Writers Get Animated

We're jumping on the Infinity Train to figure out what makes an anthology show so compelling? How do mysteries deepen and shift? How do you hold onto an audience when main characters shift? What connects these stories together? Also, how can we get more Infinity Train?!

• Watch Infinity Train on HBO Max

A new animated Star Wars show is on our televisions, and we're here to enjoy it alongside all of you! How does this story fit into the larger Star Wars universe? Where do we think and hope the story will go? What are the familiar Star Wars elements that are already present in this new show?

• Watch The Bad Batch on Disney Plus

How can the robot apocalypse bring family together? We find out in this episode as we upload ourselves into The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix! How does this movie both defy and meet our expectations?

• Watch The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix

The Oscars are here again, and we're taking a trip through the varied ways these filmmakers have told their stories in this year's nominees for Best Animated Short Films! From the story of a bunny creating her home to a young woman dealing with the chaos of the world, we look at how animation can make meaningful and thought-provoking art time and time again.

• Watch the Oscar-Nominated Short Films

We’re saying goodbye to one of our favorite shows: DuckTales! The series finale certainly solved some mysteries and rewrote some history! How does the series finale complete the story that was being told? What themes and tools told the story?

• 176 - Healthy Rejections: DuckTales and Steven Universe

• Watch DuckTales on Disney Plus

Tom and Jerry are back in new animated shorts and a new animated/live action hybrid movie! What endures about these two characters? How do animated/live action hybrid movies work story-wise? What can we learn from a decades-long rivalry between a cat and a mouse?

• 085 - Pure "Imagination" - Tom & Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory 

• Watch Tom & Jerry Special Shorts on HBO Max

A new era of Disney animated films is here with "Raya and the Last Dragon!" How does "Raya" represent a change in storytelling for Disney? What makes this story so unique? How does watching at home change the experience of a new Disney film?

Watch Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney Plus

Interview: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Producer and Screenwriter on Creating a New Kind of Disney Hero

We’re back with another breakdown! In the breakdown, we go beat by beat to see how a show works! This time, we’re looking at one of our favorites: Hilda! How does time travel work in the world of Hilda? How to do you establish theme and danger? 

• Watch Hilda on Netflix

• 131 - Hilda and Adaptation

This week, we’re heading to the desert to have a date with destiny! And the rings of power! And Kid Cosmic, the latest hero from Craig McCracken! How do the expectations of a specific creator, a specific streaming service, and of the super hero genre collide and affect a show for families?

• Watch Kid Cosmic on Netflix

In a year of catching up on streaming, we look back on one of Mackenzie’s favorite shows: Gargoyles! Looking at the fabled third season, we investigate how this animated show from the 90’s is prescient about our current era. What would make someone join The Quarrymen? What does justice look like?

• 040 - Thine Doodles Moveable: Shakespeare in Gargoyles and The Simpsons

• SyFy Wire: An Oral History of Gargoyles