How's It Hold Up?

(Spoiler Section Length - 8min 58sec) Generally speaking, people consider the Disney Renaissance of the (mostly) 90s to be the height of the studio's output, thanks in no small part to critical and commercial titans like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin. But there is one film above all others that gripped the cultural zeitgeist and never fully let go, one film that could b...

There are only a handful of shorts whose fame at least partially comes from their technical achievements. Steamboat Willie and its sychronized sound is one, while The Old Mill's claim to fame is the multiplane camera. While we take what it does for granted now in the digital age, back then it was a big step-up in cinematography for animated shorts. But does it really add that much to this shor...

(Spoiler Section Length - 14min 41sec) From the creator of The Triplets of Bellville comes a film about an old magician living in a time where his talents are valued less and less by the day. While Triplets had sparse dialogue, this film goes even further than that while maintaining a less exaggerated style, both visually and in what few vocalizations do occur. This lends it even more of an 'a...

While Warner Bros' output has been increasing in quality in the late 30s, largely thanks to new blood like Tex Avery and newly-impowered blood like Bob Clampett, one member of the old guard in particular is still around and has been a lot slower to change: Fritz Freleng. Much of his output has largely been echoing the stylings of the Harman-Ising era, a style that's more and more at odds w...

(Spoiler Section Length - 6min 20sec) It's time to go back to the past of Makoto Shinkai - the creator of Your Name - to see the man's directorial debut. Except... we're actually checking out two films, one a short film and the other a full-length one. What similarites lie between these two works, and how do they relate to his later films? And more importantly... how do they hold up? L...

Today's Betty Boop is the first Boop in color (and the last, at least by the Fleischers), and is also technically not a Betty Boop but the start of the Color Classics series. It sees Betty in a retelling of Cinderella, complete with musical numbers, pretty dresses, a prince, and a fairy godmother. This short is also another example of the sorts of color cartoons that studios other than Disney...

Color Rhapsodies is a series that, at least up to this point, has mostly been a Silly Symphonies ripoff tonally, with overly cutesy aesthetics and little substance. There's been exceptions, but for the most part they've stayed away from more gag-focused fare or more dramatic storytelling. So today, we're going to look at two cartoons, one that's very gag-focused and one that's...

(Spoiler Section Length - 5min 22sec) When it comes to direct-to-video sequels of animated films, though Disney's efforts are often derided, due to their budgets they tend to be better than what other studios manage to do. We've seen various efforts already, such as with sequels to Don Bluth films, and they've run the gamut from 'okay' to 'very bad'. Does Ferngully'...

Mickey, Donald and Goofy are taking on a new job this time: cleaning a clock. And not just any clock, but a clock tower! But with a sleepy stork, a sassy coil and Goofy's poor level of awareness to contend with, they're going to have a heck of a time getting the job done. So many years later, does the short still hold up? Listen to find out! The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com...

(Spoiler Section Length - 7min 45sec) There are a lot of movies and shows aimed toward children that have a goal, primary or not, of advocating for protecting the natural environment from pollution. But if you're a 90s kid, chances are there's one in particular that comes to mind when the subject is brought up - Ferngully. Many pro-environment, anti-pollution pieces of media have a less-th...

Betty Boop's back, and running a hotel! But when things go wrong, since it's late-era Betty Boop, there's only one man who can save the day: Grampy. Though he's no one's favorite character, Grampy being in a Betty Boop cartoon doesn't necessarily mean it will be terrible! So... is this one? Listen to find out! The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com) Licensed under...

(Spoiler Section Length - 3min 14sec) This time we cover yet another direct-to-dvd Disney sequel, and this one ALSO has the misfortune of being one of those 'three episode of a cancelled series'-type affairs. The series in question would have been titled Team Atlantis, but since the movie didn't do as well as Disney wanted, well... we got this. But as a final hurrah for a lovable cast...

In 1937 Looney Tunes continued to evolve more and more into what they're thought of today, and a big reason for that is the way the individual directors evolved, getting more and more leeway to find their own styles. In this episode we meet up with Frank Tashlin again and see how his style has changed and what aspects he's leaned into. Is either short worth watching today? Listen to find o...

