The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation

Philip and Hannah discuss 'Frozen' updates and more on Episode 33 of The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation. New details about the plot of 'Frozen II' were revealed at Annecy Festival in France, shedding light on some of the mysteries from the latest trailer. Also, Disney announces their new Ariel in the live action 'The Little Mermaid,' and Kristen Bell shares her involvement in the writin...

Strap in for Episode 32 of the ThawedCast, all about 'Toy Story 4' from Pixar Animation Studios. Jodi, Hannah, and Philip provide an overview of the entire film and Dawson returns at the end of the show to share his thoughts with Philip. This is Pixar's 21st film, directed by Josh Cooley and released by Disney. Now that Woody and the gang are no longer with Andy, Woody is faced with a whole new se...

Episode 31 of the ThawedCast features Hannah and Philip’s review of 2019's ‘The Secret Life of Pets 2’ from Illumination and Universal Pictures. The film follows returning characters Max, Duke, Chloe, Gidget, and Snowball on their adventures in New York City and beyond! Visit www.thawedcast.com. Follow @thawedcast: http://twitter.com/thawedcast and http://instagram.com/thawedcast. Find us at http:...

Enter into a world of enchantment as Jodi and Philip break down the new official trailer for 'Frozen II' from Walt Disney Animation Studios (you can hear our teaser-trailer review on episode 16 of the ThawedCast). Episode 30 of The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation dives into the new plot details revealed in the much more plot-centric (yet somehow shorter) trailer, plus a few additional de...

Godzilla reigns in Episode 29 of the ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation. Join Philip and Jodi in their review of 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' (2019) directed by Michael Dougherty. This is the third film in the shared Godzilla and King Kong universe from Warner Bros. and Legendary. The secretive organization Monarch has located 17 giant 'titans' including Godzilla, Mothra, Rodan, and Mon...

Guy Ritchie’s ‘Aladdin’ (2019) takes center stage in episode 28 of the ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation. Philip, Jodi, and Hannah review and discuss Disney’s live-action remake of the 31st Walt Disney animated feature, ‘Aladdin’ (see our previous episode). The film stars Mena Massoud, Naomi Scott, Marwan Kenzari and Will Smith as the iconic Genie. Visit www.thawedcast.com. Follow @thawedc...

Episode 27 of the ThawedCast takes you back to the 1992 animated classic, Disney’s ‘Aladdin’. Having grown up with this perennial favorite, Philip and Jodi review and discuss the film’s many charms, along with providing an overview of the film’s inception. Based on the tale of Aladdin from the Middle Eastern folk-tale compendium, ‘The Arabian Nights,’ the film follows the rags-to-riches journey of...

Philip and Jodi review 'Pokémon: Detective Pikachu' (2019) from Warner Bros. with animation by The Moving Picture Company, whose work in bringing CGI animals to life can be seen in 'The Jungle Book,' 'Fantastic Beasts,' and 'The Lion King.' Based on the 2016 video game of the same name, the story follows Tim (Justice Smith), a former Pokémon enthusiast who journeys to the Pokémon-filled Ryme City...

Episode 25 of The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation brings you Dawson and Philip's discussion of Marvel Studios' 'Avengers: Endgame' (2019). The world has been ravaged by Thanos. Half the universe's population is dead. The Avengers must do whatever they can to deal with the effects of Thanos' wrath. Visit www.thawedcast.com. Follow @thawedcast on Instagram and Twitter.

Episode 24 of The ThawedCast features special guest Hannah Leigh Smart (@hannahleigheverafter on Instagram) joining Philip Ehlke for a review and discussion of 2019's 'Missing Link' from Laika. Written and directed by Chris Butler and produced over the course of five years under the working title 'Seeking Shangri-La,' this stop-motion animated film pushes the medium to a new level of lush, colorfu...

Dawson and Philip review and discuss the 2019 superhero film 'Shazam!' from Warner Bros. and DC Comics in Episode 23 of The ThawedCast. A charming and refreshing take on the superhero genre, 'Shazam' follows Billy Batson, played by Asher Angel, as he moves in with a new family and grows to befriend his new foster brother Freddy (Jack Dylan Grazer). While attempting to flee bullies, Billy is summon...

Episode 22 of The ThawedCast brings you a fantasy-filled recap of the second season of Netflix's 'The Dragon Prince,' in which the young heroes Ezran, Rayla and Callum continue their quest to return the dragon newborn Azymondias to his home of Xadia. Along the way they must determine the line between friend and foe, learn the true nature of primal magic, and find which of their possible destinies...

