Springfield Up/References

References/Trivia

Season 18 Episode References

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"Springfield Up"

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Cultural references[edit]

The character of Declan Desmond is based on naturalist and documentary filmmaker David Attenborough. Idle had previously voiced the character in "'Scuse Me While I Miss the Sky" and "Fat Man and Little Boy".
Declan Desmond's documentary project parallels Michael Apted's Up series.
The slideshow of pictures showing Moe growing up is a parody of Michael Jackson's looks throughout the years.
Homer seems confused by the concept of Declan's documentaries and mocks his English accent, eventually concluding that the disparate filmings are unified by time travel, and that Declan is actually Doctor Who; Eric Idle was among a number of actors considered for the role of the Eighth Doctor.
In Cafe de Mexico, "La Bamba" is played by the band.
Frink's time machine, the Chrono Trike, is nearly identical to the time machine in the 1960 film The Time Machine.
In one of the scenes from Homer's past, Homer creates a clay version of the play Equus. Pokey from The Gumby Show is in the diorama.
A parody of artist Andrew Wyeth's painting Christina's World, with Burns in the place of Christina, is visible after Burns pulls down another painting.
The movie Ain't No Mountain High: A Blind Man Climbs Everest is a reference to Erik Weihenmayer, a real blind man who climbed up Mount Everest.
The scene where Homer is apologizing to Declan Desmond in his editing room is parody of A Christmas Carol.

Due to the fact that a new trailer for The Simpsons Movie aired during the original American broadcast, several scenes were cut from the episode that aired on FOX:
- The opening credits and couch gag were cut. The American version started with Declan Desmond's introduction, and the usual "created by Matt Groening" credits were shown over a shot of a playground.
- In the first airing, the final minute of the episode was cut, ending after Marge and Homer hugged. The extended ending featured Homer and Desmond singing a duet.
The version that aired in Canada on Global the same night did not feature the Movie trailer and as a result, the full version of the episode was aired. When the episode reaired on April 15, 2007, the cut material was restored, along with the original opening sequence.

In the scene where Marge and Homer are interviewed the first time with children, a photo showing a 10-year old Bart, a 8-year old Lisa and Maggie is visible in the background, though Bart and Lisa are still a babies and Maggie is still unborn.
In the scene where Homer shows Marge his tattoo in the first part of the scene there is a wall behind the couch then when it zooms out for the second time there is a kitchen behind the couch.
Homer and Marge are in the same playground at eight but met in high school at seventeen.
This is the shortest Simpsons episode (not including the Tracy Ullman shorts or Halloween segments) at 19 minutes and 49 seconds.
Smithers is shown in the kindergarten at the same time as Homer and his friends. However, in "The Blunder Years", it is shown that he was a baby when Homer was 12 years old.

The picture of a full-grown Lisa with Maggie is visible along the staircase wall.
The wall turns into a kitchen!

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The Mook, the Chef, the Wife and Her Homer • Jazzy and the Pussycats • Please Homer, Don't Hammer 'Em • Treehouse of Horror XVII • G.I. (Annoyed Grunt) • Moe'N'a Lisa • Ice Cream of Margie (with the Light Blue Hair) • The Haw-Hawed Couple • Kill Gil, Volumes I & II • The Wife Aquatic • Revenge Is a Dish Best Served Three Times • Little Big Girl • Springfield Up • Yokel Chords • Rome-Old and Juli-Eh • Homerazzi • Marge Gamer • The Boys of Bummer • Crook and Ladder • Stop, or My Dog Will Shoot! • 24 Minutes • You Kent Always Say What You Want