Falling With Style: A Pixar Movie Marathon

“They’re doing a fifth one?!” Derek and Doug are joined by Tommy from Distant Echoes: A Star Wars Podcast and Lee Carvallo’s Podding Challenge to talk about yet another sequel no one was expecting: Toy Story 5. This time it’s about Jessie, but does it do the rootin’ tootin’ cowgirl justice? Or is it too concerned with commenting on the role of technology in children’s lives? We talk about Bonnie’s characterization compared to Andy’s, Pixar’s perspective on what it means to play, whether this movie needed Woody at all, and what Toy Story 5 indicates about future Pixar sequels, including the seemingly inevitable Toy Story 6.

Tommy on Bluesky: @awkwardcomma.bsky.social

Find more from Distant Echoes & Lee Carvallo’s podding challenge at glitterjaw.com.

Film Release: June 19, 2026

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Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | Source 

Closing song: “Bonnie and Blaze” by Randy Newman

THIS EPISODE IS A FULL-SPOILERS DISCUSSION OF 'HOPPERS'

Strap in, because Derek and Doug are talking about Pixar’s latest, a zany and unpredictable scifi comedy from We Bare Bears creator, Daniel Chong. We get into what makes Mabel Tanaka a unique protagonist for Pixar, the ways in which Hoppers subverts expectations we’ve built over decades of watching Pixar movies, whether it’s weird to say that King George is hot, why this movie giving kids nightmares is good actually, and a moment that elicited one of the biggest audience reactions we’ve ever experienced in a movie theater.

Film Release: March 6, 2026

Animation Magazine - First Look: Writer-Director Daniel Chong OFfers a Peek at His Eagerly Aniticipated 2026 Pixar Feature ‘Hoppers

The Wrap - ‘Hoppers’ Review: Pixar’s Beaver-Centric Sci-Fi Comedy Is Dam Good

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Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | Source 

Closing song: “Lose Control (feat. Ciara & Fat Man Scoop)” by Missy Elliott

Happy Birthday, Derek!

As a special totally surprise gift, we've prepared a huge bowl full of bao and we're watching another DreamWorks Animation movie that Derek has never seen -- 2008's Kung Fu Panda! We talk about rhino nipples, the extremely Jack Blackian panda protagonist Po, the criminally underutilized Furious Five, ways in which this movie could've included much more Tai Lung, and whether or not Kung Fu Panda represents a significant change in DreamWorks Animation's storytelling (but we'll never know, because we're STILL not doing a DreamWorks podcast!)

Check out our Special Presentation miniseries featuring non-Pixar movies and television aimed at children and families that include clear, unafraid, and unambiguous depictions of queerness.

Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective

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Doug on Twitter: @ickybooley

Derek on Twitter: @DerekBGayle

Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | Source

It's Doug's birthday! As a special surprise gift to him, we're taking to the skies with Toothless and Hiccup to cover one his favorite movies that Derek has never seen -- 2010's How to Train Your Dragon! We talk about this movie's unique depiction of cat-like dragons with bizarre designs, the very 2010 cast, gay bear icon director Dean DeBlois and some of the queer themes he brought to this Viking society, and the ways Dreamworks differs from Pixar (and how we're NOT doing a Dreamworks podcast, dammit!)

Check out our Special Presentation miniseries featuring non-Pixar movies and television aimed at children and families that include clear, unafraid, and unambiguous depictions of queerness.

Part of ⁠The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective⁠

⁠Discord | ⁠⁠Patreon⁠

E-mail us: [email protected]

Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | ⁠Source

About a week after we dropped our episode on Pixar's latest, Elio, The Hollywood Reporter posted a piece shedding more light on Adrian Molina's original vision for the film.

We were not surprised to learn that the extensive rework of Elio included explicit instructions to make the main character more masculine and less queer-coded. It didn't stop us from being angry about it.

The Hollywood Reporter: Inside ‘Elio’s’ “Catastrophic” Path: America Ferrera’s Exit, Director Change and Erasure of Queer Themes

If you're also sick of Pixar movies that aren't allowed to be gay, check out our Special Presentation miniseries featuring non-Pixar movies and television aimed at children and families that include clear, unafraid, and unambiguous depictions of queerness.

Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective

DiscordPatreon

E-mail us: [email protected]

Doug on Twitter: @ickybooley

Derek on Twitter: @DerekBGayle

Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | Source

Refill your glorp and set your translator to podcast, because Derek and Doug are talking about Pixar’s brand new intergalactic adventure featuring a kid who dreams of being abducted by aliens (relatable). We talk all about yet another stunning Pixar world in the Communiverse, how we see ourselves reflected in Elio’s and Glordon’s respective queer journeys, and the best ways to name aliens in a scifi story. Plus, we watch the original teaser trailer before discussing the movie this almost was and the extensive reworking needed to create the movie we actually got.

Film Release: June 20, 2025

Pixar’s YouTube – Elio | Teaser Trailer (June 13, 2023)

Animation Magazine – Pixar Teases Extraterrestrial Adventure ‘Elio,’ Opening March 2024

TheWrap – Pixar Chief Pete Docter Talks New ‘Elio’ Directors, Story and Casting Changes | Exclusive

IndieWire – ‘Elio’ Sneak Peek: 5 Things We Learned About Pixar’s First Intergalactic Buddy Comedy

OnTheRedCarpet – Backstage at Pixar: Go inside making of ‘Elio’ with cast and animators

Part of The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective

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E-mail us: [email protected]

Doug on Twitter: @ickybooley

Derek on Twitter: @DerekBGayle

Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | Source 

Closing song: “Hold My Glorp” by Rob Simonsen

“I think I always had a tendency to be a little different.”

Hamish Steele brings us Flee, an animated documentary about the journey of Amin, a gay man and refugee to Denmark from Afghanistan. We talk about how animation can uniquely serve documentary films, how Amin’s identity as a gay man intertwines with his experience as a refugee, and how this movie repeatedly broke our hearts but also how queerness gave us hope. Also, Hamish talks with us about his experience including queer characters and stories when creating for younger audiences, particularly with regards to his animated series, Dead End: Paranormal Park.

Pre-order Go-Man: Champion of the Earth

Find more from Hamish!

Film Release: December 3, 2021

‘Flee’: Creating a New Narrative Language for the Animated Documentary Oscar Contender (IndieWire)

‘Flee’ Writer/Director Jonas Poher Rasmussen Breaks Down a Scene | 94th Oscars (Oscars on YouTube)

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Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | ⁠Source

Closing song: “Free At Last” by Uno Helmersson

“They want you to be like them. I tried to be, but…”

Marquis The Honey Bear joins us for this stop-motion horror collab between Jordan Peele and Henry Selick, which features a diverse cast that includes Raul, a trans boy whose art saves the day. We get into the film’s complex anti-capitalist plot – from an underworld carnival to the prison industrial complex to hair cream that raises the dead – and how it explores so many real-world topics, beautiful bodies, and punk music rarely seen in animation.

Learn more about Ornithomancy, an upcoming short film from Marquis.

Find more from Marquis!

Film Release: October 28, 2022

‘Wendell & Wild’ - Henry Selick (THR’s Behind The Screen)

Henry Selick Blames Scrapped Stop-Motion Film ‘The Shadow King’ on John Lasseter’s Interference (IndieWire)

Director Henry Selick Interview: Wendell & Wild Set Visit (ScreenRant)

From Picasso to Sonny Rollins: Pablo Lobato On Designing The Characters Of ‘Wendell & Wild’ (Cartoon Brew)

How Music Supervisor Rob Lowry Curated ‘Wendell & Wild’s Memorable Afro-Punk Soundtrack (Animation Magazine)

Sam Zelaya shares his Experiences as the First Trans Character in a Stop-Motion Animated Film (GenderGP)

Part of ⁠The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective⁠

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E-mail us: [email protected]

More from ⁠Doug⁠

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Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | ⁠Source

Closing song: “Raising the Dead” by Bruno Coulais

“My girlfriend’s superhero team are Earth’s only hope. Pretty cool!”

We’re morphing into the only live-action TV show on this miniseries to talk lesbian power couple Izzy and Fern from the final seasons of Power Rangers! We chart their journey from rivals to girlfriends who defy gender norms and team up as Green and Orange Rangers, and explore the whole history of queerness in Power Rangers – including how it reckoned with its early years of on-set homophobia and became a GLAAD award-winner decades later.

