Chosen by premium patron ToonJay, it's time for us to cover one of the most influential animated series of the last 20 years, Avatar: The Last Airbender! When it debuted on Nick in 2005, it introduced a whole generation of kids to anime-style action, a lore-filled linear adventure, and enough ships to drown the internet. All that, plus a discussion of a fan-favorite story that's full of pro wrestling references. So grab a cabbage and listen! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1942's Bambi! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Happy New Year! In case you didn't know, every month we release the premium podcast, What A Cartoon Movie. And, as we take a week off to rest and recharge, we're giving all of our listeners a chance to hear a free sample of this Patreon-exclusive series. So please, enjoy our ultra-long look at Pixar's The Incredibles! And if you'd like to hear 60 more episodes of What A Cartoon Movie—with a new one to come every month—simply head on over to the Talking Simpsons Network and sign up at the $10 level. If you enjoy hearing us talk about cartoons, you'll be glad you did!

The Talking Simpsons Network is taking a week off for the holiday season, so to fill the content gap, we've decided to post an episode of our Patreon-exclusive Talking Futurama podcast miniseries! If you like this episode and want to hear the rest (with more to come every month), head over to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up at the $5 level. Once you do, you'll have immediate access to all of our limited miniseries, covering animated shows like King of the Hill, Mission Hill, The Critic, and Batman: The Animated Series. So visit Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up today!

Another month (and YEAR) has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2000's The Emperor's New Groove! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Our holiday cartoon podcast tradition continues, and this time we're covering one of the cult classics of pre-9/11 Comedy Central. Not only do we go into the career of Robert Smigel that led to his unlikely position as a big-time animation writer, but we also show how one cheap dog puppet led to an empire of TV Funhouse. Then learn about the many holiday classics parodied in this 2000-era sketch show full of filth and Jesus Christ, along with a healthy dose of Christmas tension. So grab your tail and listen! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1992's The Muppet Christmas Carol! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Chosen by premium patron Andrew, we're returning to the '90s for a furry cult classic, SWAT Kats! Created in Montreal, developed in Burbank, and animated in Tokyo, it's an international action toon about a pair of vigilantes in a jet, and we explore how it burned brightly if briefly. Then we discuss the second season ep about a dark future, all with hot hairy characters to entertain anyone in this high-speed, explosive Hanna-Barbera hit! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1986's Project A-ko! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Chosen by premium patron ToonJay, it's time for us elder millennials to learn about Gen Z's favorite cartoon stepbrothers, Phineas and Ferb! Yes, we dig into the history of the 104 days of summer vacation and the careers of the show's creators. Then, it's time for some rock history as we discuss one of the most beloved eps, Dude, We're Getting The Band Back Together. Do get ready for a mix of backyard adventures and platypus spy action in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2005's Corpse Bride! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

It's been over five years since we last covered Daria, and while little has happened in terms of the show's potential reboot, that doesn't mean we've expended all of our possible thoughts on this beloved MTV cartoon. (Which may be why this podcast is nearly three hours long.) Last time, we examined an episode where the series outgrew its "Daria owns the normies" formula, and this time, we're looking at the show evolve into something with a lot more continuity, as the love triangle plot kicks off and threatens to tear Daria and Jane apart. So listen in, and join us as we embrace the apathy of the '90s and discuss our favorite cynical teens of the era! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2006's Cars! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

It might be hard to believe, but we haven't had a live show at PAX in four years. Why? We honestly couldn't say. But in 2023, we're making our grand return to the famed video game convention to celebrate the 28th anniversary of Mortal Kombat: The Journey Begins! And frankly, we'd love to see you there. Check out the details below: When: Saturday, September 2nd at 7:00pm  Where: PAX West, The Monarch Theatre And here's the panel description, straight from the PAX website: Shortly before the first Mortal Kombat movie violenced its way into theaters the world got a brief preview of this cinematic event with The Journey Begins. This direct-to-video commercial gave fans a taste of the upcoming film's first act rendered in cut-rate 2D animation and CGI scenes that make Reboot look like Pixar. And it only cost $19.99! On this panel, join your pals at the What A Cartoon podcast as they give you a tour of the highs and lows of this piece of MK media so you don't have to suffer through the whole thing yourself. As a new Mortal Kombat looms ever closer GET OVER HERE and see how far we've truly come!

In the year of the wonderous webcrawler's return to the Spider-Verse, we're also returning to his classic Saturday morning TV series for the second half of the epic two-parter meeting mutants. Yes, we're returning to the second season of the 1994 Spider-Man Animated Series for his crossover with the X-Men, which has origins in both comic books and newspaper pages. Learn all about that, Henry's love for Hank McCoy, a whole bunch of silly voice acting over budget-minded animation, and tons more on the spider-sensible podcast! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1998's A Bug's Life! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

What if Everything Everywhere All at Once starred a foul-mouthed, perverted, yellow duck? We've all kept ourselves up at night mulling over that question, ignorant of the fact that Duckman answered it in 1996! On this episode of What A Cartoon, join us as we dip back into Duckman and explore "The Once and Future Duck," a season three episode that shows how high-concept this short-lived USA series could truly get. Plus, bonus facts about Rhonda Shear! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2004's The Incredibles! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

This month's subject is long overdue, as we're covering one of the biggest toy commercials/cartoons of the 1980s, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Your hosts were the exact demographic this 1987 show was aimed at, so we have tons of pizza-powered memories of the green machine as we go over the history of the first miniseries while watching one of the best-looking episodes of the original run. All that, plus we count how many times "cowabunga" is said, so let's kick some shell together (in podcast form)! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsonsand becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2019's Toy Story 4! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Thanks to the generous patronage of Andrew, we're taking another look at American Dad! Back in 2018, we covered an episode from one of the earlier seasons, but this time around, our subject matter hails from season 19 of this enduring animated sitcom. If you haven't checked in on American Dad since it moved to TBS nearly a decade ago, you might be surprised by just how strange and experimental it's gotten—or maybe not, since it was always pretty weird. In any case, get ready to sit back and enjoy a podcast only the vile Tiffany's boyfriend would dislike! Support this podcast and get 150+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsonsand becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Our most recent live-action April Fools reaches its end on the Talking Simpsons Network, which means we've got an awesome podcast about another non-animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers will hear us talk about 1986's Little Shop of Horrors (The Director's Cut)! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

April has arrived, spring has sprung, and it's once again time to cover a live-action subject on the What A Cartoon podcast. And this time around, we're digging into the oft-referenced but never-fully-discussed sketch series, Mr. Show with Bob and David. Bob Odenkirk and David Cross might be renowned comic (and at times, dramatic) superstars in our current era, but back in 1995, they were scrappy upstarts, looking to bring their brand of revolutionary alt-comedy to the small screen. The result? A 30-episode sketch show that went mostly unwatched yet still ended up being extremely influential. So listen in to this month's What a Cartoon: the only podcast that's not constantly on fire! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2000's Chicken Run! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Chosen by premium patron ToonJay, we're covering one of the most influential toons from the start of the millennium: Invader ZIM! We go into the seemingly impossible circumstances that led a 22-year-old Jhonen Vasquez to make a Nicktoon, how 9/11 and Columbine affected it, and how it got a second life after cancelation! Then we dig into two of its best episodes, one about time-traveling pigs and the other about a giant hamster. So grab your GIR plushy and listen in! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

A superheroic month of podcasting comes to a close on the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got an awesome podcast about another animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1997's TV movie Batman/Superman: World's Finest! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

We're up, up, and away with this pair of Superman classics chosen by premium patron Devin! Yes, we are going all the way back to the golden age of animation to discuss our first Fleischer Studios series on the podcast, so we go deep into the history of those creators as well as the creators of Superman. Then we take a look at two of the best action cartoons of all time (which are also in the public domain), and we reflect on how influential these Kryptonian shorts still are, so look up in the sky and listen now! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1941's Dumbo! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Happy new year! As we podcasters wrap up our holiday break, we're taking a week off from Simpsons to give you listeners a special treat: FIVE HOURS of Disney Renaissance chat! In case you didn't know, each month we do a premium podcast, What A Cartoon Movie, for our $10 Patreon subscribers, and now we're giving everyone a taste of the massive animation podcast fun we have each month. So to provide a sample of our 2022 slate of releases, we go scene-by-scene and song-by-song through the classic that inspired See My Vest (among many other things). Enjoy our in-depth history and dissection of this beastly beauty of a film, and be sure to subscribe if you want to hear more! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

The Talking Simpsons Network is taking a week off for the holiday season, so to fill the content gap, we've decided to post an episode of our Patreon-exclusive TalKing of the Hill podcast miniseries! If you like this episode and want to hear the rest (with more to come every month), head over to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up at the $5 level. Once you do, you'll have immediate access to all of our limited miniseries, covering animated shows like Futurama, Mission Hill, The Critic, and Batman: The Animated Series. So visit Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up today!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2003's classic, Tokyo Godfathers! Listen now to this free extended preview of Satoshi Kon's holiday movie, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

The world can never get enough Sam and Max. Despite existing in fits and starts—an indie comic here, an adventure game there—Steve Purcell's dog and rabbit duo have never truly left us over the past 35 years. Heck, they just starred in a 2021 adventure game! But the characters' biggest brush with fame came in the form of a one-season Fox Kids' cartoon that, despite its budget and intended audience, nailed the iconic and verbose patter and antics of these beloved dirty (freelance) cops. So of course it wasn't long for this world. This month on What A Cartoon, join us as we examine two Purcell-penned episodes of Sam and Max's short-lived existence on TV. Slap on your penny-conscious moon gear and get ready to laugh until you run out of precious oxygen! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2012's ParaNorman! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Hey folks, we've got a new exclusive miniseries for all of our $5 and up subscribers at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons! Every Friday through the end of 2022, we'll be launching a brand-new episode of Blabbin 'Bout Batman: The Animated Series Season 2—which will cover our eight (additional) favorite episodes of this legendary cartoon. And if you're curious as to what this Patreon-exclusive miniseries is like, we're giving you a free sample of a Blabbin 'Bout B:TAS podcast, all about the classic episode, "The Clock King." Interested in hearing more? Sign up today at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons to the rest of our "The Clock King" discussion, a new episode every Friday, and the 100+ other exclusive podcast episodes we've produced so far!

Thanks to premium patron Jason, we're covering our first-ever Disney Channel original, Kim Possible! We travel back 20 years to the age of beepers--when things were or weren't "the drama" as we dig into the adventures of Kim, Ron, Sheego, and the rest. Learn how the series was created, what the stars are doing now, and follow along as we discuss the season one episode Kimitation Nation. That's the sitch on this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us deep into one of the most 1980s-style films ever, The Transformers The Movie from 1986! Listen now to this free extended preview about the toy toon, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

This week, it's time to believe in the podcast that believes in you! Thanks to premium patron Devin, we're finally taking a look at Gurren Lagann: the late '00s anime sensation that's also the first series directed by future Studio Trigger co-founder Hiroyuki Imaishi. Listen in as we explore this anti-Evangelion and its big, stupid robots, crazy bursts of animation, and stirring speeches—basically, the key components of any good anime series. So sit back, relax, and get ready to drill, baby, drill! Support this podcast and get 100+ bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2022's Beavis and Butt-Head Do the Universe! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Now that we covered Garfield's Halloween toon in 2018, A Garfield Christmas in 2020, and Garfield's Thanksgiving in 2021, it's now time to complete the tale with the hit Saturday morning toon, Garfield And Friends! Learn how Mark Evanier, Jim Davis, Phil Roman, and many others adapted the fat feline for seven years and 121 episodes from 1988 to 1994. Then, we dig deep into an episode full of meta-commentary on TV with overly friendly bears and screaming clowns. So grab your lasagna and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us wrap up our second summer of the Disney Rennaisance with talk about 1990's The Rescuers Down Under! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Who are these garish characters and why are they screaming at me from inside the television? Why, that's just Smiling Friends, Adult Swim's latest hit and the subject of this month's episode of What a Cartoon (brought to you by premium patron Professor Gascan). This hilarious series mixes pop culture references, observational humor, and the chaotic spirit of internet cartoons for an "anything goes" animated show like no other. So listen in as we tell the tale of Pim and Charlie on their Greatest Adventure yet! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsonsand becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1991's Beauty and the Beast! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Listeners, maximize! Yes, it's time for us to chat about the mid-'90s Transformers series as chosen by our premium patron Devin! A bit of a sequel to our Reboot podcast, learn how the Autobots became Maximals via a Vancouver-based animation studio, as well as how this sequel/prequel was more than meets the eye. Then we dive deep into the most celebrated episode of the show that immortalized Dinobot. Now, let the battle be joined! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsonsand becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another summer begins on the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we're again doing the Disney Renaissance Summer on our What A Cartoon Movie podcast! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1989's The Little Mermaid! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

