Out of the Vault: An American Tail and The Treasure of Manhattan Island | Revisiting the Immigrant Story, Indigenous Representation, and the “American Dream”

Welcome back to spooky season! 🍂👻 Our favorite season for cartoons. And we’re diving right into all things gothic and skeletal with stop-motion favorite, Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride! In this episode, Sonya and Deidra break down the gothic and tubercular aesthetic, the “wight in a wedding dress” trope, Russian Jewish fairy tales, the fraught nature of race & diversity in Tim Burton’s aesthetic and works, the intersection of love and tragedy, and the spice of love triangles. Grab your favorite cozy warm beverage and join us for the ride! And if you enjoy these spooky analyses, check out our episodes on Coraline and Over the Garden Wall! 

Even if you have watched An American Tail, you’ve probably never watch its straight-to-video sequel, “The Treasure of Manhattan Island”, and you know what? That’s okay! Think of this episode as our pitch to you, our listeners, as to why these films are worth taking “out of the vault” for another look.  In this episode, Sonya and Deidra dive into "An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island" to discuss its narrative treasures, offering unique additions to the "American Dream" once again through its plucky and inspiring mousy characters making their way in a cat-riddled world of oppression and prejudice. Sound familiar? Probably. How has the "American Dream" aged today? How have narratives on immigrant struggle and Indigenous identity matured over the years? Why is telling these complicated stories through animated animals worthwhile? Let's discuss! As always, give us a follow on IG and Threads @cartoonrevolution.pod, Twitter @cartoonrev_pod and TikTok @cartoonrevolution to share your thoughts <3 Sources: Origin of the “model minority” term, NYT 1966: http://inside.sfuhs.org/dept/history/US_History_reader/Chapter14/modelminority.pdf Can Stereotypes Ever Be Good?: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFXmyNUaXFo Rush Hour: An Unexpected Image of Black and Asian Solidarity: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nT7yzz5DRG0

Before Barbie (2023) dir. Greta Gerwig, there were over 40 animated movies produced for the Barbie franchise with beloved classics like Barbie as Swan Lake, Barbie as Princess and the Pauper, and more. Deidra and Sonya dive into the history of Barbie, the influence of the animated films and today’s Barbiemania as a result of the recently released movie! Is Barbie feminist? Sexist? What does it mean for a doll to represent women? Is Barbie killing our planet? And finally, are men kenough? Some sources: The 2023 Hollywood Strike for Dummies (Jason P. Franke) - https://www.vulture.com/article/wga-strike-2023.html WGA Bulletin - https://www.wgacontract2023.org/updates/bulletins/writers-are-not-keeping-up Hollywood Has A Problem: AI, Strikes & Unfair Wages (@naomi.cannibal) - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9VXvpjCDx0c SAG-AFTRA website - https://www.sagaftrastrike.org/

Oh to find a ✨portal✨ to another world—our dream! In this special episode, Sonya, Deidra and guest, Anna, react to the finale of the beloved Disney show “Owl House,” and talk all things portal fantasy🚪, the “chosen one” trope, the power of fantasy, and queer representation. Learn who our palismans are, some juicy tidbits from our childhood, and how to (try to) save a villain from…villainy? Trigger warning: Ron DeSantis. 🤮

While Season 2 of The Legend of Korra (LoK) is not everyone’s favorite season, Beginnings 1 & 2 (episodes 7 and 8) are important cornerstones to the world of Avatar. Almost 10 years since the airing of those episodes, Sonya and Deidra take another look at their impact, diving into our spiritual connection with the environment, the implications of “Good vs. Evil”, and the joy in befriending forest spirits. Celebrate Earth Month with us and join us in our effort to become Avatars for the planet!

You knew this was coming, right? This month we cover perhaps the most controversial of the Scooby-Doo properties - Velma! Love it? Hate it? Feel kind of “meh” about it? Listen in to hear our takes as we discuss the legacy of Mindy Kaling, race-bending, the role of meta-commentary and woke-ism in cartoons, and most importantly ask, Scooby-Doo, where are you??

Ready to "Kiss, Kiss, Fall in Love?" It’s the month of looooove 💓 so naturally we’re discussing one of the most popular “shoujo” romance anime of all time—Ouran High School Host Club! Get ready for a wild deep dive into anime genres and tropes, the power of fandom, queer analysis, class bridges & divides and much, much more through the lens of our favorite, ridiculous rich boys who have too much time on their hands! Also, is the Bachelor basically a harem anime? We discuss.

Hey 2023! It’s been a ~cold start to the new year, which means it’s time to discuss Frozen, on its 10 year anniversary! In this episode, Sonya and Deidra discuss sisterly love, the evolution of the Disney Princess, mental health, Disney’s cartoon rebrand and more. Learn about toxic princes, whether or not we can relate to Anna & Elsa, our thoughts on the queer analyses of the film, and the commercial feminism of the Disney empire.

We're diving into one of our favorite cartoons of all-time: Over the Garden Wall, along with a very special guest, Lylia! Lylia is Sonya's college friend working in tech, but also an intrepid artist with a passion for computer graphics and a love of animation, find her on Instagram @lylia5040!  In this episode, we explore Over the Garden Wall as a modern American classic, a coming-of-age story, and discuss what it means to embrace your inner child, face your anxieties and fears, and enjoy Halloween! Tune-in for some Fred-the-horse fangirling, past Halloween costumes, and a race to guess all of Jason Funderburker’s (the frog) names.

Sonya and Deidra celebrate 1 year and 11 episodes of Cartoon Revolution, digging into rapid fire community questions (cartoon crushes, favorite anime, self care watches, and more!). Embarrassing secrets are revealed, including how they met and their journey to this podcast! Join us next week for our Halloween Special with a special guest!