Disniversity Podcast

Ding ding ding! The summer break is over, and class is back in session. After The Bangers Era™ ended with the death of Walt Disney, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers are hurtling headfirst into The Dark Age (or, for now, The Bangover) with 1970’s The Aristocats. This time, it’s off to Paris for a jazz-cat adventure riffing on various hits from Disney’s past – with t...

Before a new era – The Dark Age – begins, our short break continues with a different kind of bonus episode. In the most ambitious (animated film podcast) crossover event of all time, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic (or should that be ‘addict’?) Sam Summers are joined by Jake Cunningham and Michael Leader, aka the Ghibliotheque podcast team, to celebrate the launch of their brand...

Pencils down, pupils – after a bucketload of Bangers, we interrupt our short break with a third Study Group episode. This time, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers look back over the Bangers Era of the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue – from Cinderella to The Jungle Book – discussing their favourite sequences and characters, updating their rankings, and discussing...

After a glorious run of all-out megahits (er, and The Sword In The Stone), the Bangers Era™ comes to an end. Film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers take a leisurely stroll through the jungles of India in 1967’s The Jungle Book – a journey for which they’re joined by Empire Magazine journalist (and Mowgli mega-fan) John Nugent, talking the film’s loveable characters and songs...

Following their swinging ‘60s adventure, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers are blasted back to the dark ages in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ young Arthurian adventure, 1963’s The Sword In The Stone. And this time, they’re joined by a special guest who knows her stuff when it comes to swords, sorcery, and silliness – film journalist and professional Geek Queen, Helen O...

In a very special episode of Disniversity, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers are joined by Mike Rianda, writer-director of The Mitchells Vs The Machines (aka the best animated film of 2021, streaming now on Netflix) for a deep dive into Walt Disney Animation Studios’ beloved 1961 favourite, One Hundred And One Dalmatians. Together, they tackle the film’s distinctive aes...

After getting their fill of spaghetti and meatballs, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers are entranced by the lavish fantasy fairytale romance of Walt Disney Animation Studios’ stunning 1959 princess movie, Sleeping Beauty. Dive in for a discussion of Disney’s most visually distinctive film yet, talking the Tchaikovsky score, the magnificent Mistress Of All Evil, how much...

Leaving the problematic adventures of Peter Pan behind them, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers tuck into a delicious meatball feast of a movie in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ adorable 1955 heartwarmer, Lady And The Tramp. And for this episode they’re joined by Radio 1’s Ali Plumb – a guy who knows as much about dogs as he does about movies, here to impart all kinds of...

Following a short break, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers are back – and this time they’re stumbling out of Wonderland and flying headfirst for Neverland in Walt Disney Animation Studios’ adolescent adventure, 1953’s Peter Pan. As the Bangers Era™ continues, we discuss the film’s iconic flight sequences, problematic colonialist narratives, the complex pixie lore of the...

After finding their happily-ever-after at the royal ball, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers head further into the Bangers Era™ of the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue by taking a trip into 1951’s Alice In Wonderland. And this time, they’re joined by Lewis Carroll stan Clarisse Loughrey – a very special guest to guide them through a dizzying psychedelic dreamscape...

The time of hastily-assembled package movies is over – and now film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers begin the unofficially-titled Bangers Era™ of the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, with 1950’s Cinderella. It’s a new era, a new decade, and a renewed sense of confidence and quality for the studio, which starts with Disney refining the princess fairytale archetype i...

Notepads away, Disniversity students – after a stack of hefty double-features, it’s time for our second Study Group bonus episode. This time, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers stop to look back on the Package Era of the Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue – that’s Saludos Amigos, The Three Caballeros, Make Mine Music, Fun & Fancy Free, Melody Time, and The Adventure...

With their ventriloquist dummy nightmares now behind them, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers reach the end of the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Package Films era, watching 1948’s Melody Time, and 1949’s The Adventures Of Ichabod And Mr. Toad. In the former, they encounter more Mary Blair magic, Disney’s continued attempts at drawing colonialist American myths, and deli...

Fresh from Disney’s double-whammy of Latin American adventures, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers delve further into the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Package Films era, with 1946’s Make Mine Music and 1947’s Fun And Fancy Free. Across a selection of stories, they meet jazzy hepcats, lost Disney protagonist Bongo the Bear, and encounter the studio’s most surprisingly v...

Following a special bonus Study Group episode, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers dive head-first into a whole new era of the Walt Disney Animation Studios’ output: the Package Features. First up, they tackle a double bill of 1942’s Saludos Amigos and 1944’s The Three Caballeros – getting caught up in the sumptuous sights and sounds of Latin America, meeting Jose Carioca...

Pens down, everyone – there’s no lecture this week, and no required viewing. In our first bonus Study Group episode, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers take a pause to look back on the Walt Disney Animation Studio’s legendary golden run of first five features – Snow White, Pinocchio, Fantasia, Dumbo and Bambi. This week, we discuss our favourite sequences, songs, and cha...

Soaring away from their night at the circus, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers venture deep into the forest with Walt Disney Animation Studios’ heartbreaking natural fable: 1942’s Bambi. In class 105, we talk the cyclicality of nature, Disney’s most ambitious technical shots yet, the events of home video sequel Bambi II, and discover the live-action Bambi Cinematic Univ...

Returning from the realm of classical collaborations, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers take a trip to the circus with Walt Disney Animation Studios’ big-eared elephant classic: 1941’s Dumbo. In class 104, we talk the film’s ‘fast and cheap’ approach, trip out on the legendary Pink Elephants sequence, discuss how it improved the studio’s fortunes, and attempt to reclaim...

With the trauma of Monstro and Pleasure Island behind them, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Sam Summers head into trippier territory with Walt Disney Animation Studios’ audio-visual extravaganza: 1940’s Fantasia. In class 103, we talk about the genesis of Disney’s audacious animated experiment, why it riled classical music heads, how it might have inspired Jurassic Park, and the...

After surviving their encounter with the Seven Dwarfs, film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers revisit Walt Disney Animation Studios’ hugely ambitious second feature: 1940’s Pinocchio. In class 102, we talk about the visceral terror of Monstro the whale, the major technological leaps in Disney’s animation style, and are forever changed by our trip to ‘Pleasure Island’. No...

Welcome to Disniversity, the podcast crash course through the history of Disney’s animated classics, with film journalist Ben Travis and animation academic Dr. Sam Summers. Each week, we’ll be moving forward in time through the legendary Walt Disney Animation Studios catalogue, watching every feature film in chronological order – from Snow White to Frozen II. Watch along with us, and listen as we...