Mousterpiece Melodies

Avast, me hearties! We hope you've got a spirit for the open sea, because in this new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, your hosts Josh and Scott are sailing for adventure. More specifically, they're talking about the songs of the 1996 film Muppet Treasure Island, and are joined by special guest Jacob Oller of The AV Club to do so. In this episode, they talk about how great aspects of this film ar...

Hello, friends! Don't cry for us, or for Argentina, but Scott and Josh have a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies for you all. They're joined by their old friend from the old show, Gabe Bucsko, to talk about the 1996 film adaptation of the stage musical Evita, starring Madonna and Antonio Banderas. Consider it an almost all-cover episode of the show, since just one song in the film version...

Hey, friends! It's summertime, and Scott and Josh are back from their spring hiatus for an all-new season of Mousterpiece Melodies! They kick off the third season of the show with a story all about a childlike character from a magical land who arrives in New York and upends the life of a workaholic with a child who wants their father to pay them more attention. No, it's not the 2003 film Elf; we'r...

Dadgum, everyone! It's time for the second season finale of Mousterpiece Melodies! Scott and Josh are almost ready to take a couple months off, to slow things down. And what better way to close out the season than with a discussion of not one, but two films and their songs? Your hosts tackle the songs of Cars and Cars 2 in this episode, and if you're shocked to learn they could have enough to disc...

Hello, friends! It's time for a tall tail, fur real, as Scott and Josh can bear-ly contain their excitement and have no interest in paw-sing any further. In case the painful puns aren't clue enough, they're talking about the surprisingly many songs of the 2002 flop The Country Bears in this new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies. Scott and Josh are joined by special guest Matt Singer of ScreenCrush...

Hello, friends! It's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, as Scott and Josh are joined by special guest Noel Murray to talk about the coolest cats in France, specifically The Aristocats, the 1970 animated film that boasted a handful of songs, with only one of them featuring any jaw-dropping old-school racism. Yes, it's true, this film's songs may not have the best music of old-sc...

Hello, friends! It's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies. This week, Scott and Josh aren't just guest-free, they're feeling Fun and Fancy Free, because that just so happens to be the name of the movie they're discussing this week. They talk about the many songs of this 1947 package film, how some of those songs may not hold up to modern scrutiny and mores, and whether or not Edga...

Hey, friends! It's a new year, and there are still plenty of movies for Josh and Scott to discuss on Mousterpiece Melodies. In the first new episode of 2026, they're joined by the podcast's first returning guest, Odie Henderson of the Boston Globe, to talk about the songs of the 2021 cinematic sensation Encanto. It's time, yes, to once more talk about Lin-Manuel Miranda. It's time to talk about th...

Hello, friends! We're going out on a high note in 2025 with a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies. Scott and Josh dive into the world of the Big Easy in this installment, as they discuss the songs of the 2009 animated classic The Princess and the Frog. Your hosts are joined by TV critic and author Alan Sepinwall to discuss the Randy  Newman songs that tell the story of a young woman named T...

Hello, friends, and happy holidays! It is a special time of caring, as you know, and what better way for Josh and Scott to celebrate than by discussing the songs of the 1992 Disney film The Muppet Christmas Carol on a new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies? Scott and Josh are joined by Vulture TV critic Roxana Hadadi to talk about this film's songs and whether or not they may be - gasp! - a little l...

Hello, friends! As we ramp up to the Thanksgiving holiday, it's no better time than to get away from the craziness of the human world and head under the sea. That's where Scott and Josh are headed on a new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, as they talk about the songs of the 1989 Disney animated classic The Little Mermaid. As they discuss the film that kickstarted Disney's massive animated success...

Stick 'em up! OK, but seriously, we hope you're in a mood to head back to a simpler, and yet more dangerous, time in popular culture, back when mobsters and cops fought it out in the streets of the big city. In this episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, Scott and Josh are talking about the songs of the 1990 film Dick Tracy, directed by and starring Warren Beatty as the eponymous lawman. Your hosts are...

Hey, folks! As we fully move into the fall, the winds are blowing a certain mysterious way, at least in the neck of the woods of the fair podcast Mousterpiece Melodies. Could it be that the practically perfect nanny Mary Poppins is here? Indeed -- on this week's epic-length episode, Josh and Scott talk about the 16 songs of the 1964 classic film about the enigmatic and charming nanny and the Banks...

