On Christmas, Bart, Lisa, and Maggie rush downstairs to open their presents. Homer stops them to let Marge go first and reveals that Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is hiding behind the tree. Marge and Lisa are excited to see him whilst Bart doesn't care and just wants to open his presents. As Bocelli starts to sing "Con te partirò", Bart gets into the music and sings along with Bocelli. After they stop, Homer asks Andrea for a Christmas song. Andrea turns to his children Matteo and Virginia for help. Virginia suggests that they sing "Feliz Navidad", and the three of them sing it to the Simpsons, with the Simpsons joining in.
Andrea Bocelli himself suggested the idea of appearing on The Simpsons, requesting that his children could, as well.
The Simpsons Meet the Bocellis in "Feliz Navidad" was first announced on December 7, 2022, and was to be the sixth of the series' exclusive Disney+ shorts.[5] Alongside the announcement came a poster and a release date of December 15.[6] It starred opera singer Andrea Bocelli, alongside his son Matteo and daughter Virginia.[6]
According to showrunner Al Jean, Andrea Bocelli was the one to reach out to the Simpsons staff, requesting a cameo appearance on the series, also asking for his children to be able to star alongside him. While pitching the idea, he also came up with the narrative of the episode revolving around Homer gifting a song from Bocelli and his family to Marge for Christmas. Jean stated that he was surprised at how well Nancy Cartwright was able to sing near the end of the episode's musical sequence, also asserting that the song stayed with him for several days after recording.[7]
John Schwarz of Bubbleblabber gave the film a nine out of ten, stating: "With barely enough time for a proper joke setup, the latest short from The Simpsons is probably the most innocent of the bunch yet. Still very much a commercial for the longest running animated series in primetime with the added bonus of the Bocellis getting a music video produced by David Silverman and the best animation producers in the business."[8]
Mike Celestino of LaughingPlace.com gave a positive review, stating: "Overall it’s a very nice, if somewhat slight, holiday treat from 'Our Favorite Family,' the Bocellis, and the citizens of Springfield for Disney+ viewers to enjoy this Christmas."[9]
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