Twenty years after their first appearance on The Tracey Ullman Show, America's favourite dysfunctional cartoon family finally makes it on to the big screen. Cheekily described by creator Matt Groening as Homer's Odyssey, this is certainly epic, with 11 writers, a team of South Korean animators and a plot that follows Homer from Springfield to Alaska and back again after he accidentally causes an environmental disaster in his home town (D'oh!). The script is glorious in its ambition, tackling everything from lowbrow slapstick to inventive visual gags (Bart's naked skateboarding is a highlight), barbed political comment (an ill-informed President Arnold Schwarzenegger declaring "I was elected to lead, not to read") and irreverent swipes at its competitors (Walt Disney gets a bashing). The rich relentlessness of the jokes demands at least two viewings and, while some fans will undoubtedly be upset that a few of their favourite characters are sidelined (including villainous Mr Burns), this re-establishes The Simpsons as the jewel in the crown of American animation.

After Homer accidentally pollutes the town's water supply, Springfield is encased in a gigantic dome by the EPA and the Simpsons are declared fugitives.