David Silverman | |
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Born | Long Island, New York, U.S. | March 15, 1957
Occupation | Television/film writer and director |
Education | |
Genre | Comedy and fantasy |
David Silverman (born March 15, 1957) [1] is an American animator who has directed numerous episodes of the animated television series The Simpsons , as well as its 2007 film adaptation. Silverman was involved with the series from the very beginning, animating all of the original short Simpsons cartoons that aired on The Tracey Ullman Show. He went on to serve as director of animation for several years. He also did the animation for the 2016 film The Edge of Seventeen, which was produced by Gracie Films.
Silverman was born to a Jewish family [2] on Long Island, New York. [3] His father, Joseph Silverman, was a chemical engineering professor at the University of Maryland, College Park, for over 30 years. [4] [5] He grew up in Silver Spring, Maryland, and attended the University of Maryland for two years, [3] focusing on art. He then attended UCLA and majored in animation. [6]
Early in his career with The Simpsons, he was a subject on the December 26, 1990, episode (#83) of To Tell the Truth . [7]
Silverman is largely credited with creating most of the "rules" for drawing The Simpsons. He is frequently called upon to animate difficult or especially important scenes, becoming go-to in Season 2 when he animated the first of Homer's many "rants, freak-outs, and heart attacks". [8] He appeared during the end credits of the Simpsons episode "Goo Goo Gai Pan" giving a quick method of drawing Bart, and is a frequent participant on the Simpsons DVD audio commentaries. A cartoon rendering of him can be seen in "The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show", where he is the animator who draws Poochie (along with renderings of other Simpsons staffers). He was once credited as Pound Foolish as the director of the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" [9]
Silverman is also the director of The Simpsons Movie , which was released July 27, 2007. He originally left The Simpsons to direct additional sequences for The Road to El Dorado for DreamWorks Animation alongside Will Finn. Some of his other film work includes Monsters, Inc. for Walt Disney Pictures and Pixar, for which he was a co-director (alongside Lee Unkrich). He is currently a consulting producer and occasional director. He also worked on the animated films Ice Age, Robots, and Looney Tunes: Back in Action .
In 2012, Silverman directed the theatrical short The Longest Daycare starring Maggie Simpson, released in front of Ice Age: Continental Drift . The short was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. He also directed the follow-up theatrical short Playdate with Destiny in 2020, released in front of Onward .
This section of a biography of a living person does not include any references or sources .(November 2020) |
Silverman's direction and animation is known for its energy, sharp timing, adventurous use of design elements and often complex acting, involving expressions and poses which are often quixotic, emotionally specific or highly exaggerated.[ citation needed ] It frequently recalls the works of Ward Kimball, Tex Avery, Bob Clampett and Chuck Jones.[ citation needed ] His most prolific period of work on The Simpsons can be roughly categorized as beginning with the "Tracey Ullman" episodes and ending in or around season eight of the series, for which he animated Homer's psychedelic dream in "El Viaje Misterioso de Nuestro Jomer (The Mysterious Voyage of Homer)". Other representative examples of Silverman's work on The Simpsons include Homer's histrionic, spasmodic heart attack in "Homer's Triple Bypass", Homer's demented hysterics over the iconic painting of poker-playing canines in "Treehouse of Horror IV" and subsequent turn as an even-more-deranged appropriation of Jack Nicholson's character from "The Shining" in "Treehouse of Horror V", and Homer's over-the-top sugar diatribe from "Lisa's Rival".
