The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!

NewsdayVerne Gay

Lively, fun and completely entertaining, Spurlock strikes the right balance. OK, maybe not exactly right--a few more clips, a little more cultural history would have been nice--but this'll do nicely.

Boston HeraldMark A. Perigard

All things considered, the self-professed fanboy does a respectable job as he explores the cultural impact of the longest-running show on prime time through its creators, cast, obsessed fans and even its detractors--the Catholic League and apparently most of Brazil.

The New York TimesAlessandra Stanley

There is a lot of “I” in this narrator, but what his first-person tour does offer is a light, breezy look at a comedy that sometimes is studied too ponderously by academics and pop-culture critics.

Pittsburgh Post-GazetteRob Owen

Although that lineup could be a bit of a "usual suspects" roster, Spurlock teases out new stories. Even if some of the memories are rehashed (or apocryphal), the show moves quickly enough that it doesn't get bogged down in any one recollection.

Washington PostJen Chaney

The tribute skims over details regarding the show's creative machinery and it glosses over the question of how the writers attempt to keep the show fresh amid criticism from longtime fans. But it does remind us of some of the people who have been offended by "The Simpsons' " satire over the years, including President George H.W. Bush and members of the Catholic League of America, as well as those who have been inspired by it.

Dallas Morning NewsTom Maurstad

Through interviews with cast, creators and fans, the resulting hour-long documentary, The Simpsons 20th Anniversary Special: In 3-D! On Ice!, Spurlock succeeds in presenting a comprehensive tribute to the power of The Simpsons. But as for capturing that power and explaining how or why it works, Spurlock falls short.

Boston GlobeMatthew Gilbert

OK, the dude with the Tree House of Horror tattoo covering his entire back is a revelation. But the rest underwhelms. Dan Rather and Brian Williams mocking themselves by praising Kent Brockman? Yawn.

TV GuideMatt Roush

Too much Spurlock, not enough Simpsons. You don’t have to look it up in the Oxford English Dictionary to know this deserves a “d’oh.”

VarietyBrian Lowry

There are tasty crumbs here, to be sure, but Spurlock's anniversary tribute hasn't done much to expand appreciation of the show, except perhaps in registering the point that two decades removed from its birthing on "The Tracey Ullman Show," it's difficult to remember a time when it wasn't there.