Hello Podlings, it's time for a chat! Join us as we talk a load of rubbish and have a rummage in the hero's knapsack. We answer listener questions, look back on our journey so far, share some exciting news about our Clamshell Club and crown this season's Miss Fan Favourite.

The Once Upon A Time magazine and audio cassette carrycase, Gobbolino the Witch's Cat, Michael's mum reading 50 Shades of Grey, our thoughts on the first episodes recent TV continuations Willow (2022) and The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance (2019), sword sapphics, pretending to like Rent, our pitch and casting for Robert Eggers' Labyrinth 2, mini reviews of fantastical recent releases including The Legend of Ochi, Death of a Unicorn, Sinners and I Saw The TV Glow (plus short documentary This Werewolf Complex), a relationship lore drop, the Placebo cover version of Kate Bush's Running Up That Hill, stories coming back to us when we need them, The Hunger Games prequels, Pride, John Yorke's Into the Woods, Joseph Campbell's The Hero's Journey, Maureen Murdock's The Heroine's Journey, Ginger Minj appreciating big girl Dorothy, more flowers for Molly Grue and Mrs Brisby, working class heroism, networking in old maiden type of shoes, Buffy listening to mariachi music, favourite Chappell Roan wig moments, a tribute to Jean Marsh, Doctor Who, and a celebration of the 40th anniversary of Return to Oz await.

Is the real NeverEnding Story the friends we made along the way? Listen and find out!

Story Teller website with digital versions of Once Upon A Time: https://storyteller.one/

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the Age of Wonder, everybody loves puppets! We're journeying through Thra, somewhere between the Land of Gorch and Fraggle Rock, on a quest to restore balance to a broken world. Or at least make an entertaining podcast.

To celebrate this iconic movie in the spirit of collaboration, community and The Great Conjunction, we invited our listeners and guests from previous episodes to contribute shards of their experiences with the film, scattered throughout the episode. A huge thank you to everyone who responded to the Crystal's call - Alice, Cullen, Daniel, Paul, Pete, Robert and Scott.

Underappreciated drag legend Frank Oz, the complicated career and legacy of Jim Henson, plastic witch fingers, the Muppets' sense of longing, Skeksis gender presentation, Orville the Duck, the faerie magic of Brian Froud, a scrapped attempt at Lord of the Rings, Bjork being part Gelfling, Alan Garner's The Owl Service, Na'vi skin, the hairy hands of Dartmoor, Miss Piggy doing Las Culturistas, Yoda, a Podling dancing on the table, purple glow, trans icon Janice, wood elf vibes, a sublime score from Trevor Jones, zooted hippie Mystics, Awkwafina, hard-working puppeteers on their haunches, a return to Droomvlucht at Efeteling, the Blue Peter annual, Kira the literal manic pixie dream girl, inspirational crocodile illustrations, Night of the Hunter, lightflex technology, the ghosts of Northumberland, losing Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab bottles in the Enchanted Forest, Andy Samberg, Fuerteventura vultures, a clockwork orrery, the 48 hour countdown for a Taylor Swift lilo, twinkling out of existence, Callum's misguided impressions, Michael's foray into fanfic, and the return of the Sphinx Question await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Is Aughra a witch? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're joined by fabulous artist and writer Rose Ruane to unpick this oft-reviled movie about an unruly, uncouth and uncanny imaginary friend in the form of a surprisingly sexy Rik Mayall. Heads up: while packaged as a comedy caper, this film deals with some heavy topics of otherness, mental health and overcoming abuse, and we discuss its suprising emotional impact.

Queer failure, the hauntology of British public information films, mother's power-dressing, a tennis ball with a bit of fluff stuck on it, Carrie Fisher having a river condominium, the looming spectre of Tim Burton's Beetlejuice, and possibly the worst wig we've seen yet await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Is the real Drop Dead Fred the friends we made along the way? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Kodama-rama! We finally cover a Studio Ghibli anime classic with this brutal and brilliant film from Hayao Miyazaki.

