A sly 'Simpsons' opening by graffiti artist Banksy

[October 12, 2010]  NEW YORK (AP) -- The always clever and often subversive opening sequence for "The Simpsons" took a darker-than-usual turn with Sunday's episode, depicting the animation process for the Fox cartoon series as sweatshop drudgery performed by an exploited Asian underclass.

Created by the street artist and activist Banksy, the sequence began with the sight of hometown Springfield covered with graffiti -- and tagged by Banksy himself.

Then, when the Simpson family gathers on their living room couch, that image becomes a reference shot for legions of workers in the grim industrial complex where they paint cartoon cells and churn out Simpsons merchandise.

Sunday's self-inflicted jab was inspired by the fact that much of the rote production work for each "Simpsons" episode is outsourced to studios in South Korea.

[Associated Press]

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