It is cold, and Scrooge likes that. This holiday season, we’re watching “A Muppet Christmas Carol,” the most faithful adaptation of Charles Dickens’ classic Christmas tale. We dive into some of Christmas’ spooky history and Dickens’ influence on the depictions of the holiday in media. Cullen outs himself as a Nephew Freddie, Hannah reveals why she’s not a fan of The Muppets, T shivers at the sight of the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Cait flexes their English teacher muscles with lots of great insights into the book.

Want to support a teacher this holiday season (or anytime)? You can support Cait’s high school English classroom by donating and/or sharing the link to their classroom fund profile on DonorsChoose. You can also follow Cait on Instagram at @caldadlorian.

Be sure to check out T’s podcast, Obscure Obsessions wherever you get your podcasts. Follow the podcast on Instagram at @ObscurePodcast. 

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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

This week, Cullen and Hannah talk about the a-meh-zing Moana 2, emphasis on meh. We both try to articulate why this movie didn’t quite work, Cullen gives us a lesson on musical lyric writing, and Hannah brainstorms a plot for the Moana sequel we wanted to see. Oh, and there are so many references to the Bionicle movie, Wicked and D&D.

Research for this episode:

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Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester and Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

We’re going back before the brick road was yellow to discuss the Wicked movie! We’re joined by Tara and EmKay of Down the Yellow Brick Pod to talk about the movie, the musical, and the book! Cullen holds space for the future Shiz University Library LEGO set, Hannah goes on a face journey hearing the plot of the book, Tara spreads Gregory Maguire’s pro-crone message, and EmKay spotlights Cynthia and Ariana’s award-nomination-worthy scenes.

Want more Tara, EmKay, and Oz? Listen to Down the Yellow Brick Pod wherever you get your podcasts. And follow them on Instagram: @DownTheYellowBrickPod. 

Research for this episode:

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Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:

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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

We’re entering our Oz era. This week, we’re talking about the classic fantasy film “The Wizard of Oz” starring Judy Garland. Cullen takes us through the crazy fantasy of the L. Frank Baum book, Hannah shows off her Oz swag from her theatre viewing, and our guest Jenna shares her wonderful experience meeting the munchkins as a kid.

Research for this episode:

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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

We’re ending our first zombie series with the classic that launched the modern, pop culture zombie: George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead (1968). We’re joined by writer, filmmaker and all-around horror buff Mike Lera to explore how Romero’s ghouls got the zombie moniker. In this episode, Cullen accidentally watches the 1990 remake, Hannah reminds us of the importance of remembering the original Haitian zombie and its history, and Mike shares his experience meeting Judith O’Dea, a.k.a Catatonic Barbara.

Check out Mike on Instagram and Facebook @MikeLera.author.screenwriter, on YouTube @MikeLera and be sure to check out his work on MikeLera.com.

Research for this episode:

• “The Tragic Forgotten History of Zombies” by Mike Marian - The Atlantic

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Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Zoinks! The NMF gang watches “Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island” and, like, we weren’t prepared for such a rich discussion on zombies. This week, we dive into the voodoo of New Orleans and how this movie uses it as a backdrop for benevolent zombies, voodoo dolls, and werecats! Cullen reveals himself to be the lost 5th (human) member of the Mystery Inc. gang, Hannah headbangs through the music numbers, and our guest Christian does a Charli XCX impression so good, you’ll get the heebie-jeebies. 

Check out Christian Cintron on Instagram and X @StandUp4YourPower, and watch his comedy special “Laugh Proud” for FREE on Tubi!

Research for this episode:

• The Zombie Island Reboot Era - HassledVania

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Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester and Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

To start off spooky month, we’re exploring the Haitian-Vodou origins of the zombie in the 1988 Wes Craven film, “The Serpent and the Rainbow.” Hannah takes the lead, diving into the real-life story of zombification and the years of scientific study on the phenomenon that inspired the film. With our friend and fellow podcaster Kyle Leone, we have a fascinating conversation about the brutal historical context and rich folklore of the original zombie as it’s explored in this equally fascinating zombie film.

Check out Kyle Leone and his podcast The Gory Days on Kyle-Leone.com or wherever you get your podcasts!

Research for this episode:

• The Serpent and the Rainbow (film) - Wikipedia

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Research & Writing by Hannah Sylvester. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

This week, we’re crying our eyes out over the idea of change and new love after grief in the 2020 animated film “Over the Moon” from Netflix and Pearl Studio. Our friend Ellen joins Cullen and Hannah to fangirl over our new favorite lunar pop princess deity, Chang’e. Listen to us chat about the Mid-Autumn Lunar Festival and the different versions of the Chang’e story, shake our butts to “Ultraluminary” in the club, and induct Fei Fei into the Women in STEM Hall of Fame.

Research for this episode:

• Handbook of Chinese Mythology 

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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Cullen and Hannah continue down the Descendants Rabbit Hole and overcomplicate Cullen’s conspiracy board as they analyze Descendants: the Royal Wedding and Descendants Rise of Red. Can they untangle the Descendants timeline and deal with all the complications and worldbuilding deviations Rise of Red brings or just shrug and say it’s for kids? It’s Cullen and Hannah so of course they will go crazy trying to decipher this lore and ask once and for all, what do good and evil look like? 

Research for this episode:

• Queen of Mean Charting 

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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.

Follow Cullen and Hannah into the lore that is the Descendants franchise (2015-Present) as we dissect this Disney Channel Fanfic Franchise as a case study for the commodification of morality in the modern world. Are Good and Evil merely aesthetics? Join us on an unhinged pop culture journey to find out. In part 1 we discuss the Original Trilogy (2015-2019) and the wild lore it creates to carry us between banger dance numbers. 

Research for this episode:

• Queen of Mean Charting 

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Watch Us on YouTube!

Follow Our Adventures on Social Media:

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Research & Writing by Cullen Callaghan. 

This episode was edited by Hannah Sylvester.

Cover Art by William Callaghan

Intro Music: "The Quest" by Scott Little.