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Storyboard Artist | Animator | Other | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1984 | Turbo Teen | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
1987–89 | The Tracey Ullman Show | Partial | No | No | No | Yes | No | Segment Director: "The Simpsons" Shorts |
1989–1997, 2001–present | The Simpsons | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Supervising Director (seasons 1–8, 16–17), Consulting Producer, Executive Consultant (season 9), Title Designer, Character Layout Artist, Storyboards, Storyboard Consultant, Storyboard Revisions, Main Title Designer, Background Designer, Additional Voices, Song Lyrics: "Spider-Pig" |
1994–95 | The Critic | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Visual Design |
1995 | Eek! The Cat | No | No | Executive | Yes | No | Yes | Creator, Executive Producer, Voice of John Heap ( Klutter! segment) |
1997 | Teen Angel | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Creative Consultant |
2001 | Rugrats | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
2014 | Family Guy | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks (Episode: "The Simpsons Guy") |
2015 | House of Lies | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Himself |
2017 | Party Legends | No | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
2018 | Super Slackers [10] | Yes | Yes | Executive | No | No | No | |
2020–2022 | Duncanville | No | No | Consulting | No | No | No | |
2022 | Werewolf by Night | No | No | No | No | No | Yes | Actor (The Flaming Tuba) |
Year | Title | Director | Story Artist | Animator | Other | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | One Crazy Summer | No | No | Yes | No | |
1991 | The Dark Backward | No | No | No | Yes | Creator: "Blumps" concept |
1993 | RoboCop 3 | No | No | No | Yes | Director: "Johnny Rehab" commercial |
2000 | The Road to El Dorado | No | No | No | Yes | Additional Sequences Director |
2001 | Monsters, Inc. | Co-Director | No | No | Yes | Additional Story Material, CDA |
2002 | Ice Age | No | No | No | Yes | Story Consultant |
2003 | Confessions of a Burning Man [11] | No | No | No | Yes | Additional Cinematographer; Documentary |
Looney Tunes: Back in Action | No | No | No | Yes | Animation Consultant | |
2005 | Robots | No | Yes | No | No | |
2007 | The Simpsons Movie | Yes | No | No | No | |
2014 | Such Good People | No | No | No | Yes | Personal Thanks |
2015 | Love | No | No | No | Yes | Grateful Thanks |
2016 | The Edge of Seventeen | No | No | Yes | No | |
2021 | Extinct | Yes | No | No | Yes | Voices of Cyclops / Donut Store Clerk |
Year | Title | Director | Screenwriter | Story Artist | Animator | Other | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1979 | Tom Waits for No One | No | No | No | Yes | No | |
1982 | Luau | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks |
The Strange Case of Mr. Donnybrook's Boredom [12] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | Layout Artist, Ink Artist, Background Artist | |
1987 | Propagandance | No | No | No | Assistant | No | |
2002 | Mike's New Car | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks |
2011 | Night of the Little Dead | No | No | No | No | Yes | Tuba Player |
2012 | The Longest Daycare | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
2016 | Bouncing Blunders | No | No | No | No | Yes | Special Thanks |
Duhkha | No | No | No | No | Yes | ||
2020 | Playdate with Destiny | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | No | |
2021 | The Force Awakens from Its Nap | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
The Good, the Bart, and the Loki | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
The Simpsons| Balenciaga | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Plusaversary | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Te Deseo Lo Mejor | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
2022 | When Billie Met Lisa | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
Welcome to the Club | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad" | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
2023 | Rogue Not Quite One | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
2024 | May the 12th Be with You | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | |
The Most Wonderful Time of the Year | Yes | No | Yes | No | No | ||
Silverman worked with Savage Steve Holland to create Klutter! for Fox Kids. It was produced by Fox Kids Company, Savage Studios Ltd, and Film Roman. It was part of Eek! Stravaganza in the fourth season of the 1995–96 season where he voiced John Heap. It lasted eight episodes from September 9, 1995, to April 14, 1996.
Silverman has toured many college campuses, speaking about his experiences as an animator and longtime Simpsons director and producer. [13] He describes his early experiences in the animation field, working on shows such as Turbo Teen and Mister T . He goes on to say that at the point he considered leaving animation to devote his time to cartoon illustration, he took a job animating on The Tracey Ullman Show . He has pointed out that he and his fellow animators Wes Archer and Bill Kopp first started animating ''The Simpsons'' shorts on March 23, 1987.
Silverman then elaborates on Simpsons production, the evolution of the show and its characters, and various show facts and trivia. He may show animatics, deleted scenes, and favorite scenes and sequences, while giving background information. He closes by hand-drawing character sketches before the audience.
Silverman plays the tuba and has performed at events like Burning Man with the Transformational All Star Fire Conclave Marching Band and on June 23, 2006, he appeared on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno , where he played his flaming sousaphone. [14] [15] Silverman was a member of the UCLA Bruin Marching Band Sousaphone Section in the early 1980s. He is currently a member of Los Trancos Woods Community Marching Band. In January 2009, Silverman joined the LA band Vaud and the Villains.
