Not My Fantasy

  To start off Women’s History Month, we’re going all the way back to the the animated feature film that started it all, Disney’s Snow White from 1937. We’re joined yet again by author and podcaster Bethanie Finger to talk one of her and Cullen’s favorite fairy tales. Cullen finally gets to show off his two Snow White-themed mugs in all their color-changing glory, Hannah shocks everyone with news...

For the finale of Supernatural Romance Month, we’re phasing into the second chapter of the Twilight saga, New Moon. Cullen shows off his collection of werewolf books from the library, Hannah pleads for better wigs for the wolf boys, and Julia is in utter shock that she was ever Team Edward.   Check out Julia Bianco on Instagram (@Julia. A.Bianco). Be on the lookout for her supernatural romance boo...

For this week of Supernatural Romance Month, we’re diving deep into Guillermo Del Toro’s “The Shape of Water.” We cover the story of “Agneta and the Merman” and some lore behind sea creature lovers. Plus, Cullen finally admits he’s Guillermo Del Toro’s nepo baby, Hannah keeps quoting dank memes, and both hosts gush about their love of good heists.   Research for this episode: Agneta and the Merman...

We’re biting into romance-horror film The Invitation, starring Missandei and the son of Captain Hook. This week, Cullen is caught between fear and arousal over the hot vampire lord, Hannah volunteers to join the vampiric pansexual throuple, and our guest Stuart helps griffins and unicorns get the PR they really need.   Catch Another Gay Horror Podcast wherever you get your podcasts. Follow their p...

It’s Supernatural Romance Month yet again, and we’re going back to the tale as old as time with “Beastly.” Cullen relives the dread of the Villaneuve “Beauty and the Beast” tale, Hannah bemoans the movie from her freshly dug grave, and our guest Tori returns to the pod for her annual anti-Vanessa Hudgens rant.   Research for this episode: Beauty and the Beast Beaumont’s Version  The ATU   Comparat...

It is cold, and Scrooge likes that. This holiday season, we’re watching “A Muppet Christmas Carol,” the most faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale. We dive into some of Christmas’ spooky history and Dickens’ influence on the depictions of the holiday in media. Cullen outs himself as a Nephew Freddie, Hannah reveals why she’s not a fan of The Muppets, T shivers at the sight...

This week, Cullen and Hannah talk about the a-meh-zing Moana 2, emphasis on meh. We both try to articulate why this movie didn’t quite work, Cullen gives us a lesson on musical lyric writing, and Hannah brainstorms a plot for the Moana sequel we wanted to see. Oh, and there are so many references to the Bionicle movie, Wicked and D&D. Research for this episode: Polynesian Mythology (book) - Wi...

We’re going back before the brick road was yellow to discuss the Wicked movie! We’re joined by Tara and EmKay of Down the Yellow Brick Pod to talk about the movie, the musical, and the book! Cullen holds space for the future Shiz University Library LEGO set, Hannah goes on a face journey hearing the plot of the book, Tara spreads Gregory Maguire’s pro-crone message, and EmKay spotlights Cynthia an...

We’re entering our Oz era. This week, we’re talking about the classic fantasy film “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland. Cullen takes us through the crazy fantasy of the L. Frank Baum book, Hannah shows off her Oz swag from her theatre viewing, and our guest Jenna shares her wonderful experience meeting the munchkins as a kid.   Research for this episode: Yale Film Archive  Wizard of Oz and th...

We’re ending our first zombie series with the classic that launched the modern, pop culture zombie: George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). We’re joined by writer, filmmaker and all-around horror buff Mike Lera to explore how Romero’s ghouls got the zombie moniker. In this episode, Cullen accidentally watches the 1990 remake, Hannah reminds us of the importance of remembering the original...

Zoinks! The NMF gang watches “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” and, like, we weren’t prepared for such a rich discussion on zombies. This week, we dive into the voodoo of New Orleans and how this movie uses it as a backdrop for benevolent zombies, voodoo dolls, and werecats! Cullen reveals himself to be the lost 5th (human) member of the Mystery Inc. gang, Hannah headbangs through the music numbers, a...

To start off spooky month, we’re exploring the Haitian-Vodou origins of the zombie in the 1988 Wes Craven film, “The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Hannah takes the lead, diving into the real-life story of zombification and the years of scientific study on the phenomenon that inspired the film. With our friend and fellow podcaster Kyle Leone, we have a fascinating conversation about the brutal historic...

This week, we’re crying our eyes out over the idea of change and new love after grief in the 2020 animated film “Over the Moon” from Netflix and Pearl Studio. Our friend Ellen joins Cullen and Hannah to fangirl over our new favorite lunar pop princess deity, Chang’e. Listen to us chat about the Mid-Autumn Lunar Festival and the different versions of the Chang’e story, shake our butts to “Ultralumi...

