The first Footnote podcast of the new season kicks off with this discussion of enviro-toons, a category - perhaps even sub-genre - of animation that speaks to the complex relationship that exists between the representations of (and labour processes behind) the animated medium and the environment. Topics include the questionable ‘greenness’ of animation and how specific cartoons might engage ecological concerns within their narratives; anthropomorphic subjectivity as a way to display images of urban sprawl; the environmental impact and sustainability of animation production, from the reuse of cels during Classical Hollywood to the repurposing of biodegradable stop-motion sets; and what the contemporary era of AI and machine learning means for how we understand animation’s growing cost to the environment.

**Fantasy/Animation theme tune composed by Francisca Araujo**

**As featured on Feedspot’s 25 Best London Education Podcasts**