Since I was there in the very beginning, I know the history of the characters. So, I make comments about the tone and sometimes remind the writers that we've done that before.

I always say that 'Futurama' is real, and 'The Simpsons' is fiction.

There's always room out there for the hand-drawn image. I personally like the imperfection of hand drawing as opposed to the slick look of computer animation. But you can do good stuff either way. The Pixar movies are amazing in what they do, but there's plenty of independent animators who are doing really amazing things as well.

'The Simpsons' is about alienation and the ambivalence of living with a family who you love but who drive you completely crazy.

Do my worst, eh? Smithers, release the robotic Richard Simmons." --Mr. Burns

My father was a really sharp cartoonist and filmmaker. He used to tape-record the family surreptitiously, either while we were driving around or at dinner, and in 1963 he and I made up a story about a brother and a sister, Lisa and Matt, having an adventure out in the woods with animals.

Everybody doesn't have to get every joke. People really appreciate not being condescended to.