The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation

Philip and Elliott discuss the latest Star Wars film, The Mandalorian and Grogu, and also dig into the latest Steven Spielberg film, Disclosure Day. In their own ways, these two films are derivative of a legacy of classic pulp sci-fi. They each evoke a sense of nostalgia and empathy in their themes and respective creative visions, and while they don't venture too far from the beaten path, there's...

Jodi, Lara and Philip review the independent horror sensation, Obsession, from writer/director Curry Barker. The film follows a group of four friends who work at a local music shop and meet up for weekly trivia nights. In a typical teenage (or in this case, early-twenties) fashion, the 2 girl/2 guy dynamic is far from devoid of romantic tension. And one of the guys, Bear, seeks the help of Ian whe...

Philip and Lara discuss the 1954 animated adaptation of George Orwell's 1945 novella, Animal Farm. When a drunk and cruel farmer fails to uphold the duties of his small, rural farm, the animals rise up and drive him and any other humans from the property. The crafty pigs draw up a plan for a new barnyard civilization. The former livestock agree on a set of animal-centric values that enshrine their...

The Super Mario Galaxy Movie picks up where The Super Mario Bros. Movie (2023) left off. Mario and Luigi are now heroes who traverse through magical sewer pipes to different realms, including the Mushroom Kingdom, home of the Toads and Princess Peach. The Mushroom Kingdom is threatened by the son of the defeated Bowser, and our heroes take to the stars to battle the tech-savvy Bowser Jr. Follow Th...

Philip and Bridget discuss Project Hail Mary, the film adaptation of the Andy Weir novel about an attempt to save the world using mostly real-world technology. Ryan Gosling's Ryland Grace is the sole surviving member of a crewed space mission to Tau Ceti aboard the Hail Mary. He was sent to find a cure for "astrophage," a viral organism that is draining the energy of the stars in Earth's vicinity....

Philip and Lara discuss the 2026 film from Pixar, 'Hoppers'. This wacky comedy hearkens to a classical mode of cartooning, where animal robots piloted by humans interact with highly anthropomorphized members of the animal kingdom. This fantasy technology allows the "hopper" to understand and talk to animals, and it works in a similar way to the titular tech from the 'Avatar' films. Mabel, a 19-yea...

Philip and Jodi discuss the new film from Director Emerald Fennell and Warner Bros. Pictures, 'Wuthering Heights' (2026), based on the 1847 novel by Emily Brontë. Margot Robbie and Jacob Elordi star as childhood friends-turned-lovers Catherine and Heathcliff. Tragedy and hardship conspire to separate the pair who are then reunited later in adulthood. Passions reignite in the northern English shire...

Philip and Lara discuss the new adaptation of Mary Shelley's Frankenstein from Guillermo del Toro and Netflix, featuring a star-studded cast and an impressive awards season run. This visual spectacle follows the life journey of Victor Frankenstein, son of a renowned surgeon and aristocrat, who suffers the loss of his mother at a young age. Victor becomes obsessed with the human anatomy and the pre...

Philip and Jodi discuss 'Marty Supreme' and a variety of other topics such as the Safdie Brothers' filmography, 'Uncut Gems', and the late 2025/early 2026 media and content landscape. The they explore the parallels between 'Uncut Gems' protagonist Howard Ratner and Marty Mauser. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast. instagram.com...

Philip, Lara, and Bridget discuss the conclusion of the film adaptations of the Broadway musical 'Wicked.' Styled 'Wicked: For Good' and filmed simultaneously with act one of the duology, this Universal Pictures release takes place at least a year after the conclusion of the first film. Whilst Glinda, Fiyero and Nessarose are established in their prominent roles as public servants, Elphaba is pain...

Philip, Samara and Elliott review and discuss the new film from Twentieth Century Studios and director Dan Trachtenberg, 'Predator: Badlands'. This is the latest chapter in the 'Alien' and 'Predator' franchises that pairs Dek, a member of the "Yautja" predator species, with the android Thia on the alien planet Genna. He must claim a coveted trophy during a ritual hunt and attempt to gain the respe...

Philip and Bridget discuss 'American Psycho,' a horror/thriller/Christian Bale vehicle from director Mary Harron. Released in 2000, the film is an adaptation of the 'American Psycho' novel by Bret Easton Ellis that is meant to be a grisly, satirical critique of 1980s corporate culture. Bale portrays Patrick Bateman, a young executive on Wall Street, who is obsessed with his looks and social status...

