AniMoWa: Animated Movie Watch

We chill out with one of Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli's most iconic films, My Neighbor Totoro (1988).

Isao Takahata's Grave of the Fireflies (1988) is something everyone should see once and never again...unless you're us.

Katsuhiro Otomo's sci-fi classic Akira (1988) gets the praise it deserves.

We both faced some childhood fears for this episode, but we can agree: The Brave Little Toaster (1987) ran so Toy Story could sprint!

While The Puppetoon Movie (1987) features some of George Pal's Oscar-worthy shorts, we found it hard to look past its dated racist and stereotyped depictions.

The Chipmunk Adventure (1987) was certainly an adventure...with chipmunks! Too bad about its many flaws.

We wish more people had access to Royal Space Force: The Wings of Honnêamise (1987), the debut film of studio Gainax. (This movie contains sensitive topics; listener discretion is advised.)

Don Bluth's An American Tail (1986) is a nostalgic, memorable outing—except for the singing children, which we'd rather forget.

When the Wind Blows (1986), based on the graphic novel by Raymond Briggs, was a bleak experience that we never want to see again.

The Transformers: The Movie (1986) was somehow nostalgic despite neither of us having grown up with it.

We do some well-deserved gushing over Miyazaki's Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)!

The Great Mouse Detective (1986) is an underrated Disney classic and you should see it if you haven't!

We found Ashi Production's Vampire Hunter D (1986) to be an enjoyable, gory romp despite its age.

We find a few things to like about Disney's infamous flop The Black Cauldron (1985).

We spent most of the movie looking forward to Skeletor's appearance in Filmation's He-Man and She-Ra: The Secret of the Sword (1985).

Will Vinton's The Adventures of Mark Twain (1985) is a claymation classic that both impressed and freaked us out.

To celebrate our fiftieth episode and to close out the year, we sat down and watched a number of films that didn't meet our usual criteria. Some were made for TV, others didn't have a critic's rating, and one was a film we should have already watched (oops!).

There is much to love about Miyazaki's Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind (1984)—even the bugs and melting God Warriors.

We found only a few things to appreciate about Ralph Bakshi and Frank Frazetta's Fire and Ice (1983).

In a more serious episode, we discuss the devastation of the Hiroshima bombing in Keiji Nakazawa's Barefoot Gen (1983).

The Last Unicorn (1982) by Rankin/Bass is a good movie, except it's not.

We aren't sure whether we're glad we watched Martin Rosen's The Plague Dogs (1982), another Richard Adams adaptation. (This episode contains discussions of animal abuse; listener discretion is advised.)

Let's explore some electrifying animation and childhood trauma with Don Bluth's directorial debut, The Secret of NIMH (1982).

Our minds were blown by the stylized art and animation in Marcell Jankovics' Son of the White Mare (1981)!

We found Gerald Potterton's Heavy Metal (1981) a bit disappointing given its popularity, but it had a rockin' soundtrack!