If you enjoyed our loooooong What A Cartoon Movie podcast about Who Framed Roger Rabbit, you're probably left wondering what happened to Roger after the big hit of 1988. Well, we go super in-depth this time not only into the many attempts to make a Roger Rabbit sequel in the last 33 years, but ALSO the three theatrical Roger Rabbit shorts that exist! Learn a ton about hospitals, roller coasters, and fire safety in this deep dive podcastt! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2010's Toy Story 3! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Professor Gascan, we're digging into the career of Evan Dorkin and his Adult Swim pilot, Welcome to Eltingville! How did this series jump from the comic page to the TV screen? Why didn't Adult Swim order more than one episode? How accurate is all the trivia in this show? And how accurately does it reflect the nerd culture of the late '90s? Listen now before we argue more about Boba Fett! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

As we reach the end of April we at the Talking Simpsons Network, are covering a film we always hoped to deconstruct! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

It's time for our zuzzy and zazzy April Fool's tradition on the podcast of covering a live-action cartoon, and we're joined by a special guest! We're covering Saturday Morning All Star Hits (aka S.M.A.S.H.) with one of the executive producers, Scott Gairdner (aka our pal from Podcast: The Ride)! Scott tells all about how he and the rest of the team made this amazing comedy throwback, we dig into its deep lore, and finally, we dive deep into the first episode, School! So grab some subs and give a listen! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1940's Pinocchio! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Thanks to the generosity of premium patron Devin, this week we're taking a look at the first animated adaptation of Kentaro Miura's acclaimed dark fantasy manga, Berserk! Despite its slightly silly name, Berserk weaves a grim tale of destiny, betrayal, and revenge, and made its bleak, violent medieval backdrop a smash-hit with audiences nearly a decade before A Game of Thrones. On this episode, join us as we discuss the history of this Japanese comic series that spanned more than 30 years, its creator and his untimely death, and the 1997 anime series that attempted to rein in this astoundingly crafted story on a modest budget. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsonsand becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Don't blame Canada that another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network! That means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1999's South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut! Listen now to learn some history this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole five hours and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Just as we did for Sonic SatAM, we're again joined by the awesome creator of OK K.O. Ian Jones-Quartey for more classic Sonic toons! We chat about how the weirdest Sonic animated series came to be, its endearing strangess, and the exceptionally weird ep "Zoobotnik." Plus we chat about the cool new Blu-ray release of the full series from Discotek and so much more, so grab a chili dog and listen! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1998's The Lion King II: Simba's Pride! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

The Talking Simpsons Network is taking a week off for the holiday season, so to fill the content gap, we've decided to post an episode of our Patreon-exclusive TalKing of the Hill podcast miniseries! If you like this episode and want to hear the other 23 (with more to come every month), head over to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up at the $5 level. Once you do, you'll have immediate access to all of our limited miniseries, covering animated shows like Futurama, Mission Hill, The Critic, and Batman: The Animated Series. So visit Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and sign up today!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2001's Millenium Actress from the legendary Satoshi Kon! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Our big-time December podcast plans roll on, as we have another holiday classic we've long meant to cover, Dr. Seuss and Chuck Jones' adaptation of The Grinch! We talk about its creation, its many unsung heroes, its broadcast history, and the story of Xmas not being bought in a store that sold millions of things bought in stores! So listen to this podcast atop of Mount Crumpit, just please don't use your smartphone to dump it! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Special surprise podcast for listeners who love when we talk about comics! Henry is going solo this week with special guest/Spidey fan Matt McMuscles because they both have lots of thoughts on the brand new Spider-Man film, No Way Home. Obviously, this whole podcast is FULL of SPOILERS, so only listen if you've seen the film. Henry and Matt have tons of hardcore Spider-Thoughts on this event film, so listen along if you want to hear our fun reactions to it while the film is brand new!

Happy birthday! Last week we covered the stop-motion Rankin-Bass classic Rudolph, now we're digging into their first 2D animated Xmas classic, Frosty The Snowman! Also based on a hit pop song, this Xmas tale of death and rebirth is a beloved one, and it's directed by one of the living legends of Japanese animation. Learn all about that and also about how evil magicians are in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1964's Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Hey folks, This info will be included in November's episode of Talk to the Audience?!?, but we've decided to give it to you one week early so both patrons and non-patrons are all on the same page. Anyhow, here's a breakdown of everything we talk about in this brief audio update: The main points: What a Cartoon will now be a monthly podcast. TalKing of the Hill will now be a monthly Patreon-exclusive miniseries, joining Talking Futurama as our second monthly exclusive podcast. Talking Simpsons and What A Cartoon Movie will retain their current schedules. We haven't decided on what form the Fall 2022 miniseries will take, but it's still in the works and we'll keep you updated. Here's the 2022 posting schedule for $5 and up patrons: What A Cartoon will post on the first Monday of every month. Talking Futurama will stay on the second Monday of every month. TalKing of the Hill will post on the final Friday of every month. What A Cartoon Movie (and the extended free preview) will stay on the final Monday of each month. Talking Simpsons and Talk to the Audience?!? will continue to post on Wednesdays. Here's the 2022 posting schedule for non-patrons: The extended free preview of What A Cartoon movie will stay on the first Monday of every month. What a Cartoon will post on the second Monday of every month. Talking Simpsons and Talk to the Audience?!? will continue to post on Wednesdays. That's all there is to it! Listen to the embedded podcast for more details, and feel free to contact us if you have any questions. Thanks as always for your support! - Henry and Bob

Brak emerged from the depths of a crummy action cartoon of the 60s, became one of the Cartoon Network's biggest stars 30 years later, and had less than a decade under his belt before fading back into obscurity. And the tail-end of Brak's brush with fame brought The Brak Show, a send-up of lousy sitcoms meant to be the shining star of Cartoon Network's new late-night lineup. This week, join us as we look at this Adult Swim classic, as well as the phenomenon behind the whimsical cat-boy known as Brak. It'll be more fun than a bag of wigs! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

First, we covered Garfield's Halloween toon in 2018, then we did A Garfield Christmas in 2020, and now it's time to finish the trilogy! Yes, we're doing Garfield's Thanksgiving! Somehow turkey day ends up being spent on a vet-enforced diet for Garfield, all while Jon gets worried about his big date with Liz, and somehow the day is saved by the return of the rockin' Grandma Arbuckle. All that plus Odie blowing a whistle a lot in this week's thankful podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Hey folks, we've got a new exclusive miniseries for all of our $5 and up subscribers at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons! Every Friday through the end of 2021, we'll be launching a brand-new episode of Blabbin 'Bout Batman: The Animated series—which will cover our ten favorite episodes of this legendary cartoon. And if you're curious as to what this Patreon-exclusive miniseries is like, we're giving you a free sample of our first Blabbin 'Bout B:TAS podcast, all about the classic episode, "Joker's Favor." Interested in hearing more? Sign up today at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons to the rest of our "Joker's Favor" discussion, a new episode every Friday, and the 100+ other exclusive podcast episodes we've produced so far!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2000's Batman Beyond: Return of The Joker! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today! (And if you like this Batman chat, be sure to sign up for our full Patreon-exclusive BTAS podcast out NOW!)

It's that time of the year again, which means that a new exclusive miniseries is hitting the Talking Simpsons Patreon. That's right, if you sign up at the $5 level or higher at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons, you'll get to hear ten episodes of Blabbin 'Bout Batman: The Animated Series as they launch every Friday through the end of 2021! We're selecting our ten favorite episodes of this legendary cartoon take on the Caped Crusader, and discussing them with the same in-depth research and clips you've come to expect from our podcast network. So sign up today at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons to hear it and the 100+ other exclusive podcast episodes we've produced so far!

Thanks to premium patron Duckmeat, this week we're looking at a recent Disney Channel hit that's equal parts heartwarming and hilarious. Based on the real-life story of its creators, The Houghton Brothers, Big City Greens tells the tale of a family of transplants pulled out of the country and plopped down in the big city—specifically, the Big City. And for our podcast discussion, we're highlighting one of the funniest episodes to date, in which a Billy the Big Mouth Bass clone drives most of the Green family into a state of murderous insanity! So sit back and listen in as we talk about a different bug-eyed, yellow-skinned family that's worth watching. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Professor Gascan, it's our first-ever podcast on the controversial Butch Hartman and his sophomore series, Danny Phantom! How did this action series make it onto Nick in 2004? What is its online legacy with fans? And what about mocking vegetarians? All of that in one big podcast, so go ghost and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2000's The Road to El Dorado! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

The day long promised by our guest (and one of our top Patreon supporters), Devin, has finally arrived! We cover one of the silliest and most banal animated shows of all time, Hanna-Barbera's adaptation of the Gary Marshall classic, Laverne & Shirley. We chart how the success of the Happy Days universe of shows in the 1970s led to this Saturday morning cartoon in 1981, plus some interesting facts about how this odd show came to be. So get ready to enlist alongside a pig in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Royce, we're covering perhaps the worst cartoon we've ever seen, with special guest expert, the fantastic Matt McMuscles! How did this super crappy first Mortal Kombat cartoon arrive alongside the 1995 movie? How was this marketed to kids? How well did early digital animation and motion capture age? The answers won't surprise you, so test your might with this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

The Talking Simpsons Network ends its summer of Disney Renaissance films in stirring fashion with the biggest film of that era, The Lion King. In this extended preview, we dig into how this film came to be over a veeeerry complicated development, how it is entwined with the career of Jeffrey Katzenberg, and much more. Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Adam Reed and Matt Thompson have been living large thanks to 11 seasons of Archer, but it all started nearly a decade before that with their inaugural Adult Swim show, Sealab 2021. With its absurdist, Gen X remix of a "classic" Hanna-Barbera series, Sealab fit perfectly into the original lineup of Adult Swim, entertaining both stoned and non-stoned college students alike for 52 episodes. On this installment of What A Cartoon, we examine one of the most popular and self-indulgent episodes of Sealab ever made. So sit back and enjoy this week's BIZARRO podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Phil, we're breaking format to talk about a show that we love that may as well have been animated, The Muppet Show! We reflect on a childhood love of Muppets, the career of Jim Henson that led to the creation of the biggest show in the world (for the time), and then look at the now-eerie Star Wars tie-in episode with special guest star, Mr. Mark Hamill, yaaaay!!! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Thanks to the generous patronage of James Eldred, we're taking a look at the cartoon that defined stop-motion animation on TV: Gumby! Art Clokey's animated chunk of clay delighted Baby Boomers during the earliest decades of TV, and returned in the late '80s to delight their children before completely dropping off the face of the earth. This week, listen in as we explore the truly interesting life of Gumby's creator, and dig into one of his earliest, trippiest shorts. Why should you care? He's Gumby, dammit! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we've got two huge guests: Returning favorite (and creator of OK K.O.) Ian Jones-Quartey along with new guest (and creator of Steven Universe) Rebecca Sugar! And they're joining us to talk about one of their all-time favorite cartoons, Future Boy Conan! How did Hayao Miyazaki get to direct his first series? How many artists did it influence globally for the last four decades? Why is it so hard to see in the US? We discuss all that plus the second episode "The Journey" all on this week's seafaring podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We're starting our summer of Disney Renaissance films with 1997's Hercules! And this is your sample of June's premium podcast for the Talking Simpsons Network! Meanwhile, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to go the distance and hear the full thing! After you hear this free extended preview of the tale of Zeus' famous son, consider subscribing at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Alex, we're returning to the one named Sailor Moon, only this time we're focusing on the North American English dub of the '90s. We're digging deep into the Canadian accents of Serena, Amy, Raye, Lita, Mina and the rest. Then we discuss the fun and silly episode Mirror Mirror On The Wall. Fight evil by moonlight and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Professor Gascan, this week we're covering one of the infamous prime time toons that came out in the wake of Bartmania, Capitol Critters! How did Hanna-Barbera combine with the Hill Street Blues creators to try and fail to make a politics-meets-talking-animals toon? How quickly was it canceled? We'll cover all of that and more with this forgotten piece of pop culture! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Loki, we're approaching a very historically important but controversial cartoon starring Donald Duck (and if you're not in the mood to hear about nazi atrocities, we understand). First, we explore Donald's 1934 debut, how he was at the height of his popularity just as global war was breaking out. Then we talk about Disney's WWII propaganda, this Oscar-winning attack on history's greatest monster, the long legacy since its release in 1943, and more! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1992's Cool World! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Duckmeat, we're chatting about one of Disney's best recent cartoons, The Owl House! We first cover the career of series creator Dana Terrace and the show's many interesting inspirations. Then we cover the fourth episode of the series which is full of excitement and lore. So give a hoot and listen! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