Jodi and Philip review Disney's 'Dumbo' from 2019, directed by Tim Burton, in episode 21 of The ThawedCast. The film is a reimagining of the 1941 animated film of the same name about a young elephant whose oversized ears enable him to fly. The film follows the CGI-animated Dumbo from birth to his circus career and beyond, all the while working to heal his and his handlers' broken families. Follow...

Episode 20 of The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation brings you Dawson and Philip's review of 2019's 'Alita: Battle Angel,' directed by Robert Rodriguez and written and produced by Hollywood legend James Cameron. The film is based on a Japanese cyberpunk manga series by Yukito Kishiro and follows the newly repaired teenage cyborg Alita as she struggles to regain her memory and find her purp...

Philip and Jodi review 'Captain Marvel' in Episode 19 of the ThawedCast! Get excited as Marvel Studios debut their first female-led film in the MCU saga, in which fighter pilot Carol "The Avenger" Danvers, played by Oscar-winning actress Brie Larson, transforms into the ultimate hero who would inspire an entire team of Earth's Mightiest Hero's. The film includes a heartwarming tribute to Stan Lee...

In Episode 18 of the ThawedCast, Philip and Dawson discuss 2019's 'The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part' from Warner Animation Group. This pop culture reference-heavy film is the sequel to 2014's 'The LEGO Movie' and is directed by Mike Mitchell. Screenwriters Phil Lord and Christopher Miller return to the LEGO universe delivering a sincere, zany, and heartfelt adventure featuring familiar characters...

Episode 17 brings you Dawson, Jodi, and Philip's review of 'How to Dragon: The Hidden World,' the third film in Dreamworks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon' series. The film combines beautiful animation with a colorful, eclectic assortment of characters and provides a dramatic, satisfying conclusion to an epic fantasy trilogy. Plus, what is up with the Hobgobbler? And how did Grimmel take out...

Wait, what? Welcome to Episode 16, in which Dawson, Jodi and Philip break down the new teaser trailer for 'Frozen 2'! The two-minute teaser from Walt Disney Animation Studios reveals the first footage from 'Frozen 2' (or 'Frozen II') releasing in November. The trailer presents a notably more serious tone than the first film in what could be the darker second chapter in a trilogy, or perhaps a tetr...

Episode 15 of the ThawedCast features a film that needs no introduction: 2018 action-comedy 'Incredibles 2,' the 14-years-in-the-making sequel to Pixar's 'The Incredibles.' Dawson and Philip review and discuss this smash-hit of a superhero film and examine its many powerful themes as well as director Brad Bird's commitment to artistic integrity. Also, 2019 Annie Awards and 'Kingdom Hearts 3' talk...

Episode 14 of the ThawedCast revisits the 2001 animated classic 'Monsters, Inc.' Directed by Pete Docter, this was Pixar's fourth film and first of the 2000s. The film follows the comedic duo Mike Wazowski and James P. "Sully" Sullivan as they go from top employees to accidental fugitives after a young girl manages to sneak into the monster world. The two attempt to secretly return "Boo" to her be...

Episode 13 of the ThawedCast sees Dawson, Jodi and Philip review 2013's 'Frozen,' Disney Animation's 53rd feature animated film. Loosely based on 'The Snow Queen' by Hans Christian Andersen, the film is a fairy tale about two sisters who are princesses of Arendelle, a kingdom with similarities to Norway in the early 1800s. Princess Anna must find a way to lift the curse accidentally placed on the...

Episode 12 of the ThawedCast welcomes Pretty Princess Parties' Jodi Polasky back to the podcast to review Dreamworks Animation's 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' (2014) directed by Dean DeBlois. Dawson and Philip continue their discussion from the previous episode and draw comparisons between the sequel and its predecessor. 'How to Train Your Dragon 2' significantly builds on the central characters' r...

Episode 11 of the ThawedCast brings you Dawson and Philip's review of 2010's 'How to Train Your Dragon,' directed by Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, and produced by Bonnie Arnold. Based on the book series of the same name, this Dreamworks animated film tells an epic tale of a tribe of Vikings living in the northern wilderness who are plagued by deadly dragons. The Vikings' hatred of dragons is tes...

Mary Poppins returns in the brand new sequel to the 1964 classic 'Mary Poppins'! Disney has brought together a stellar group of artists to recreate the magic in 'Mary Poppins Returns,' set 25 years after the original. The film follows the newest generation of Banks children as they are joined by their father's mystical nanny and the fun-loving lamp-lighter, Jack, through a series of adventures tol...

Episode 9 of the ThawedCast, Dawson and Philip review the groundbreaking new animated comic book adaptation, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, produced by 'Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs' and 'The LEGO Movie's' Phil Lord and Chris Miller. The film creates a unique, electrified visual style to capture look of a Marvel comic and combines stellar writing and an amazing soundtrack into one of the...