Cartoonin' In

This week we begin our Official Two-Part episode on the classic nostalgia fest...Disney's The Little Mermaid.

IT'S FINALLY TIME!

Episode 1 of 2 focuses on the source material and studio information.

So, of course, Aly starts us off with information about the original source material - Hans Christian Andersen's The Little Mermaid. We hear a little bit about his life, and then a breakdown of the original tale (and how it is VERY DIFFERENT from the movie). She also gives us a breakdown on where the whole mermaid deal came from and when and how it became so popular.

Sarrah steps in with some information regarding the massive changes at the Disney Studio moving into the renaissance, as well as some particulars about how this movie was made.

Together we discuss where we are with mermaids today, what's popular? Where can we find mermaid stuff? Where can we find Little Mermaid stuff? We shall tell you!

Please check out our blog and our full episode at

Cartooninin.com/episodes/littlemermaid

So let us dive down deep with our mermaid friends and hear the tale of Triton!

We're still on our journey towards The Little Mermaid, and this week we thought we'd discuss two men who really changed Disney forever.

Alan Menken (composer) and Howard Ashman (lyricist) came together in NYC to write musicals for off-broadway. After Ashman was brought on to Disney for Oliver & Company, he brought Menken (as well as Jodie Benson) with him to work on The Little Mermaid and history was born.

Listen to learn about their lives and what they did to change how movies were made at Disney Animation. But you might want some tissues handy, because we also cover the sad circumstance of Howard Ashman's death and how if affected his friends and family.

As we lead up to The Little Mermaid, we wanted to cover some of the artists who really helped create this cultural landmark. The Little Mermaid changed the game for animation and for Disney, and we want to credit a few people who really added to that change.

Today Sarrah leads us through the life and art of Glen Keane, the character designer for Ariel as well as many other Disney favourites.

So sit back, and learn about the gentleman who gave Ariel her legs, the Beast his soul, and Aladdin no nipples.

Are you ready for a journey? Because, wow, this week's episode is one! This week Aly & Sarrah sit down to discuss a movie they both liked as a kid - All Dogs Go To Heaven.

Aly is first up with a bio of funny man and talented voice actor (and all around actor) Dom DeLuise.

Sarrah steps up with her overview of the studio situation (not great) and other fun facts from the technical side of things.

Together we discuss the voice cast, release and reviews and other such details.

Finally, we start our walk through....which just continues to confuse us. Who was this made for? Did our parents ever actually watch this movie with us? Why are murderers allowed in heaven? WHAT IS GOING ON DON BLUTH???

So please, join us in our confusion as we sit down and discuss All Dogs Go to Heaven.

Ready for another Ghibli adventure? We know we are!

This week we're watching and discussing Kiki's Delivery Service, from 1989.

Aly of course fills us in on the series of children's books that the movie is adapted from, as well as their amazing author Eiko Kadono. As per usual, we'll learn more specific differences between the film and novels as we hit our walk-through. Aly also does a brief summary of witchcraft in Japanese culture and history.

Sarrah chimes in with the path this movie took to become a movie, including how Miyzaki went from just producer to director and producer to get the final product he wanted.

Together we discuss voice actors, reviews and release information, and where we can find all the good Kiki stuff today!

So grab your familiar and your broom, and let us take off with Kiki's Delivery Service!

We're back with another nostalgia classic, at least for us. This week Aly & Sarrah are discussing Disney's 1988 movie Oliver & Company!

Aly starts off with a biography of Charles Dickens and a quick recap/Coles' Notes rundown of Oliver Twist and how it relates to this movie. So if you need info for your highschool lit class.....don't source us. We're not reliable.

Sarrah discusses how this movie concept came to be (a gong-show) and where it started (picture either Batman or a panda. No joke).

Together we welcome Cheech Marin to the Disney Voice Cast family, and discuss the impact of releasing the same day as Land Before Time!

So sit back and listen as we defend this personal favourite against the haters (Siskel) and rejoice in pointing out all it's good points!

Why should we worry? This movie is pretty doggone good!

It is time to discuss The Land Before Time!

Sullivan Bluth Studio's infamous 1988 children's classic that spawned five million sequels (well, 14).

Aly has absolutely nothing to go on for source material for this sucker, so she decided to discuss everything that this movie got wrong about dinosaurs! (NOTE: They did do research, but what was known about dinosaurs when the movie was released vs. now is a whole different thing).

Sarrah breaks down some fun facts about the creation of this movie, and why we have Spielberg to thank!

Aly then goes through every single sequel that was made. You're welcome.

This is also a very special episode because it marks the start of our newest segment: Aly reads Land Before Time fanfiction synopsis until Sarrah is super uncomfortable!

Our walkthrough includes a lot of pondering how they didn't die, the realization that a character tries to desecrate a corpse, and a lot of mocking Cera.

So let's get down to it and travel back to the one that started it all - whether we like it or not.

First off, we'd like to warn our listeners that this movie is rated R in North America, and so some of our discussions are going to have to do with some violent or dark stuff. You have been warned.

1988's Akira is noted as one of the biggest anime movies of all time, so we decided we couldn't skip it.

Aly starts us off by telling us all about Katsuhiro Otomo. the author of the Akira screenplay as well as the manga that the movie is based on. He is an amazing Japanese artist who has brought so much talent to the fields of manga and anime.

Sarrah didn't find all that much on the animation, but she did find a ton of info on the release and reception of this film. So buckle in for some details on that!

We also discuss some more modern pop-culture that has taken influence from Akira, including a Kanye West video and the Netflix phenomenon of Stranger Things.

So let's hop on that motorcycle and outrun the explosion of Akira!

This week we follow up on our detailed breakdown of the behind the scenes on Who Framed Roger Rabbit?.

While we covered all of the technical aspects of the film last week, this week we're breaking it down into our other categories!

Aly starts us off with Music and Casting (with some interesting alternative casting notes!), and Sarrah follows up with the litany of awards and reviews this film received.

Aly lets us all know where Roger and his crew stand in the modern world before we head straight into our (pretty long and in depth) walkthrough!

So head into that speakeasy secret room, don't let the rabbit hear shave and a hair-cut, and let's get down to it!

We're back with another Two-Part episode!

This week and next we'll be tackling the monster that is Disney's 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit?'

Aly starts off with an introduction the novel the film is based on and its author Gary K. Wolf. She then gives a breakdown on film noir, a very big influence on the Roger movie (check out our episode blog for some photos of the movies we reference!).

Sarrah discusses how the film went from Wolf to Disney and how our favourite Spielberg got involved.

The two of us then get into the nitty gritty behind the scenes details on how this film was made. We talk about the on-set techniques used as well as what went into the animation process after principle filming was done.

There's a lot of information here, but if you love learning how movies are made this episode was made for you!

We'll be back next week with our usual Voice Cast Corner, Release, Reviews, and Walkthrough!