CHOCOLATE! And by that we mean, we're returning to SpongeBob this week at the request of our guest (and one of our top Patreon supporters), Devin! First, we delve into the careers of a few unsung artists in the world of Bikini Bottom. Then we cover two of the best episodes ever from the end of the third season, so grab your candy bar bags and get ready for some fancy living! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Hokey smokes! Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Phil, it's time to cover one of the most important (and best) TV cartoons ever made, Rocky And Bullwinkle! We delve deep into Cold War history to chart how this show blazed a trail for smart writing in kids TV, its crossover appeal to adults, its enduring legacy, and so much more. Then we discuss the finale of the season 2 classic "Rue Britannia" (freely available on YouTube), so listen and enjoy our friends Moose and Squirrel! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Royce, we're returning to Marvel's merry mutants and their Kids' WB incarnation! Yes, it's time for the often overlooked X-Men: Evolution, a show with ups and downs but far better than most people expected. Learn how the series came to be, the surprisingly strong animation it had by TV standards, and a good deal about Captain America and WWII in this week's early '00s appreciation podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Hey now, it's a preview, of a podcast, 'bout Shrek! Yes, this month's premium podcast for the Talking Simpsons Network is about the 20th anniversary of one of the most influential (and memed) films of the millennium! This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2001's Shrek! Listen now to this free extended preview of the adventures of an ogre, a donkey, and a princess. Then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber James, we're exploring both the edgy comics of the '90s and the USA Network in the forgotten Savage Dragon adaptation! The series resurfaced unexpectedly on Peacock's streaming service, so we dive into its strange creation, the early '90s comic boom, as well as some tangents about the weirdest stuff that's happened in Savage Dragon comics. Listen now for a ride on the Cartoon Express! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Hey everyone, the podcast embedded in this post provides an audio version of this update, but if you want a text-based version that's easier to reference, we're more than happy to provide it below. Starting in July of 2021, we're changing the What A Cartoon schedule a bit—and don't worry, the PTA has not disbanded. As we did at the start of 2020, we're scaling back What A Cartoon a bit to better suit our production pipeline, and because of that we'll soon be producing two episodes of What A Cartoon every month. (And the What A Cartoon Movie schedule will remain unchanged.) There's a much more detailed explanation of our decision in the podcast, but to make a long story short, our What A Cartoon episodes take a lot of work—often three to four times as much as an episode of Talking Simpsons or an episode of one of our miniseries. And for the sake of transparency, What A Cartoon isn't the most popular podcast we produce, so while we would never want to end it, we've decided it would be a better idea to shift some of our limited resources to content that's more in-demand (and give ourselves more time to produce each WAC episode). So how will this change our podcast output? Not much, actually. So we don't have too many gaps in content, the first and third Monday of every month will feature a new episode of What A Cartoon, while the second Monday of every month will be the new home of Talking Futurama. And we'll still be posting What A Cartoon Movie on the final Monday of every month. Of course, a handful of months out of the year feature five Mondays, and in that case, the fourth Monday will just be an off week. (This schedule, of course, is for our Patreon listeners on the $5 and up level, so if you're listening to this as a non-Patron, shift our new schedule forward one week and remove Talking Futurama from the equation.) Because this new schedule means there will be fewer episodes of What A Cartoon per year, we're also winding down the $50 episode request tier and currently working with those patrons to get their final selections in. But this doesn't mean your input on What A Cartoon is over, and in the future we may have some ways for our listeners to choose the subject matter of certain episodes. So, to wrap things up: Our new What A Cartoon schedule begins in July. What A Cartoon will now release on the first and third Monday of every month. Talking Futurama will now release on the second Monday of every month. What A Cartoon Movie will continue to release on the final Monday of every month. For the months of the year that feature five Mondays, the fourth Monday of the month will be an off week with no new episode. Thanks for understanding, and once again, we couldn't do any of this without our great listeners. Scaling back on What A Cartoon will allow us to be more productive and also give us the opportunity to spend more time on every WAC episode without taking too many resources away from our other podcast series.

This week, we're covering a crossover anime hit sponsored by premium patron Loki! On the surface, the premise for Death Note sounds absurd: a magical notebook that kills someone if you write their name in it. Despite the outlandish premise, this hit manga series captured the attention of readers worldwide with its cat-and-mouse psychological thriller antics—all built on the foundation of very sound internal logic. And thankfully, the anime version adapts this compelling story as faithfully as possible. So listen in as we discuss the very first episode of Death Note, and try not to get hooked! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Happy April Fools 2021 as we continue our podcast tradition of covering a live-action cartoon, and we've got a real cult classic for you! Created by Chris Elliott, Adam Resnick, and David Mirkin, Get A Life was a weird and transgressive Fox sitcom from 1990, and it has grown as a cult icon in the years since AND had immense influence on some of the best years of Simpsons. Listen now to learn how to stand in the place where you live! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1990's DuckTales the Movie: Treasure of the Lost Lamp! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts. Sign up today!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Alex, we explore some defining works of Golden Age animation from UPA. We cover the complex history of UPA and its two best directors, and then explore two of their most beloved cartoons, the original Gerald McBoing Boing and the jazzy Rooty Toot Toot! Listen now before HUAC makes us name names! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We're heading back to the DCAU for one of the most successful creations ever born out of a stupid executive's idea! Yes, it's the teen Caped Crusader of the future show, or Batman-meets-Spider-Man-meets-Akira, all in one shiny package. We revisit this retro-future, dig into its history, and discuss the third episode, Black Out! Listen now, it's totally schway! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

After interviewing co-creator Bill Kopp last year, it was only a matter of time before we covered the overlooked Fox Kids classic, Eek! The Cat!! We cover the history of Kopp and creative partner Savage Steve Holland as they brought the unlucky purple cat to life. Then we cover the first season favorite of ours that is slathered in Elvis references. So listen along, because it never hurts to help! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

More than two years after we last covered it, we're returning to Freakazoid! The second season of the cult classic was full of subversive and indulgent moments, and that's certainly true for the season premiere. A regular date turns into a shot-for-shot parody of Hello, Dolly in this beloved episode of the series, so listen along, it's a textbook case for Sigmund Freud! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Once more it's time for the Talking Simpsons Network to cover a Studio Ghibli film, and this time it's one of their best but also most underrated! This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1995's Whisper of the Heart! Listen now to this free extended preview of Yoshifumi Kondo's film, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

This week, we're covering the cartoon that kicked off The Disney Afternoon programming block! Before Disney's TV efforts switched over to adapting feature films in the mid-90s, TaleSpin stood as one of their most interesting animated series to date, with its odd mix of Cheers, Casablanca, and Indiana Jones... and starring characters from The Jungle Book? Despite how odd it sounds on paper, TaleSpin adds up to a great adventure series, and one that kicked off a beloved block of Disney bliss for kids of the '90s. Listen in as we rediscover what makes this classic cartoon soar! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Thanks to the generous contributions of patron David Whittington, we're once again talking about one of our all-time favorites, The Venture Bros! After the show's tragic cancellation in 2020, we return to the fifth season and discuss that premiere and the show's second half, full of references that arrive at least three levels deep. So grab some student green and enjoy this week's extra-large podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we're joined by one of our top Patreon supporters, Devin, to discuss the short film that spawned two decades of Digimon media! Not only do we dig into the creation of digital pets, but we also cover the career of Mamoru Hosoda and how Digimon was a launching pad for his career. Then we chat about the surprisingly deep and violent first cartoon of the Digimon universe (with a couple of asides about the US localization of it) so listen along to this week's podcast from the digital world! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1999's Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

As chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Duckmeat, we cover the new Disney TV series, Amphibia! We discuss how the series was created out of a love for stories of people transported to magical worlds mixed with the creator's Thai background, and we cover how he got that on the big screen. Then we discuss the slimy, bug-filled second episode of the series, all on one froggy podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week, as chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Phil, we're covering a bedrock of TV animation: The Flintstones! The series is now a bit of a forgotten institution, so we explore how the show came to define the 1960s. And after cover the creation of it, we also cover the show's first downfall, as defined by a little green alien that only Fred and Barney can see. Listen along as we have a gay old time! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week, we're exploring the DuckTales reboot made especially for us, as chosen by our premium Patreon subscriber Royce! We explore how this relaunch of the Disney Afternoon universe came to be, plus how it's expertly aimed at Millenials and their kids. Then we cover the early season 2 episode (don't worry, no big spoilers) where Donald meets some old friends south of the border. Listen now while wearing a snappy serape! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We've reached the end of 2020 on the Talking Simpsons Network, meaning it's time for us to discuss one of the most controversial films in Japanese animation! This time around, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1997's The End of Evagelion! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

We're finally goin' on down to South Park for a look at the series that put Trey Parker and Matt Stone on the map, and has remained a Comedy Central mainstay for nearly 25 years! And since the series started its life as a Christmas-related short, it's only fair that we tackle a Christmas episode of South Park that celebrates the origins of the series well before the creators knew they'd be making episodes for 20 more years. Listen in and learn about the surprisingly prolific careers of Parker and Stone before their hit series took off, how something as unusual and vulgar as South Park ever snuck onto TV, and just where the series has gone in the passing decades. Happy Holidays from all of us to all of you—even if you don't eat fiber on Christmas Eve. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

It's time for the first of two holiday cartoons for the end of 2020! After covering Garfield's Halloween toon in 2018, we return again to the Monday-hater's second holiday special. Garfield hates heading to the farm for Christmas, until he sees that he can eat a bunch of stuff and hang out with a rockin' Grandma Arbuckle. All that plus a mix of sad stories and confusing Odie side plots in this week's seasonal podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Nothing from the '90s can truly stay dead, so it was only a matter of time before we saw a revival of Warner Bros.' Silver Age of animation with the return of Animaniacs. And while it could have been a cheap, cynical cash-in, the presence of Steven Spielberg assured that someone spent a whole lot of money on this series—which rarely happens in the world of streaming. Sure, the actors sound a bit older, and the new animation takes a bit of time to get used to, but this reboot stays incredibly faithful to the original spirit of the show. So fill your slacks with your favorite stacks of cold cuts and get ready for our deep dive into the return of the Warners! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2005's Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

This week we're headed back to 2032 anime as chosen by premium parton James, meaning more Bubblegum Crisis! After covering the sixth episode last August, we return to the pioneering OVA series to discuss the debut of Priss, Sylvia, and the rest in this cyberpunk adventure! So get ready to feel the hurricane in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we're doing our most British podcast ever, as requested by premium Patreon subscriber, Alex! We're covering the ultimate adaptation of The Wind in the Willows, as this 1984 stop-motion series did so well by Kenneth Grahame's text, with many cute animals hanging out and having adventures. We cover Cosgrove-Hall's history with the series, as well as the eerie episode "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" on this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we're staying in turn of the century Cartoon Network as chosen by premium Patreon subscriber L! With a pilot nominated for an Oscar, Courage The Cowardly Dog was one of CN's most promising original productions. How did the terrified dog series come together and what is its legacy? (And how is it connected to Speed Racer?) Listen and learn on this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we're heading into Cartoon Network history as chosen by premium patron Isaac, with the Ed boys! This series had a lot of firsts for CN, and the show's creator was a big name in '90s indie animation, which we delve deep into. Not only that, but we discuss a pair of fun and edgy season three episodes, so grab your jawbreakers and listen along to this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

It's time for Halloween on the Talking Simpsons Network, meaning it's time for us to discuss a scary animated feature film chosen by our supporters! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1998's Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

This week we're doing Halloween right by finally covering perhaps the most famous cartoon dog of all time, Scooby-Doo! Were' joined by professional artist and Scooby fan Kris Dobbins (check out their work here) to discuss the creation of the series and the life of Scooby creator, Iwao Takamoto! Then we dig into one of the best eps of the original series, featuring the gang being chased by The Creeper! So grab a giant sandwich and enjoy this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week, we're returning to one of our favorite Adult Swim series that always mixed horror and comedy so well: Aqua Teen Hunger Force! And for our second look at the series, we're discussing a classic Halloween episode all about Blood Feast Island Man, his missing mail, love of juice, and failed Freddy-Kruger-style zingers. Plus, you'll get to hear the guest of this episode berate one of our hosts! So sit back, listen in, and beware of unknown attic roommates! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

When the Back to the Future Trilogy wrapped up in 1990, the time-traveling antics of Marty McFly and Doc Brown seemed destined for an episodic TV series. And it would eventually see one the following year, though this animated show wasn't a shameless cash-in. Overseen by BTTF scribe Bob Gale, and featuring live-action segments with Christopher Lloyd himself, this cartoon offered a level of quality far greater than what could have been—even if the focus on Doc's sons hold it back. On this episode, BTTF superfan Dave Rudden joins us as we discuss the debut episode, "Brothers." Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1994's The Return of Jafar! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

