Nation of Animation

We honor the memory of voice acting (and acting, and just, like, life) legend Tim Curry.REAL WORLD RECSRyan: Digger (Alejandron Innaritu, 2026)Brooke: The 'Lonely Room' Scene in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman, 2020)andParanormal Activity on BroadwayFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

We brave the Alaskan wilderness to check out the critically under-appreciated Bob's Burgers cousin show, The Great North! We talk about how to make it as a modern animated show, network vs streaming television, Nick Offerman's whole deal, and A LOT of talk about modern TV. Digressions aplenty in this thrilling conversation!EPISODES DISCUSSEDSeason 1 Episode 6 - “Pride and Prejudance Adventure”Season 2 Episode 1 - “Brace/Off Adventure”Season 3 Episode 18 - "Pa Shank Redemptions Adventure"Season 5 Episode 2 - "The Prince of Hides Adventure"REAL WORLD RECSBrooke: Cutting your own bangsRyan: K.A. Applegate's Animorphs seriesFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

Listeners, is it perhaps the case that you ain't happy? And in fact, you're feeling sad? Well don't worry, because this week we do indeed have sunshine in a bag as we unpack the awesome animated super-band, Gorillaz! We talk Blur, the convoluted lore of these cartoon musicians, their own eras, eclectic music tastes, and more!REAL WORLD RECS:Brooke: Monopoly GO!Ryan: 'The Bright Sword' by Lev GrossmanFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

We discuss Pixar's crowning achievement, WALL-E! It's about a little robot with big dreams, big robots with little empathy, and future space-baby people. We analyze the secret sauce that makes this movie so good: character designs, musicals, Real Human Being Fred Willard, and much more!PLUS in this week's animation news, a special ad sponsor (not for us -- not yet!), a bizarre upcoming movie, and an, uhhh, *impassioned* plea for anime from one cartoon fan in Texas.MOVIES DISCUSSED:WALL-E (2008), dir. Andrew StantonREAL WORLD RECSBrooke: Widow's Bay on Apple TV+Ryan: The Backrooms, dir. Kane ParsonsFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

It's the Return of the King! King of the Hill's second season (and 15th season overall) is here, so we finally discuss its miraculous resurrection from last year. How has the Hill family grown up? What has life had in store for our dear Bobby Hill? What the hell is Dale Gribble doing these days?EPISODES DISCUSSED:Season 14 Episode 1 - 'Return of the King'Season 14 Episode 2 - 'The Beer Story'Season 14 Episode 6 - 'Peggy's Fade-Out'Season 14 Episode 9 - 'No Hanks Left Behind'REAL WORDS RECSBrooke: A BIG surprise!Ryan: A RELATED surprise!Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of mental illness, suicide, dementia, and online harassment of a trans woman. Listener discretion is advised.Brooke and Ryan dive into the surprising rise and complex conclusion of the indie animation super-hit The Amazing Digital Circus. How did this show catch fire? And why can't fans just be normal about it? Also, did we enjoy the show? Is Ryan the Jax of the podcast? Listen and find out!WE FORGOT TO DO REAL WORLD RECS, WE'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT, WE RECOMMEND THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS AND BEING NORMAL ON THE INTERNETFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

Just in time for the show's end, Ryan and Brooke tune into adult swim's latest adult animation darling, the anarchistic and internet-laced Smiling Friends! We talk animation style, changing senses of humor, the 00's internet, and whether it's better to burn out or fade-away, all while staying mostly on topic. You picked the BEST time to listen!EPISODES DISCUSS:S1 E6 - “Enchanted Forest”S1 E 9 - “The Smiling Friends Go To Brazil!”S2 E1 - “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)”S3 E2 - “Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille”REAL WORLD RECSBrooke: 'Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath' by Heather ClarkRyan: Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles II in Hell's KitchenFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

It's Brooke's birthday, so she gets to pick the movie! She summons up a forgotten mainstay from the VHS players of a bygone era, Don Bluth's Thumbelina. We confront our dubious memories of this childhood favorite, investigate the fascinatin history of the man who would be the Anti-Disney, and consider if, by some strange twist of fate, this movie is actually "good." What does "good" mean in this context? You'll have to listen and find out!Real World Recs:Brooke - "Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan Macmillan on Broadway, starring Daniel RadcliffeRyan - The Spectacular Spider-Man on DVD (and the spectacular Debora Strang and David Kepner!)Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

The minds behind Bojack Horseman and Tuca & Bertie are back on Netflix with their zaniest creation...an emotionally harrowing portrait of family across the years? And we're sure this is a comedy? Ok, if you say so! This week, we dive into Long Story Short, talk religion, family, time travel, and when we were our most interesting!Episodes discussed:Ep 4 - “Shira Can’t Cook”Ep 6 - “Wolves”Ep 7 - “Kendra’s Job”Ep 9 - “Honoring Naomi Schwartz”REAL WORLD RECSRyan - Marshmallow PeepsBrooke - 'Heart the Lover' by Lily KingFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

It's Oscar Season once again, and you know what that means -- a ton of movies, both long and short. What are our favs? What has the best odds to win? What was going on this year? Do animated movies still have that magic?FILMS WE WATCHED:FEATURES:ElioDirected by Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, and Adrian MolinaWritten by Julia Cho, Mark Hammer, and Mike JonesKPop Demon HuntersCo-written and directed by Maggie Kang and Chris AppelhansArcoDirected by Ugo BienvenuWritten by ugo Bienvenu and Félix de GivryZootopia 2Directed by Jared Bush and Byron HowardWritten by Jared BushLittle Amélie or the Character of RainDirected by Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho HanWritten by Liane-Cho HanSHORTSButterflyFlorence Miailhe and Ron DyensForevergreenNathan Engelhardt and Jeremy SpearsThe Girl Who Cried PearlsChris Lavis and Maciek SzczerbowskiRetirement PlanJohn Kelly and Andrew FreedmanThe Three SistersKonstantin BronzitREAL WORLD RECS:Ryan - Pokopia for Nintendo Switch 2Brooke - Mary O's Soda Bread in NYCFollow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi