The Cartoncast

It was a beautiful sunny day in the Moomin countryside, as Ben and Zane ambled slowly toward the river. Perfect day for fishing. Whenever they caught one, they gave it a pat on the head and threw it back. All in good fun, and the point was to enjoy each others' company regardless. When the lake grew dark, the Cartoncasters grew wary. Bubbling water gave way to a giant ever-burning snail. It waved...

There comes a time in a man's life where he must truly shake the foundations he was raised on. When he must confront what he knows to be true and pushes against its limits. He breaks free from the shackles of his previous existence and embraces a world where truly anything is possible.***Scene Missing***So we went and did a Spongebob draft. Confused? So were we.

In a lot of ways, Johnny was just like Ben and Zane remembered him: energetic, juvenile, and with a flimsy understanding of personal space. Still, he was charming enough...until he met the other guest the Cartoncasters invited, the Queen. He kept trying to pelt her with "smoocherinos" and ask to see her crown. They apologized, and she said it was quite alright, provided she could string him up in...

Welcome to our first Reheat'd segment, where we look at how a particular property has changed over the years. Today we have Andrew Spohn from the delightful podcast Amusement Sparks on the show, and he brought us a real treat. The new She-ra show takes the core positive message of female empowerment and builds on that ideal, including tons of representation without beating you over the head. Add o...

With only a night before the big show, Ben and Zane had to get the band back together. They called Gary Lane to fill in the third spot in their classic band "The Cartoncasters" and went to practicing. Unfortunately, a series of comedic mishaps involving a disco ball, super-glue, doughnut holes prevented them from getting anything done until the show. They tuned their instruments as best they could...

Welcome to a world in disarray, and a story of humanity hanging on to supremacy by its fingernails. Nausicaa of the Valley of the wind can be recommended for many things - its storytelling, an effective and independent female protagonist, being the effective start of the famous Studio Ghibli - but at its core is much more than that. The excellent art design and worldbuilding allow Miyazaki to brea...

Ben and Zane signed up for an adventure. "Pirates, swag, booty, what more could you ask for?" They buckled their swashes and went to the address posted on the quest board. It was a dock on the outskirts of town, and rather than a house, a boat, or a houseboat, there was a whale. It opened its mouth and out came two creatures. One, a fresh-faced little boy, and the other some disfigured wretch wear...

Ben and Zane were visiting the annual 'Shadowy Cabal Society Meeting' (the networking opportunities are excellent) when one of the members began bragging about Clone High, a high school full of cloned famous people throughout history. The Cartoncasters were riveted as they were told tales of loving, learning, sharing, and judging. It was only when he started talking about how it related to the pri...

The Cartoncasters just moved into this great new house in the middle of nowhere. It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but luckily Dan Caves was able to come by to help out. After redecorating a few rooms, they started hearing some strange sounds, like a voice on vinyl telling them to tally bananas. They decided that they were being haunted, and hit the books to figure out how to have a proper exorcism. Th...

Ben and Zane once again found themselves in the middle of a techno-anarcho-revolution. Cowards that they are, the Cartoncasters hurried to figure out the situation so that they could best ingratiate themselves with the side best able to protect them. It was...difficult. The rebels seemed to be in the right, claiming that the Alliance's use of Noultramium was a clear violation of the Peace Accords...

In the adolescence of animated features, Little Foot and his motley band of dinosaurs captured the hearts of children everywhere. Drawing inspiration from titans like Fantasia and Bambi, as well as that indefinable natural allure of the titans that once ruled the earth, The Land Before Time has endured the eons. Join us - as well as special guest J.T. Andrews of the Cocktail Party Congress - to re...

Ben and Zane were having a wonderful kind of day walking down the streets of Elwood City. But there was a problem: they couldn't find their lucky egg! They looked on the street and on the sidewalks. Where was the egg? They looked on top of the buildings and inside the stores. Where was the egg? They asked the policeman and the crossing guard. Where was the egg? Finally, they asked Arthur, who seem...

Ben and Zane were hesitant to join SHIELD, the Society Helping In Egg-related Leisures Distribution, but after a quick tour and being given their complimentary motorcycles, they warmed to it. The only problem was the sheer number of people in masks standing around, shouting nonsensical catchphrases at each other. You couldn't even cross over to the other end of the airship without causing a fight...

