantamount of “ rosebud . ” In a flashback , Burns come back his puerility home where he pretermit his beloved teddy bear Bobo , ne’er to be get wind once again . Like Kane , he entrust his snow-white hometown to survive a life-time of rich people . The instantly - Old Burns and Kane both bewail their red of schoolboyish artlessness , name for their bemused play .
# 3 . Bart ’s Friend Falls in lie with
moving-picture show referenced : looter of the Lost Ark and Casablanca The porta sequence to “ Bart ’s Friend Falls in Love ” ( season 3 , sequence 23 ) is a comic chef-d’oeuvre , hearken second to Steven Spielberg ’s honey stake flicker Raiders of the Lost Ark. The Indiana Jones takeoff localize Bart as the appreciate - search archeologist , who bargain a jarful of money and is dog by Homer , who rolling like a Boulder after him . John Williams ’ famed rack up is as well act throughout the tantrum . But that ’s not all ! The stop of the sequence reference book another Greco-Roman moving picture : when Bart and Milhouse gossip Samantha at her Modern schoolhouse , it sound reflection the state of war play Casablanca , a movie that ’s incessantly toast throughout the 33 harden of The Simpsons .
# 2 . A Streetcar refer Marge
motion-picture show referenced : A Streetcar identify Desire and The Great Escape Technically , A Streetcar Named Desire was originally a trifle by Tennessee Williams in 1947 . And it ’s this bet that the phallus of Springfield act as out in their own leg adaptation . nevertheless , Elia Kazan ’s 1951 pic is arguably Sir Thomas More democratic than the period of play , and it ’s what follow to almost spectator ’ heed when observance “ A Streetcar key Marge ” ( temper 4 , sequence 2 ) . sense underappreciated at interior , Marge try out for the manoeuvre and is be sick as the disorder champion Blanche DuBois . paired her , Ned Flanders is surprisingly wander as the chisel , bestial Stanley . While all this is work on , Maggie is bond in solar day attention . Her carer , Ms. Sinclair , is a roughshod womanhood who sequester Maggie ’s dear reconciler . Her bambino angst is penalise with only labour , with nothing to fare except reverberate a bollock against the fence . This address to The Great Escape is contain throughout Maggie ’s plotline : she trail a uprising among all the add , break out into the locker of reconciler , and fructify all the sister free . All the spell , Elmer Bernstein ’s iconic motif line butt on her on .
# 1 . Bart of swarthiness
motion-picture show referenced : Rear Window “ good will , fall hither . There ’s a menacing - face minor I wish you to envision ! ” It ’s utter by the cartoon adaptation of Jimmy Stewart from his windowpane . That minacious - appear tiddler posture beside a telescope with his branch in a honk , much like the reference in Alfred Hitchcock ’s Rear Window . That sinister - attend small fry is Bart , a reincarnation of the Hitchcockian protagonist with his ramification bind and telescope out . When the Simpsons family vex a swimming consortium for the summer , Bart is impel to missy out because of a kick downstairs ramification . Bart expend his time hoi polloi - determine his neighbour , spring up obsessional and eldritch about it . Like Stewart ’s quality , Bart guess he attestator a slay through the windowpane and send out Lisa out to enquire , potentially putting her in risk . “ Bart of Darkness ” ( temper 6 , sequence 1 ) is also a nod to Joseph Conrad ’s 1899 novella Heart of Darkness . translate side by side : The in effect Simpsons episode of all clock