Cartoon Revolution

Sonya and Deidra dive into the recently completed series, Amphibia! Amphibia explores the relationship and development of three young teens as they navigate their new lives in the world of frogs, newts, and toads. Join us as we break down healthy and unhealthy friendship patterns through Anne, Marcy, and Sasha! In this episode, Sonya and Deidra pick their fave amphibian societies, engage in some Marcy fangirling, learn about axolotls, discuss “Thai-ness”/Asian American representation, as well as share their thoughts on the series finale. This episode mainly discusses Seasons 1 and 2 but there will be a spoilery section on the finale!

Have you ever wanted something so much, you dedicated your entire career and life to finding it? Sonya and Deidra discuss Satoshi Kon’s “Millennium Actress” (2001) and break down its love for Japanese Cinema, the meaning of love vs pursuit, the pitfalls of memory and history, and the blurred line between fiction and reality in a wonderful, beautifully animated story loosely inspired by Japanese film actress, Setsuko Hara.

SOMEBODY once told me…Shrek would be on Cartoon Revolution! And it is! On this 21st Anniversary of Shrek’s release, Sonya and Deidra dive into animations’ best parodies, Shrek 1 AND 2. In this episode, we dig out its cultural references and Easter Eggs and over-analyze fairy tail politics, trauma, love, Hollywood and, of course, the dirt on Disney. Grab your onions, grab your parfaits, and tune in for a nostalgic and fun discussion!

Happy AAPI Heritage Month! “Turning Red” is Pixar’s newest and boldest release directly addressing periods, puberty, parenting, (and pandas!) —everything we cringe about in our early teens, everything parents gasp about, and everything we rarely see in cartoons and mainstream media. “Turning Red” also dives into concepts like boundaries and growing up in an immigrant family. In this episode, Sonya and Deidra dive into the AAPI experience, share our boy band experiences, love for early 2000's cell phones and much much more.

Coraline is the imaginative, adventurous, and creepy movie adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s book of the same name. Released in 2009, when children’s content was being censored so as not to be “too scary,” Coraline flew in the face of that notion as it hit the big screen to critical acclaim. Exploring the question, “is there value in scary children’s stories?” Sonya and Deidra delve into arguments for and against the historical precedents, and why the film continues to generate fan theories, more than a decade since its release.

"Pokémon" continues to be one of the most successful and prolific franchises, and hold's a special place in the hearts of fans of all ages. Referencing the original series, Pokémon: Indigo League (1997), and several of their most popular games, Sonya and Deidra explore their own relationships with Pokémon, and the lasting mark it has had on how fans relate to pets, wildlife, and the conservation movement.

“Arcane” represents a new wave of animated content borne from the intersection of video games, music, and television/cartoons. The big budget show was creatively and massively marketed through many different mediums out of a desire to flesh out and deepen the lore and characters of the popular game, League of Legends. The show is not just a pretty advertisement, however, and does offer deep insights into class, capitalism, and the unequal impacts of technology and drugs in a divided world. Arcane is all about dualities, which we can break down to understand human nature.

This month Sonya and Deidra discuss the overlooked Ghibli classic, Pom Poko (1994). This episode discusses topics of humans' role in environmental degradation, the resilience of nature, the Tama New Town development, and the Shinto folklore, and the (in)famous Tanuki "pouches".

This episode, Deidra and Sonya discuss the series Steven Universe as it relates to how characters embody gender, portray different types of relationship, and challenge the ideas of conventional family structures. Oh, and have you picked a favorite Steven Universe song yet?

Welcome to Cartoon Revolution's very first episode! 

This month, Deidra and Sonya discuss Avatar: The Last Airbender’s “The Painted Lady” (S3E3), specifically myths of colonization and saviors (both human and godlike), climate narratives in cartoons, and human agency to solve world problems. Katara fangirling included.