Matthew Abram Groening is an American cartoonist, writer, producer, and animator. He is best known as the creator of the television series The Simpsons (1989–present), Futurama, and Disenchantment (2018–2023), and the comic strip Life in Hell (1977–2012). The Simpsons is the longest-running U.S. primetime television series in history and the longest-running U.S. animated series and sitcom.
Margaret Lenny "Maggie" Simpson is a fictional character in the animated television series The Simpsons and the youngest member of the Simpson family. She first appeared on television in the Tracey Ullman Show short "Good Night" on April 19, 1987. Maggie was created and designed by cartoonist Matt Groening while he was waiting in the lobby of James L. Brooks' office. She received her first name from Groening's youngest sister. After appearing on The Tracey Ullman Show for three years, the Simpson family was given their own series on the Fox Broadcasting Company which debuted December 17, 1989.
Nancy Jean Cartwright is an American actress. She is the long-time voice of Bart Simpson on the animated television series The Simpsons, for which she has received a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Voice-Over Performance and an Annie Award for Best Voice Acting in the Field of Animation. Cartwright also voices other characters for the show, including Maggie Simpson, Ralph Wiggum, Todd Flanders, and Nelson Muntz. She is also the voice of Chuckie Finster in the Nickelodeon series Rugrats and its spin-off All Grown Up!, succeeding Christine Cavanaugh.
The Itchy & Scratchy Show is a fictional animated series featured on The Simpsons. The cartoon depicts a sadistic mouse named Itchy who repeatedly maims or murders a black cat named Scratchy. It is typically presented as 15- to 60-second sketches that are a part of The Krusty the Clown Show. Itchy & Scratchy is filled with graphic violence, unsuitable for children, that almost invariably prompts laughter from The Simpsons characters, especially Bart and Lisa.
The Simpsonsshorts are a series of animated short films that aired as a recurring segment on Fox variety television series The Tracey Ullman Show for three seasons, before the characters spun off into The Simpsons, their own half-hour prime-time show. They feature Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie, and a few secondary characters. The series was created by Matt Groening, who designed the Simpson family and wrote many of the shorts. The shorts first aired on April 19, 1987, starting with "Good Night". The final short to air was "TV Simpsons", originally airing on May 14, 1989. The Simpsons later debuted on December 17, 1989, as an independent series with the Christmas special "Simpsons Roasting on an Open Fire".
"Treehouse of Horror IV" is the fifth episode of the fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the fourth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 28, 1993, and features three short stories called "The Devil and Homer Simpson", "Terror at 5+1⁄2 Feet", and "Bart Simpson's Dracula".
"Treehouse of Horror VI" is the sixth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the sixth episode in the Treehouse of Horror series. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 29, 1995, and contains three self-contained segments. In "Attack of the 50-Foot Eyesores", an ionic storm brings Springfield's oversized advertisements and billboards to life and they begin attacking the town. The second segment, "Nightmare on Evergreen Terrace", is a parody of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series, in which Groundskeeper Willie attacks schoolchildren in their sleep. In the third and final segment, "Homer3", Homer finds himself trapped in a three-dimensional world, Earth. It was inspired by the 1962 The Twilight Zone episode "Little Girl Lost". The episode was written by John Swartzwelder, Steve Tompkins, and David X. Cohen and was directed by Bob Anderson.
"Treehouse of Horror IX" is the fourth episode of the tenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It first aired on Fox in the United States on October 25, 1998. This is the ninth Treehouse of Horror episode, and, like the other "Treehouse of Horror" episodes, contains three self-contained segments: In "Hell Toupée", Homer gets a hair transplant and is possessed by the spirit of an executed criminal; in "Terror of Tiny Toon", Bart and Lisa are trapped in a special, extremely violent episode of The Itchy & Scratchy Show; and in "Starship Poopers", Marge reveals that Maggie is the product of a one-night stand with the alien Kang.
"Treehouse of Horror 13" is the first episode of the fourteenth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, and the thirteenth Treehouse of Horror episode. It first aired on the Fox network in the United States on November 3, 2002, three days after Halloween. It is the second Halloween episode to have a zombie related segment, and the last Halloween to have three separate writers credited for writing three stories until "Treehouse of Horror XXXIII". It is also the first Halloween episode to be titled Treehouse of Horror in the opening credits, as all prior Halloween episodes were referred to as The Simpsons Halloween Special. It is the first of these episodes not to have a Roman numeral used in its opening title.
