Matt Groening is an American cartoonist best known as the creator of the animated TV series The Simpsons and Futurama. He was born in 1954 and attended Evergreen State College, where he wrote and drew cartoons for the school magazine. Inspired by cartoonists like Charles Schulz, Groening went on to create The Simpsons, which premiered in 1989 and is still airing new episodes today, making it the longest running prime time scripted TV series. Groening also created Futurama, which aired from 1999 to 2013. His work has influenced many other animated TV shows and made him a hugely successful and influential figure in the world of animation.

1. MATT GROENING
BY ALICE AND PABLO

2. WHO WAS HE?
Matt Groening was born on the 15th of February, 1954. He is an American
cartoonist famous for his multiple animated TV series. He is also a
screenwriter, producer, animator, author, musician, comedian, and voice
actor.
Matt Groening attended the Evergreen State College in Olympia,
Washington, which was a liberal arts school.
He was the editor of his school magazine in which
he wrote articles and drew cartoons.
His biggest inspiration was Linda Barry and
he became interested in cartoons after watching the
Disney animation, 101 Dalmatians.
He was also inspired by Charles M. Schulz.

3. HIS WORK
Matt Groening is famous for his world wide known Cartoon TV shows and
movies such as The Simpsons and Futurama.
His most famous piece of work is The Simpsons which was first shown on
December 17th 1989 and is still being shown all over the world on televisions
today. Futurama premiered on March 28th 1999, after 4 years the show was
cancelled by Fox but the series came back later on Comedy Central. The final
episode aired on September 4th 2013.
The Simpsons was a lot more successful and ended up being made into a
movie in 2007.

4. TECHNIQUES USED TO PRODUCE HIS
ANIMATIONS
After the script is finalised it is sent to animators who create story boards and
rough sketches of how the show will look. They then make a set of black and
white drawings which are shot under a camera and then pieced together and
combined with the voice track. Once doubled checked the drawings are sent
to Korea to be drawn neatly and coloured in, they are then shot under camera
and linked to the voice track once again.
Finally they put in the music and it is ready for the writers and producers to
view and then air on TV.
The whole process takes about nine months.

5. THE PURPOSE OF HIS WORK AND
INFLUENCE AND APPEAL TO
AUDIENCES
The Simpsons was made for children and families and was very successful so
Matt Groening decided to make Futurama for a more grown up audience.
Matt Groening’s work is very controversial and made the news multiple times
and a lot of parents thought characters such as Bart Simpson was a bad role
model for little boys.
Simpsons merchandise was banned in many state
schools in America. The show was the longest
running prime time scripted television series and
has had over 550 episodes aired to date.

6. WHO HIS WORK INSPIRED
Matt Groening’s work is a big influence of cartoon TV series such as King of
The Hill and Family Guy and American Dad.
A lot of cartoons look similar to his work and are the same style. Matt
Groening was a very big influence in the world of TV animations.

7. QUOTES FROM REVIEWS
• “Parents need to know that the jokes in this long-running favorite often zip
past so quickly that kids won't get the deeper statements that lie therein”
– written by the website common sense media
• “Beer is consumed in every episode, bad habits are obliged, and ignorance
and mockery are the norm, but somehow, everyone gets along in the
end.” - written by the website common sense media
• “The Simpsons is perhaps the greatest animated series of all time” –
Written by a fan.

8. THE PRINCIPLES AND AFFORDANCES
OF ANIMATIONS
Here is a clip showing the use of the 12 Principles of Animation in Matt
Groening’s Simpsons
The Simpsons animation exaggerates the characters actions to emphasize
movements.
The characters show appeal through their personalities and their humour.
The scenes are very busy which gives the audience lots to look at.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6lBpL9Zaeo#t=37