‘The Simpsons’ Treehouse of Horror Intro by ‘Maya and the Three’ Creator Jorge Gutierrez to Create Mucho Miedo

This Sunday, November 3, the annual The Simpsons Halloween event rises from the grave once more in “Treehouse of Horror XXXV.” This year’s anthology of Springfieldian scares features a punchy intro sequence from Emmy- and Annie Award-winning Mexican animator-artist Jorge R. Gutiérrez (The Book of Life, Maya and the Three, El Tigre: The Adventures of Manny Rivera), Variety revealed. The collab was announced at the show’s San Diego Comic-Con panel this summer.

The opener for “Los Simpsons” is crafted in Gutiérrez’s distinctive style, drawing inspiration from Día de los Muertos iconography and classic PvP fighting games, featuring spooked-up versions of the Simpsons family as well as Mr. Burns, Sideshow Bob, Krusty, Bumblebee Guy, Itchy & Scratchy — as well as La Muerte and Xibalba from Gutiérrez’s feature film The Book of Life. The action pans out to show aliens Kang and Kodos, who first appeared in the original “Treehouse of Horror” (1990), at the arcade cabinet.

“I’ve been a huge Simpsons fan ever since Bart first appeared in my beloved Tijuana in the classic ‘Kamp Krusty’ episode,” Gutiérrez told Variety. “I’m forever grateful to [executive producer] Matt Selman and [creator] Matt Groening for giving me the honor to direct my own passionate (and bloody!) animated love letter to the show that inspired me to dream of making cartoons one day. Now, I can die with a huge smile on my face. ¡Viva Los Simpsons!”

The opening also features music by Juan Carlos Enriquez, who riffed on the “Jarabe Tapatío” folk dance, giving the familiar tune (known in English as the “Mexican Hat Dance”) a punk rock twist. Enriquez, Gutiérrez and producer Tim Yoon provided bolero-inspired vocals.

Airing Sunday night at 8 p.m. on FOX, “Treehouse of Horror XXXV” will present three tales of terror: Giant monsters created by political rage threaten to tear the town apart, a Victorian Mr. Burns is jump-scared on Thanksgiving by the ghosts of his abused workers, and Homer bonds with a pair of extra-terrestrial jeans in an unforgettable stop-motion adventure that can only be called… Denim.

The following week (Sunday, Nov. 9), fans will be treated to a second trilogy of spooky stories in “Simpsons Wicked This Way Comes” (a nod to celebrated horror/sci-fi author Ray Bradbury).