This week we're joined by one of our top Patreon supporters, Devin, to discuss the 1983 cartoon adaptation of Dungeons & Dragons! How did the controversial and groundbreaking role-playing game become a Saturday morning favorite? Which anime company produced it? And how do the first adventures hold up to modern scrutiny? Grab your D20 and listen along to this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week is a big one as we welcome back creator of OK K.O. Ian Jones-Quartey to talk about a character close to his heart: Sonic The Hedgehog! How did the fastest thing alive really move to two different animated series in 1993? How did Jaleel White define Sega's mascot? How did Ian craft a tribute to this series in his own animation? And why are there so many wizards in this more serious story of Sonic and his friends Sally, Tails, Rotor, Bunny, and Antoine? Learn it all as we juice and jam through Sonic The Hedgehog in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Thanks to the generous contributions of patron David Whittington, we're heading back to anime country with a show that's off the beaten path. Inuyashiki Last Hero spins a superhero tale in modern Japan, but casts the roles of the hero and the villain in a completely unexpected way by making the protagonist a kindly old man and the antagonist a sullen teen. It's a surprisingly dark and surprisingly touching take on the idea of super powers, and after listening to our analysis you'll be inspired to cruise through Inuyashiki Last Hero on Amazon Prime Video! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We've reached the end of summer on the Talking Simpsons Network, meaning it's time for us to discuss an animated feature film chosen by our supporters! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

This week, we're making our third visit to the land of Ren & Stimpy with a thorough examination of the season two finale that brought an end to the show's Spumco era. As usual, we're joined by Ren & Stimpy scholar (and all-around animation expert) Thad Komorowski, but this time around, we also have a guest who worked on this legendary animated series: Bob Jaques! Via his studio Carbunkle Cartoons, Bob served as the animation director on some of the best episodes of Ren & Stimpy, and on this installment of What A Cartoon!, we talk to him in length about his career, his relationship with The Ren & Stimpy Show, and his work on this episode in particular. So listen in and get ready for an episode that's more fulfilling than a dirt feast! Also, be sure to listen to Bob and Thad's podcast, Cartoon Logic, and sign up for their Patreon! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We return again to the world of Gargoyles, again joined by comics pro and Gargoyles lover Kory Bing! After filling in some of the history gaps we missed last time, we cover another important early season 2 episode! There's Halloween and werewolf talk, but really this podcast is about celebrating Xanatos as one of the best villains in cartoon history! So be sure to grab your Eye of Odin and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by premium Patron Brian Hortin, we watched the arguably the best pilot Adult Swim ever produced, Korgoth of Barbaria! We discuss the career of creator Aaron Springer, the production of the pilot itself, and the history of '70s strongman fantasy it parodies. So listen now as we steal the golden goblin together! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We wanted to go back to the primal days of US anime VHSes, and with the help of anime expert Mike Toole, we go back to the landmark series Ranma 1/2! How was the series created by Rumiko Takahashi and what was its bumpy arrival on Japanese TV before its surprise popularity in North America? Plus, we discuss the first season's eighth episode, all in one anything-goes martial arts podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1985's The Black Cauldron! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

Our premium patron Royce wanted us to talk about easily the best Avengers cartoon, Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Created just as Disney took over Marvel, we talk about the show's genesis, the team of comic and Batman veterans producing it, and the complicated cancellation of the series. Then we discuss the late season 2 episode "New Avengers" which has its own comic history to dig through. So assemble and listen now, true believers! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

After covering his most famous film, it's time to return to Lupin in his most successful TV series! How did the silly thief steal the world's heart with Lupin III Part 2? How were Lupin vets Yasuo Otsuka and Hayao Miyazaki instrumental in building TMS's world-class animation team at Telecom Studios? And how did a giant airplane full of nukes lead to one of the best looking TV toons ever made? Learn all about it just in time for the episode's 40th anniversary! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Requested by premium patron Phillip, we're finally covering the groundbreaking Cartoon Network series Adventure Time! How did a student project become a viral sensation and then turn into a hit show that was a launching pad for many important toon creators? And after the history, we discuss two of the show's most beloved episodes, so get algebraic and listen along! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We asked our patrons what Warner Animation film we should cover, and Space Jam won in a resounding, Jordan-esque victory. $10+ subscribers to the Talking Simpsons Network, can hear our looooong discussion of Space Jam now, but if you're not yet a subscriber, give a listen to this extended preview. Our good buddy and classic cartoon expert Thad Komorowski joins us to explore the complex Space Jam history! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

While Jim Henson tried and failed to break free of the Muppets throughout the '80s, his biggest commercial success that decade came from a series he had very little to do with. That show would be Muppet Babies, a vehicle for pint-size versions of the famous Muppet characters to sing, propagandize the powers of imagination, and obey the giant pair of legs that holds dominion over their kind. This week on the What A Cartoon podcast, high-level patron Alex Irish makes your dreams come true by requesting a deep dive into the legendary '80s cartoon that spawned too many imitators. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Our top-level patron David is back once more, and he asked us to check out DC Universe's breakout toon, Harley Quinn! This take on the animated character borrows from some of her best comics to craft a world of loser villains and white-faced fuckboys, all as Harley Quinn finds her independence. We cover the show's creation and how surprisingly funny the violent comedy is, so grab your favorite baseball bat and listen along... Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

What the hell are YOU starin' at? Well, if you were watching the USA network in the mid-'90s, you might have been staring at Duckman, cable TV's answer to the Simpsons starring a cast of yellow characters much more twisted than anything Fox had to offer. Despite not being a ratings smash, Duckman's star power and status as a critical darling gave it an impressive 70-episode run, and it remains an impressive mix of lewd jokes and cutting social satire 25 years later. This week, listen in as we give a full history of this private dick/family man, and explore a bottle episode that proves just how versatile this animated sitcom can be. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We return to the Gundam franchise this week, and we're joined by Gundam expert/USG Editor-In-Chief/our good friend Kat Bailey! 20 years ago this year Gundam Wing premiered on Cartoon Network and had a huge impact on US anime fans, but how did this variation on the Gundam franchise happen? How did it get broadcast on TV? And what's its legacy? We discuss all that and the first episode in this gundanium-enriched podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1999's Toy Story 2! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

Chosen by our premium patron Jibbly, it's time to return to the DC Animated Universe with Justice League! The 2001 toon made the Superfriends cool for the first time ever, and set ratings records for Cartoon Network. How did Bruce Timm's team grow to handle a bigger series and expanded the DC stories they had already told? We talk about that and the second half of the season one classic, Injustice For All! Listen now or else Lex Luthor has won already! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by our premium patron L, we're covering the original Dragon Ball anime with our expert friend Shivam Bhatt (co-host of the Commanderin' podcast)! We discuss how Akira Toriyama developed his action-comedy phenom, how Toei Animation adapted it, and how Goku's earlier adventures had a weird localization history in the US. Then we break down one of the first battles in the initial Budokai tournament, as Goku takes on his first round challenger, a kaiju named Giran. So ready up your ki for a kamehameha wave of podcasting action! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week, we're visiting one of the earliest What A Cartoon! subjects—and one of our favorites—the great MTV cartoon, Beavis and Butt-Head. But instead of jumping back to their heyday in the go-go '90s, we're heading back to the less-distant year of 2011, when MTV's crude cartoon got a fresh reboot and all seemed right with the world. This short-lived revival might have come and gone in three short months, but it amazingly matched (and often surpassed) the energy and crude creativity of the original run. Load up on cheap convenience store nachos and get ready for yet another podcast that doesn't suck! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

With the end of April, the Talking Simpsons Network has another awesome podcast about an animated feature film ready for you! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1979's Lupin III feature film, The Castle of Cagliostro! It's the first film directed solo by Hayao Miyazaki, and in this free extended preview, you'll learn all about the making of the film! And then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the full four-hour podcast AND all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts!! Sign up today!

This week we are joined again by premium Patreon subscriber Casey to talk about a classic of '90s anime, Revolutionary Girl Utena! From many of the folks who adapted Sailor Moon, this challenging show pushed against gender roles and sexuality like few animated series did nearly 25 years ago. Learn how it was made, Utena's ongoing legacy, and listen to our discussion of the first two episodes of the series right now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Move over, The Avengers! There's a much worse version of you from 20 years earlier that absolutely no one likes! That's right, the most epic crossover in entertainment history took the form of Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue, which saw animated superstars like ALF and Garfield put aside their differences to fight in the famously successful War on Drugs. And thanks to the generous support of patron Phil Jacobi, this week we're digging deep into this highly embarrassing relic from an earlier time. Have you ever wondered what it would be like if your favorite cartoon characters entered the real world and then started acting like huge jerks to you? Just say YES to this week's podcast to find out! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Just as we did last year, to kick off April we're deviating from our standard subject matter a bit to dive into the world of live-action cartoons! In 2019, we covered the dark and subversive Strangers with Candy, so it's only fair that we follow that episode up with a look at its kid-friendly spiritual predecessor, The Adventures of Pete & Pete. It's a series born out of the same circumstances that led to our favorite shows from cable TV's early era: a need for programming so desperate that networks were willing to throw (a small amount of) money at outsider weirdos to fill slots on a barren schedule. And thankfully, the right group of misfits assembled to make Pete & Pete one of the hippest, smartest, and surprisingly sincere kids' shows ever written. So lean back and let our podcast envelop you like warm flannel as we take you on a tour of one of Wellsville's most memorable tales. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 2004's The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Sign up today!

This week we're joined again by Woolie (check out his many Let's Plays on YouTube), all to talk about the iconically Canadian animation, ReBoot! Chosen by our premium subscriber Brian, we go into the earliest days of televised CGI to experience the virtual world and its deep history. Then, we take a deep dive into the season 3 Bond homage, "Firewall," so get ready for this week's alphanumeric podcast!! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We're heading back to the world of Acme Acres to explore a proper episode of the early '90s classic cartoon, Tiny Toon Adventures! And if you listened to our episode of What A Cartoon Movie! about the direct-to-video feature, you'll know that Plucky Duck is by far our favorite character. That seemed to be the opinion of both Warner Bros. and Fox, because in 1992 he got his own cynical Saturday morning spinoff that consisted of mostly recycled content. But the single original episode produced for The Plucky Duck Show remains one of TTA's finest outings, and stands as a fascinating look into the Hollywood hubbub of 1991. So join us as we explore the hilarious and lavishly animated exploits of Tiny Toons' wacky, egomaniac-y duck! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We return to the ever-growing DC Animated Universe with a request from Royce, one of our top Patreon subscribers! Yes, more powerful than a locomotive, it's Superman: The Animated Series! We talk about the Krytonian's origins, how the show spun out of Batman, and how it paved the way for many DC toons to follow. Then we break down the season 2 episode Heavy Metal, which introduced the hero Steel to Metropolis, so up, up and away, mild-mannered listener!! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

It's time to delve back into '90s toy cartoons, and Matt McMuscles returns to help us out with Street Sharks (check out his YouTube channel and his Patreon!). How did Mattel decide on sharks as their response to turtles? How many different animation studios made this monstrosity? And is there anything salvageable about the concept? We discuss all that and more on this Jawsome podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about the 1986 Disney classic, The Great Mouse Detective! Listen now to this free preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Sign up today!

Thanks to the generous support of patron Alex Irish, this week we're exploring some uncharted Disney Afternoon territory via Goofy's very first TV show! Disney had done action and adventure with their afternoon cartoons before 1992, but with Goof Troop, they created their very first animated sitcom. And though this series went through quite a bit of development hell, it ended up redefining Goofy and Pete for a new generation—and let two brilliant actors totally own these roles to this very day. On this week's podcast, join us a we explore an episode that highlights the very entertaining dynamic between Goof Troop's two animated dads: "Nightmare on Goof Street." Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we are joined by premium Patreon subscriber Casey to talk about the Netflix hit, Hilda. Based on the hit comic series of the same name, we talk about the books' amazing adaptation into animation! Then we dig deep into the third episode as we celebrate birds and festivals! Listen now, or you won't earn your next Sparrow Scout badge! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week we return to Yu-Gi-Oh! for another duel, this time in a cyberpunk future with special guest LittleKuriboh! We chat about how YGO's arrived in a dystopian third series, try our best to understand the timeline and synchro summons, and we go deep into the show's debut episode, "On Your Mark, Get Set, Duel!" So let's rev it up and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Every month we wrap things up with a What A Cartoon Movie! This January Talking Simpsons Network is heading back to 2003 for the pioneering anime anthology, The Animatrix! Exclusively for our $10+ Patreon subscribers, we chat about The Wachowski Sisters and how The Matrix became a cultural event worthy of a collection of nine anime shorts from some of Japan's best animators! This lengthy preview covers the history and the first short, but if you'd like to hear over FOUR HOURS of Animatrix chat,  then please subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all fourteen previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Sign up today!

