''Maggie Simpson in "Playdate with Destiny"'', also known as ''Playdate with Destiny'', is a 2020 American animated

short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...

based on the animated television series ''

The Simpsons ''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening and developed by Groening, James L. Brooks and Sam Simon for the Fox Broadcasting Company. It is a Satire (film and television), satirical depiction of American life ...

''. The film features

Maggie Simpson Margaret Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series ''The Simpsons'' and the youngest member of the titular family. She first appeared on television in the '' Tracey Ullman Show'' short " Good Night" on ...

. It is the first ''Simpsons'' short film released after the

Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

acquisition of

20th Century Studios 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

(formerly 20th Century Fox). The film premiered on February 29, 2020, attached to advance screenings of the

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

release '' Onward'', with its general rollout on March 6, 2020. It is the third ''Simpsons'' film made for theatrical release, after ''

The Simpsons Movie ''The Simpsons Movie'' is a 2007 American Animation, animated comedy film based on the Fox Broadcasting Company, Fox animated sitcom ''The Simpsons'' created by Matt Groening. The film was directed by series veteran David Silverman (animator) ...

'' (2007) and '' The Longest Daycare'' (2012). The short was released on April 10, 2020 on

Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...

Plot

is taken to a playground by

Marge Marge is a feminine given name, a shortened form of Marjorie, Margot or Margaret. Notable Marges include: People * Marge (cartoonist) (1904–1993), pen name of Marjorie Henderson Buell, American cartoonist * Marge Anderson (1932–2013), Ojibwe ...

. When another baby goes down the

slide Slide or Slides may refer to: Places * Slide, California, former name of Fortuna, California Arts, entertainment, and media Music Albums * ''Slide'' (Lisa Germano album), 1998 * ''Slide'' (George Clanton album), 2018 *''Slide'', by Patrick Glee ...

and almost crashes into her, she is saved by a boy named Hudson. Maggie becomes smitten with Hudson, and that's when the two play games together, which Maggie fantasizes as a whirlwind romance. At the end of the day, Maggie gives Hudson her blue bow to remember her by, and that night, she dreams about Hudson in her sleep. The next day,

Homer Homer (; , ; possibly born ) was an Ancient Greece, Ancient Greek poet who is credited as the author of the ''Iliad'' and the ''Odyssey'', two epic poems that are foundational works of ancient Greek literature. Despite doubts about his autho ...

looks after Maggie instead of Marge, and decides he takes her to a different park with food trucks. Maggie sees Hudson waiting for her in the adjacent park, and desperately tries to get his attention, but fails when Homer pulls her away before she can. That night, Maggie drowns her sorrows in baby formula and becomes despondent over not being able to see Hudson. The next day, Homer babysits Maggie again. Before he can take her to the same park as the day before, Maggie grabs hold of the car's steering wheel and steers it into the park where she met Hudson. She sees him boarding a train for children and runs across the park to catch up with him. When Hudson sees Maggie trying to catch up with the train, he reaches out to her with her blue bow, but as she grabs her bow, Maggie fails to catch up before the train pulls away out of her reach. Maggie believes Hudson is gone forever, but is unaware that the train (running on a circular closed track) loops around to the station at which it started. Maggie and Hudson reunite on the train engine's cowcatcher, and exchange pacifiers (in lieu of sharing a kiss).

Cast

Chris Edgerly Chris Edgerly is an American voice actor. Life and career Edgerly provided the voice of Peter Potamus on the Adult Swim animated series ''Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law'', in addition to several guest voices on the TV series ''Drawn Togeth ...

as Phonic Frog

Production

''Playdate with Destiny''s plot was pitched by ''The Simpsons'' writers Tom Gammill and Max Pross as part of the episode of season 31, " The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby." They began working on the episode, and executive producer Jim Brooks suggested using the plot for a short instead. After

21st Century Fox Twenty-First Century Fox, Inc., which did business as 21st Century Fox, was an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate based in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It was formed on June 28, 2013, as the legal successor ...

's purchase by

, the ''Simpsons'' staff sent ''Playdate with Destiny'' to

Bob Iger Robert Alan Iger (; born February 10, 1951) is an American media executive who is chief executive officer (CEO) of the Walt Disney Company. He previously was the president of the American Broadcasting Company (ABC) between 1994 and 1995 and p ...

and the Disney staff. According to Al Jean, they asked "Can we please, please go in front of a

movie?" Once approved, they requested to be shown with "something that's compatible"; the staff were "ecstatic" when offered '' Onward''. Disney's acquisition of 20th Century Studios is reflected in the short's introduction, showing a silhouette of

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...

before transitioning to

Homer Simpson Homer Jay Simpson is the main protagonist of the American animated television series ''The Simpsons'' who is part of the titular family. Homer made his television debut in the short " Good Night" on '' The Tracey Ullman Show'' on April 19, ...

holding two donuts. Likewise, the logo for Gracie Films seen at the end of the short replaces one of the patrons with Mickey Mouse.

Release

''Playdate with Destiny'' was first announced to the public on the show's official Instagram on February 27, 2020. It was revealed that the short would be shown in theaters in the United States prior to screenings of the film '' Onward'', starting on March 6, 2020. It was released to the streaming service

on April 10, 2020.

Followups

''The Simpsons'' episode " The Incredible Lightness of Being a Baby" has been described as "an extension" and "a sequel," featuring a reappearance of Hudson. A further short film featuring Maggie Simpson titled ''

The Force Awakens from Its Nap ''Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from Its Nap"'' is an animated short film based on the television series ''The Simpsons''. The short was released on May 4, 2021, on Disney+ in celebration of ''Star Wars'' Day. It is the third short film ...

'' released on Disney+ on May 4, 2021, ''Star Wars'' Day. It is the first of a series of shorts of ''The Simpsons'', crossing over with other franchises on Disney+, throughout 2021. In 2023, another short film was released with Maggie Simpson celebrating ''Star Wars Day'' called ''

Rogue Not Quite One ''Maggie Simpson in "Rogue Not Quite One"'', also known as ''Rogue Not Quite One'', is an animated short film based on the television series ''The Simpsons''. The short was released on May 4, 2023, on Disney+ in celebration of ''Star Wars'' Day ...

''.

Notes

References

External links

* {{20th Century Fox Animation 2020 animated short films 2020 3D films American 3D films American comedy short films American animated short films 2020s English-language films 2020 films Films based on television series Animated films based on animated series Animated buddy films American children's animated comedy films American children's animated adventure films Films set in the United States 20th Century Studios animated films Film spinoffs The Simpsons short films Disney+ original films 20th Century Animation films Gracie Films films 2020s American animated short films 20th Century Studios short films 3D animated short films Films directed by David Silverman Films produced by James L. Brooks Films produced by Matt Groening Films produced by Richard Sakai Films scored by James Dooley Films with screenplays by James L. Brooks Films with screenplays by Matt Groening 2020s Disney animated short films English-language short films