Well up on Muscle Planet, the Muscle League was inducting new members, and wouldn't you know it, Ben and Zane were first in line. They were a little nervous about all of the wrestlers what were animals in line, but a quick talk from the one and only Kid Muscle set them straight. Not only did they learn about multiculturalism in the ring, they also got an engrossing song about the merits of a high-...

Ben and Zane were having a hell of a time in the jungle, running from lions and eating bees. Their salvation came in the form of world-renowned explorist Nigel Thornberry, who gave them a ride in the CommVee and fed them some delicious cheesy-puffs. His family was a bit odd, though. One of those darned kids wouldn't get off her phone, while another one couldn't stop screaming. One of them kept mum...

The highly coveted Cartony Cup (a large glass that you crack eggs into before whisking) is up for grabs again this year, with hosts Ben and Zane presiding. It's a real menagerie of animated contenders this year, and we intend not to stop until everyone, including the ourselves, the cartoons, and even the audience, is disoriented and ashamed. It takes about five minutes this year.

Wendell Jones of Sideshow Sound Theatre (That's "r-e") joined us to talk about this unique and emotion-driven classic. Some pieces have stood the test of time and look as good now as they did in 1940, while others are Toccata and Fugue. While it may not have lived up to Disney's dreams during his lifetime, Fantasia remains an important piece of culture. In that, it is not unlike the Cartoncast.

Ben and Zane got permission from the consulate to visit the planet of New Texas, and what a trip they had! It started out fine enough, with the Cartoncasters getting buzzed off some local 'sweetwater' and taking a tour of the kerium mines. But the best part was when bandits tried to take them hostage, only to be thwarted by the legendary sheriff, the one and only Bravestarr. Armed with nothing but...

The inimitable Nic Robes joined the Cartoncasters to visit the moon (not that one, the other one), where they met with a curious young man, one Hans Brickman. A short interview later and they learned all about the circuitous, seemingly arbitrary, and self-contradictory story of his life as a bricklayer. It was a sad tale, fraught with hardship, abuse, confusing allegories, alien invasion, ska, and...

Ben and Zane were joined by Dan for their biweekly "Brunch and Sneer," spending the time drolly discussing the state of the world and wondering why people would choose not to be born rich. "Quite odd," one quipped. "Myes, quite." They had such an enjoyable time that it turned into "Luncheon and Scoff." At one point it sounded like there might be some sort of malformed man ramming himself against t...

The Cartoncasters were lost in the great metroscape of downtown Manhattan and stumbled into an active protest. This protest, headed by the Huntsclan, was trying to rally the people to drive out the unnatural and mystical creatures from their beloved city. The Cartoncasters kind of saw his point, until they realized he just meant Asian people, not mythical monsters. If only the real Huntsman, from...

Hey, you there. You think this is a game? You think this is a kid's show, for baby tots? Think again. This is about food. The kind of food that kills for fun. For a sick sense of pleasure. This ain't no action comedy lighthearted romp parody. Ben and Zane, our beloved Cartoncasters, were nearly killed in the line of duty trying to report on this war zone. By day the beasts wield their spoons with...

From Darkwing Duck to Cybersix to Lupin III, we've been dealing with Noir-like properties for some time. But, in a bizarre twist, Who Framed Roger Rabbit is the clearest Noir example we've seen yet. Add to it one of the best examples of blending live-action and animation mediums, glaze it with classic cartoon references, and generously sprinkle Bob Hoskins' legendary performance, and what you get...

Have a care, little bear-type buddy! It looks those two little peas in a podcast have wandered into Jellystone national park. If I didn't have a better reason, I'd say that it must be Yogi Bear season! Everything should be a-okay if we let them stay, until they're on their way! No thanks BooBoo, there's no need for you to talk. Sinceriously, we're good.

After getting a distress signal from the ____, Ben and Zane beamed up their pal Nic to track their most dangerous foe yet, ASAP. An evil half-black-hole threatened to destroy the universe, but as they started planning their ambush, the Cartoncasters found their own voices strangely soothing. After getting heavily distracted, yet again, they regained focus when a cyborg ape threw his brain at them....