How's It Hold Up?

It's time for some fun in the sun with Mickey Mouse and friends! Which still does not include Donald or Goofy - they don't exist at this point! But Pluto, Minnie, Horace and Clarabelle sure do. It's one of the few chances the latter two have to try to shine before they become little more than cameo characters, so does this cartoon make the most of their charms? 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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After the financial and critical failure that was The Black Cauldron, Disney needed a hit in order to prove their animation division was still viable in the current market. Fortunately, this movie proved to be it, even if it was not as big a hit as most of the films in the 90s would prove to be. Yet despite how critical the film is to the Disney Renaissance, it often feels overlooked in favor of its more even more successful offspring. Is that neglect deserved, or is this a movie that deserves more respect than it receives? 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/

Another Merrie Melodies short, and another attempt at a starring character. This time it's Piggy, who is NOT a forerunner of Porky. We're unfortunately a long ways away from Porky. But how's this older pig character, and more importantly, how's his cartoon? Does he, in fact, know what he's doing?

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/

We're going back to Russia for this film, and this time, they've got some life lessons to teach us. Do these lessons hold up, and perhaps more importantly, are the story and characters enjoyable? 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 another Mickey Mouse cartoon! This time Mickey and his friends (not yet including Donald and Goofy) are putting on a radio broadcast, and everyone's listening, even Pluto! This cartoon isn't necessarily historically important, but is it fun to watch? 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 to check out another Makoto Shinkai film! This isn't one we see talked about, perhaps because it lives in the shadow of the film that came after it, Your Name. The only thing we knew before going into this was that it would be beautiful. But is it good? 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/

Though the two series are often just collectively described as "Looney Tunes", there are two series of cartoon shorts that wind up featuring classic characters like Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck. The second series is called "Merrie Melodies", and the series' first attempt at a cartoon star was Foxy, who appeared in this and two other shorts. Foxy clearly didn't have what it takes to reach stardom, but does that mean his shorts are devoid of merit, or is there something worthwhile in this old cartoon? 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/

Amblimation only ever made three animated films. And while Balto is fondly remembered by 90s kids and American Tail: Fievel Goes West is at least remembered by American Tail fans, the third film, the middle child of the quasi-trilogy, is rarely talked about anymore. Today we ask the question: is We're Back! forgotten to time because it deserves to be, or is this a hidden gem? 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/

There are some cartoons that animators love, that inspires wave after wave of creator over the year as each generation rediscovers it. For some, this is one of those cartoons. Featuring Bimbo and a cameo from Betty Boop, this cartoon is considered by many to be one of the Fleischer's best. But in the year 2022, does that still ring true? Is this still a fun short to watch so many years later? 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/

Oliver & Company was a safe bet on all fronts. It was loaded with celebrity voice talent, had popular musicians making music for it, and was a talking-dog movie, one of Disney's more common and beloved movie categories. But it didn't do as well as expected, being beat in its opening weekend by The Land Before Time. Disney was not back on top yet. It would take their next film - The Little Mermaid - for that to happen. But why is that? Why did this film not become as big as most of the films that would follow it for the next decade? Is it bad? Or is this a hidden gem just waiting for reappraisal? 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/