The Simpsons: O C'mon All Ye Faithful is a double-length Christmas special of The Simpsons, being part of the show's 36th season. It was released exclusively on Disney+ on December 17, 2024.
Synopsis[]
Famed British mentalist, Derren Brown, comes to Springfield and uses psychological tricks and showmanship to raise the town's Christmas spirit. When Homer gets hypnotized and mistakenly believes he is Santa Claus, it sets off a cheery chain-reaction and causes everyone to question what they believe and to explore the meaning of "miracle".
Plot[]
British mentalist Derren Brown arrives in Springfield to shoot a documentary about the town. Feeling that their Christmas spirit is almost non-existent, he decides to use his skills to turn their emotions around. His first step is to trick Mayor Quimby into believing that they won an award for "most Christmassy town", resulting in Christmas decorations being put up everywhere. The Simpsons, once again, comment on the sudden state Springfield is in.
Brown notices that Homer is bad at getting gifts because he tells himself that he is a bad gift giver. He convinces Marge to let him use hypnotism on him to turn his mindset around. This ends up working too well, or not in the way Brown planned, as Homer is now convinced that he is the real Santa Claus. In typical Springfield fashion, everyone takes to Homer's newfound belief in an almost cult like manner after he succeeds in making Mr. Burns' heart "grow three sizes that day" and sends him to the hospital. Homer takes Ralph Wiggum along as his little elf helper as he continues his Santa crusade.
With Homer's actions seemingly going too far, Brown decides to turn Homer back to normal, much to town's indifference. Ned Flanders mocks the fact that the town was foolish enough to believe that Santa was real, until he begins to make comparisons to God, resulting in him having a crisis of faith. He privately tells Marge that he had been questioning God's existence following the deaths of his first and second wife Maude and Edna. He would leave notes in the mirror for Maude and text random thoughts to Edna. Despite both of them dying, he continued to do these things until Edna's phone number was given to someone else. Ned convinces Rod and Todd to also adopt a non-Christian life.
Marge, feeling bad for Ned's loss of faith, convinces Bart and Lisa to spend time with Ned's kids. Bart confides in Lisa that he feels that he has lost his Christmas spirit and that he might be getting too old, but Lisa tells him that he can celebrate it however which way he wants. They show Rod and Todd a toys catalogue the causes them to act very materialistic, surprisingly concerning Bart, but amusing Lisa. Marge tries to get Brown to use his abilities to revive Ned's faith, but he refuses and gets rid of her. Meanwhile, Homer is depressed about being a regular guy again until Ralph convinces him to resume his Santa duties again, only for him to get arrested.
Bart tries to scare the Flanders' back into their faith, but Marge catches him and forces him to stop. She is amazed that he would do something like that, not for the Flanders', but for her, and Bart's Christmas spirit is restored. Ned spends time with Lisa and Marge and he asks the former about what her faith in Buddhism was like, assuming that she doesn't believe in miracles. Lisa explains that Buddhists do believe in miracles and relates the parable about the tortoise that swims to the surface and directly into a yoke as being just as miraculous as one's birth. Despite this, Ned still feels dejected by his faith.
Homer sulks in prison, but is saved by Ralph who stole his dad's keys. Homer decides that he doesn't need to be a real life Santa to everyone, he just needs to be a Santa to his family and gives up his crusade. Ralph, oddly enough, agrees and admits that he has been changed by his experience. Ned happens upon Professor Frink who was just about to take a submersible to explore the ocean depths. Ned agrees to join him and they witness the ocean life underneath. Frink reveals that he keeps an open mind and has his own idea of what God is and that not being certain about his existence is what makes it worth believing in, restoring Ned's faith.
The submersible begins to break apart due to the pressure and despite reaching the non-cracking point, blows up anyway. Ned and Frink swim to the surface where the former just so happens to swim into a yoke, something which was not in Frink's ship. The two return to Springfield where Ned happily embraces his sons and heads home to resume his Christian faith. The Simpsons are surprised to find Brown appear who reveals that the entire submersible adventure Ned had with Frink was fabricated to restore his faith. The only thing he didn't plan on was the yoke as he didn't hear Lisa's story. Homer thanks him by, supposedly, giving him a bow tie for his ventriloquist dummy, though he and Marge confer that it was supposed to be Maggie's new head bow, meaning that she got his gift: an Applebee's gift card.
Everyone heads home and celebrates the holidays. Ned with his sons, The Simpsons together, Maggie enjoying her Applebee's gift card, and Derren Brown with his ventriloquist dummy.
Voice cast[]
- Dan Castellaneta as Homer Simpson, Abe Simpson II, Mayor Quimby, and Gil Gunderson
- Julie Kavner as Marge Simpson
- Nancy Cartwright as Bart Simpson, Nelson Muntz, Ralph Wiggum, and Todd Flanders
- Yeardley Smith as Lisa Simpson
- Harry Shearer as Ned Flanders, Kent Brockman Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, and Eddie
- Hank Azaria as Disco Stu, Moe Szyslak, Kirk Van Houten, and Professor Frink
- Pamela Hayden as Milhouse Van Houten and Rod Flanders
- Grey DeLisle as Martin Prince
- Alex Désert as Lou
Special guest stars[]
- Derren Brown as himself
- Patti LaBelle as herself
- Pentatonix as themselves
Trivia[]
- While Disney+ has previously been the home for several exclusive Simpsons shorts, this marks the first time that an entire episode (albeit technically being produced as two) is exclusive to the platform.
- Part of the reason why this episode was released exclusively on Disney+ was so that the story could breathe better without frequent commercial breaks and also because Fox felt that the holiday episodes didn't do well with repeat viewings.
- This title is a reference to the religious holiday song, "O Come All Ye Faithful".
- Production-wise, this is the final episode to feature Pamela Hayden as a regular following her retirement.
- Reverend Lovejoy was originally going to be involved with restoring Ned's faith, but this was nixed because he didn't fit the story.
- The climax of Ned being moved by the sea life was inspired by a story on the radio that writer Carolyn Omine heard about a woman who was moved upon seeing undersea life.
