Bart Sells His Soul (8 Oct. 1995)

When Rev. Lovejoy disciplines Bart for a prank he pulled in church - he tricked the organist into playing Iron Butterfly's ""In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" - he and co-conspirator Milhouse begin arguing over whether man really has a soul. Bart scoffs at the notion and agrees to "sell" his soul (a piece of paper with the words "Bart Simpson's Soul") to Milhouse for $5. A series of situations makes Bart ... See full summary »

Director:

Wesley Archer

Writers:

Matt Groening (creator), James L. Brooks (developer),

Stars:

Dan Castellaneta, Julie Kavner, Nancy Cartwright

Cast

Episode cast overview:
Dan Castellaneta	...	Homer Simpson / Barney Gumble / Abraham Lincoln / Santa's Little Helper / Krusty the Klown / Street Sweeper Driver / Derelict (voice)
Julie Kavner	...	Marge Simpson / Others (voice)
Nancy Cartwright	...	Bart Simpson / Ralph Wiggum / Dr. Hibbert's Younger Son / Todd Flanders / Nelson Muntz / Girl with Sore Teeth (voice)
Yeardley Smith	...	Lisa Simpson (voice)
Hank Azaria	...	Dr. Hibbert's Elder Son / Moe Szyslak / Carl / Apu Nahasapeemapetilon / Waiter / Potato Bug Sprayer / Snake / Chief Wiggum / Kirk Van Houten / Comic Book Guy (voice)
Harry Shearer	...	Reverend Lovejoy / Dr. Hibbert / Advert Voice / Ned Flanders (voice)
Tress MacNeille	...	Dolph / Grandma Van Houten (voice)
Pamela Hayden	...	Milhouse Van Houten / Rod Flanders / Jimbo Jones (voice)
Maggie Roswell	...	Luann Van Houten / Maude Flanders (voice)
Russi Taylor	...	Dr. Hibbert's Daughter / Sherri / Terri / Martin Prince (voice)
Doris Grau	...	Lunchlady Doris (voice)

Storyline

When Rev. Lovejoy disciplines Bart for a prank he pulled in church - he tricked the organist into playing Iron Butterfly's ""In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" - he and co-conspirator Milhouse begin arguing over whether man really has a soul. Bart scoffs at the notion and agrees to "sell" his soul (a piece of paper with the words "Bart Simpson's Soul") to Milhouse for $5. A series of situations makes Bart realize maybe he really did sell his soul, prompting him to go all-out to get it back from Milhouse, who isn't willing to sell. Meanwhile, Moe attempts to open a family-style restaurant inside his tavern, with the gimmick that if he doesn't smile when servicing a customer, the meal is free. Moe's surly demeanor and the stress of running such a business alone conspire to do the establishment in.

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Plot Keywords:

seattle space needle | 2d animation | soul selling

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Genres:

Animation | Comedy | Family

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 October 1995 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

20th Century Fox Television, Gracie Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

30 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Another similarity to Faust is that Bart, like Dr. Faust, is convinced that he got the best of the bargain.

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Quotes

Bart: Milhouse, there is no such thing as a soul. It's just something parents made up to scare children, like the boogeyman or Michael Jackson.

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Connections

References Citizen Kane (1941)

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Soundtracks

"In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"
Written by Doug Ingle
Performed by Cast

User Reviews

"Bart Sells His Soul" is a grand example of imagination, unique scenery, and a very strong and moral plot

Wow. This episode is quite frankly... well made. Right off the bat, Bart sets a unique mood by switching the church performance to the ever-awesome "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida" by Iron Butterfly. The people attending church... along with Reverend Lovejoy realize this, but only after singing to the tune. The woman playing the piano at church gets extremely tired and sickly from the track due to its rapid speed. The song is awesome, the scene is awesome, the episode automatically starts off awesome. Then, Milhouse and Bart are seen chatting about Bart's prank... one thing leads to another... and Bart sells his soul to Milhouse for a cheap price... by writing it on a piece of paper and handing it to him. Milhouse is rather overjoyed. Well... Bart begins to go about his business... and rather interesting, yet scary things begin to happen to him. For example... people don't notice him anymore... and he seems to bang into automatic doors a lot (which no longer open for him)... his presence seems to go unnoticed. Whether this is due to some supernatural element or Bart's own conscience is a mystery... but it makes the episode ever-stronger. Bart ends up seeing dreams of children rowing boats beside their own souls... but Milhouse is carrying his soul... leaving Bart without one. Later, Bart asks Milhouse for the paper which supposedly contains his soul... and Milhouse admits to selling it. Bart tries to track down the paper... but to no avail. Bart gives up hope... until Lisa reveals that she bought him his soul back... gracefully handing it back to him in order to satisfy his desire. Bart quickly gobbles the paper up... and he sees a dream where he is once again reunited with his soul... and is seen rowing the boat with joy. Very vivid and imaginative episode. There's lots of morality, as well as awesome moments and unique scenery. This episode is definitely a great one.