The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation

Philip and Lara discuss the new film from Focus Features and Robert Eggers, a remake of the 1922 German silent film 'Nosferatu.' Eggers brings his signature austere style to this classic Gothic horror story, originally an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.' Key details were changed from the book, but that didn't stop the original film's legacy from being threatened by the forcible...

Mele Kalikimaka as the ThawedCast covers 'Moana,' the monumental 2016 film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by longtime Disney Animation dynamic duo John Musker and Ron Clements, and co-directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams. Bridget, Lara and Philip revisit the mythical ancient Polynesian world of Moana of Motunui (Auli'i Cravalho) and her adventures with the demigod Maui (Dwayne "Th...

The ThawedCast celebrates the release of ‘Wicked: Part I’ from Universal Pictures, 21 years after the Broadway musical made its sparkling debut. Jodi, Lara, Bridget, and Philip discuss the new 160-minute film which concludes at the intermission point of the stage version. This ‘Wizard of Oz’ prequel began as a 1995 Gregory McQuire novel depicting a darker, more adult take on the original mythology...

Jodi, Bridget, and Philip convene prior to Thanksgiving to sneak in a quick episode about a holiday classic (Passover, in this case)--2019's 'Uncut Gems,' directed by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie. Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jewelry dealer in Manhattan's Diamond District. He and his associates, Demany and Julia (LaKeith Stanfield and Julia Fox), work together to attract a high-profile cl...

In celebration of Wicked Month, Philip, Bridget, and Lara discuss the 2015 LucasFilm animated feature, 'Strange Magic.' Featuring the voice talents of Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth, this fairytale combines the fantasy romance of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ and the musical tastes of George Lucas, who curated this jukebox musical's all-pop soundtrack. The musical selections ra...

Samara and Philip review and discuss the found-footage horror film from directorial sibling duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes, 'Late Night with the Devil.' This re-creation of a 1970s late night talk show, the fictional "Night Owls" with Jack Delroy, depicts one night of the show gone horribly wrong, as the broadcast becomes infiltrated by an evil force. Desperate to rise to the top of the ratings, De...

Philip and Elliott chat about 'Transformers One,' the new animated film from Paramount Animation depicting the origins of the Autobots and Decepticons and their respective leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron. These central characters within the Transformers franchise begin as humble miner bots on Cybertron, a planet ravaged by conflicts that have depleted its key natural resource, Energon, needed...

Hayao Miyazaki directs the latest film from Studio Ghibli, 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023). This Oscar-winning film serves a magnum opus for a venerated animator nearing the end of his career, reflecting on his early life in this quasi-autobiographical fantasy. Mahito Maki leaves his home in Tokyo following the death of his mother in a World War II firebombing. Raised in a wealthy family, Mahito st...

Philip and Bridget discuss the 1984 film from Hayao Miyazaki 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' the film that kick-started the animation output of Studio Ghibli, co-founded by Miyazaki in 1985. Based on a manga series by Miyazaki, the film takes place in an environmentally ravaged word a millennium after a major apocalyptic event. The remaining human population struggles to survive alongside va...

Philip and Samara discuss the latest film in the 'Alien' franchise, 'Alien: Romulus.' This new release from Twentieth Century studios and director Fede Alvarez delivers sci-fi thrills and chills as a group of young colonists attempt to escape their bleak circumstances. Their opportunity comes when a wayward research station is pulled into orbit above their hazardous mining planet. Follow The Thawe...

Philip, Jodi, and Lara discuss the 90s blockbuster 'Twister' and growing up in the 1990s in rural environments. Also discussions on modern blockbusters and introducing kids to media. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast. Find us at instagram.com/laraakal, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Philip and Bridget discuss the latest film from Pixar Animation, Inside Out 2, the smash hit sequel to 2015’s Inside Out. Riley Andersen is on summer break just as her emotions, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, are forced to reckon with a major renovation to their Headquarters. The upgrades, a.k.a. puberty, have resulted in the creation of all-new emotions: Anxiety, Embarrassment, Envy, and...

Jodi, Philip and Bridget discuss the sequel to 'Dune' from 2021, concluding Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the original 'Dune' novel by Frank Herbert. After the massacre of House Atreides on Arrakis, the Harkonnens have retaken their stronghold over spice and resumed their war with the Fremen. Paul Atreides and his mother, Jessica, enlist the help of Fremen leaders to organize a resistance capab...

