Writers Get Animated

040 - Thine Doodles Moveable (Shakespeare in Gargoyles and The Simpsons)

Chris and Mackenzie brush up on their Shakespeare! Art thou ready for this? Writers Get Animated looks at how Gargoyles and The Simpsons play with the works of the Bard! How do the works of Shakespeare find their way into cartoons? Is Bottom from “A Midsummer Night’s Dream” a precursor to BoJack Horseman? How much trouble can one wish-granting fairy cause? How powerful is the theme to Ghostbusters? Links About Shakespeare http://bit.ly/2cHWbhz About the episode “The Mirror” http://bit.ly/2cHXihc About Gargoyles http://bit.ly/2cHVAMP About “A Midsummer Night’s Dream http://bit.ly/2cHWVmu More about Gargoyles http://movies.disney.com/gargoyles Buy Gargoyles on Amazon https://www.amazon.com/Gargoyles-Season-Two-Vol-1/dp/B000ATQYVA/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1473940972&sr=8-4&keywords=Gargoyles Histeria’s Shakespeare http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9pyNbtwImQ Gnomeo and Juliet https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gnomeo-and-juliet/ Listen to Gnomeo and Juliet (Soundtrack from the Motion Picture) by Various Artists on @AppleMusic https://itun.es/us/Ss-2y A list of Shakespeare’s Plays http://www.opensourceshakespeare.org/views/plays/plays.php The Complete Works of Shakespeare http://shakespeare.mit.edu About Public Domain https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_domain Man and Superman by George Bernard Shaw https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Man_and_Superman Gargoyles: “Deadly Force”/“Enter Macbeth from A.V. Club http://www.avclub.com/tvclub/gargoyles-deadly-forceenter-macbeth-207993 Tales from the Public Domain from The Simpsons https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tales_from_the_Public_Domain About Hamlet https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamlet About Kenneth Branagh’s Hamlet http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0116477/ Family Guy Star Wars Trilogy https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Laugh_It_Up,_Fuzzball:_The_Family_Guy_Trilogy Alas, poor Yorick http://nfs.sparknotes.com/hamlet/page_288.html About Once Upon a Time http://abc.tv/2cHWTv4

039 - It Stinks! Revisiting "The Critic"

Chris and Mackenzie travel back to the early 90’s to unearth one of their favorite forgotten gems of Animation Past: The Critic! Jay Sherman is a movie critic who only seems to review bad movies. Are we living in his dystopian Hollywood future? What does a cartoon from the 90’s have to do with the 2016 Presidential election? Why do we love characters voiced by Jon Lovitz so much? Links About The Critic http://bit.ly/2cFY0c5 The Critic on IMDB http://imdb.to/2cH0MRw About the episode “Miserable” http://avc.lu/2cH14aI About Jon Lovitz http://bit.ly/2cFYC1r Jon Lovitz as the Master Thespian on SNL http://bit.ly/2chd8OX Jon Lovitz as Tommy Flanagan (Pathological Liar) on SNL http://bit.ly/2chdeGg About Al Jean http://bit.ly/2cFXTgM About Mike Reiss http://bit.ly/2cFYRd0 “Penguins Can’t Fly!!” http://bit.ly/2chdTri Jay Sherman on The Simpsons http://bit.ly/2cFYQpk The Critic Theme http://bit.ly/2chcC3s Buy The Critic on DVD http://amzn.to/2cH1DBn Ten Frighteningly Prophetic Parodies from ‘The Critic’ http://uproxx.it/2csWF9u About “30 Rock” http://bit.ly/2cFY7EJ About “BoJack Horseman” http://bit.ly/2cheadW

