Heavy Metal

Between Disney's much beloved Golden and Silver eras is the 'Wartime' era, which is significantly less beloved and talked about. Virtually all of the movies in this period were collections of animated shorts, be they many in number such as Melody Time or only two not-quite-feature-length shorts, like Ichabod and Mr. Toad. But Saludos Amigos and Three Caballeros, while similar, are a bit different in design and purpose. While certainly a vehicle for shorts, both films are also a vehicle for exploring Latin America, with the first film featuring a documentary sort of approach and the latter film incorporating a very loose narrative to connect its pieces. In many ways, by modern standards both films are undeniably quaint. But that doesn't necessarily mean they're bad... so how do these things hold up, all this time later? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

In this classic Mickey Mouse cartoon, Donald Duck tries to fix some pipes while Pluto gets harassed by a magnet! Eventually the two collide and chaos ensues. Are you wondering why that description didn't involve the character of Mickey? Well that would be because he isn't in this cartoon! Made before Disney started breaking characters out into their own separate series, this cartoon is in most respects the first cartoon of both the Donald Duck and Pluto the Pup cartoon series, and yet technically speaking it is a Mickey Mouse cartoon. But the more important question is... does it hold up? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

(Spoiler Section Length - 5min 40sec) Today we have another anthology film, this one based on the titular magazine. It's a film of sex, violence and rock 'n' roll, and it certainly won't be to everyone's tastes. It's also from the 80s, so the era of 'Heavy Metal'—both the magazine and music genre—that it harkens to is one long past at this point. All of this doesn't necessarily bode well for the anthology holding up, at least on some levels, but none of it precludes it from being good. So... is it? Or, given that it's an anthology, do any of the individual shorts that make it up prove worth watching? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

There are many Looney Tunes director that are well known and spoken of today, be they Chuck Jones, Tex Avery or even Bob Clampett. But there are also less-discussed directors whose work was no less interesting and important in pushing the series into the force it would become. Enter Frank Tashlin, a man whose appreciation of live-action cinematic techniques was brought with him into his cartoons, bringing them an extra flair. How's this earlier short of his hold up? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

We've covered films by Studio Ghibli's second-most famous director twice before, though one of those times it we were discussing a pre-Ghibli work of his. But today we have Isao Takahata's swan song, the last movie he ever made, and one of the most eye-catching, to boot. It's a new take on an old tale, and it's quite unlike the more quirky and off-beat films of his that we've watched before now... How does it compare, and more importantly, how does it hold up? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

The series of Mickey, Donald and Goofy cartoons started out featuring Peg-Leg Pete as an antagonist, and in this cartoon that antagonism continues in color! ...Sort of! Pete is here, at least, but notably missing is his peg leg! From here on out Peg-Leg Pete just becomes Pete, at least as far as the classic era is concerned. The peg-leg aside... how's the cartoon? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

(Spoiler Section Length - 5min 59sec) It's time for more sequels to Don Bluth movies that have no involvement from Bluth himself or any of the other original creators for that matter! Except unlike most such sequels, this one ended up spawning a long-running franchise with well over 10 films and even a tv series under its belt as of 2024. The Land Before Time franchise is a bit infamous for its length and how it changed the series to a musical format... but still, were the sequels ever any good? --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

Oswald is a character originally created by Walt Disney, but who has long since been run by other directors, still creating shorts right alongside the much more popular Mickey Mouse series. Like Mickey, Oswald's design has changed with the times, but unlike Mickey that change at this point is so drastic that Oswald is hardly identifiable as the Mickey precursor that he started out as. All that said... this Oswald cartoon is also something of a 1920's throwback, with its mixture of live-action and animation. Does 1936 Oswald have what it takes to compete with 1936 Mickey? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

(Spoiler Section Length - 6min 41sec) The second of the two Don Bluth and Steven Spielberg collaborations, The Land Before Time would also go on to become the premier children series about dinosaurs for the better part of two decades. While those later films (and tv series!) have a reputation all their own, this first one is the only film in the series to have Bluth and Spielberg's touch, and it therefore has a vibe all its own. Is it a good vibe? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support

Another Betty Boop cartoon, here in the era where her shorts are mostly not her own, but rather a vehicle for her dog, Grampy, or some other even less interesting character! This time Betty wants to take some kid to the carnival, but the weather isn't permitting. But good ol' Grampy cooks up an indoor carnival, with an impressive finale flourish! It might be one of the best Betty Boop cartoons of the year... but still, is it actually worth watching? Listen to find out! --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/howsitholdup/support