Thanks to the generous support of our patron Jibbly, this week we're taking a look at a fairly obscure entry that still persists nearly 30 years later in the form of action figures: Bucky O'Hare and the Toad Wars! Developed by G.I. Joe legend Larry Hama, Bucky entered the world in the mid-80s as the perfect pitch for a toyetic kids' cartoon of the era—but had the misfortune to debut in the early '90s, when those types of shows were on the way out. From top to bottom, Bucky O'Hare is an interesting curiosity engineered to sell merchandise, so don't be surprised if you find yourself scrambling to eBay after listening to purchase your own plastic, lime-green rabbit. Now sit back and get ready to croak some toads with this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week on the podcast, we start our new tradition of once a month returning to a cartoon we had previously covered, starting with this iconic episode of Batman: The Animated Series! All the coolest villains come together for a game of poker to tell their favorite stories of almost getting Batman, but there's more twists than it seems at first. So grab your favorite rock and throw it as you listen to this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week our top-level patron David is back and he's got another new anime for us: Psycho-Pass! This scarily believable cyberpunk story is an exciting sci-fi series, and after going through the deep history of animation studio Production I.G., we detail our thoughts about the show's first episode, "Crime Coefficient." Listen now lest you endanger your hue... Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Voice actor, YouTuber, and anime expert SungWon Cho is back to assist us in exploring another off-the-beaten-path anime series! And this time, he's selected Mushishi, the much-beloved 2005 anime anthology series about a wandering expert on all things supernatural. Though some may view this anime as a little too low-key, if you're in the right mood, it can really grab you. Join us for this week's episode of What A Cartoon! as we look at Mushishi's first episode, one that really pulls you into its bittersweet exploration of the unearthly. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We've got a big one this week as we celebrate the series OK K.O., and we're joined once more by Series Creator Ian Jones-Quartey and Executive Producer Toby Jones. We cover OK K.O.'s final season, the story behind some of the last year's biggest moments, as well as how Ian and Toby addressed handling the finale. Then we go deep into the brilliantly creative finale, "Thank You For Watching The Show" to learn how it was all made! Listen now to learn how it's only magic! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

To sum up what we're announcing in this podcast update: The last episode of Talking Simpsons each month will be replaced by Talk to the Audience?!?, which will now be free. The last episode of What A Cartoon! each month will be replaced by a free 45-minute (or longer) preview of that month's episode of What A Cartoon Movie! We'll be revisiting a new episode from a previously-covered series once a month on What A Cartoon!, and twice if said month has five Mondays. Super-concise summary: There will still be new releases at the end of the month—the content will just be slightly different. For more, listen to the whole podcast and/or visit the Talking Simpsons Patreon!

It's the end of the month (and the whole year!) on the Talking Simpsons Network, so it's time for another of our in-depth, extra-long podcasts about animated feature films! In December, exclusively for our $10+ Patreon subscribers, we talk about Brad Bird and his underrated first feature, The Iron Giant! In this free preview you'll learn a bit about how Bird got into the director's seat, and then please subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all thirteen previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Sign up today!

It's a special podcast this week as we head back to Los Angeles to chat with Matt Burnett, co-creator (with Ben Levin) of Craig of the Creek! We discuss how the Cartoon Network series came to be, how Matt started working with Ben, and Matt's time on Steven Universe! Then we go scene-by-scene through the pivotal Craig of the Creek episode "Under The Overpass," so grab your map and purse to prepare for an adventurous this podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Back in October of this year, we covered the third Peanuts TV special, so now it's time to go back to where it all began! Good Ol' Charlie Brown and the gang made their formal TV debut in this 1965 Christmas special that kicked off nearly 30 consecutive years of animated Peanuts, but this now-immortal chunk of television stood as a major risk for CBS. Even though it made some odd choices that still make it a curiosity today, A Charlie Brown Christmas remains one of the most-beloved and referenced holiday traditions, brimming over with equal parts holiday cheer and depression. Sit back and bask of the glimmer of your aluminum Christmas tree, and get ready for a full exploration of this Christmas classic! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron!

Chosen by one of our premium Patreon subscribers, we get neo-retro with a Mickey Mouse holiday special on this week's podcast! Yes, we go into the history of how Paul Rudish and his team reshaped Disney's mascot for the 2010s, and we go through the season adventure of the Xmas special, Duck The Halls! So get festive and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow the new official Twitter, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We all wondered where Warner Bros. would go after changing kids' TV with Tiny Toon Adventures in 1990, and the answer was Animaniacs: a faster, funnier, and often more esoteric show that didn't need to use classic characters as a crutch. While extravagant animated productions of this nature would soon become a thing of the past thanks to cheapo imports like Power Rangers, for five seasons and 99 episodes, Animaniacs gave us song-filled, sarcastic adventures in pop culture parody and satire, often with brilliant animation. For our examination of this classic series, we'll be taking a look at the second episode—a sophomore non-slump that single-handedly brought us Yakko's World, the debut of Pinky and the Brain, and an incredibly memorable Warners short. Sit back and prepare to learn about Animaniacs history and outdated geography with this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about Pixar's immortal first film, Toy Story! Listen now to this free preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all twelve previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Sign up today!

Disney's Bonkers has become a bit of a running joke on the Talking Simpsons Network, so of course we're doing an episode about it now that Disney+ has finally made it legally available for the first time in 15 years! While Bonkers remains the most unmemorable entry in The Disney Afternoon, it's not particularly awful—just spectacularly mediocre, especially at a time when Disney was well into their rise to conquer and consume all entertainment. But Disney believed in this troubled project so much that they rebooted development one-third of the way through, leaving the world with 65 extremely uneven episodes featuring a very tortured continuity. Join us for this installment of What A Cartoon! as we dive deep into the fascinating history of this Roger Rabbit wannabe, and examine an episode that may point to the creators' troubles with Disney. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Chosen by a premium Patreon supporter, we delve in the heart of the cards this week to form the Exodia of podcast! Yes, we're covering the original Yu-Gi-Oh! series, and the debut episode. We talk about the edgier manga origins, the tough adaptation into animation, how 4Kids brought the card-selling toon to the USA, and how it all ended up owned by Konami! Plus, we go into the ridiculous first episode, so trust in the heart of the cards and listen now for your faith to be rewarded! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! Stay up to date about this podcast and all the rest of the Talking Simpsons Network by following the official Twitter account @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We wanna be the very best on this week's podcast with special guest Kat Bailey (Editor-in-Chief of USGamer.net)! Yes, it's time for the original Pokémon series on What A Cartoon! We discuss the history of the original games, and then how master animators adapted it, and THEN how one localizer turned it into a stateside monopoly. Then we go analyze the Squirtle Squad's iconic first appearance for tons of fun. So, to protect the world from devastation, please listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! Stay up to date about this podcast and all the rest of the Talking Simpsons Network by following the official Twitter account @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week's What A Cartoon! podcast takes a journey back to the mid-60s days of Peanuts-mania with the property's third TV special ever! Charles M. Schulz's comic stood as a pillar of the funny pages for 50 years, influencing almost every type of pop culture in its extremely long run. So it only made sense that CBS would want to capitalize on its tremendous success with annual specials that would stretch all the way into the '90s. To close out this spooky season, we do our best to cover the long, LONG history of Charlie Brown, and break down whether or not The Great Pumpkin is an atheist parable. Fill your trick-or-treat bag with rocks and be sure to cut extra holes in your ghost costume, because this podcast will shake your faith to its very core! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

This month's What A Cartoon Movie brings haunts and holly as we discuss The Nightmare Before Christmas for over THREE HOURS, and it's available for all our $10+ Patreon subscribers! If you want to hear what you're missing, listen to this free preview, then join the Talking Simpsons Network, (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the full podcast AND over 30 hours of our other movie podcast!!! Sign up today!

Chosen by Nick, one of our premium Patreon supporters, we're covering the Halloween-themed episode of Gravity Falls! We explore the long history of Alex Hirsch's hit Disney Channel series, with a spoiler-free discussion of the show's mythology, history, and many talented writers and artists who worked on it. Then we analyze the made-up holiday of Summerween with the dangerous Trickster, melting skulls, and we REALLY have an ax to grind about Loser Candy. Listen now, if you SCARE! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Thanks to the generous patronage of Devin Hoffarth, this week's episode of What A Cartoon! features a Halloween classic that just celebrated its 70th birthday! Making up one half of the oddly named package film The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad, Disney's adaptation of the classic Washington Irving story drove generations of children to madness with its terrifying depiction of the Headless Horseman. But while most people remember these vital eight minutes of the film, most forget the preceding antics featuring a hungry (and thirsty) schoolmaster that play out more like a Popeye short than anything Disney ever made. Listen in and prepare to relive childhood trauma as we shine new light on a cartoon classic! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

The second season of Disenchantment has dropped on Netflix, so we are here to share our thoughts on it all! We return to Dreamland to review the newest batch of episodes, discuss what has improved since, and then delve into the eighth episode of the season! Can Bean find fulfillment as a writer? Can a pig act? And what's with all these beheadings? Grab your opera glasses and listen along to find out! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Before Neon Genesis Evangelion changed the anime landscape in the mid-'90s, the animation studio GAINAX had their first stab at a full TV series with Nadia: The Secret of Blue Water. Based on the remnants of an old pitch by none other than Hayao Miyazaki himself, Nadia came into being as a highly troubled production, fraught with many difficulties, including some serious internal drama at GAINAX. Despite these issues, Nadia stands as a fascinating series with a seemingly lighthearted exterior that masks some serious darkness within. On this installment of What A Cartoon!, we take a look at an episode where the tone shifts from Ghibli to Evangelion: "Marie's Island." Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about Cowboy Bebop: Knockin' on Heaven's Door for more than FOUR HOURS! (It's our longest podcast yet!) Listen now to this free preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level to hear the whole thing and all ten previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Sign up today!

Just in time for Cybersix's 20th anniversary, we celebrate this Tokyo-Vancouver collaboration with special guest, comic writer/artist/editor Sfé R. Monster! We discuss the show's complex creation, the amazing TMS animation, and the queer and trans narratives Cybersix spoke to! So listen as we analyze the first episode and the impact it has had since! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Before cable television grew up in the late '90s by becoming a different kind of must-see TV, networks needed lots of content—and cheap. Enter Dr. Katz, a barely (but endearingly) animated show that mostly existed as a unique way to package existing stand-up routines. Despite its budget-friendly approach, Katz became a cult hit not just for showcasing the best material of up-and-coming comics, but also for the genuinely endearing relationship between Katz and his adorable failson, Ben. On this week's What A Cartoon!, we explore an early episode that navigates its way into some surprisingly touching moments: season one's "Bully." Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Thanks to the generous donations of patron and special guest David Whittington, this week we're exploring a very popular remake of perhaps the most popular anime of the modern era: Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood! While the 2003 adaptation did a great job of taking the story in an original direction, Brotherhood emerged a mere five years later, just as the original manga was coming to an end—meaning it's the most direct adaptation you're ever going to get. Listen in as we explain how this seemingly redundant series acts as a great work on its own, as well as an excellent companion piece to the original series, and also why it's much cheaper to buy a Netflix subscription over 27 volumes of manga. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

This week we kick some spoot with Norb and Dag in the classic Nicktoon, The Angry Beavers. We take you through the series' surprisingly long development, the career of creator Mitch Schauer, the show's rejected final episode, and so much more before diving into the shorts "Up All Night" and "Dag For Night." So put on some comical boxers and listen along to find out if these beavers are angry, or just passive-aggressive! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Strap on your proton packs and grab your PKE meters, as we head back to the late '80s toy-fueled toon, The Real Ghostbusters! We uncover how the fairly adult film transitioned into a Saturday morning blockbuster, the many changes the show went through, and the many talented folks who worked on Real Ghostbusters (both in America and Japan). Then we dig into one of the most celebrated episodes of the series, the apocalyptic Ragnarok And Roll! Who YOU gonna call? Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

You've probably never heard of Chihayafuru, but after this episode of What A Cartoon!, it just might be the next anime series you get into! At the request of this week's special guest, voice actor, YouTuber, and anime expert SungWon Cho, this time around we're taking a look at a cartoon that turns a seemingly dull premise into compelling drama. Chihayafuru takes all the beats you love about sports anime, but applies them to a much more obscure subject that should be completely foreign to an American audience: a competitive card game based around Japanese poetry. Intrigued? Listen in and prepare to add Chihayafuru to your Crunchyroll queue! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Our $10 Patreon subscribers got quite a treat in August with the monthly What A Cartoon Movie! We did the brand new, Netflix-hosted reboot of Rocko's Modern Life, Static Cling! If you're not yet a premium subscriber, here's a preview of that special podcast as we explore just how the new Nicktoon came to be! And if you want the full podcast, just pledge $10 at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons to get Static Cling and all our previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts!!!!!!

