Season 7

A Good Batch of The Bad Batch

A new animated Star Wars show is on our televisions, and we're here to enjoy it alongside all of you! How does this story fit into the larger Star Wars universe? Where do we think and hope the story will go? What are the familiar Star Wars elements that are already present in this new show?
 
Links
Watch The Bad Batch on Disney Plus
Brad Rau's Road to Star Wars
Interview with Producers Brad Rau and Jennifer Corbett
 

The Mitchells vs. The Machines

How can the robot apocalypse bring family together? We find out in this episode as we upload ourselves into The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix! How does this movie both defy and meet our expectations?
Links
Watch The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix
The Mitchells vs. The Machines: How Michael Rianda Made a 'Dirtbag Miyazaki' Movie
The Mitchells vs. The Machines Director Mike Rianda Wants to Make You Laugh (and Call Your Mom)
The Mitchells vs the Machines Team Explain How They Made One of the Best Animated Movies of 2021
Every Pop-Culture Easter Egg in The Mitchells vs. the Machines

187 - The 2021 Oscar-Nominated Shorts!

The Oscars are here again, and we're taking a trip through the varied ways these filmmakers have told their stories in this year's nominees for Best Animated Short Films! From the story of a bunny creating her home to a young woman dealing with the chaos of the world, we look at how animation can make meaningful and thought-provoking art time and time again.
Links
Watch the Oscar-Nominated Short Films

186 - Farewell, DuckTales

We’re saying goodbye to one of our favorite shows: DuckTales! The series finale certainly solved some mysteries and rewrote some history! How does the series finale complete the story that was being told? What themes and tools told the story?
Previously on Writers Get Animated 
176 - Healthy Rejections: DuckTales and Steven Universe
164 - Quack Pack v. Quack Pack
141 - The Breakdown: Nothing Can Stop Della Duck!
121 - The Lost Loves of Scrooge McDuck and BoJack Horseman
090 - DuckTales! Woo-oo! 
Links
Watch DuckTales on Disney Plus
Watch DuckTales on DisneyNOW
DuckTales: Inside the Finale’s Big Webby Twist (Den of Geek)

185 - Tom & Jerry & Modern Audiences

Tom and Jerry are back in new animated shorts and a new animated/live action hybrid movie! What endures about these two characters? How do animated/live action hybrid movies work story-wise? What can we learn from a decades-long rivalry between a cat and a mouse?
Previously on Writers Get Animated
085 - Pure "Imagination" - Tom & Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 
Links
Watch Tom & Jerry Special Shorts on HBO Max
Watch Tom & Jerry on HBO Max

184 - Raya and the Last Dragon

A new era of Disney animated films is here with "Raya and the Last Dragon!" How does "Raya" represent a change in storytelling for Disney? What makes this story so unique? How does watching at home change the experience of a new Disney film?
Links
Watch Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney Plus
Interview: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Producer and Screenwriter on Creating a New Kind of Disney Hero

183 - The Breakdown: Hilda - The Fifty Year Night

We’re back with another breakdown! In the breakdown, we go beat by beat to see how a show works! This time, we’re looking at one of our favorites: Hilda! How does time travel work in the world of Hilda? How to do you establish theme and danger? 
Links
Watch Hilda on Netflix
Previously on Writers Get Animated
131 - Hilda and Adaptation

182 - Kid Cosmic

This week, we’re heading to the desert to have a date with destiny! And the rings of power! And Kid Cosmic, the latest hero from Craig McCracken! How do the expectations of a specific creator, a specific streaming service, and of the super hero genre collide and affect a show for families?
Links
Watch Kid Cosmic on Netflix
Craig McCracken Talks About Creating Netflix Series “Kid Cosmic”
 
 

181 - Revisiting Gargoyles: The Goliath Chronicles

In a year of catching up on streaming, we look back on one of Mackenzie’s favorite shows: Gargoyles! Looking at the fabled third season, we investigate how this animated show from the 90’s is prescient about our current era. What would make someone join The Quarrymen? What does justice look like?
Previously on Writers Get Animated
040 - Thine Doodles Moveable: Shakespeare in Gargoyles and The Simpsons
Links
SyFy Wire: An Oral History of Gargoyles 
Polygon: Gargoyles was nearly the center of a vast Disney Cinematic Universe

180 - Pixar's Soul

It's a new year and a new season! We're unpacking the themes and ideas in Pixar's latest film, Soul! What makes life so special? What is the "spark?" How does Pixar (and Pete Docter) continue create rich, tangible worlds based on ideas?
Links
Watch Pixar's Soul on Disney+
It’s Like a Magic Trick: Pete Docter and Dana Murray on Pixar's Soul
Pete Docter, Kemp Powers & Dana Murray Interview: Soul