Philip and Jodi discuss the 2022 film from Jordan Peele and Universal Pictures, 'Nope', an alien-abduction tale with a few genre twists. OJ and Emerald Haywood are a brother-and-sister duo who experience strange phenomena on their horse ranch and attempt to capture images of what they believe to be a real UFO. They enlist the help of Angel, a security camera technician and Antlers, a cinematograph...

Philip and Elliott discuss some recent animated offerings from the Star Wars universe, 'The Bad Batch' and 'Tales of the Empire'. Both series depict the transition from the era of the Jedi and the Republic into the tyrannical Empire secretly controlled by the evil Sith. The Bad Batch follows a select group of clones with desirable mutations who have formed their own mercenary team following the ev...

Philip, Bridget, and Jodi chat about musicals, film franchises, motherhood and other entertainment hopes and hangups in the ever-evolving 2024 media landscape. Will new throwback franchise installments like 'Twisters' inject some much needed life into the box office? Or will new properties like 'The Fall Guy' and 'IF' provide a sense of originality that audiences are craving? Plus some thoughts ab...

After the chickens escape the Tweedys' farm in 2000's 'Chicken Run,' they settle on a secluded island and enjoy their newfound freedom. In this stop-motion sequel, again from the claymation experts at the UK's Aardman animation studio, the heroic duo Ginger and Rocky have hatched a daughter named Molly. Molly grows to be as adventurous and freedom-loving as her parents and thus resolves to explore...

The first feature animated film from Aardman, the animators of the famous 'Wallace and Gromit' stop-motion "claymation" short films, 'Chicken Run' was one of DreamWorks' first great successes as an up-and-coming rival to Disney and Pixar. The film is an homage to World War II prisoner-of-war stories like 'The Great Escape' and 'Stalag 17', depicting its cast of toothy, anthropomorphic chickens in...

Bridget and Philip discuss ‘A Whiker Away,’ a 2020 anime film from Studio Colorido, Toho Animation and Twin Engine and distributed on Netflix. The film follows Miyo, a fanciful eighth grader in Japan who finds herself embroiled in a Faustian bargain with a feline seller of magical Noh masks. Her newfound power to transform into a cat provides a welcome escape from the stresses of her unhappy life,...

'Suzume' is the 2022 animated feature from CoMix Wave Films and the seventh film from writer/director Makoto Shinkai, who most recently saw global crossover success with 'Your Name' (2016) and 'Weathering with You' (2019). 'Suzume' is a supernatural adventure wherein the eponymous heroine accompanies the mysterious Souta across Japan on a quest to track down Daijin, a mischievous cat-god who place...

Philip and Jodi review 'Wish', the 62nd animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. 'Wish' continues a legacy that is currently being celebrated in the Walt Disney Company's 100-year anniversary as the foundation upon which the rest of the company is built. The Disney Empire has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1923 as a company set up by Walt and Roy Disney to produce short...

Lara joins Philip to reminisce about ten years of Disney's 'Frozen'. They discuss the film's influence and how the film and animation industries have changed since 2013. They also explore the fandom of 'Frozen' and Disney more generally and consider the future for the franchise in the context of Disney's status as a film studio in 2023. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter...

Philip and Elliott discuss the latest live-action Star Wars series from Lucasfilm and Disney Plus, 'Ahsoka,' spotlighting the popular Jedi who first appeared in 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars.' Ahsoka Tano is portrayed by Rosario Dawson in this eight-episode exploration of the roving former Jedi. Ahsoka is searching for clues to the location of Grand Admiral Thrawn, who disappeared years prior along w...

Jodi, Bridget and Philip discuss the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola Film 'Bram Stoker's Dracula.' This film follows the 1897 'Dracula' novel and lends a signature artistic flourish courtesy of Coppola's visionary direction and diverse practical visual effects, vibrant costumes, ornate period sets and atmospheric score. Originally conceived as a minimalist adaptation of the original source material, Cop...

Bridget and Philip discuss the new animated film from Paramount and Nickelodeon Studios, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.' Directed by 'Mitchell's vs the Machines' alumni Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears, 'Mutant Mayhem' incorporates numerous hand-drawn elements to enhance the cel-shaded 3D animated world of the Ninja Turtles. This new take on the franchise introduces the supervillain "Supe...