Celebrating The Silver Anniversary Of A Movie That Changed Everything

When “South Park” debuted on Comedy Central in the late ‘90s, it soon became famous (or infamous) for its ability to push the boundaries of basic cable. But a couple of years later, the driving forces behind this irreverent cartoon — Trey Parker and Matt Stone — had an opportunity to completely demolish those boundaries by releasing the film “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut.”

It’s been how long?!?

Here’s yet another statistic sure to make all you Millennials and Gen Xers feel instantly old: Tomorrow will mark 25 years since the South Park movie premiered.

Since then, a lot of things have changed, both in American society and in the lives of Parker and Stone.

But South Park remains a surprisingly relevant cultural force to this day, and much of that can be traced back to the decision to release this movie. Sure, it was easy to dismiss the crass, vulgar screenplay as a big middle finger to the censors, but it came packaged in a funny, memorable, and surprisingly timeless animated musical unlike anything that had ever hit the big screen.

And little did those who watched it at the time know, but this film paved the way for creators to release more expressive (and less repressive) content for decades to come.

The partnership continues

Parker and Stone are still busy producing episodes and specials as part of a lucrative deal with Paramount. But their fans have also been treated to a host of other projects that have employed many of the same attributes that have made Cartman and company such cultural icons.

From the marionette musical “Team America: World Police” to the Broadway hit “The Book of Mormon,” the spirit of “South Park: Bigger, Longer & Uncut” can be seen in just about everything this duo has produced since.

Chris Agee June 29th, 2024

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