Motion capture technology will allow Homer Simpson to answer topical fan questions live for the last three minutes of an episode to be aired in May.

Of late, The Simpsons has become more known for its crossovers, co-branding attempts and guest appearances than it has for its actual episodic storylines.

That trend shows no signs of abating with the announcement from FOX that an episode to be aired on May 15th will feature a live Q&A segment with Homer Simpson. The move is being described as an animated show first.

I think this is a first for animation. I’m really confident that people will like It. – Al Jean, Executive Producer of The Simpsons. In what feels like both an attempt to engage with generation on demand, and also experiment with the benefits of melding technology with animation, Dan Castellaneta – the actor who provides Homer’s voice – will wear a visual motion capture reference while improvising his way through fan provided questions accompanied with the hashtag #HomerLive.

The Simpsons, like many other animated shows, still relies heavily on the labour intensive methods of illustration to form its episodes. However, the introduction of motion captures technology, if only for the last three minutes of this particular episode, could have the potential to grow in influence.