038 - Kubo And The Two Strings

Grab your shamisen and paper as Chris and Mackenzie enter the world of Kubo and the Two Strings and see what unfolds! (It’s an origami joke!) How did they make Kubo? What’s going on with eyes in this film? What can Kubo control with music? How bad is Mackenzie’s Regina Spektor impression? How emotionally scarred is Chris’ almost 4-year-old son by the witches? Links Explore Laika! http://bit.ly/2bO1x8o Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast Interview with Travis Knight http://apple.co/2bGri8C ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ Director Travis Knight: “That love of fantasy was something that was bestowed upon me at an early age” http://bit.ly/2bXwkmr Crafting the Epic World of Kubo: A Conversation with Laika’s Animation Supervisor Brad Schiff http://bit.ly/2bNodE7 Laika Chief Travis Knight Reveals Future Plans at Studio http://bit.ly/2cuC6N0 http://on.mtv.com/2bI7JQA LAIKA Founder and CEO Travis Knight makes his directorial debut with Kubo and the Two Strings http://bit.ly/2bO1z07 Kubo and the Two Strings Inside Laika’s Stop Motion Epic http://rol.st/2bGpelR Take A Tour Inside The Laika Exhibition Currently In Los Angeles (Photo Gallery) http://bit.ly/2bXwwC1 About the Great Wave Off Kanagawa by Hokusai http://bit.ly/2cdtgyA Explore the Realm of ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ With Interactive Map and Listen to the Full Score http://bit.ly/2bO10n0 Listen to While My Guitar Gently Weeps by Regina Spektor on Apple Music http://bit.ly/2cuBKpM About The Bicycle Thief http://bit.ly/2bGqrVm ''Pirates'': Why Davy Jones looks so amazing http://bit.ly/2cdrKwB ‘Anomalisa’ Featurette: Explore the Handmade World of Charlie Kaufman’s Latest http://bit.ly/2c5k6ab

037 - Nobody Said No

Chris and Mackenzie jump after a zebra and plummet down the waterfall into the world of Leo the Lion on Netflix! Having lost his mother in a zebra-hunting-waterfall accident, Leo the Lion has to face his fears and find the Heart of the Jungle. And that’s just the first two minutes! What is in the Heart of the Jungle? Are there better vegetarian movies on Netflix? How do the English subtitles help save a film? How can we fix this movie? How does a chameleon work? What makes something universally bad?
Links
The Nightmare World of Leo the Lion, Netflix’s Worst Movie http://slct.al/2bjeSDT
Common Sense Media Review http://bit.ly/2bjfhG4
Listen to It Came from the Depths of Netflix http://apple.co/2bjfdWY
The Room http://bit.ly/2bjflpt
Popeye the Movie http://bit.ly/2blyqvN
Futurama Vegetarian Lion http://bit.ly/2bS6D2L
White Elephant Gift Exchange http://bit.ly/2bm7aZi
Leo the Lion “I’m a Vegetarian” http://bit.ly/2brAejX
Leo the Lion Villain Song http://bit.ly/2bjjFur
 

036 - The Little Prince

Grab a flock of birds (seagulls?) and travel with Writers Get Animated to Asteroid B-612 as Chris and Mackenzie explore the world of Netflix’s “The Little Prince!” How do you adapt a story into a film? Where is our wall-sized life plan? Can a kid’s movie be meant for adults? How many eight year olds get to stay home alone? How is the plot of “The Little Prince” film like a boa constrictor?
Links
The Little Prince Review http://bit.ly/2bpyVoU
Little Prince Adaptations Aren’t Easy, Just Ask Orson Welles http://n.pr/2b7cOAo
Director Mark Osborne Explains Why His Version of The Little Prince Shouldn’t Exist http://bit.ly/2b7cn8X
Sketches from The Little Prince Movie http://bzfd.it/2b7ccL3
Listen to The Little Prince (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) by Hans Zimmer & Richard Harvey on Apple Music http://bit.ly/2b7edXk
Paramount drops The Little Prince http://bit.ly/2b7bSff
Review of “The Little Prince” http://bit.ly/2b7d5Da
About the original novella “The Little Prince” http://bit.ly/2b7d4PC
About the 1974 film “The Little Prince” http://bit.ly/2bpyMSy
About the movie “Hook” http://bit.ly/2bpys6m
About the play “Copenhagen” http://bit.ly/2bpyR8E
 

