What A Cartoon!

This week, we're covering a crossover anime hit sponsored by premium patron Loki! On the surface, the premise for Death Note sounds absurd: a magical notebook that kills someone if you write their name in it. Despite the outlandish premise, this hit manga series captured the attention of readers worldwide with its cat-and-mouse psychological thriller antics—all built on the foundation of very soun...

Happy April Fools 2021 as we continue our podcast tradition of covering a live-action cartoon, and we've got a real cult classic for you! Created by Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, and David Mirkin, Get A Life was a weird and transgressive Fox sitcom from 1990, and it has grown as a cult icon in the years since AND had immense influence on some of the best years of Simpsons. Listen now to learn how t...

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network , and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1990's DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing a...

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Alex, we explore some defining works of Golden Age animation from UPA. We cover the complex history of UPA and its two best directors, and then explore two of their most beloved cartoons, the original Gerald McBoing Boing and the jazzy Rooty Toot Toot! Listen now before HUAC makes us name names! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting...

We're heading back to the DCAU for one of the most successful creations ever born out of a stupid executive's idea! Yes, it's the teen Caped Crusader of the future show, or Batman-meets-Spider-Man-meets-Akira, all in one shiny package. We revisit this retro-future, dig into its history, and discuss the third episode, Black Out! Listen now, it's totally schway! Support this podcast and get dozens o...

After interviewing co-creator Bill Kopp last year, it was only a matter of time before we covered the overlooked Fox Kids classic, Eek! The Cat!! We cover the history of Kopp and creative partner Savage Steve Holland as they brought the unlucky purple cat to life. Then we cover the first season favorite of ours that is slathered in Elvis references. So listen along, because it never hurts to help!...

More than two years after we last covered it, we're returning to Freakazoid! The second season of the cult classic was full of subversive and indulgent moments, and that's certainly true for the season premiere. A regular date turns into a shot-for-shot parody of Hello, Dolly in this beloved episode of the series, so listen along, it's a textbook case for Sigmund Freud! Support this podcast and ge...

Once more it's time for the Talking Simpsons Network to cover a Studio Ghibli film, and this time it's one of their best but also most underrated! This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1995's Whisper of the Heart! Listen now to this free extended preview of Yoshifumi Kondo's film, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole t...

This week, we're covering the cartoon that kicked off The Disney Afternoon programming block! Before Disney's TV efforts switched over to adapting feature films in the mid-90s, TaleSpin stood as one of their most interesting animated series to date, with its odd mix of Cheers, Casablanca, and Indiana Jones... and starring characters from The Jungle Book? Despite how odd it sounds on paper, TaleSpi...

Thanks to the generous contributions of patron David Whittington, we're once again talking about one of our all-time favorites, The Venture Bros! After the show's tragic cancellation in 2020, we return to the fifth season and discuss that premiere and the show's second half, full of references that arrive at least three levels deep. So grab some student green and enjoy this week's extra-large podc...

This week we're joined by one of our top Patreon supporters, Devin, to discuss the short film that spawned two decades of Digimon media! Not only do we dig into the creation of digital pets, but we also cover the career of Mamoru Hosoda and how Digimon was a launching pad for his career. Then we chat about the surprisingly deep and violent first cartoon of the Digimon universe (with a couple of as...

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network , and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1999's Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our pre...

As chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Duckmeat, we cover the new Disney TV series, Amphibia! We discuss how the series was created out of a love for stories of people transported to magical worlds mixed with the creator's Thai background, and we cover how he got that on the big screen. Then we discuss the slimy, bug-filled second episode of the series, all on one froggy podcast! Support this pod...

This week, as chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Phil, we're covering a bedrock of TV animation: The Flintstones! The series is now a bit of a forgotten institution, so we explore how the show came to define the 1960s. And after cover the creation of it, we also cover the show's first downfall, as defined by a little green alien that only Fred and Barney can see. Listen along as we have a gay ol...

This week, we're exploring the DuckTales reboot made especially for us, as chosen by our premium Patreon subscriber Royce! We explore how this relaunch of the Disney Afternoon universe came to be, plus how it's expertly aimed at Millenials and their kids. Then we cover the early season 2 episode (don't worry, no big spoilers) where Donald meets some old friends south of the border. Listen now whil...

We've reached the end of 2020 on the Talking Simpsons Network , meaning it's time for us to discuss one of the most controversial films in Japanese animation! This time around, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1997's The End of Evagelion! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing an...

We're finally goin' on down to South Park for a look at the series that put Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the map, and has remained a Comedy Central mainstay for nearly 25 years! And since the series started its life as a Christmas-related short, it's only fair that we tackle a Christmas episode of South Park that celebrates the origins of the series well before the creators knew they'd be making...

It's time for the first of two holiday cartoons for the end of 2020! After covering Garfield's Halloween toon in 2018 , we return again to the Monday-hater's second holiday special. Garfield hates heading to the farm for Christmas, until he sees that he can eat a bunch of stuff and hang out with a rockin' Grandma Arbuckle. All that plus a mix of sad stories and confusing Odie side plots in this we...

Nothing from the '90s can truly stay dead, so it was only a matter of time before we saw a revival of Warner Bros.' Silver Age of animation with the return of Animaniacs. And while it could have been a cheap, cynical cash-in, the presence of Steven Spielberg assured that someone spent a whole lot of money on this series—which rarely happens in the world of streaming. Sure, the actors sound a bit o...

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network , and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2005's Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing a...

This week we're headed back to 2032 anime as chosen by premium parton James, meaning more Bubblegum Crisis! After covering the sixth episode last August , we return to the pioneering OVA series to discuss the debut of Priss, Sylvia, and the rest in this cyberpunk adventure! So get ready to feel the hurricane in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting...

This week we're doing our most British podcast ever, as requested by premium Patreon subscriber, Alex! We're covering the ultimate adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, as this 1984 stop-motion series did so well by Kenneth Grahame's text, with many cute animals hanging out and having adventures. We cover Cosgrove-Hall's history with the series, as well as the eerie episode "The Piper at the Gate...

This week we're staying in turn of the century Cartoon Network as chosen by premium Patreon subscriber L! With a pilot nominated for an Oscar, Courage The Cowardly Dog was one of CN's most promising original productions. How did the terrified dog series come together and what is its legacy? (And how is it connected to Speed Racer?) Listen and learn on this week's podcast! Support this podcast and...

This week we're heading into Cartoon Network history as chosen by premium patron Isaac, with the Ed boys! This series had a lot of firsts for CN, and the show's creator was a big name in '90s indie animation, which we delve deep into. Not only that, but we discuss a pair of fun and edgy season three episodes, so grab your jawbreakers and listen along to this week's podcast! Support this podcast an...

It's time for Halloween on the Talking Simpsons Network , meaning it's time for us to discuss a scary animated feature film chosen by our supporters! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1998's Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of...