"The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular" is the tenth episode of the seventh season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on December 3, 1995. As the title suggests, it is the 138th episode and the third clip show episode of The Simpsons, after "So It's Come to This: A Simpsons Clip Show" and "Another Simpsons Clip Show".
"The Itchy & Scratchy & Poochie Show" is the fourteenth episode of the eighth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on February 9, 1997. In the episode, The Itchy & Scratchy Show attempts to regain lost viewers by introducing a new character named Poochie, voiced by Homer. The episode is largely self-referential and satirizes the world of television production, fans of The Simpsons, and the series itself. It was written by David X. Cohen and directed by Steven Dean Moore. Alex Rocco is a credited guest voice as Roger Meyers Jr. for the third and final time ; Phil Hartman also guest stars as Troy McClure. Poochie became a minor recurring character and Comic Book Guy's catchphrase, "Worst episode ever", is introduced in this episode.
Steven Dean Moore is an American animation director. His credits include 65 episodes of the animated television series The Simpsons and several episodes of the Nickelodeon series Rugrats (1991–2004). Moore was also one of four sequence directors on The Simpsons Movie (2007). He was nominated for an Emmy Award in 2002.
Wes Archer is an American television animation director and storyboard artist.
Treehouse of Horror is a series of annual Halloween-themed anthology episodes of the animated sitcom The Simpsons. Also known as The Simpsons Halloween Specials, each episode typically consists of three separate, self-contained segments. Each segment involves the Simpson family in some comical horror, science fiction, or supernatural setting; plot elements operate beyond the show's normal continuity, with segments exaggeratedly more morbid and violent than a typical Simpsons episode. With 35 episodes as of 2024, each Treehouse of Horror episode is numbered in Roman numerals, one less than the respective season it is in.
The Simpsons is an American animated television sitcom starring the animated Simpson family, which was created by Matt Groening. He conceived of the characters in the lobby of James L. Brooks's office and named them after his own family members, substituting "Bart" for his own name. The family debuted as shorts on The Tracey Ullman Show on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into a half-hour prime time show called The Simpsons, which debuted on December 17, 1989. The show was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the top 30 ratings in a season (1990).
"Good Night" is the first of the forty-eight Simpsons shorts and the second segment of the third episode of The Tracey Ullman Show's first season. It originally aired on Fox in the United States on April 19, 1987 and marks the first ever appearance of the Simpson family – Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie – on television. After three seasons on Tracey Ullman's show, the shorts would be adapted into the animated show The Simpsons. "Good Night" has since been aired on the show in the episode "The Simpsons 138th Episode Spectacular", along with several other Ullman shorts, and is one of the few shorts to ever be released on DVD, being included in the Season 1 DVD set.
The Simpsons is an American animated comedy franchise whose eponymous family consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie. The Simpsons were created by cartoonist Matt Groening for a series of animated shorts that debuted on The Tracey Ullman Show on Fox on April 19, 1987. After a three-season run, the sketch was developed into The Simpsons, a half-hour prime time show that was an early hit for Fox, becoming the first Fox series to land in the Top 30 ratings in a season (1989–1990). The popularity of The Simpsons has made it a billion-dollar merchandising and media franchise. Alongside the television series, the characters of the show have been featured in a variety of media, including books, comic books, a magazine, musical releases, and video games.
"Treehouse of Horror XXIV" is the second episode of the twenty-fifth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons and the 532nd episode of the series. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 6, 2013. The episode was written by Jeff Westbrook and directed by Rob Oliver.
"Treehouse of Horror XXV" is the fourth episode of the twenty-sixth season of the American animated television series The Simpsons, the 25th episode in the Treehouse of Horror series of Halloween specials, and the 556th episode overall. It originally aired on the Fox network in the United States on October 19, 2014.
The Simpsons Disney+ shorts are a series of short promotional films based on the television series The Simpsons produced for Disney+. As of 2024, nine short films have been produced, beginning with The Force Awakens from Its Nap (2021), with its latest short being The Most Wonderful Time of the Year (2024).