the dome. Cargill, who does not want word of his imprisonment of Springfield to spread, plots to destroy Springfield by tricking the president into ordering its demolition. The Simpsons see a television advertisement, featuring Tom Hanks, for a new Grand Canyon on the site of Springfield. Realizing that their hometown is in danger, all of them decide to save it except for Homer, who refuses to help the people who tried to kill them. The family soon abandons Homer for his selfishness, with Marge leaving behind a message about it recorded over their wedding video, causing him to run off in search of them. The family is captured by the EPA and placed back inside the dome. After an encounter with a mysterious Inuit shaman who saves him from a polar bear, Homer has an epiphany about saving the town to save himself. Homer returns to Springfield and learns about his family's capture as a helicopter lowers a time bomb suspended by a rope through a hole at the top of the dome. Homer enters the dome and descends the rope, knocking the escaping townspeople and the bomb off, inadvertently shortening its countdown. Taking a motorcycle, he rides to the church and reunites with Bart. After reconciling, Bart and Homer use the motorcycle to travel up the side of the dome. Bart throws the bomb through the hole seconds before it detonates, shattering the dome and freeing the town. Later, Cargill confronts the pair with a shotgun and attempts to kill them for foiling his plan, but before he can do so, Maggie knocks him out by dropping a large rock on his head. As Cargill is fired and imprisoned for his actions, the townspeople decide to forgive Homer and hail him a hero for saving Springfield from destruction. He rides into the sunset with Marge, after which the townspeople restore Springfield to normal. As a symbol of their gratitude, the townspeople also help the Simpsons rebuild their house. Cast Production Development The production staff had considered a film adaptation of The Simpsons since early in the series. The show's creator, Matt Groening, felt a feature-length film would allow them to increase the show's scale and animate sequences too complex for the TV series. He intended the film to be made after the show ended, "but that [...] was undone by good ratings". There were attempts to adapt the fourth