Hey, friends! We're b-b-b-b-b-back! Scott and Josh are back in action, podcasting once more as a new season of Mousterpiece Melodies begins. This time around, they're moving up in the history of princess films from the original Snow White and this time covering the songs of the 1950 classic Cinderella instead. After briefly explaining why their hiatus took a little longer than usual, Scott and Jos...

Hey, friends! Do you have a dream of listening to a new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies? Well, you can see the light (on your smartphone or wherever you're listening to this) of that dream come true...because it is indeed time for a new episode, and the first-season finale, of Mousterpiece Melodies! This time, Scott and Josh are joined by freelance critic Matt Goldberg to talk about the songs of...

Hello, friends! It's time for another new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, and this week, Scott and Josh are headed to Nottingham to talk about the songs of the 1973 animated film Robin Hood with guest Alan Zilberman. This film has a passionate cult fanbase, and it's time to decide if that should extend to the film's songs, including its sole Oscar nominee. Does this movie not get enough credit f...

Hey, friends! It's time to beat the heat with a new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, as Scott and Josh dive into the world of Disney package features once more. This time, they're talking about the 1946 film Make Mine Music, which has (as a Weekend Update guest would say) everything: Dinah Shore, opera-singing whales, and look over there, is that Taylor Swift and Sabrina Carpenter? No, it's a pai...

Hello, friends! Have you always wanted a brother? Well, we hope so, because in this brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, Scott and Josh are talking about the songs of Mufasa: The Lion King, the 2024 prequel to the absolutely atrocious Jon Favreau remake of the beloved animated film. This week, Scott and Josh are joined by the chief film critic of The Boston Globe, Odie Henderson, to talk ab...

Hey, friends! Who's ready for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies? It's the middle of the summer (even if the equinox hasn't arrived yet), and we're just about to celebrate the 26th anniversary of Disney's last big-deal summer animated film of the 20th century. So what better way to honor the ape man himself than by talking about the songs of Tarzan? Scott and Josh are joined in this epis...

Hello, friends! We hope you're ready to jump on the nearest sarape and travel to the countries of Latin America, because that's exactly where we're headed on this new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies! Scott and Josh are joined by special guest Monica Castillo to talk about the songs of Saludos Amigos and The Three Caballeros, and how those songs evoke a distinct time and place within the middle of...

Hello, friends! We hope you've stepped away from your room so you can peek in at all your favorite toys to see what they're up to while you're not looking. That's because, in this new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, Scott and Josh are talking about the songs of all four Toy Story films, covering everything from "You've Got a Friend in Me" to "The Ballad of the Lonesome Cowboy." They're joined th...

Don't you wish for something more than...this? Are you aware that you, like everyone else, is a shareholder in the universe? Have I blown your mind? Or just confused you, perhaps? If those lyrics aren't enough of a hint, let's break it down and tell you that the latest episode of Mousterpiece Melodies is all about the songs of the 2023 Disney animated film Wish. Wish served as the 100th-anniversar...

Hello, friends! Are you ready for a mysterious and thrilling new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies? In this installment, Josh and Scott are joined by Aisha Harris of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour to talk about the songs of Disney's Aladdin. And yes, that does mean the songs of the 1992 animated classic as well as the songs as they appear in the 2019 live-action/CG...non-classic remake. Josh, Scott,...

Isn't it a brazzle dazzle day, everyone? It must be, because it's time for a brand-new episode of Mousterpiece Melodies, the podcast all about the songs of Disney movies. This time around, Josh and Scott are headed to the small town of Passamaquoddy to learn all about the story of Pete's Dragon, the 1977 film about a boy, his animated dragon, and the con artist who wants to steal that dragon away....

Are you ready for a whole new world of Disney podcasting? It's time for Mousterpiece Melodies, a new bi-weekly show all about the songs of Disney movies, from film critics Josh Spiegel and Scott renshaw. We begin this comprehensive and encyclopedic compendium of all things Disney music with a lengthy discussion of the songs of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and the songs of the 2025 remake Snow W...