If you weren't paying attention to TV between 1993 and 1994, you might have missed Mighty Max: one of the best cartoons to be made entirely for the sake of selling toys. Despite its cynical roots, the show's creators were somehow on an extremely long leash, which gave this micro-size action figure adaptation a surprisingly dark and serious tone. On this episode of What A Cartoon!, Kat Bailey joins us to explore a surprisingly great series that's gone completely forgotten, even in the nerdiest corners of the internet. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Jeremy Parish of Retronauts returns for the what might be the most '80s anime ever made! We're covering the original Bubblegum Crisis OVA that was one of the first big hits for uncut Japanese cartoons in the United States! We look at the show's influences, BC's complicated legal history, it's many influences from American films, and we chat about the very impactful episode Red Eyes! Watch out for Boomers, strap in for a Hurricane, and listen now to Rock On! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We welcome back Matthew Jay (The Deep End, Cartoons 101) for a millennial classic that's a tribute to anime, robots, video games, wrestling, comic books, and all the other pop culture we love! Yes, we head to New Jersey in 2004 for the lost Toonami series Megas XLR! We go deep in how the series came to be, its many inspirations, and the complex tax reason it may never get a second chance. Plus we dig into the show's pilot, so rev up your robot and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about the 1996 classic Beavis and Butt-Head Do America for more than THREE HOURS! Listen now to this free preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level to hear the whole thing and all the previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Don't but a buttmunch, sign up today!

Third Impact has arrived on our podcast as OK KO: Let's Be Heroes' showrunners/animation experts Ian Jones-Quartey and Toby Jones return for our Evangelion episode! We go deep into the career of Hideaki Anno as he went from an animation prodigy to one of the most daring animation directors to ever live. We talk about the show's enduring popularity, its continuing controversy, the multiple localizations in the United States, and our love for the exuberant episode full of dance and personal interaction! Listen now to fly straight to the moon! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

At the dawn of the new millennium, no figure stood higher for nerds than Kevin Smith. Fresh off of his last major motion picture and right before his first attempt at closing the book on the View Askew-niverse, Smith fraternized with mass-market television with an animated interpretation of his silver screen debut. Like many of the shows from the early '00s prime-time cartoon boom, Clerks crashed hard, but the few episodes it produced remain dear in the hearts of anyone who grew up cutting their teeth on Kevin Smith's Gen-X surliness. This week, Cartoons 101's Matthew Jay joins us to explore one of the two episodes to air on ABC in the fabled year of 2000. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

During the first big anime boom of the early '00s, weebs around the world were infatuated with Excel Saga: a hyper, silly, pervy, and scatalogical show that seemed to stand for everything anime could do that American animation couldn't. And while it's mostly forgotten today, this spiritual predecessor to similarly absurdist series like Pop Team Epic still exists as a wholly unique expression of a very enigmatic director. This week, thanks to the generous patronage of Phil Jacobi, What A Cartoon! checks out one of Excel Saga's most popular episodes, one that lampoons both American and Japanese interpretations of the medium: Animation USA. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Royce, this week's subject is straight from the new millennium era from Disney's One Saturday Morning. Dubbed a "Pokemon Killer" by ABC, The Weekenders was briefly a big hit and then fell back into obscurity, now it's almost impossible to watch via legal means. But that won't stop us from exploring the history of the show and its creator! Listen now, and later days! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We're returning to a series we've already done for the very first time on What A Cartoon!, but for a very good reason. Chris Reccardi, one of the most talented and influential forces in modern television animation, passed away in May of 2019. And while he never got a series of his own, we can look at one where he really got to shine: The Ren & Stimpy Show. Its Games Animation era might be maligned—mostly due to the now-thoroughly disgraced creator's own narrative—but thanks to artists like Chris, the heights it hit were always much higher than any other kids' cartoon of the era. This week, Sick Little Monkeys author and cartoon scholar Thad Komorowski joins us to discuss one of the weirdest and wildest Ren & Stimpy episodes that's wholly a product of the late Chris Reccardi: Hermit Ren. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

This week we're deep in the 1990s and syndicated cartoons about monkeys that few remember! Chosen by premium patron Devin, Bob and Henry are entering the sci-fi/comedy world of Captain Simian, a toy-centric action show that's too clever for its own good at sending up Star Trek, Planet of the Apes, Stanley Kubrick, and more! We cover the show's murky past and quiet future, Simian's connection to Tiny Toons, and detail just what the Bohbot Kids Network was! Listen now and peel out!  Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Are you still on the fence about joining the Talking Simpsons Network? I'd reconsider if I were you, as you're missing out on our monthly What A Cartoon Movie! podcast that's ONLY available to our $10+ Patreon subscribers! This month we're starting summer 2019 right with a trip back to Tiny Toons Adventures and their direct-to-video film that opened the floodgates for original VHS toons from major franchises! Bob and Henry chat for over 200 minutes about how Acme Acres came to be, the overseas studio that made this look incredible, and so much more! Listen to this handy preview and sign up today at the $10 level to hear the entire thing and all of our previous film podcasts!!  

Winnie the Pooh has been such an overly-merchandised phenomenon for the past 80 years, it's easy to forget the character's Disney roots started with some excellent animated shorts. And, thanks to patron Alex Irish, on this week's What A Cartoon! we'll be taking an in-depth look at Winnie the Pooh and Tigger Too, Disney's third exploration of the Hundred Acre Wood. There's a lot to dig into with a cast of characters nearing their collective hundredth birthday, so of course we dive deep for a thorough exploration of the written source material, the early Pooh phenomenon that preceded the one we've been living in since the late '60s, and the talented staff and voice actors behind the classic shorts that would eventually make up The Many Adventures of Winnie Pooh. So say TTFN for your troubles and get ready for another great episode! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

We're joined again by premium Patreon supporter Mick, as he helps us dissect a campy classic of the very early '80s: Ruby-Spears goofy post-apocalyptic action series, Thundarr! We discuss the show's Hanna-Barbera roots, the many films it ripped off, AND Thundarr's connections to comic book legends like Steve Gerber, Alex Toth, and Jack THE KING Kirby! Listen soon before the wizards catch us! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We tackle our oldest subject matter yet as we jump back to 1946 and 1953 to take an in-depth look at some legendary Warner Bros. shorts! And thanks to a request from our generous patron Nick, we're shining a spotlight on Daffy Duck just a few months after the character's 82nd birthday. On this week's episode, Sick Little Monkeys author and classic cartoon expert Thad Komorowski joins us to discuss two very different interpretations of Daffy Duck from two very different Warner Bros. directors. Listen in and prepare to be amazed at how deep this duck can be! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Another month has passed at the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about the 1992 Disney classic Aladdin for FOUR HOURS! Listen now to this free preview of our Aladdin podcast, and then subscribe at the $10 level to hear the whole thing and all the previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts! Make all your audio-based wishes come true and sign up today!

This week's podcast has a taste of modern Middle Eastern animation, as chosen by our premium Patron Aziz! (And just in time for the month of Ramadan too!) We watch online original Emara, the first superhero from Dubai! Learn how the culture shaped it, its anime roots, and how it came to be with a special guest appearance from Emara's creator, Fatma Almheiri! Listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Chosen by our premium subscriber ShyRanger, Bob and Henry head back to the '00s for Nickelodeon's own attempt at a Cartoon Network-style action-comedy! Created by Dexter/Powerpuff veteran Rob Renzetti, My Life As A Teenage Robot is a cult hit with a very intriguing art style and sense of humor. Listen along to learn about its history and the pair of season one shorts, Sibling Tsunami and Tradeshow Showdown! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We're the Planeteers, and you can be one too on this week's eco-friendly podcast! Henry and Bob go back to 1991 when global warning was a less imminent threat, and we deconstruct the super heroics of Captain Planet. We talk about how Ted Turner's pet project grew into a movement of more environmentally conscious kids, as well as how the show was both incredibly corny and correct about so many things that still threaten our future! So let your powers combine and listen now!  Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Thanks to the generous contributions of patron David Whittington, we're heading back to anime country with the newest series we've ever featured on What A Cartoon! Back when it initially started running in the weekly Japanese comic anthology Shonen Jump in 2016, The Promised Neverland quickly became one of the publication's most popular series, so it was only time until it received an anime adaptation. And, lucky for us, this well-animated interpretation of the source material adapts the manga very faithfully, while amping up certain elements that play better off the page. If you've never heard of The Promised Neverland, you're sure to love its compelling premise and plot full of surprising twists and satisfying payoffs, and we can't wait to walk you through its debut episode! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

DuckTales has come up SO often during our discussion of animation history, it's about time we podcasted about it! Disney's televised treatment of one of their B-list characters ended up being an A-list series, and one that forever raised the bar for children's entertainment. On this installment, we (alongside duck expert Matthew Jay from [the deep end] podcast) dig into the history of Uncle Scrooge and his creator, Carl Barks, the character's rich life in decades upon decades of comics, and, of course, the behind-the-scenes details behind the ambitious and expensive production known as DuckTales. And for our up-close exploration of the show, we focus on "Back to the Klondike," an episode loosely based on a Barks comic that dives into Scrooge's past and also explores a bit of his softer side. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Every month at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons, we release a new, premium podcast for our $10+ subscribers! If you still haven't heard, Bob and Henry do a different podcast each month for a different animated feature film, and April's has radioactive blood! Yes, we swing from a thread for over THREE HOURS to chat about the recent Oscar Winner, Spider-Man: Into The Spider-Verse. Check out this preview of how the film came to be, and then become a $10+ Patreon supporter to hear the full thing! Folks at the $10 level also get to listen to all the previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts as well!! That's over 18 hours of content, so sign up NOW!!

The wall-crawler makes his return to our podcast, as does Matt McMuscles (check out his YouTube channel and his new Patreon!), this time for an early '80s installment!! Yes, we check out Spider-Man's campiest Saturday morning series, we discuss the interesting corporate culture that birthed it, explore how the series gave birth to Firestar, and how Spidey even got a pet named Ms. Lion! All that, plus a trip through the early years of video games as the trio battles Electro and living game boss Video-Man! Listen now, true believer!   Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Narf! Out of all the characters spawned by 1993's Animaniacs, one rodent duo rose far above the rest—even higher in stature than the Warner brothers and their sister, Dot. That would be Pinky and the Brain, a pair of diminutive lab mice with spliced genes and big ambitions. So only makes sense that the two would eventually get their own series for 66 glorious episodes on The WB, another misguided creation that couldn't quite conquer the world, either. This week, we prove our mousey worth by looking at Pinky and the Brain's second season premiere, "It's Only a Paper World." Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

April Fools! We interrupt this week's regularly scheduled animation for a special podcast that breaks the format with some live action!! To celebrate the 20th anniversary of Strangers With Candy, Bob and Henry gab about one of their all-time favorite satires! Amy Sedaris, Stephen Colbert, and Paul Dinello created one hilarious masterpiece parodying the after-school specials of the 1970s, and we dive deep into the second season premiere, Yes You Can't! So stop working at the artificial flower plant plant and listen now! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! You'll get to hear our newest miniseries about King of the Hill!! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Another month has passed at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons, and that means we've got another awesome podcast about an animated feature film! This month our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear Bob and Henry talk about Don Bluth's directorial debut for THREE HOURS! Listen now to this free preview of our Secret of NIMH podcast, and then subscribe at the $10 level to hear the whole thing and all the previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts!! Sign up NOW!!

We dive into Aaron McGruder's smash hit for Adult Swim, and we're joined by Struggle Session host Leslie Lee III to discuss the show's debut episode! Chosen by premium patron Royce, your hosts dive into how McGruder got his start, how he transformed a newspaper comic strip into an anime-infused political satire, and how the series feels 14 years later! Listen now and remember: Ronald Reagan is The Devil. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! You'll get to hear our newest miniseries about King of the Hill!! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Back in 2004, comedy legend Bob Odenkirk teamed up with newcomers Tim Heidecker and Eric Wareheim to create Tom Goes to the Mayor: a surreal and polarizing satire of strip-mall America that launched the now-famous comedy duo's prolific careers. In this 30-episode series, a wimpy entrepreneur with more persistence than intelligence teams up with an unhinged mayor to execute his impractical plans, which often (if not always) end up ruining his life. And thanks to the generous contributions of patron Philip Jacobi, we'll be giving two of its hilarious episodes our What A Cartoon! treatment. So grab some big cups and your Gulliver's Lunch-Flavored Trough-Style Trough Lunch and get ready to explore the twisted city of Jefferton! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

It's our biggest What A Cartoon! podcast ever, which is only fitting! We're showcasing OK K.O.! one of our favorite cartoons ever, and we're chatting with the show's Creator/Executive Producer Ian Jones-Quartey and Co-Executive Producer Toby Jones! They tell us how the show came to be, how Ian and Toby's loves of animation, comedy, and video games are expressed in the show, and how the biggest crossover in Cartoon Network history happen! Listen now to learn it all, so let's start the show! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We've covered two of the original three Nicktoons in our first year of What A Cartoon!, but what of Doug, the gentle, be-vested boy who has problems much like our own? Though his 52 episodes didn't cause the same stir on Nickelodeon as Rugrats or The Ren & Stimpy Show, Jim Jinkins' laid-back cartoon stands as an early pioneer in the slice-of-life genre of children's entertainment. This week, Greg of the amazing YouTube channel Pop Arena joins us to explore the animated adventures of a not-so-animated kid. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Chosen by premium Patreon subscriber Devin, this week's podcast travels back the innocent days of the early '00s, when Flash animation ruled the internet, chief among them the website Homestar Runner! We go back to two of Strong Bad and the gang's best toons from the era, and see just how they've aged in the sober light of modern times (spoiler: they hold up pretty well). Listen along for fun songs, silly emails, and a bunch of amusing idiots in this week's What A Cartoon! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Garsh, can you believe that Bob and Henry talked about A Goofy Movie for three and a half hours? It's true, and you can only hear the full thing if you're a $10 a month subscriber at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons -- but if you'd like a short preview, listen to this free sample! Hear Bob and Henry chat about the film's history and why it really strikes a chord with millennial fans in this preview!