(Spoiler Section Length - 16min 5sec) After around a decade of creating musicals, Disney started to branch out in the early 2000's, creating several films that weren't as financially successful as the 'Renaissance Era' movies, but many of which ended up being cult favorites over time. Atlantis is one such film - eschewing the musical format for a straight-up adventure film inspired...

In 1937 Donald Duck broke out from the Mickey Mouse shorts into his own animated shorts series... but he wasn't the only one! Pluto also finally got his own series, though this would be the only entry in it for a few years. The character of Fifi and the concept of Pluto shepherding a group of rambunctious young animals returns in this first outing, as Pluto tries to take care of his kids while...

(Spoiler Section Length - 11min 3sec) Rankin-Bass' Rudolph continues his adventures, and this time he's saving New Years! Along for the ride are a colorful cast of characters, in search of a baby with big ears. They hunt for the child across an archipelago with islands that represent years past. But the wicked giant bird Eon also searches for the kid, to prevent his own demise. Does this a...

In this Popeye short, Swee'Pea gets into a dangerous factory and nearly dies many times! When people say things like 'you couldn't make this today' they usually seem to be referring to provocative content like Blazing Saddles, but the phrase could also be used for something like this: a cartoon where the central crux of most of the jokes is a baby in life-threatening danger. Modern...

(Spoiler Section Length - 9min 7sec) While Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer might have a tough time being labelled anyone's 'favorite' Christmas song, it certainly is one of the most well-known, and that's in part because of this iconic holiday special that virtually every generation since its creation is at least aware of, even if they haven't actually seen it. It's Rankin-B...

When people consider all-time classic Christmas stories, Dr. Seuss' tale of the Grinch tends to be one of the most fondly remembered. While the original book has had multiple adaptations over the years, the first one had the biggest influence, if for no other reason than it cemented the idea that the Grinch should be colored green. But all these years later, does this Chuck Jones television sp...

This time we take a look at Gabby's final two (of three) appearances in the original Looney Tunes shorts, each one increasingly directed by Bob Clampett (with Chuck Jones as assistant director!). Does Gabby's character improve over his first appearance? Does Bob Clampett's direction win out against Ub Iwerks in quality? Are either of these cartoons worth watching today? Listen to find...

(Spoiler Section Length - 12min 24sec) Making the sequel to your cult classic anthology film NOT an anthology is a strange choice out the gate, but not inherently a bad one, if the story and characters prove worth the time investment. Taking a few notes from the original film's Tarna segment, this sequel focuses on a butt-kicking woman taking on a great evil in order to avenge slaughtered inno...

Mickey's putting on a show - a magic show! Donald is also here, though unlike Orphan's Benefit he isn't part of the show - instead HE is the heckler! Though when Mickey easily puts him in his place, Donald is eager to charge onstage to fight about it. Throw in a little bit of Goofy, working behind the scenes, and you have an explosive mix with some wild results. But are they enjoyable...

(Spoiler Section Length - 18min 51sec) We've got another Mamoru Hosoda film on our hands, and just like all his other movies, we definitely never cried while watching or discussing it. This one touches on some very modern concerns, such as identity and perception in the digital age, while also using trappings from an older tale, Beauty and the Beast. The film also uses multiple animation style...

Ub Iwerks is a man who's come up multiple times already on this podcast, from his essential work on the earliest Mickey Mouse cartoons to his solo career after he left Disney. But he also had a very brief stint at Warner Bros, during a period of time where he was contracting out to various studios, including Columbia Pictures. So here we compare two of his 1937 cartoon, made at two different s...

(Spoiler Section Length - 15min 38sec) This is one of the most well-known and beloved of all stop-motion animated films, all Halloween films, and it's even pretty high up on many people's favorite Christmas films. Also it has a lot of merchandise at Hot Topic! Add multiple video-game cameos via Kingdom Hearts (and even its own game or two), and some other multimedia experiences like books...