The Simpsons Predict Omicron Covid Variant

The Simpsons Predict Omicron Covid Variant – Curious about the Futurama cartoon series that allegedly predicted the appearance of this variant of the Covid Omicron? Here’s a discussion of 6 facts!

Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about the emergence of a new variant of the Covid virus called Omicron, which is thought to spread faster than the Delta variant. Variant B.1.1.529 or Omicron was first identified in South Africa and Botswana, Hong Kong, Belgium, the United Kingdom, and five other countries. If you feel why the name Omicron sounds familiar, maybe you have also heard the name Omicron from the cartoon series entitled Futurama by Matt Groening, famous as The Simpsons’ creator.

In Futurama, the name of the new Covid variant happens to be similar to the name of the main antagonist from a planet called Omicron Persei 8, who wants to rule the earth. Many people suspect that Matt Groening, through his work, has predicted the appearance of the Omicron, which endangers the human population on earth.

As with the several viral predictions of Matt Groening in the cartoon series The Simpsons, which for example, predicted the WTC tragedy, the deadly accident of Kobe Bryant, Donald Trump became president of the United States. Tom Hanks, who became the first celebrity in the world to be exposed to Covid, Futurama, is also suspected of predicting the appearance of Omicron. Curious about the Futurama cartoon series that allegedly predicted the appearance of this variant of the Covid Omicron? Here’s a discussion of 6 facts!

1. The title of this cartoon series comes from the 1939 World’s Fair in New York

Matt Groening’s Futurama is about what the future holds for all of us. The name adopted as the title of the cartoon series is based on a version of the future world that was exhibited in real life. At the 1939 World’s Fair New York in Queens, General Motors built a giant attraction called Futurama. The attraction is a scale model of the original city that showcases the future wonders that were predicted to happen in the 1960s.

This model was the brainchild of industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes and hundreds of artists and builders. The future city stretches wide and gives visitors a glimpse of what a town will look like in 20 years.

2. The series’ theme song was inspired by the music “Psyche Rock.”

The main theme song for the cartoon series Futurama was composed by Christopher Tyng. The song bears a striking resemblance to the music “Psyche Rock” by French electronic artist Pierre Henry. The songs are so similar that the theme song for Matt Groening’s cartoon is like a remix of a song by Pierre Henry. Fatboy Slim has also remixed the Psyche Rock song, which is even closer to the Futurama version.

3. This Cartoon Series Gets Influenced by Blade Runner and The Jetsons

In 1999, Matt Groening followed up the monumental success of The Simpsons with a sci-fi comedy idea that he had been working on for years. With influences ranging from groundbreaking sci-fi films like Blade Runner to ’60s cartoons like The Jetsons and ’50s comics like Weird Science, Futurama proved a success.

Characters like Fry, Bender, and Leela quickly became crowd favorites, rivaling Homer, Marge, and the rest of Springfield’s The Simpsons. The show was also a hit with critical acclaim and won several Annie and Emmy Awards along the way.

4. Zapp Brannigan was initially planned to be voiced by Phil Hartman but canceled due to his death

Zapp Brannigan’s character from Futurama was initially designed with actor Phil Hartman in mind for his voice. Unfortunately, he was tragically killed before he even started the recording process. The role was later assigned to Billy West, who also voices Fry and Professor Farnsworth.

In an interview with The New York Times, Billy West said that he based his character Brannigan on a Disc Jockey (DJ) character from the ’50s and ’60s. There’s also a little bit of Hartman’s signature that Billy West used to voice as a sign of respect, namely Troy McClure’s voice.

5. John DiMaggio’s Original Audition of Professor Farnsworth’s Character Using Voice Bender

Finding voice characters that match Voice Bender is not an easy task for the people who worked on Futurama. Is it a human voice, or something more synthesized like Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet? The crew auditioned dozens of voice actors to find a voice character that matched the perfect Voice Bender but to no avail.

At the same time, voice actor John DiMaggio auditioned for a role on the show against his agency’s wishes. DiMa Agencyggio is concerned about the money and the contracts being offered. At first, DiMaggio auditioned for the role of Professor Farnsworth, using a rough drunken voice based on the character of Slim Pickens. The voice didn’t suit the character of Professor, but the producer asked him to try it using Voice Bender. The sound instantly felt right, and DiMaggio won the audition.

6. Each Episode Takes One Year of Production

Every episode of Futurama is a work of love, with every joke and animated frame under intense scrutiny. Because of that, there was plenty of time for a series of episode production work. About a year for each episode.

This process begins with creating a story idea, which is then given to the writer for a plot outline and first draft. From there, the first draft was dissected in the writers’ room on a “word by word, scene by scene.” Such detailed work can take months.

Then the script’s dialogue is voiced while the actors are recorded as an old-fashioned radio show. After that, the results are given to the animators. The animation creation process can take about six months to complete.