Verbal Diorama

Grand Duchess Anastasia Romanov, the fourth child and fourth consecutive daughter for Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Tsarina Alexandra, was a disappointment at the time of her birth. She wasn't the long-awaited son and heir for the couple. He would come along three years later.

And, well, the rest of the tragic story of the Russian imperial family is fairly well-known.

But Anastasia has led a remarkable life post her premature assassination by the Bolsheviks in 1918. Rumours of her survival and escape to Europe swirled in the post-war years, culminating in a multitude of imposters claiming to be her.

The true story of Anastasia and the Romanov family is so tragic, it's hard to believe anyone would want to make a movie out of it, let alone an animated movie, and a musical at that. Don Bluth and Gary Goldman's 1997 animation can hardly be accused of historical accuracy, but as the rival for Disney's princess-based movies of their Renaissance, Anastasia more than holds her own, with beautiful animation, an all-star voice cast, and a wonderful score and songs.

Ironically, despite the rivalry between Fox and Disney at the time, Disney now own Fox, and they also now own Anastasia. That doesn't make her a Disney Princess, but it makes her close to being one.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Anastasia!

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Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.

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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

For the longest time I knew I wanted to cover Grave of the Fireflies. This is a movie that needs to be talked about, but I've put it off so many times. Honestly, this is a movie burned into my brain, and one that always makes me sob uncontrollably every single time. This is why it's a slightly shorter-than-normal Nanorama episode. The shorter episode is not a comment on the quality of this movie. In fact, in the Verbal Diorama mantra of "animation is not a genre" rings true for this movie more than any other.

It's intimate and harrowing, and shows how during times of war, that innocence and childhood spirit are as fragile as the light from a firefly.

War is too often depicted as one nation’s triumph over another's. As a person from a nation who has historically been on the winning side, it’s easy to say “We won the war”. We won the war, but what did we lose? And what did the other side lose? We’re so focussed on winning, that we don’t think about the true casualties of war; the children who are left behind.

Meant to be the first animated DreamWorks movie (it wasn't, thanks to DreamWorks bringing the release date of Antz forward to annoy Disney), The Prince of Egypt takes a well-known Biblical tale (the basis of three of the biggest religions in the world; Christianity, Islam and Judaism) and grounds it in humanity and empathy, by making it a simple tale of two brothers; one who's destined to be Pharaoh, and the other a former Hebrew slave.

A sprinkling of artistic licence gives the story of Exodus way more depth and meaning, to a story that already has plenty. This is a movie that deals with slavery, infanticide, plagues and the wrath of God, and yet it's still suitable for the whole family.

The Prince of Egypt never sugar coats its serious undertones, either. What it does do, is tell a story that is the cornerstone of faith for millions of people worldwide, in a 2D hand drawn animated format that is accessible, beautiful and complemented by CG. That's the power of animation, right there.

The Historical Accuracy of The Prince of Egypt - dailyhistory.org

I would love to hear your thoughts on The Prince of Egypt!

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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....

Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview

Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon

Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.

Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch

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EPISODE THANKS TO....

Most excellent patrons:

Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts! You can find him at @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps!

Ian D & Brendan for their Patron thoughts!

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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

Corpse Bride, a co-production between Tim Burton Productions and Laika, is a genuinely heart-warming, beautifully made gothic fairy tale based on Jewish-Russian folk tales. It has a great cast and stunning visuals, but honestly despite seeing it several years ago, I could not remember a thing about it. Watching it again for this podcast was like watching it for the very first time.

And therein lies the problem with Corpse Bride; it's overshadowing by the other Tim Burton heart-warming , beautifully made gothic fairy tale: The Nightmare Before Christmas. They even share a Danny Elfman soundtrack!

But, Corpse Bride deserves recognition. It's revolutionary puppet work and digital filming techniques make it stand out. It's a classic love triangle where true love never dies, and ultimately if you love someone you should set them free. While The Nightmare Before Christmas will come to this podcast eventually, Corpse Bride comes first because it deserves more love than it gets.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Corpse Bride!

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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....

Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview

Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon

Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.

Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch

Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!

EPISODE THANKS TO....

Most excellent patrons:

Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts! You can find him at @geeksaladradio on Twitter. Find Geek Salad in all good podcast apps!

Ian D for his Patron thoughts!

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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

Wolfwalkers takes the myth and legend everyone knows surrounding werewolves, and transports it to a stunning 2D hand-drawn animated version of Kilkenny in 1650's Ireland, during the Cromwellian occupation of the country, and a dark time for Irish Catholics.

At its heart it's a story about the unlikely friendship between Robyn, an English immigrant to Ireland and daughter of the new local wolf hunter and Mebh, a Wolfwalker who lives in the forest with her mother and a pack of wild wolves, set against a backdrop of tyranny, oppression and fear.

The final part of their Irish Folklore Trilogy is, to put it simply, a stunning piece of animation innovation. Cartoon Saloon are a force to be reckoned with. Everything about this movie is incredible, from the animation, the story and the stellar voice cast.

If you haven't seen this movie. Go. Do it now! You won't regret it.

I would love to hear your thoughts on Wolfwalkers!

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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....

Give this podcast a five-star rate & review at https://verbaldiorama.com/rateandreview

Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon

Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and Ian D.

Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch

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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

Welcome to Animation Season 2022!

Happy New Year and Ba weep granah weep nini bong to you all! We're starting this new season with a movie that traumatised a generation of children - The Transformers: The Movie.