035 - In The Feels

Chris and Mackenzie get real about their emotions. How do storytellers manipulate our emotions? How does a story operate on our feels? Get ready to let loose as they unpack the emotional baggage of Adventure Time’s “I Remember You” and Futurama’s “The Luck of the Fryrish.” What is the “Perception Shift?” When is a good time for an Apocalypse? How much information do you have to have about the world to make someone feel sad?
Links
About Futurama: Luck of the Fryrish http://bit.ly/2b1LSm6
About Futurama: Lethal Inspection http://bit.ly/2b99OFw
About Futurama: The Late Philip J. Fry http://bit.ly/2b1LKmz
About Adventure Time: I Remember You http://avc.lu/2b9aafv
Buy Adventure Time: I Remember You on iTunes http://apple.co/2b9a6wd
How Adventure Time Revitalized Post-Apocalyptic Storytelling http://bit.ly/2b1M1pF
Looking for Structure (Has a word about the Perception Shift) http://bit.ly/2b9afzI
Old Blog Post with a little Perception Shift Action http://bit.ly/2b1M199
More Blog Posts about structure and Perception Shift using The Prestige http://bit.ly/2b9a3Ah
About We Bare Bears: Burrito http://bit.ly/2b1LJPI
BoJack Horseman and the Infinite Sadness http://bit.ly/2b9adYr
Emotional Cartoon Episodes That Made You Cry http://bit.ly/2b1MxEc
How Pixar Uses Music to Make You Cry http://bit.ly/2b9ar22
Listen to Don’t You Forget About Me http://bit.ly/2b99A1e
About Crazy Ex-Girlfriend http://bit.ly/2b1M8l2
 

034 - The Joke's On Us

We’re back with Season 2 of Writers Get Animated! Chris and Mackenzie do their best to not go full “Fanboy” as they discuss Mark Hamill as the Joker. What makes the Joker the best villain? What makes Mark Hamill’s performance so great? Does Batman truly smell? And if so, how badly? What makes the Joker sad? How can we make our own cardboard cutout audience of citizens of Gotham?
Links
Batman the Animated Series on Amazon Prime http://amzn.to/2axCtD3
Mark Hamill on the Joker at Star Wars Celebration 2016 http://uproxx.it/2aRRKQo
The full Mark Hamill interview. Worth it! http://bit.ly/2axCgQp
LEGO Batman Trailer http://bit.ly/2aEPRDz
Under the Red Hood http://bit.ly/2aEQzkf
The Killing Joke Trailer http://bit.ly/2azYMZh

033 - Who Wore It Better?

You’ve heard the old adage: “Steal from the best?” What about stealing from YOURSELF?! Chris and Mackenzie power through some serious Disney déjà vu and glitches in The Matrix as they review episodes of DuckTales and TaleSpin that share the same plot! Is it a formula for a better DuckTales episode or does TaleSpin do it better? How many punchlines does “Joke-Bot 38” have? Do Duckburg and Cape Suzette share the same newspaper? How many astronomical events happen on single, specific days? Can you really use a snow plow to get rid of clouds? If Scrooge wanted to save money, why would he have meetings on Saturday mornings? How creepy can a character’s actions be and still be sympathetic? What do the citizens of Thembria listen to on the radio? What do robotic gargoyles have to do with it?
Links
Get DuckTales “Allowance Day” on iTunes http://apple.co/29EJUof
Get Tale Spin “The Time Bandit” on iTunes http://apple.co/29EJSwV
About DuckTales http://bit.ly/29ELwhG About TaleSpin http://bit.ly/29EJj64
About the Steel Clan (The Robot Gargoyles) http://bit.ly/29EK1Af
Look at screenshots and comparisons of the episodes and the original comic http://bit.ly/29LEueY
 