Philip and Jodi review and discuss 'Tron: Ares', the third film in Disney's TRON saga starring Jared Leto and Greta Lee, directed by Joachim Rønning. The film further expands on TRON's themes of technology and its effect on humanity by bringing objects--and people--from the computer world into reality. Tech giant Dillinger Systems uses a laser device developed by its rival Encom, depicted in the o...

Philip, Bridget, and Lara discuss the new film from Netflix and Sony Pictures Animation, 'KPop Demon Hunters'. The film follows a group of K-Pop artists in South Korea, Huntr/x, comprised of pop stars Rumi, Mira, and Zoey. These are no ordinary artists, but super-powered warriors capable of detecting and fighting off demons that manage to infiltrate the real world. They not only uses their music t...

Philip is joined by Samara and Elliott to talk about the summer movie season. Titles include '28 Years Later,' 'Jurassic World,' 'Superman,' 'Eddington,' and more. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast. instagram.com/samara_mitchell9, instagram.com/ellimundo, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Jodi, Lara, and Philip discuss the live action Disney remake 'Snow White' from 2025. Directed by Marc Webb and starring Rachel Zegler and Gal Gadot, this retelling expands the story to encompass Snow White's relationship with her parents, having been born during a snowstorm and later suffering the loss of her mother as a child. Gal Gadot's Evil Queen uses her sorcery to enchant the king and amass...

The ThawedCast discusses the first feature-length animated film, 'Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs' from 1937. Philip, Jodi, and Lara examine the impact and legacy of this fairy tale classic that would influence countless films over the decades. Snow White is a princess living in a fantastical medieval-style kingdom currently overseen by her stepmother, a vain and cruel queen. When the Queen's envy...

Lara and Philip revisit the original 'Lilo & Stitch' from 2002. This was the feature animation debut for both directors, Dean DeBlois and Chris Sanders, who would team up again on DreamWorks' 'How to Train Your Dragon' (2010). Chris Sanders had originally conceived the Stitch character in 1985, and he has gone on to voice the character in numerous appearances, beginning with the famous "Inter-Stic...

Philip and Alexandria review the new Disney live-action remake 'Lilo & Stitch,' a summer 2025 smash hit at the box office directed by Dean Fleischer Camp. Lilo and her older sister and guardian, Nani, find themselves in a precarious position as Nani struggles to raise the temperamental Lilo on her own following the offscreen death of their parents. On a distant planet, the alien weapons scientist...

Bridget and Philip discuss 'A Minecraft Movie,' based on the popular open-world, LEGO-esque video game, 'Minecraft'. The film follows brother and sister Henry and Natalie as they arrive in a new town and encounter a colorful cast of characters who join in their adventure into the Overworld, the world of 'Minecraft' accessed by a secret portal. In the Overworld, they encounter many terrors but are...

Having made recent trips to Walt Disney World, Jodi and Bridget join Philip to discuss the new Magic Kingdom attraction Tiana's Bayou Adventure, a 'The Princess and the Frog' re-theming of the log flume ride Splash Mountain based on animated segments from 'Song of the South'. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast. instagram.com/br...

Philip and Lara discuss 'The Substance' written and directed by French Filmmaker Coralie Fargeat. Fargeat and 'The Substance' won Best Screenplay at the festival, and the film has since received many accolades and has earned strong word-of-mouth buzz for its incisive storytelling and its iconic visual style. This sci-fi-infused horror film makes heavy use of practical makeup effects and vibrant pr...

Philip, Lara, Jodi, and Bridget discuss the new Disney animated sequel, 'Moana 2'. Moana returns to screens after eight years since the original. Set a number of years after the first film, the heroine has embraced her role as a wayfinder and is searching for other inhabited islands in an attempt to establish contact with the outside world. After receiving a vision from her ancestors, Moana sets o...

Philip and Elliott discuss the most recent Star Wars series from Lucasfilm and Disney Plus, 'Skeleton Crew'. Four kids growing up in the suburbs have their life planned out on the seemingly unremarkable planet At Attin. At Attin's place in the galaxy is shrouded in mystery, however, due to its secretive role as a Republic mint holding countless credits in its vaults. Fern, KB, Wim, and Neel discov...

Jodi, Bridget and Philip talk about 'Spellbound' (2024), a new animated musical from Netflix and Skydance Animation. This is the second animated feature to come from Skydance after 'Luck' (2022) and is directed and co-written by 'Shrek' director Vicky Jenson. The film takes viewers to the enchanted, or rather, cursed, kingdom of Lumbria, ruled by King Solon and Queen Ellsmere. Their daughter, Prin...