Best Seat on the Couch

Along with like half of the gang on the Couch, you may be surprised to know that this isn't actually a Disney movie; as 20th Century Fox Animation's first feature film, it's technically a competitor - so how does it stack up? Well, when you come at the king, you best not miss. The music is actually quite good, and it's an affable take on the Bolshevik revolution (as Alex phrases it), but the animation comes across as a bit...rough around the edges. Some moments feel well directed while others feel a bit discordant, some characters feel very Disney-esque (Ra Ra Rasputin!) while others are kind of...there...what we're saying is, this movie does its best, and we can commend it for that. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

The first season of Amazon Prime's Invincible was pretty groundbreaking stuff; subverting the superhero genre with deep emotional human elements and excellently written morally gray characters was delightfully refreshing in the face of pandemic-era MCU content. It's been nearly 3 years since our 52nd episode was recorded, and though it was marred by a 4-month mid-season hiatus, season 2 of Invincible continues to show us that Mark and Debbie (and a little bit of Nolan!) steal every scene they're in while also tossing a ton of new plotlines and developments around the core story. The gang is unanimous in its praise of its cast of characters, fight scenes, and comic book adaptation, and we can't wait for season 3! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

It's another throwback today on the Couch, and we complete the trifecta of The Magic School Bus & VeggieTales with David McCall's Schoolhouse Rock!, a Saturday morning children cartoon's interstitial designed to provide educational content with the power of catchy songs. Our experiences with the show range from it being critical to Michael's childhood upbringing to Marcus nearly confusing it for Jack Black's live action School of Rock, but we can all agree that the songs are indeed catchy, and we can even see our younger selves really gleaning some valuable knowledge on grammar, American history, the laws of physics, and even the stock market! After the gang discusses our favorite songs and how effective the show was 50(!) years ago, Michael wraps up the episode with an absolute BANGER of a Trivia Corner, one that'll have you on the edge of your seat with every question on the board. Content warning: strong language.

Perhaps the single greatest animated film at the turn of the century, Chicken Run is legendary claymation studio Aardman's first feature-length film, and our previous discussions on Wallace and Gromit on this podcast should clue you in to just how awesome we think these folks across the pond are. The voice acting is superb (hi Mel Gibson!), the animation exceeds even our high standard, the classic British humor blends well with a boisterous American-coded character, and the story is charming while maintaining a more serious tone than A Close Shave or The Wrong Trousers - technically this is a WWII movie, in a way. Come join us as we reminisce on simpler times, and also test our combined chicken knowledge in another of Alex's patented biology Trivia Corners! Content warning: strong language.

Blue Eye Samurai is Netflix's latest blockbuster adult animated series, joining the likes of Arcane and Nimona (which we've already discussed on this podcast - check 'em!) as proof that extremely high quality animated television exists, and it's not just for kids. Mizu is an incredibly well-designed protagonist, with so much to unpack on her biracial background and the way she navigates her gender identity; there's a powerful supporting cast with characters like Akemi, Madame Kaji, Fowler, and animated George Takei; the animation and worldbuilding is impressively expansive; and season 1 concludes with definitely one of the endings of all time. Also: why is Iris convinced that Mikio f@#ked a horse? Come join us to find out! Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

It's been a little while since we've had some Star Wars content on the Couch, but the gang is hungry for Filoni's latest Clone Wars-era project, The Bad Batch. It's four clone dads voiced by the same guy, and also Omega, as they learn to navigate the dark times in between the fall of the Republic and rise of the Empire, and while a lot of it is more of the same, we're graced with some pretty excellent television as the series finds its footing in season 2. Tune in as Marcus is so excited for season 3 that he can't stop himself from repeatedly spoiling it. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

It's a return to form for the gang, featuring Alex's unbridled dad energy, Michael's brain damage, Marcus's corporate depression, and Iris's in-depth analysis of the ramifications of this universe's makeup, and with Monsters, Inc. on the docket today, we have plenty of good things to say. Headlined by Billy Crystal and John Goodman as Mike and Sully, it's got an exceptionally lovable pre-vocal child protagonist, a humorously exaggerated corporate environment, and Steve Buscemi as the villain! Wow! Also, Michael constructs an entirely new physical model based around emotional energy. Content warning: strong language.

Best Seat on the Couch celebrates another milestone as we reach Episode 150, and like our 50th episode on Space Jam almost two and a half years ago, we're choosing another live action + animated mish-mash masterpiece, but this one is perhaps the most important of all! Who Framed Roger Rabbit, released in 1988, was an engineering and filmmaking marvel of its time, joining a classical LA Noire murder mystery film with every single cartoon you could think of - this film is still, to this day, the only film that's ever shown Mickey Mouse and Bugs Bunny on the screen at the same time, and that's awesome. Join us as we experience this movie, highlight our favorite moments and characters, and have a riveting conversation about pineapple on pizza. Content warning: SPOILERS, strong language.

On this episode, the Gang gets biblical (again!) with a refresher on each member's religious (or non-religious) childhood upbringing as we discuss 1993 hit animated series VeggieTales, featuring Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber - certainly a stark contrast to The Prince of Egypt's Moses and Ramses from that discussion nearly a year ago. This show occupies a weird headspace: is it terrible, or is it actually really good? is it hilarious, or is it a complete dumpster fire? It's simultaneously super religious but also so child-oriented that it's not very religious. What even are "Christian morals?" Tune in to find the answers to all of these questions as well as answers to questions you didn't even know you had, thanks to a classic Trivia Corner from Alex's twisted mind. Content warning: strong language. What, you need spoilers for the bible?

The gang activates the Couch's time machine to go waaaayyy back, to a show that first aired before we were even born: the original 1994 run of The Magic School Bus. The theme song goes hard, the video game is iconic, and Ms. Frizzle belongs on the Mt. Rushmore of the Coolest Adults to Ever Grace Our Childhoods - to say we all have fond memories of the show understates just how important (and educational) it was to our preschool minds. We can also give this show its flowers for being responsible and scientifically sound, and it really is so much better for being genuine in the way it tries to get kids into all of these cool disciplines. Can we really put a spoiler on elementary school science? Content warning: strong language.