It won't quite be live in the true sense of the word when it screens on New Zealand television, but for the first time in history, an animated series has made some live television, with this particular episode of The Simpsons screening last Sunday in the US.
Al Jean, showrunner for the longtime favourite series, explained how they were able to devote the last three minutes of the show to a live address from Homer, who would answer viewers questions, sent in via Twitter.
Voice actor Dan Castellaneta would sit behind a desk and embody the character of Homer, answering in real time, with motion capture technology allowing his voice and movements to be quickly translated into animation.
Earlier in the episode, Homer turned to improv comedy to regain his confidence after an embarrassing public speaking blunder at work, while Marge decided to rebuild Bart's lacklustre tree-house.
And then the show leaves Marge, Bart, and Lisa to one side for the live scene in the Fox Studios Secret Bunker, where Homer answers pressing questions like which of his co-workers he likes best, what his favourite type of pizza is, and who he'd like to play in a movie.
