Season 1

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
 

030 - Megabytes And TP Forts

Episode 30: Megabytes and TP Forts How does art influence story? Chris and Mackenzie venture into the worlds of ReBoot and Pickle and Peanut to see how artistic/visual choices can influence a show's characters and story! How many puns can a show about life inside of a computer upload before it crashes? How dangerous is Microsoft Paint exactly? Does anyone know what the deal is with "the cloud?" What does a cucumber and olive oil have to do with a pickle? Where is the toilet paper fort? What does a bear in a Disney show have in common with BoJack Horseman?
Links
About the episode “Painted Windows:” http://bit.ly/28QOLTz
Watch a preview of “90’s Adventure Bear:” http://bit.ly/28QORdy
About Microsoft Paint: http://bit.ly/28QOTCb
About the reboot of ReBoot: http://bit.ly/28QOSy8
Sneak Peek of Disney's Pickle and Peanut: http://bit.ly/28RoXHC
About Homestar Runner: http://bit.ly/28QNWyj
About TaleSpin: http://bit.ly/28QNFvx
About the Brecht Alienation (or Distancing) Effect: http://bit.ly/28RoV2v
An Academic Article about the Brecht Alienation Effect! http://bit.ly/28RoUM0
 

029 - Saving Superman

Who saves Superman when Superman is in trouble? Have no fear, Writers Get Animated is here! Producer Bruce Timm called "Superman's Pal" one of the worst of episodes of Superman: The Animated Series and of the entire DC Animated Universe, so Chris and Mackenzie dig into their storytelling utility belts (we know that's a Batman reference) and rush to the rescue! Through the use of the Writer Emergency Pack (created by screenwriter John August), can they save Superman? What makes Jimmy Olsen America's Favorite Intern? What is Metallo's plan exactly? Are there kisses between humans and cyborgs that aren't awkward? What does Indiana Jones have to do with any of this?
Links
About Writer Emergency Pack: http://bit.ly/28HwW3D
About John August and the Scriptnotes Podcast: http://bit.ly/28HxaYB
About Superman the Animated Series: http://bit.ly/1rs6Rnj
Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen (the comic): http://bit.ly/1rs7NYO About Bruce Timm: http://bit.ly/28Hx7vU
Watch “Superman’s Pal” on Amazon Prime: http://amzn.to/1rs7L37
Buy “Superman’s Pal” on iTunes: http://apple.co/1rs7LAe
Learn more about the episode “Superman’s Pal:” http://bit.ly/1rs87a0
Some of the craziness of the Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen comic: http://bit.ly/1rs87XD
Commentary on the episode from Nerdist: http://bit.ly/28Hwv9D
 

028 - Genre To Genre, Dust To Dust

Plot, plot? Who's got the plot? Genre does! Chris and Mackenzie go where no podcast has gone before: Into genre animation! And if they have gone there before, then we're certainly using the style of this in safe-but-surprising ways to stay in the same vein but be unique! Exclamation points!!! Why do people look down on genre fiction? What's Neil Gaiman got to do with it? What exactly is Jonny Quest studying for? Why did the adventure genre go away (hint: racism)?
Interview with Neil Gaiman and Kazuo Ishiguro about Genre: http://bit.ly/1U9kZMv
"Brad Bird: Animation is Not a Genre:" http://bit.ly/1U9kLVO
Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting by Robert McKee: http://amzn.to/1U9llTf
About Limited Animation: http://bit.ly/1U9m8Uc
"Indiana Jones and the Migration to Science Fiction:" http://bit.ly/1UEst7f
About Jonny Quest: http://bit.ly/1YgDUYM
About the episode "The Robot Spy:" http://imdb.to/1UEsCb0
Buy "The Robot Spy" on iTunes: http://apple.co/1UEtnRa
About Duck Dodgers- the TV Show: http://bit.ly/1YgEjue
About the episode "The Queen is Wild:" http://imdb.to/1YgE5TS
Buy "The Queen is Wild" on iTunes: http://apple.co/1YgDTnB
About the original, Chuck Jones Duck Dodgers shorts: http://bit.ly/1YgDv8J
The Duck Dodgers Theme Song: http://bit.ly/1UEsLeA
About "Hair-Raising Hare:" http://bit.ly/1UEtzA9 Buy "Hair-Raising Hare" on iTunes: http://apple.co/1YgEhCC
Learn more about John August (the man, the myth): http://bit.ly/1YgEgyD

027 - Is The Jungle Book (2016) An Animated Movie?

"Chris and Mackenzie take Writers Get Animated LIVE! In terms of our subject matter, not our production style. Is The Jungle Book (open-parentheses-2016-closed-parentheses) an animated movie? Some of the people behind it seem to think so. It is technically animated. What is the line between live action and animation? Is it animated if you can see a live preview during shooting? Why is Disney reviving old animated features as live action movies? Is Shere Khan scary? Does anyone really want to hear Christopher Walken sing? Does realism matter for what type of talking ape we're trying to portray as a New York mobster?
Go behind the scenes of The Jungle Book: https://youtu.be/zTebgHNSe_4
Academy Conversations: The Jungle Book: https://youtu.be/PVvRlrKUq7o"
 

026 - WGA Vs. The Golden Age Of Cartoons

What is the golden age of animation? Besides the 30s–50s. We mean of the ages of animation since the golden age, which one is the shiniest? Is is the 1960s, when animation came to television? The 1970s, which we have very little to say about? The 1980s, which for some reason still won't go away? The 1990s, so full of grit and darkness? Maybe the 2000s, when things got weird? Or what about Now That's What I Call Animation: The 2010s?

025 - How To Suspend Your Disbelief Without Really Trying

Have you ever had to pause a show because it gets so preposterous? Believing in monsters that live in New York and fight crime with a cute sidekick is one thing, but do they not understand how floppy disks work? You can't take over the world with that! In this episode, Chris and Mackenzie talk about what makes animation "believable". Is Gizmo Duck really Robert Downey Jr. in disguise? What do the incandescent lightbulbs on a robot do? Why does a robot want money? Is the Uncanny Valley just a 30 Rock thing or like what? (It's not.)
Learn more about suspension of disbelief and Samuel Taylor Coleridge: http://bit.ly/1TK3I9H
See Armstrong the Robot's Incandescent light bulb prison during the DuckTales theme song at 00:12 - http://bit.ly/1TK41kS
Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within: http://bit.ly/1TK4403
Speedy Gonzales the movie is coming: http://bit.ly/1qxydrC
 

024 - Kobayashi Maru Of Teenage Sexuality

Chris and Mackenzie tiptoe around and/or stomp through animated television where the main characters experience some kind of gender bending adventure. After the necessary Futurama references, they get around to talking about Kim Possible and Steven Universe. Can they make it through this episode without one awakward silence? Is Futurama the best example of gender anything? How can a manbot become a fembot? Why would children want to go to a teenage rave? How many skirt jokes are needed? How do they keep all of these characters away from mirrors?
Watch Kim Possible - Mind Games: http://video.disney.com/watch/mind-games-4c7c001649ab1432e7909ea5
Learn More about Steven Universe - Alone Together: http://www.cartoonnetwork.com/video/steven-universe/fusion-training-clip.html
Futurama - The Prisoner of Benda: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Prisoner_of_Benda
Futurama - Bend Her: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bend_Her
Futurama - The Farnsworth Parabox: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Farnsworth_Parabox
Futurama - Neutopia: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neutopia_(Futurama)
Futurama - Raging Bender: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raging_Bender