Gorgeous foliage, graphic violence, a wolf goddess with the voice of a drag queen, the curse of generative AI, Uncle Boonmee-coded apes, the "No Cuts" story, Final Fantasy VII, Lady Eboshi serving Creation Destruction Charisma Uniqueness Nerve and Talent, and a star-studded dub await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Is Michael an amoeba or a clever girl? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're feeling the romantasy with this swoonworthy effort from Richard Donner. We also insist that Michelle Pfeiffer needs to get her flowers.

Great casting, gorgeous cinematography, grappling with the commodification of nostalgia, a horse in a wig, a detour to the origins of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the curse of desire, deleted monsters, reverse penetration, a hot take about Grease 2 and our thoughts about that infamously divisive Alan Parsons produced score await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Is it basically Challengers if Zendaya was a hawk? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Radical Ryan Hunter, hilarious host of Radical Retro Rewind?! podcast, joins us to dissect one helluva frog prince-turned-secret-agent in a deeply peculiar British animated adventure.

Chekhov's Nessie, shrinking monuments, Blockbuster nostalgia, a revealing behind-the-scenes documentary, Boy George's disdain for the Ninja Turtles, bemusing musical numbers, Electric Soldier Porygon, interspecies romance, the Queen's concealed face, and a screaming snake sorceress with the singing voice of Grace Jones await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Can a human-sized frog hop through space and time? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're joined by actor, writer and 90s afficionado Josh Tonks to revisit the oft-shaded original movie incarnation of an iconic heroine.

Gay vampire Pee Wee Herman's improvised death scene, the cultural significance of Tokyo Pop, Hilary Swank's stank face, Luke Perry's soul patch, Spike on a rollercoaster with Lisa Loeb, yellow jackets (but not those ones), Josh's musical pitch, Cher's home decor catalogue, and the latest in a long line of Chappell Roan wigs await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. How many times do we mention Sarah Michelle Gellar? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Super-talented writer, director and Superman aficionado Raisah Ahmed swoops in for a chat about a very peculiar entry in the superhero movie canon.

The magic of escapism, being starstruck at the BAFTAs by Christopher Reeve's kids, clingfilm walls, Dolly Parton not wanting to play a witch, making an entrance on a ghost train, Peter O'Toole waving around a bong in his H&M cardigan, "squirt", flying around in a hideous bumper car, Faye Dunaway's big rubber monster and a surprise reappearance from Gwildor's bucket of non-Popeye's fried chicken await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Are millennials the delulu generation? Listen and find out!

For more Superman-related chat from Raisah, be sure to check out an instalment of Michael's TV podcast A Very Special Episode where they chat about the Smallville episode Homecoming: https://shows.acast.com/a-very-special-episode/episodes/smallville-homecoming-with-raisah-ahmed

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RELEASE THE KRAKEN!

The Harry Hamlin M&M (husband of the Lisa Rinna M&M), anachronistic garage door eyeshadow, Maggie Smith's face crack of the century, simping for Bubo, the Argos catalogue, grandad watching Teen Wolf, a Mia Goth household, a tangential trip to Gregory Maguire's island of Maricoor, Ray Harryhausen being gagged and gooped, and the greatest stop motion sequence of all time await. #susanalbumparty

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Which one of us dressed up as Athena and which one as Medusa? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We were excited to revisit this oft-quoted smash from our childhoods but did NOT care for it on a rewatch! Ruh-roh! Awooga!

The peplum on Cameron Diaz's jacket, an electric pencil sharpener, green men issues, Anna Nicole Smith and Vanessa Williams entries in the multiverse, Canada's Walk of Fame, 2025 goggles, Caggie from Big Brother's single Prince Charming, Loki's greasy hair, the hugeness of Jim Carrey and a surprise recommendation await.

We share our thoughts on the movie and its themes, some behind the scenes gossip, delve into the nightmarish moments and dream up some ridiculous merch. Can we set a new record for uses of "I think"? Listen and find out!

Art by Ashleigh Jane Cosgrove. Music by Karl Casey at White Bat Audio.

https://linktr.ee/onceuponavhs

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.