Stick to Shorts: A Classic Cartoons Podcast

Stick to Shorts is closing down for the foreseeable future. I would like to thank the listeners who have stuck with it and especially thank the guests who donated their time to record with me. - J.D.

In this especially nerdy episode, we're going back to the land before time (the silent era) to discuss the work of Winsor McCay! Learn about where animation comes from and just how much McCay changed it. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Kristi O. Cartoon Content Warning: smoking. If you’d like to support the podcast, you can contribute on Ko-Fi at  ko-fi.com/jdhansel . Notes The source I rel...

Welcome back! It's the Season 2 premiere, so the podcast is reseting as we transition to a more chronological, narrative driven format. We begin with a discussion of vaudeville, list our favorite Friz Freleng cartoons, and talk about one of the all-time great Bugs and Daffy shorts! Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Anthony Strand Cartoon Content Warning: self-immolation. Episode Content Warning: m...

For the season finale, J.D. ties up loose ends with the help of Danny Horn ( The Fantastic Miss Piggy Podcast ) as they discuss a Friz Freleng masterpiece. We get into Freleng's early career, the peculiar popularity of Porky Pig, and, making his Stick to Shorts debut, Daffy Duck! Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Danny Horn Content Warning for Cartoon: smoking. Availability: Looney Tunes Golden Co...

Tori Schmidt joins J.D. to talk all things Tom and Jerry! We needed an example of a generic Tom and Jerry cartoon, and we decided this one’s ordinary enough. We think you’ll find that this run-of-the-mill MGM cartoon proves their mill was pretty darn good. We talk about William Hanna and Joe Barbera’s early careers, the remarkable success of their cat and mouse duo, and the remarkable failure of C...

G! G! Ryan Roe and Anthony Strand (Movin' Right Along) attempt to help J.D. decipher the pop culture references in classic cartoons. Do they succeed? Listen to find out! (They don't.) Listen anyway! (You won't.) Topics include: one-shot cartoons, the old celebrities we first encountered in cartoon caricatures, the career of Tex Avery, and what this cartoon tells us about how the animators saw thei...

ToughPigs' Danny Horn and Joe Hennes fly in to talk about Superman in his cinematic debut! We also look at where this fits into the history of the Fleischer studio. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guests: Danny Horn and Joe Hennes Content Warning for Animated Short: flashing lights; death. Selected Availability: Public Domain; Warner Bros. Home Entertainment Academy Awards Animation Collection; The Sup...

Our Cartoonorama continues with our introduction to the MGM studio! Ryan Roe joins this discussion about the debut of one of our favorite characters: Droopy! We talk about Tex Avery's talent for over-the-top gags and how this cartoon fits into (and doesn't fit into) the genre of chase cartoons. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Ryan Roe Content Warning for Animated Short: attempted suicide (sort o...

In our first proper look at the Disney studio, J.D. is joined by artist Kristi O. to discuss this essential Mickey Mouse cartoon. Topics include: Mickey's status as Disney's icon and how that affected his cartoons, how the Disney studio pushed animation forward, the particular talents of animators Bill Tytla and Fred Moore, the weirdness of the Brothers Grimm's publication of "The Brave Little Tai...

Anthony Strand from ‘Movin’ Right Along’ joins J.D. for a chat about one of the most acclaimed animated shorts of all time, ‘One Froggy Evening’! We discuss Chuck Jones, The WB, and how weird it is that Michigan J. Frog and Kermit the Frog are about the same age. Host/Producer: J.D. Hansel Guest: Anthony Strand Content Warning for Animated Short: involuntary hospitalization. Content Warning for Po...

Welcome to Stick to Shorts! Most of this first episode is introductory table-setting to give you a sense of what you're in for and what cartoons you can expect us to talk about. You’ll hear a little bit about classic cartoon distribution, the academic response to a cartoon crisis, the history of the Looney Tunes style, and why it’s kind of impossible to make a good podcast about classic animated s...

Hello, all you happy people! The first season of Stick to Shorts is coming soon! On this show, we'll be talking about notable classic cartoon shorts from Disney, Warner Bros., Fleischer, MGM, and more. Enjoy this sample of the nerdery to come!