Spirited Animation

Join Erin and Tim as they adventure to Rhyme City and delve into the world of Pokemon: Detective Pikachu. In this episode, questions about the franchise, care of creation, vulnerability as parents, and cross-media storytelling abound as much as wild Butterfree. Also check out Winsor and Gertie: A Dinosaur's Tale, Donald Crafton's new novelization of the early milestone in animation filmmaking that Tim so 'artfully' plugs in this episode :) https://stickingplacebooks.com/books/winsor-and-gertie

(American) Football Season is kicking off! To celebrate, Tim and Erin take a deep dive into the new Disney-NFL-ESPN merchandise collaboration. We talk about end-stage capitalism, the perfection of Pittsburgh Pete, and the missed opportunities of more underrated dads in the Disney pantheon. Join us even if you don't know much about Sportsball! (We don't either...) 

According to Erin's very niche and nerdy liturgical knowledge, it is Christmastide until February 2...so we're still celebrating with The Muppet Christmas Carol! So light a lamp (not the rat), grab some cheeses for us meeses, and listen as we discuss this holiday favorite!

Tim and Erin help you kick off the new year by discussing our favorite cozy, eco-justice adventurer with 3 seasons and a movie, Netflix's Hilda. From pitch bibles to perfectionist friends to dealing with authority's inevitable disappointment, we think Hilda has much to teach us about great storytelling, growing up, and parenting.

Would college Tim and college Erin be friends? No. But we gain more appreciation for nerdy college Tim by watching Triplets of Belleville, and discuss the importance of music, intergenerational relationships, and snooty French animation. 

Listen to a recording of our first ever LIVE SHOW! Thanks to our special guests, Dr. Mathieu Berbeguier and Rev. Jin Kyung Ko, and our hosts at Carnegie Mellon University! We loved the opportunity to build community, talk about fandom, learn about Korean culture, and revel in general greatness that is K-Pop Demon Hunters! 

Join Erin and Tim as they reflect on one of their favorite productions on PBS Kids, Molly of Denali. We love Molly's tenacity, generosity, and ability to teach kids about both indigenous culture and misinformation. You can find our more about the ELCA's Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations, especially the work of Truth and Healing from Indian Boarding Schools at elca.org/indigenous.

Spirited Animation is back with Season 3! We kick off this season with a franchise that takes regular laps through the Jones' house - Disney-Pixar's Cars! We talk about community, toxic masculinity, and finding joy! 

Hearts don't fail us now! Tim and Erin end the journey of this second season discussing Don Bluth's Anastasia! We talk rom-coms, gendered experiences of movies, Anastasia's magical growing hair, and how to talk to our kids about historically inaccurate* movies. We'll be back in a couple of months with more spirited conversations!  *understatement.  Also, https://explosm.net/comics/surgery Rob DenBleyker is dead wrong on this one... but The Pebble and the Penguin doesn't work with the pun.

Erin and Tim continue their mini-theme examining the animation of Tim's childhood through the recent return of Wallace, Gromit, an AI-smart gnome, and one very naughty penguin Tim ponders why animators seem to love gadgets but distrust automation while Erin considers Wallace's meddling with Gromit's garden as an invitation to understand the people we love and what they most care about. It's all in embracing process.