Animated Perspectives

Last week, The Hollywood Reporter released their annual Animation Roundtable, which received immediate backlash from the animation community for multiple reasons. So host Sapphire Sandalo sat down with guest Samantha Lewis to discuss their thoughts on the headline's irony, and why it presents a larger problem.

Articles referenced in this episode:

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/animation-roundtable-seth-rogen-6-more-avoiding-ethnic-stereotypes-creating-ugly-cute-princ

http://fusion.net/story/375814/thr-white-men-in-animation/

Despite being one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the US, Indian representation in American media is still very slim. So host Sapphire Sandalo chats with guest Jay Hasrajani about what it was like growing up with no Indian role models in animation, the importance of diverse storytelling, and how much he hates the sound of his voice.

Whatever your feelings toward Vine culture, it proved that you can get really creative with just a camera and 6.5 seconds. Now that the app is coming to an end, host Sapphire Sandalo chats with stop-motion Vine animator Johnny Mchone to talk about how Vine helped his career, what it's like to work at Stoopid Buddy Studios, and why Zach King sucks.

In this week's episode, host Sapphire Sandalo asks guest Nikki Price to help her figure out why she doesn't like anime. They also discuss weeaboos, fan art, and Filipino people being obsessed with emo culture.

"Ugliness" is generally thought of as the opposite of "beauty," but if you are drawn to something ugly, does it make it beautiful? In this week, join host Sapphire Sandalo and guest Ryan Consbruck as they discuss their thoughts on the meaning of ugliness, share examples of animation that make us question the very definition, and go off on a very necessary dog tangent.

The 90s were all about groups of friends from all different backgrounds - Captain Planet, Magic School Bus, Hey Arnold!, and so on. But was that tokenism or diversity? In this episode, join host Sapphire Sandalo and guest Samantha Lewis as they discuss their thoughts on the meaning of diversity and representation in animation today.

Articles referenced in this episode:

http://www.nerdmuch.com/tv/4120/progressive-cartoons-watch-kim-possible-legend-of-korra-hey-arnold-cartoon-network-nickelodeon/

https://bitchmedia.org/post/diversity-in-nickelodeons-golden-age

http://www.complex.com/pop-culture/2014/10/7-things-hey-arnold-taugh-us-about-diversity/two-parent-home

Pretty much every animator would love to get a show picked up. But what are the realities of developing an animated TV series? This week, host Sapphire Sandalo chats with Rita Street, Executive Producer of Radar Cartoons and the Founder of Women in Animation! She offers some great advice for anyone looking to pitch a show, so listen in and get inspired!

LAIKA Animation is celebrating their 10 year anniversary! Join host Sapphire Sandalo and guest Nikki Price as they explore the stop motion studio's history, look back on their past films, and discuss why they think LAIKA should get into adult animation.

Articles referenced in this episode:

http://www.cartoonbrew.com/studios/exclusive-laika-chief-travis-knight-reveals-future-plans-studio-142586.html

http://collider.com/laika-stop-motion-movies/#coraline

http://moviepilot.com/fanzine/kubo-and-the-two-strings

https://priceonomics.com/how-the-father-of-claymation-lost-his-company/

You've probably heard the phrase "fan entitlement" being tossed around more often in the past few years, and usually as a negative thing. But how should creators weigh the importance of input from fans? Host Sapphire Sandalo is joined again by Michael Harding to discuss their thoughts on recasting popular characters, #GiveElsaAGirlfriend, The Legend of Korra, Steven Universe, and book-to-screen adaptations.

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Articles referenced in this episode:

http://www.tor.com/2014/12/22/legend-of-korras-finale-and-the-problem-with-qfan-serviceq/

http://io9.gizmodo.com/steven-universe-artist-quits-twitter-over-fan-harassmen-1785242762

http://www.forbes.com/sites/scottmendelson/2013/09/05/batfleck-fifty-shades-of-grey-and-fan-entitlement-syndrome/#6857279755f2

With Hollywood's history of whitewashing characters of color, audiences have become increasingly vocal about their desire for diversity on-screen. But what about off-screen? Should the same concerns apply when casting voice actors? Sapphire Sandalo and Michael Harding discuss their thoughts.

Articles referenced in this episode:

https://thenerdsofcolor.org/2016/01/05/why-is-the-kubo-and-the-two-strings-cast-so-white/

http://www.thewrap.com/kubo-and-the-two-strings-director-defends-non-asian-cast-inclusion-matters-but-dont-reduce-diversity-to-a-hashtag/

http://ineeddivgms.info/post/139169108802/diversity-in-voice-acting-is-a-tricky-subject