032 - Once Upon A Time Again

With the release of Finding Dory and the announcement of Wreck-It Ralph 2, we decide to look at the direct to video sequels from Disney’s past: Cinderella III: A Twist in Time and Lion King II: Simba’s Pride. How do you portray animal “romance” in a way that's not awkward? Does Everyone, in fact, Need an Elton John Song? How did Simba “mark” the path for his daughter? Why doesn’t Cinderella’s Prince have a name? What other things can the magic words “Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo” do? How many women in the kingdom have a size 4 shoe? Can there ever be enough Aladdin?
Links
About Cinderella III: http://bit.ly/29urnyu
About The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride: http://bit.ly/29Aj6ew
Cinderella III on iTunes: http://apple.co/29xD32j
Lion King II on Amazon: http://amzn.to/29oSqIC
Cinderella III on Rotten Tomatoes: http://bit.ly/29AjmKy
Lion King II on Rotten Tomatoes: http://bit.ly/29Cs1Jx
About the Disney Renaissance: http://bit.ly/29Csbk8
The list of Disney direct to video sequels: http://bit.ly/29AiOUU
About Aladdin and the King of Thieves: http://bit.ly/29CslIh
About The Lion Guard: http://bit.ly/29CrU0G
What Does Licking Mean?: http://bit.ly/29AjzNR
Listen to Can You Feel the Love Tonight on @AppleMusic. http://bit.ly/29AjycL
Listen to Upendi on @AppleMusic. (Or don't) http://bit.ly/29Aj86f
About the original Cinderella: http://bit.ly/29Aj4Dq
American Experience: Walt Disney: http://to.pbs.org/29lieK0
Walt Disney Timeline: http://to.pbs.org/29smua0
About Back to the Future Part II: http://bit.ly/29CrW8T
Listen to “A Kind of Magic” by Queen on @AppleMusic: http://bit.ly/29Cseg3
About the Big Hero 6 TV series: http://bit.ly/29AiTbp
Merida from Brave crowned as a Disney princess: http://bit.ly/29Csb3M
“Merida From ‘Brave’ Gets An Unnecessary Makeover, Sparks Change .org Petition:” http://huff.to/29AobDJ
Listen to songs by Jacob Reed, creator of our theme drums: http://bit.ly/29CsjjV
 

031 - Boop, Bakshi, And Beyond: Adult Animation in the 70's And 80's

Chris and Mackenzie navigate the complicated world of "Adult Animation," focusing on the turning point of the 70's and 80's when animation drew a line in the sand between stuff for kids and stuff for adults. What is it that classifies something as "Adult Animation?" Is it themes? The content? Who is "Adult Animation" for anyway? Adults? Kids that sneak into the movies? What kind of awkward, food-based metaphors can we make to explain this?
Links
About Fritz the Cat the film: http://bit.ly/299kDs4_(film)
About Fritz the Cat the comic: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_the_Cat
About the censored Disney film “Alice Solves the Puzzle:” http://bit.ly/299kB3u
"A Not So Brief History of Adult Animation:" http://bit.ly/29k0htl
"Seth Rogen's Sausage Party and a Short History of Adult Animation:" http://bit.ly/299kmFA
"Best Adult Animated Films:" http://bit.ly/29k0FYq "Adult Animation of Ralph Bakshi:" http://bit.ly/29k0eh5
"The Simpsons and the Birth of the Modern Animated TV Comedy:" http://bit.ly/29k01ub
About the Motion Picture Production Code (Hays Code): http://bit.ly/299kRj2
About Heavy Metal: http://bit.ly/299kwgb
About Watership Down the movie: http://bit.ly/299kFjH
Watch the Heavy Metal Trailer: http://bit.ly/29jZFUx About Don Bluth: http://bit.ly/29k08Ws About Cool World: http://bit.ly/29k05dg
“Talking Adult Animation & 'Anomalisa' with Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson” http://bit.ly/299kBR9
About Fantastic Mr. Fox: http://bit.ly/29jZSGX
Listen to the episode Of McStuffins And Puffins: http://bit.ly/wga-017