Thanks to Talking Simpsons Network patron Alex Irish, this week we're bringing you an exploration of a secretly amazing cartoon you might have ignored thanks to its ultra cute and colorful appearance: The Amazing World of Gumball. Now in its sixth season, this Cartoon Network Studios Europe creation has quietly been one of the most inventive cartoons on television for most of this decade, both in visuals and writing. And our look at one of Alex's favorite cartoons from the series--which takes the form of a pitch-perfect Final Fantasy VII parody--proves that Gumball isn't just for the grade school set. Listen in and get ready to escape to the wonderfully weird world of Gumball! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Our artist friend Maddie is back, and this time she's taking us on a journey to the late '90s with Hey Arnold! This classic Nicktoon was more emotional and empathetic than most kids shows, and it has a surprisingly long history (with several interesting connections to The Simpsons). Learn all about it, as well as our personal histories with spelling bees and city pigeons in this week's podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Chosen by premium Patreon supporter Nick, we're doing the 1979 classic Gundam series, and we're again joined by Gundam expert/USG Editor-In-Chief/our good friend Kat Bailey! We dig deep into Mobile Suit Gundam, series mastermind Yoshiyuki Tomino, the show's shaky launch to merchandisable success, and so much more. Plus we chat about one of the greatest anime betrayals of all-time and cover a pivotal episode of the first Gundam series! Listen now, Newtypes! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Thanks to the generous contributions of Patron David Whittington, we're finally taking a look at Archer, FX's surprising spy hit that's quickly coming up on its tenth birthday. The folks who brought you Sealab 2021 and Frisky Dingo basically took everything that made those shows great and turned them up to 11, while adding more sex, drugs, violence, and H. Jon Benjamin. And for this podcast, we'll be looking at the season one episode "Skytanic," featuring a fake bomb threat, a real bomb threat, education on flammable gases, and a lesson on the importance of using the NATO phonetic alphabet. Grab a martini and watch your phrasing, because we're about to dig into one of the funniest animated series of the past decade! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Chosen by our special guest (and premium Patreon supporter) Mick Circo, this week's podcast is all done in the name of the moon! We dig into the history of one of the most influential animated series ever, Sailor Moon. We talk about how it was made and how it was localized multiple times into North America. Then we chat about this specific episode as The Hell Tree arc begins. Listen now or else we'll punish you! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! (That includes Sailor Moon!) Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Bob and Henry recorded perhaps their longest podcast ever to Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons as they spend nearly THREE HOURS discussing the iconic animated film Akira. Patreon subscribers who pledge $10 or more can hear it right now, and if you'd like a taste of it, here's a good chunk about the film's release in the United States and how it changed the culture forever. If you'd like to hear more, consider upping your pledge to hear this and the previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts like Kiki's Delivery Service and Batman: Mask of the Phantasm!

This week's podcast subject was chosen by premium Patreon supporter ShyRanger, and it's a comic book adaptation too many overlooked when it was new. Bob and Henry take a deep dive into Batmania as we look at the retro postmodern vibes of Batman: The Brave And The Bold. Not only will we discuss the outrageous writing, animation, and voice acting, we also explore the comic book roots that the show brings to life. Listen and enjoy, chum! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Aw yea-yeah! It's time for the ultimate slacker animation, Regular Show, to get its due on What A Cartoon! And we have two special guests, Regular Show storyboarders Toby Jones and Owen Dennis to talk about the third episode in the Baby Ducks Trilogy. Toby and Owen will tell us how they joined Regular Show, what it was like day to day, and how their tribute to anime grew into a double-length special about bird robot battles on the moon! Listen now for a jolly good show! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Oooooh weeeee! We've covered Adult Swim shows in the past, so it only makes sense that we'd cover its biggest hit yet in this first year of the What A Cartoon! podcast. Thanks to a request from patron Justin Allen, we're finally taking a look at Rick and Morty: the subversive Cartoon Network creation that combines the vulgar absurdity of Justin Roiland with the dark brilliance of Dan Harmon. Though the show spawned a particularly awful fandom, amazing episodes like "Total Rickall" prove that Rick and Morty still holds up and deserves much better. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

This December on What A Cartoon! we've already covered Christmas and Hanukkah, so now it's time to appease all of our listeners who believe in nothing. And there's no better way to do that than by exploring Clone High's non-denominational celebration, Snowflake Day! Special guest and resident Canadian Nina Matsumoto joins us for a look into the very first project from current Kings of Hollywood Phil Lord and Chris Miller, and the only holiday special it spawned in its brief (but amazing) 13-episode run. Heat up some lamb tacos and jerky balls, because this podcast episode is the reason for the season! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Did you know that $10+ subscribers at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons get a monthly exclusive podcast where Bob and Henry discuss a different animated film each month?!?!?! And did you know that the December film was the Studio Ghibli classic Kiki's Delivery Service????? Here's a special preview of our newest Patreon exclusive, and if you'd like to hear the whole thing just become a $10 or more member of the Talking Simpsons Network today!!

This week we're joined again by Matt Jay (from Cartoons 101 and cohost of the new podcast [the deep end]) and he's here to help us shine a salute to the American race this holiday season! Yes, it's time for the best Seth MacFarlane show, American Dad!, as we deconstruct the weird absurdity of this unexpectedly great follow up to Family Guy! And for this special time of the year, we're discussing American Dad's first ever Christmas episode, so teleport back to the '70s with us for some seasonal fun about the ludicrous War on Christmas! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We are gargoyles! And this week we're joined by comics pro and Gargoyles lover Kory Bing to discuss one of the most versatile and progressive shows Disney Afternoon ever saw. We'll go deep into how Goliath and his clan came to be, the shows amazing cast and animators, if there's any future for the show and so much more. Plus we dive into a watershed episode for the series, the Shakespearean tribute "The Mirror," and the first appearance of Puck! Bust out of your stone and listen here! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

The Festival of Lights is upon us, and we're celebrating it with, Tommy, Chuckie, Angelica, and the rest. This week we're joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 to talk about Rugrats and what it did for Nickelodeon, as well as it being a trailblazer for Jewish representation in American animation! So your hosts this week learn all about how the series came together, the underrated career of Paul Germain, and how this illuminated this Jewish holiday for kids around the world. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Make the homies say ho, it's time for another podcast about an Adult Swim classic. And we're joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101! Yes, it's Aqua Teen Hunger Force and the very first episode featuring the series' best villains, The Mooninites! We go into the show's Space Ghost roots as well as the ATHF's long history which includes a movie and fake bomb reports! So listen and enjoy, because we're doing this as hard as we can! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

SpongeBob SquarePants is one of the biggest cartoons EVER, so it's about time we cover it on What A Cartoon! And, thanks to patron Phillip Jacobi, we're looking at one of the very early episodes that helped build towards the eventual period of SpongeBob Mania. Listen in as Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 joins us to discuss the history and the creator of Nickelodeon's long-running mega-hit, and appreciate some particularly great performances from comic legends Tim Conway and Ernest Borgnine. If you don't play this podcast immediately, you're EVIIIIIIIIIL!!! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

In case you missed the news, there's a new perk for $10+ patrons of What A Cartoon and Talking Simpsons! We're doing a monthly What A Cartoon Movie! podcast where Henry and Bob cover a different animated film classic in the same style as the animated series we cover! The premiere episode is about Batman: Mask of the Phantasm, and we have a little teaser of it here, where we debate if this is the best Batman movie ever made! If you like what you hear, consider joining the $10 pledge level and listening to the full podcast NOW! Sign up to hear this bonus episode (and TONS more!!) by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron RIGHT NOW!

Alright! This week Matt Jay of Cartoons 101 joins us to discuss not only Thanksgiving but also one of Fox's most recent animated successes, Bob's Burgers! The show follows the small town adventures of a family of weirdos who love cooking up creative burgers (as well as a father obsessed with Thanksgiving), and we discuss what makes it so special. See how the folks behind Dr. Katz and Home Movies made it to mainstream success while still keeping their indie spirit alive. Now, pass the cranberry sauce, we're having mashed potatoes! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Bob and Henry are indulging in some protoculture this week as we dive into one of the more dramatic episodes of Robotech (and Macross) ever! After digging into the history of Robotech and its effect on the western anime fandom, we then explore the amazing mecha action and engaging human drama of this groundbreaking animated series! Do you remember love--er, I mean, Robotech? Then listen along and enjoy! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

A comic book that never should have been a comic book becomes a TV show that never should have been a TV show? That's the story of The Maxx, a slavish 13-episode animated adaptation of Sam Kieth's work by the very same name. Though the storytelling can be uneven, and many questions go unanswered, The Maxx remains an unflinching examination of some very sensitive subject matter carried by ahead-of-its time digital animation. On this episode, Jeremy Parish of Retronauts joins us to explore how big, purple dudes with yellow claws can teach us a lot about feminism. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Grab your lasagna for the best Halloween cartoon of 1985 as we do our scariest What A Cartoon! podcast yet! We're joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 once more to discuss the history of Jim Davis' Garfield and how he was a rising star of animation in the 1980s. Learn how Phil Roman worked with Davis to legit scare '80s kids with ghost pirates, and listen as we explore the iconic voices and classic songs of the Monday-hating (and clown-hating) fat cat. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Thanks to patron Alex Irish, What A Cartoon! is exploring new territory: A Disney television show from the 21st century! In case you didn't know, House of Mouse exists as the first real revival of classic Disney shorts, created more than a decade before the one that actually took. This 2001-2003 series takes a new framing device and wraps it around cartoons both new and old for a Disney love-in that's the perfect chaser for their reign over the go-go '90s. On this episode, Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 joins us to explore the titular House of Mouse and its somewhat modern take on Jiminy Cricket. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

This week we dive into the unique and incredible world of JoJo and we have a great guest to help us, Woolie from Super Best Friends! We go into the long history of one of Japan's most popular mangas ever, and then chat about the anime adaptation, as well as what makes both so special! It's a treat for JoJo experts and noobs alike, so puff up that hair and get ready for the bizarre summer of 1999! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and joining the Talking Simpsons Network! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!  

Ha ha! Classic cartoon podcast... This week Bob and Henry are joined by a special Patreon supporter as we go through the Adult Swim original Harvey Birdman. The series' second episode takes hot coffee and shrink rays, turning it into comedy gold. Plus we go over Harvey's long history right ahead of the series getting a comeback special to roast our current presidential insanity! Listen along if you really want to feel him! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We're back to anime this week as we tackle the mega-hit from Japan that failed to catch on in America, Case Closed. Known as Detective Conan in its home country, this long, long, long-running series about a teenage master detective trapped in a boy's body hit Adult Swim in the summer of 2004, but its mix of kiddie antics and extremely dark subject matter mostly confused an audience tuning in for the network's typical stoner humor. But some recent attention from Conan O'Brien just might increase Case Closed awareness as the show continues into its 23rd season in Japan... maybe. Special guests Nick and Chris Daniel join us to help unravel the enigma of why Conan's many mysteries are just so fun. And if you want to play Case Closed Bingo for yourself, check out this link! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

We hope you merry mutants are ready to get X-treme this week, because we're talking about X-Men with Matt McMuscles (check him out at Super Best Friends and his personal YouTube channel). No superheroes in the early 1990s were more popular than the X-Men, and their 1992 animated series was a huge hit on Saturday morning as a result. How did this strange series come to be? And how well does it hold up over a quarter of a century later? Find out with us on this week's adamantium-infused podcast! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Straight from Retronauts and Retronauts Video Works, Jeremy Parish is here to help us with his deep love and knowledge of G.I. Joe as we watch our first ever '80s cartoon. Sure, G.I. Joe was conceived as a toy commercial, but the folks creating the series could still write subversive episodes like this trippy two-parter and get it past the censors. We delve into Cobra lore here, so make sure you're not surrounded by synthoids and listen to this week's episode! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

Let's get dangerous! It's time to take a trip back to The Disney Afternoon by digging deep into one of its most important (and entertaining) shows, Darkwing Duck! Disney's duck superhero broke new ground for their TV animation department by choosing to go a more Warner Brothers-y route with plenty of slapstick, wild takes, and utter destruction of the fourth wall. The result is a fun little series that aged incredibly well and influenced Disney to be even more experimental in the '90s and beyond. This week, Cartoons 101's Matthew Jay joins us to examine the strange history of Darkwing Duck and one of its most inventive and villain-heavy episodes ever. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

This week we visit our friendly neighborhood web-swinger and we have our podcast buddy Gary Butterfield of Duckfeed to help us out! While Batman was getting all the accolades, Spider-Man got his own animated series in 1994, and while it may not have aged as well, Spidey still has great writing and voice acting when the animation budget is lacking. We check out the season one episode The Menace of Mysterio, as we explain a ton of Spider-History about this particular era in comic books. Hold on to your Spider-Blood! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! This podcast is brought to you by the streaming network VRV: home to cartoons, anime, and so much more! Visit VRV.co/WAC to sign up for your FREE 30-day trial and kick a little money back to your friends at the Talking Simpsons Network!