Series Release:

February 28, 2021 (Dino Fury premiere)

September 28, 2023 (Cosmic Fury release)

0:47 – Introduction

6:48 – Brief Power Rangers Basics

20:09 – Our Histories with Power Rangers

38:14 – Power Rangers’ History with Queerness

1:08:03 – Additional Dino Fury & Cosmic Fury Firsts

1:14:12 – Izzy Garcia & Fern

1:21:22 – Episode Discussion

Watchlist (episodes with (*) indicate a must-watch):

Power Rangers Dino Fury

1.5 “Winning Attitude”*

1.12 “Super Hotshot”

1.13 “The Matchmaker”*

1.18 “Wires Crossed”

2.5 “Stitched Up”*

2.13 “Love Hate”

2.17 “Things Unspoken”*

2.22 “The Nemesis”

Power Rangers Cosmic Fury

Fern appears in all but the first episode of Cosmic Fury, but these two are her most important:

1.5 “Rock Out”*

1.6 “Take Off”*

Power Rangers: The Road to Queer Representation (Den of Geek)

The Interview Series: Jackie Marchand (The Toku Ladies Podcast)

Michael Taber Tweets His Motivation Behind Power Rangers Character (The Hashtag Show)

Caleb Bendit’s Tweet re: Monty’s identity (Twitter via web.archive.org)

Becky G Reflects on Playing Groundbreaking LGBTQ Character in ‘Power Rangers’ Ahead of Pride Week: ‘I Was So Honored’ (Us Magazine)

Interview with David Yost Part 3 (No Pink Spandex)

Blue Power Ranger David Yost on gay conversion therapy, coming out, and finding peace (Entertainment Weekly)

Original Blue Power Ranger David Yost on gay representation in Netflix's Power Rangers reunion special (Entertainment Weekly)

Power Rangers: Dino Fury showrunner explains how the series is bending the Ranger 'rules' for all ages (SyFy)

Pre-order MORPHENOMENAL, by Joshua Moore“Winning Attitude” Tune-In Alert (specialolympics.org)

Simon Bennett: The Making of Power Rangers Cosmic Fury (Blue Screen Reveals)

Tessa Rao: Portraying Izzy Garcia, The First Female Green and LGBTQ+ Power Ranger (Blue Screen Reveals)

Simon Bennett: An Izzy-Fern kiss was shot but had to be edited out because there’s no kissing on PR (reddit.com/r/powerrangers)

Jacqueline Joe Interview | Power Rangers Cosmic Fury | Power Morphicon 2024 (The Illuminerdi)

Interview with Jacqueline Joe | The Orange Cosmic Fury Power Ranger (Anime Secrets)

Part of ⁠The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective⁠

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E-mail us: [email protected]

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Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | ⁠Source

Closing song: “Cosmic Fury Intro” by Bert Selen

“I know in my heart, I’m more woman than anyone!”

Cass from Distant Echoes joins us for this joyful Christmas masterpiece, led by a heroic and unapologetic trans woman in a cast of complex unhoused characters. We explore filmmaker Satoshi Kon’s unparalleled filmography–including the deep empathy that led him to tell a magical story about the queer and homeless experience–along with the imaginative animation from Madhouse, and the reclamation of Hana as a trans character in modern translations despite early missteps.

Film Release: November 8, 2003

For the next couple months, we’re doing a biweekly Special Presentation miniseries featuring a selection of non-Pixar movies & TV aimed at younger audiences and families featuring clear, unafraid, and unambiguous depictions of queerness.

Satoshi Kon’s final blog post (Kon’s Tone)

Interview: Satoshi Kon (AnimeNewsNetwork)

Interview with Satoshi Kon, Director of Perfect Blue (perfectblue.com)

Satoshi Kon: The Illusionist by Andrew Osmond — out of print (check your library system!)

Tokyo Godathers, 2020 GKIDS re-release special features:— Making Of Tokyo Godfathers

— The Process of Animation

— An Interview with Shakina Nayfack

Part of ⁠The Glitterjaw Queer Podcast Collective⁠

⁠Discord⁠⁠ | Patreon⁠

E-mail us: [email protected]

More from ⁠Doug⁠

More from ⁠Derek⁠

Theme song features: “Stasis” by Eagle-Eyed Tiger | ⁠Source

Closing song: “No.9” by Keiichi Suzuki & Moonriders