Cullen and Hannah continue down the Descendants Rabbit Hole and overcomplicate Cullen’s conspiracy board as they analyze Descendants: the Royal Wedding and Descendants Rise of Red. Can they untangle the Descendants timeline and deal with all the complications and worldbuilding deviations Rise of Red brings or just shrug and say it’s for kids? It’s Cullen and Hannah so of course they will go crazy...

Follow Cullen and Hannah into the lore that is the Descendants franchise (2015-Present) as we dissect this Disney Channel Fanfic Franchise as a case study for the commodification of morality in the modern world. Are Good and Evil merely aesthetics? Join us on an unhinged pop culture journey to find out. In part 1 we discuss the Original Trilogy (2015-2019) and the wild lore it creates to carry us...

Ask us what kind of tree it is, because it’s a Chris Pine (movie). We watched “Dungeons & Dragons: Honour Among Thieves” and explored the world of the Forgotten Realms with our favorite dorky, dysfunctional adventuring party. Cullen references The Veggie Tales for the 100th time, Hannah shares her close call with a rogue gang of Minions, and Maiko reports live from Legolas’ back woods.   Check...

The Famtasy Choice Awards (50 Episode Celebration)   Cullen and Hannah thank viewers like you and hand out Famtasy Choice Awards to the characters, songs and movies we’ve met on the Fantastical Adventure as voted by our listeners. We also read comments and reviews and celebrate the journey of our first 50 episodes. Thank you listeners for listening to 50 episodes of magic, mayhem, and movies! ====...

Nimona (2023) (feat. Allyssa Swearingen and Brittany Spurlin)   This week, Cullen is joined by two grad school friends, Allyssa and Brittany, to talk about the shape-shifting queer tale of Netflix’s Nimona! We start with some queer book recommendations to finish your Pride Month with some more awesome tales. Then, Cullen gives us an overview of shapeshifter and trickster lore, Allyssa raves about...

For this week of Pride Month, we’re talking about the animated movie that invented gender-bending — Disney’s Mulan 1998. Cullen shares two of the oldest versions of the Chinese folktale, Hannah can’t stop talking about how good this movie is, and our guest Nick convinces us that he’s not saying Mulan is a trans story but he’s also not NOT saying that. Huge thanks to our friend Nick for sharing ama...

Happy Pride Month! We’re starting off with a heavy film that just barely counts as a fantasy film– “All of Us Strangers.” Cullen does a roll call of various queer deities (gay-ities, if you will), Hannah points out fantasy tropes and themes, and our guests Callum and Michael share insights about the first movie adaptation of “Strangers,” the novel this film is based on. Trigger Warning: Briefs Ref...

We’re making Not My Fantasy history, folks. That’s right, we’re finally talking about the movie that comes before Cullen’s favorite song about a blue dragon. We’re reviewing “Eragon” with special guests, Kaley and Taylor of The Book Was Better Podcast! Cullen relives his disappointing experience seeing the movie in theaters, Hannah tries to wrap her brain around the movie’s confounding lore, while...

How to Train Your Dragon (2010) (feat. Allyssa Swearingen)   This week, we’re talking about dragons with the Dreamworks film, “How to Train Your Dragon.” Cullen refuses to forgive Stoic for being such a bad father, Hannah gets second-hand embarrassment about the big kiss at the end, and our guest Allyssa gives us great insights into the key changes between the book and the movie as well as filmmak...

Bionicle: Mask of Light (2003) (feat. John Gossett)   Back in the early 2000s, Bionicles caused controversy with their cultural appropriation. Now, they’re wreaking havoc on Hannah’s sanity. This week, we’re lava-surfing into the 2003, direct-to-video movie “Bionicle: Mask of Light.” Cullen soapboxes about the strange, dense lore of the Bionicles toys and media franchise, Hannah desperately clings...

We’re journeying to the island village of Motuni with Moana (2016). We explore just some of the vast lore of Polynesian cultures and talk about the film’s original takes on it as well as the completely original lore created for the film. Plus, Cullen asks the hard questions about using the facilities while searching for Te Fiti, Hannah discovers Moana is her patron Disney Princess saint, and our g...

This week, three Americans watch 2013’s “About Time” and can’t be convinced that the U.K. is a real country. Cullen shares lore about the British obsession with The Killers, Hannah accepts the lack of time travel logic in this delightful film, and our guest Neethi tries to figure out whether the main character is using time travel to tip the British legal system in his clients’ favor. Oh, and Cull...