In one of our freshest podcasts ever, Bob and Henry dig into the third episode of Matt Groening's brand new Netflix series, Disenchantment! We go in-depth into the show's third episode, seeing how Lucy will save Bean, how Elfo properly makes daisy chains, how good Bean is at drunk driving, and we explore all three of the sciences, even smoke! Listen along and learn about how the series came to be and how much we're enjoying this new series from many of the folks who worked on Futurama and The Simpsons! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a free 30-day trial of Hulu!

ONE PUNCH! What A Cartoon! takes another trip to Animeland (thanks to the generous donations of Patron David Whittington) as we explore the crossover hit, One-Punch Man! This adaptation of a manga that's an adaptation of a webcomic tells the story of Saitama, a thoroughly average man who worked out enough to become the strongest human being on earth. (Unfortunately, this also caused total hair loss.) And, given the title, he can defeat any opponent with just one punch. Though this premise may seem very limited at first glance, the amount of ways the series plays with it makes One-Punch Man one of the most hilarious--and impressively animated--shows in recent memory Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Matthew Jay (of Cartoons101) joins us to talk about a superhero parody that was way ahead of its time: The Tick! We explore the 1994 Fox Kids original and one of its best episodes. Can Tick defeat Barry and protect his intellectual rights? Can ie Fledermaus find a new girlfriend? Will Arthur be stuck in the Sidekicks Lounge? And will The Midnight Bomber What Bombs At Midnight be able to bomb the superheroes at midnight? Listen and find out! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Matt Groening's first new show in almost two decades is just around the corner, and thanks to our generous friends at Netflix, we're here to tell you our thoughts on the first five episodes! And with no major spoilers! (We promise!) Listen in as we talk about the generalities of Disenchantment, including the cast, the staff, the writing, the tone, the humor, and just where we think the series is headed in its back half. And be sure to stay tuned to the What A Cartoon! feed--and the Talking Simpsons Patreon--since we'll be doing a traditional podcast about Disenchantment's first episode shortly after the premiere!

We're back to the land of MTV to revisit Daria, the sorta-spinoff of Beavis and Butt-Head that gave all of us smartass introverts a hero of the people. And with the recent announcement of a sequel series, our little podcast is jumping into one of the more pivotal moments of the series: season one's "The Misery Chick." Listen in as special guest Sam Leichtamer (of GameSpot) joins us to explore an episode that seriously studies Daria's character, and reveals her as much more flawed than the escapist hero the series initially intended her to be. Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Cowboy Bebop isn't the only Western-influenced anime series to make waves on Cartoon Network in the early '00s. Just a few years before Spike Spiegel blew the minds of American cable viewers, The Big O emerged as an ultra-stylish and enigmatic series that blended the look of Batman: The Animated series and Japanese giant robot shows from the '60s and '70s. And, thanks to its infamous cliffhanger ending, Sunrise's series kickstarted a trend of Western funding that continues to this day. This week, Cartoons 101's Matthew Jay joins us to discuss the classic The Big O episode, "A Legacy of Amadeus."

Matthew Jay (Cartoons 101) joins us to jump into one of the most disturbing shows in Adult Swim history, PFFR's Xavier: Renegade Angel. From the creators of Wonder Showzen we dive into the lid-flipping mind-expander as we ramble along with Xavier as he helps people by making their lives much worse. We hear epic monologues and pan flute solos alike, so listen along and learn, younglings! Oh, frittata! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a 30-day free trial of Hulu!

Steady on, listeners, because this week's episode is a deep dive into the iconic British adventures of Wallace & Gromit! Matthew Jay joins us to discuss the Oscar-winning short film, "The Wrong Trousers" as chosen by a premium Patreon supporter! We chat about Aardman Animations' history, the many contraptions of Wallace, Gromit's knack for silent comedy, obvious Hitchcock references, and so much more! We're just crackers about cheese in this podcast! Support us at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to get a free 30-day trial of Hulu!

We're returning once again to the world of Nicktoons with the first creation to follow the original three series, Rocko's Modern Life! Two years after launching Doug, Rugrats, and The Ren & Stimpy Show, cable network Nickelodeon realized adults made up a sizable chunk of their audience, and Joe Murray's edgy-yet-silly creation took full advantage of this fact with its tales of 20-somethings making it in the wild world of the go-go 90s. This week, cartoon expert Matthew Jay joins us to discuss "Wacky Delly," a superb episode of Rocko's Modern Life that digs deep into the hell of making animation, and one that reflects upon some of Murray's own personal struggles as a cartoon creator.

We had threatened to do it, and now Matthew Jay joins your Simpsons-loving pals to discuss a season three episode of Family Guy! It's one of the more heartfelt episodes of the show with some solid jokes in there, and we're pretty fair to the fricken sweet series about Quahog! Listen along and we promise you'll hear at least two minutes of Seth MacFarlane singing! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and watch Family Guy on Hulu with a 30-day free trial at tiny.cc/tshulu!!!

After producing one of the most influential anime series ever—Neon Genesis Evangelion—animation studio GAINAX went from adapting a comic about high school relationships to something even more unexpected: a coming-of-age story about robots that come out of a young boy's head. Thanks to its sheer weirdness, amazing animation, surprising emotionality, and atypical (but awesome) music choices, FLCL emerged as a cult hit in the early '00s—one that just received an unexpected sequel some 18 years later. This week on What A Cartoon, real life rock and/or roller Alexi Belchere of The Y-Axes joins Bob and Henry to break down what makes these six odd little episodes so special.

Chosen by one of our premium Patreon supporters, we're doing one of the first season favorites of Kids WB's Freakazoid! Matthew Jay joins Bob and Henry to talk all about this episode as the pinnacle/end of an era for Steven Spielberg's TV toon empire! We cover the very insider episode, as well as explore how the concept of "nerd" has changed between 1996 and now! It's fun and a little sad, so listen in and freak out! Sign up at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons to support this podcast! And visit tiny.cc/tshulu for a free 30-day trial of Hulu's streaming service!

We're headed back into Adult Swim territory as we check out the UPN reject that helped kick off Cartoon Network's successful programming block and ultimately didn't find a great home there. But for four glorious seasons, Home Movies adapted the limited animation and naturalistic conversations of Dr. Katz to something with a little more ambition that wasn't necessarily tied to stand-up comedy bits. On this episode, join Bob, Henry, and Talking Futurama/What A Cartoon! artist Maddie Copp as your podcast friends explore season two's "The Party." And be sure to follow Maddie on Twitter and support her great Patreon!

This week Bob and Henry are joined by Matthew Jay of Cartoons 101 to dig into Space Ghost and his oddball show that would pave the way for Adult Swim. After digging into how Alex Toth's fantastical superhero became the face of Cartoon Network's dadaist comedy, we dig into a double-length episode from 1996 where Penn & Teller and Joel Hodgson of Mystery Science Theater 3000 join the show for a Kubrick-tribute. There's all you can eat birthday cake and illegal Ultra Seven all in this week's podcast, so strap on your powerbands and enjoy! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and go to tiny.cc/tshulu to try a free 30 day trial of Hulu!

Two decades ago, Cowboy Bebop made its debut and the show feels just as cutting edge today as it did back then. Bob and Henry are joined by Nathan Ortega to discuss this special episode of Bebop as Ed gets her own adventure in "Mushroom Samba." Take a trip with us as Ed and Ein go searching for food and get ensnared in an action-packed tribute to blaxploitation. We explain history, the creators, and even compliment one of the best English dub in anime history. We'll see you space cowboys on this week's podcast!! Support this podcast on Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons! Go to tiny.cc/tshulu for a one month free trial of Hulu!

Our premium patron David Whittington returns for his second pick, the Cartoon Network cult classic Samurai Jack! We dig into the Spaghetti Western-style episode that barely even features the title character. It's one of the most interesting episodes in the series history and we dig into all five of the bounty hunters all trying to find the best way to capture Jack. Learn all about Genndy Tartakovsky's high watermark in American animation with us in this brand new podcast! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons! Also, try a free 30 days of Hulu by signing up at tiny.cc/tshulu to check out the subject of this episode!!

We've finally reached our first Adult Swim series on What A Cartoon, and it's their longest-running one to date: The Venture Bros.! Jackson Publick and Doc Hammer's creation launched as a Johnny Quest spoof in 2004, but over the years, it's grown into something much more ambitious that somehow survived despite near-cancellations and years-long delays between seasons. This week's episode comes via the request of our VERY generous patron David Whittington, who joins the show to steer us through one of The Venture Bros.' earlier gems: Escape to the House of Mummies Part II.

Star Wars expert and cool person Kat Bailey joins us to dive deep into the CGI series that did the impossible: Making the Star Wars prequels good! We hop into the twentieth episode of season four (currently available on Netflix), and get some cool action as well as meeting some of Star Wars best bounty hunters. It's a deep dive into a show some grouchier Star Wars fans like Henry overlooked. Strap on your Mandalorian armor and listen now! Support this podcast at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons!

Buckle in, because it's gonna get stupid as we dive into Mike Judge's first TV series (and first massive success), Beavis and Butt-Head. While on the surface B&B might seem like a braindead, ugly cartoon, like any Judge project there's a whole lot more going on under the hood than you'd think, and we explore its many nuances as much as humanly possible! So grab some nachos and listen in as we discuss Beavis and Butt-Head tangling with a teacher who believes in them, and grappling with the miracle of life.

This week's What A Cartoon! takes us back to Fox's Kids and the early 1990s as guest Dave Rudden brings us into Bobby's World. The Howie Mandel passion project ran for a surprisingly long time, and we dig into the bits that are better than we remember and the stuff that's much more awkward than we recall. All while regaling y'all with stories of swimming, siblings, and almost drowning! Support us on Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons today!

One of our premium Patreon supporters, Aziz, stops by with his pick for this week's podcast: the Cartoon Network classic, Dexter's Laboratory! In this one, the iconic duo is at odds but it's Dexter who learns from his hyper sister Dee Dee instead of the other way around. It's a fun, philosophical episode with an unexpected ending. We go over the show's history with guest Matthew Jay as well is this experimental podcast!   Support this show at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons today!

Here at WAC we've now arrived at our first ever anime series, thanks in part to a request from one of our top Patreon supporters. We go over the inaugural episode of Kill La Kill, the action-packed (and fan-servicey) debut series of Studio Trigger. Is it amazing to look at? Is it a bit weird and/or discomforting? Find out as Bob and Henry are joined by Cartoon 101's Matthew Jay!   Support the show at Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and hear new episodes a week early and ad-free!

Modern TV animation owes a lot (or perhaps everything) to The Ren and Stimpy Show, a humble little Nicktoon that came out of nowhere and rewrote the rules of what a kids' cartoon could get away with. Despite its troubled co-creator and nightmarish production problems, Ren and Stimpy thrived for five solid years as a shining example of what an artist-driven cartoon could be. And for our podcast exploration of the series, we chose the best possible episode, Stimpy's Invention, and the best possible guest: Thad Komorowski, author of the must-read oral history about the show. So strap on your happy helmets and listen in to a podcast that'll make your grandmother suck eggs!

Do you know all the words to the Cookie Cat theme? Or are you still confused by the ideas of fusion and gems? Either way, this episode will be a real treat as Bob, Henry, and Matthew explore the first two episodes ever of the incredibly marvelous series Steven Universe! Grab your pork chops and hot dogs and listen along!

On our sophomore outing, we cover King of the Hill, the first truly successful Fox animated sitcom to follow The Simpsons (sorry, The Critic). While some still view Mike Judge's 13-season series as a mundane exploration of rednecks, episodes like the one in question prove King of the Hill is a subtle satire of Midwestern life that digs deep into its cast of unique characters. Listen in as Bob Mackey, Henry Gilbert, and Matthew Jay discuss the episode that defines Peggy Hill, and get ready to walk away with a brand-new appreciation for this animated slice-of-life.