Lately, there has been a lot of discussion about the emergence of a new variant of the Covid virus called Omicron, which is thought to spread faster than the Delta variant. Variant B.1.1.529 or Omicron was first identified in South Africa but has also been identified in Botswana, Hong Kong, Belgium, the United Kingdom and five other countries. If you feel why the name Omicron sounds familiar, maybe it’s because you heard it first from the cartoon series entitled Futurama by Matt Groening who is known for creating The Simpsons.

In Futurama, Omicron happens to be the name of the main antagonist from a planet called Omicron Persei 8 who wants to rule the earth. Many people suspect that Matt Groening through his work has predicted the appearance of the Omicron which endangers the human population on earth.

As with several viral predictions of Matt Groening in The Simpsons which for example predicted the WTC tragedy, the deadly accident of Kobe Bryant, Donald Trump became president of the United States, and Tom Hanks who became the first celebrity in the world to be exposed to Covid, Futurama also allegedly predicted the appearance of Omicron. Do you want to know more about Futurama, the cartoon that predicted Covid variant omicron? Here's the 6 facts about Futurama!

1. The Title Comes from the 1939 World's Fair in New York

Matt Groening's Futurama is about what the future might hold for all of us. The title was based on a version of the future world that was exhibited in real life. At the 1939 World's Fair New York in Queens, General Motors built a giant attraction called Futurama. The attraction is a scale model of the original city that showcases the wonders of the future that were predicted to happen in the 1960s.

This model was the brainchild of industrial designer Norman Bel Geddes and his team of hundreds of artists and builders. The city of the future stretches out wide and gives visitors a glimpse of what a city will look like in 20 years.

2. The Theme Song was Inspired by the Song “Psyche Rock”

The main theme song for Futurama was composed by Christopher Tyng. The song bears a striking resemblance to the song "Psyche Rock" by French electronic artist Pierre Henry. The songs are so similar that it’s like a remix Pierre Henry’s songs. Psyche Rock has also been remixed by Fatboy Slim, which is even closer to the Futurama version.

3. The Series is Influenced by Blade Runner dan The Jetsons

In 1999, Matt Groening followed up the monumental success of The Simpsons with a sci-fi comedy idea he had been working on for years. With influences ranging from groundbreaking sci-fi films like Blade Runner to '60s cartoons like The Jetsons and '50s comics like Weird Science, Futurama is proven to be a success.

Characters like Fry, Bender, and Leela quickly became crowd favorites, rivaling Homer, Marge, and the rest of Springfield in The Simpsons. The show was also a hit with critical acclaim, and won several Annie and Emmy Awards along the way.

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4. Zapp Brannigan was Planned to be Voiced by Phil Hartman 

Zapp Brannigan from Futurama was originally designed with actor Phil Hartman in mind for his voice, unfortunately he was tragically killed before he started the recording process. The role was later given to Billy West, who also voices Fry and Professor Farnsworth.

In an interview with The New York Times, Billy West said that he based his character Brannigan on a Disc Jockey (DJ) character from the '50s and '60s. There is also a little bit of Hartman's signature that Billy West used to voice it as a sign of respect, namely the voice of Troy McClure.

5. John DiMaggio Initially Auditioned for Professor Farnsworth 

Finding a voice that matches Bender’s voice  is not an easy task for the people who worked on Futurama. Is it a human voice, or something more synthesized like Robby the Robot from Forbidden Planet? The crew auditioned dozens of voice actors in an attempt to find a voice character that matched the perfect Bender voice, but to no avail.

At the same time, voice actor John DiMaggio auditioned for a role on the show against his agency's wishes. DiMaggio's agency is concerned about the money and the contract on offer. At first DiMaggio auditioned for the role of Professor Farnsworth, using a rough drunken voice based on Slim Pickens. The voice didn't suit the Professor's character, but the producer asked him to audition for Bender. The voice instantly felt right, and DiMaggio won the audition.

6. It Took a Year to Produce One Episode

Every episode of Futurama is a work of love, with every joke and animated frame under close observation. Because of this, there is plenty of time to work on the episode. About a year for each episode.

This process begins with the creation of a story idea, which is then given to the writer for a plot outline and first draft. From there, the first draft was dissected in the writers' room on a "word by word, scene by scene." Such detailed work can take months.

Then the dialogue in the script is voiced while being recorded by the actors as in an old-fashioned radio show. After that the results are given to the animators. The animation creation process can take about six months to complete.

Those are the 6 Futurama Facts, a cartoon that mentioned Omicron. Do you think there are other Futurama facts that haven't been discussed here? You can share them in the comment section.

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