What A Cartoon!

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 Sit back and prepare to learn about Animaniacs history and outdated geography with this week's podcast!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 st

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

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

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

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 Netw

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 frien

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!