How's It Hold Up?

It's time for another of Mickey Mouse's pals to be introduced! Mickey and company are putting on a show, and in the crowd a character that would eventually come to be named Goofy watches and guffaws. But beyond introducing a legendary character, is this short actually a fun watch? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

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Ducktales, awoooo~! It's time to join Uncle Scrooge and the gang as they go on an Indiana Jones-style adventure, including shenanigans with a genie, an evil sorcerer, and racist stereotypes. Aside from that last thing, is this an adventure worth having, or is DisneyToon studio's first film outing best left in the past? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's time to meet Warner Bros.' last attempt to create a cartoon star for their new Merrie Melodies series! This guy at least looks different from the others, less Mickey Mouse and more Goofy, despite Goofy not coming into existence until later that same year! But really, it's the lanky bodies they have in common, and little else. Ol' Goopy seems way more competent than Goofy ever manages to be, and in this cartoon he's having a grand old time playing piano and singing at a club. Is the cartoon itself also a grand old time, or is it and Goopy best left forgotten? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This time we look into another Chinese film, this one an adaptation of the first part of Journey to the West. Given how ubiquitous that story is in Chinese storytelling (and some other Asian storytelling, for that matter), we were eager to check it out. But did it hold our interest? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Pluto doesn't want to be bathed, and in his haste to get away he swallows soap. Cue a mad dash through town with people running in terror and dogcatcher Pete trying to put down the "rabid" dog. Is this one a good showing for Mickey, Pluto and Pete, or should it just be skipped? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's time for our first taste of Masaaki Yuasa's work - a family-friendly version of it, at any rate! This is your classic tale of a boy meeting a mermaid, except she's not actually a mermaid,  her dad is a shark man and if she bites you'll become like her. So fairly different then. The story is wild in this one, as is the animation, and there's plenty of fun music strewn throughout. But does the overall package form a cohesive whole? Or does it fall apart before reaching the finish line? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

It's time for the Fleischer Brothers to out-weird everyone else from the time period with another Betty Boop-starring cartoon from before the series was named after her. This one involves Betty running away from home with her boyfriend Bimbo, where they come across a cave with jazz-singing ghosts. It's a spooky time, but more importantly, is it a fun time? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

After giving Rankin/Bass' take on Tolkien's work a shot, the next logical step was to check out Bakshi's. Given the reputation of the man and his work, we started the movie with some amount of trepidation... but how did we feel by the end? Does this movie easily beat out Rankin/Bass' efforts? Does it compete with Peter Jackson's live action takes? Or is this one best left in the decade that spawned it? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

This week we watch another Disney cartoon, but no Mickey this time, we're back to the Silly Symphonies! They haven't yet made the leap to color, but this one feels a bit important with its focus on dramatic story beats over gags and the fact that it was eventually remade years later for the very last Silly Symphony. Is this older version worthwhile on its own merits, or is it begging to be replaced? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

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The time has come to view the animated history of JRR Tolkien's seminal works. Today we look at Rankin/Bass' interpretations for the first time, along with a guest, Marie, who has been watching these versions since she was a child. Do both these works do their source material justice, or are you better off seeking out the live-action adaptations? Listen to find out!

The Curtain Rises Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

Kool Kats Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)

Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/