Transformers started out as a toy line, and became a comic and a TV series, and it was making huge profits for parent company Hasbro, but what do you do when you want to introduce a whole new toy line and get rid of the old ones? Why, you make a feature length animation to kill off the ones you don't want anymore. It'll be easy, right?

Well, turns out Hasbro ignored the advice of seasoned writer Ron Friedman, who insisted killing Optimus Prime would be a terrible idea. Hasbro went ahead and massacred not only Optimus, but other fan favourite characters, just to get kids to want new toys.

While this decision is seen as one of the worst ideas in Transformers history, it arguably made The Transformers: The Movie into more than meets the eye, and while the move failed at the box office, its legacy in animation history would be preserved as an emotionally impactful story for millions of fans, and is now a beloved cult classic.

I would love to hear your thoughts on The Transformers: The Movie

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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....

Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser

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Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian M, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart and brand-new patron Ian D!

Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch

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EPISODE THANKS TO....

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Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter

Derek from The Midnight Myth for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @derekjones198 / @TheMidightMyth on Twitter

Mark from 100 Things We Learned from Film for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @100thingspod on Twitter

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Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! It looks like you’ve been good this year. How do I know? Well, this episode will only show in your podcast app if you’re officially on Santa’s nice list, so well done for being a really good person and keep up the excellent work!

And who better to help you celebrate your good deeds, than Klaus?

Verbal Diorama will return in 2022! Wishing you a fun, safe and brilliant holiday season!

Ho ho ho! Merry Christmas, and Happy Holidays! It looks like you might have been a little bit naughty this year. No judgement from me, but this episode will only show in your podcast app if you’re on Santa’s naughty list!

And who better to teach you a lesson if you’ve been naughty, than Krampus?

Verbal Diorama will return in 2022! Wishing you a fun, safe and brilliant holiday season!

What were you the God of again?

Joining me on this special bumper conclusion to Chris-mas 2021, is the awesome Sam from Movie Reviews in 20 Q's. He's an all-round legend, and a well-known Marvel nerd, and I simply had to have him for this episode on Thor: Ragnarok.

After two previous Thor movies, Marvel decided to hire Kiwi Taika Waititi, impressed with his show reel consisting of Big Trouble in Little China and Immigrant Song by Led Zeppelin. Chris Hemsworth and Tom Hiddleston would return, along with Mark Ruffalo's Bruce Banner/Hulk and a slew of famous faces, including Cate Blanchett, Tessa Thompson, Karl Urban and Jeff Goldblum.

But the soft reboot Thor: Ragnarok, for all its '80s synth Mark Mothersbaugh score, vibrant colour scheme, physical comedy and crackling script, deftly masquerades a dark look at Odin's past as a malevolent king, grooming a child to follow his rule and abandoning her when she turns out to be more powerful than him. This is a movie about colonialism, the whitewashing of history and dysfunctional families, and mostly asks the question; was the true bad guy Odin all along?

Leaning into Chris Hemsworth's comic timing and natural wit was a stroke of genius, and rejuvenates the character and the series, and finally seems to be showing the God of Thunder's true on-screen potential.

Now, kneel before your Queen!

Joining me to discuss Thor: Ragnarok is Sam Hurley, host of the podcast Movie Reviews in 20 Q's and author of Compliance. He's an amazing podcaster, nerd and all-round good guy and I'm delighted that he not only joined me for this episode, but he will be returning in 2022 for Thor: Love and Thunder! You can follow him at @MovieReviewsIn on Twitter, where you'll find top quality podcasting!

I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor: Ragnarok!

GET IN TOUCH....

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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....

Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser

Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon

Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris and brand-new patron Stuart!

Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch

Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio

After the success of Kenneth Branagh's Thor in 2011, a sequel for the God of Thunder was quickly put into motion, with a quick turnaround of two years. The race was on to find a director with a passion for the project, which they did in Patty Jenkins. Her appointment was a big deal too: she would have been the first female director to helm a movie in the MCU.

Ultimately Jenkins' passion didn't align with Marvel's vision for the sequel, and so they parted ways, leaving Game of Thrones director Alan Taylor with the hefty, and hasty, task of putting together a cohesive sequel. What Taylor gave Marvel though, wasn't the movie we ended up with. Marvel executives, led by Kevin Feige, reworked the movie and requested an additional 35 days of reshoots to "fix" The Dark World.

For all its faults, there are some beacons of light though; Thor and Loki together remain the backbone of this trilogy, and then there was a special appearance at MCU Comic-Con in 2013 which really got audiences salivating....

I would love to hear your thoughts on Thor: The Dark World!

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SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA....

Leave a 5-star rating/review: Apple Podcasts or Podchaser

Join the Patreon: https://verbaldiorama.com/patreon

Thank you to all the patrons Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Jason, Kristin, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Emily, Michael, Scott, Mark, Brendan, Ian, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave and Chris!

Buy Merch! https://verbaldiorama.com/merch

Tees, mugs, hoodies and totes are available!

EPISODE THANKS TO....

Most excellent patrons:

Brendan, for his Patron thoughts!

Andy from Geek Salad for his Patron thoughts. You can find him @geeksaladradio on Twitter

Follow, subscribe & listen to Geek Salad in your podcast app of choice!

Twitter peeps

• @TheCinemaGuys
• @Craigsg1

Instagram folk

• @friendlysparpod

Facebook chums

• None this time

Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song

Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe

Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!)

Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio