ToonCast Beyond

The hosts dive into the DC Universe Animated Original Movie Wonder Woman, praising its mythology-driven approach to the origin story, stellar voice cast including Tara Strong, Rosario Dawson, Nathan Fillion, and Alfred Molina, and expressive animation style. They discuss the film's approach to its PG-13 rating, the humor built around the Lasso of Truth, and how the story compares to other Wonder Woman versions across Justice League and the original TV series. The episode touches on the film's production history, including its basis on Gail Simone's screenplay and how it shaped DC's subsequent animated movie output.

A critical examination of the animated anthology film, addressing its disjointed structure, inconsistent animation styles, and failure to bridge the gap between Christopher Nolan’s films as marketed. The discussion covers the individual segments, the voice acting choices, and a comparison to the quality of episodes found in the original animated series. The hosts conclude that the project fails to deliver a cohesive experience, ultimately recommending viewers spend their time elsewhere.

The hosts discuss the DC animated original movie Justice League: The New Frontier, comparing it favorably to previous DC animation outings like Superman: Doomsday. The conversation covers the film's faithfulness to Darwyn Cooke's original comic, the stylized animation, the voice performances for characters like Hal Jordan, Barry Allen, and Martian Manhunter, and the overall team-focused narrative.

The hosts review the 2007 direct-to-DVD feature Superman: Doomsday, the first installment in their spotlight series on DC Universe animated original movies. They discuss the film's attempt to condense the expansive Death of Superman comic arc, evaluate the voice performances of Adam Baldwin and Anne Heche, and debate the effectiveness of the film's mature, violent tone. The discussion also touches on specific design choices, the film's commercial performance, and its role as a starting point for the series.

ToonCast Beyond debuts with a full discussion of Marvel's The Super Hero Squad Show, a comedic super-deformed take on the Marvel Universe. The hosts explore the show's humor, character designs, voice cast (including Tom Kenny, Tara Strong, Mark Hamill, and Maurice LaMarche), continuity structure, and how it compares to other Marvel animated series and superhero shows. They also discuss DVD releases, production details, and why the show's early 6 a.m. Saturday time slot limited its audience despite its appeal to both kids and adults.

Writer and creator Christy Marx discusses the resurgence of Jem and the Holograms, the extensive new complete series DVD collection, and her experience attending a fan-organized convention in the Netherlands. She also shares insights into her work as a narrative designer for Zynga games, her approach to writing the Conan the Adventurer animated series, and her early collaboration with Stan Lee on Spider-Man and His Amazing Friends.

Tom Kenny joins the hosts to discuss his extensive voice acting career, from his early days in stand-up comedy and sketch performance to becoming one of animation's most prolific voice actors. The conversation covers his roles in Transformers Animated (Starscream, Sumdack), the live-action Transformers films (Skids and Wheelie), and his iconic role as SpongeBob SquarePants. Kenny also discusses working with directors like Michael Bay and Steven Hillenburg, the collaborative nature of voice acting sessions, and his work on shows like Adventure Time (Ice King), Ultimate Spider-Man (Doctor Octopus), DC's Green Lantern animated series, and various other projects.

The hosts introduce the successor to Tooncast, outlining a new format that covers animation from 2000 to the present day. The team discusses the show's planned seasonal structure, the inclusion of DeLorean Time episodes for older content, and upcoming interviews with industry figures like Christy Marx. They also detail the new segment structure, which includes show analysis, cast breakdowns, and critiques, while confirming that anime will not be part of the program.