What A Cartoon!

We've reached the end of summer on the Talking Simpsons Network, meaning it's time for us to discuss an animated feature film chosen by our supporters! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about Mamoru Oshii's Ghost in the Shell! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

This week, we're making our third visit to the land of Ren & Stimpy with a thorough examination of the season two finale that brought an end to the show's Spumco era. As usual, we're joined by Ren & Stimpy scholar (and all-around animation expert) Thad Komorowski, but this time around, we also have a guest who worked on this legendary animated series: Bob Jaques! Via his studio Carbunkle Cartoons, Bob served as the animation director on some of the best episodes of Ren & Stimpy, and on this installment of What A Cartoon!, we talk to him in length about his career, his relationship with The Ren & Stimpy Show, and his work on this episode in particular. So listen in and get ready for an episode that's more fulfilling than a dirt feast! Also, be sure to listen to Bob and Thad's podcast, Cartoon Logic, and sign up for their Patreon! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @T

We return again to the world of Gargoyles, again joined by comics pro and Gargoyles lover Kory Bing! After filling in some of the history gaps we missed last time, we cover another important early season 2 episode! There's Halloween and werewolf talk, but really this podcast is about celebrating Xanatos as one of the best villains in cartoon history! So be sure to grab your Eye of Odin 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!

Chosen by premium Patron Brian Hortin, we watched the arguably the best pilot Adult Swim ever produced, Korgoth of Barbaria! We discuss the career of creator Aaron Springer, the production of the pilot itself, and the history of '70s strongman fantasy it parodies. So listen now as we steal the golden goblin together! 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 wanted to go back to the primal days of US anime VHSes, and with the help of anime expert Mike Toole, we go back to the landmark series Ranma 1/2! How was the series created by Rumiko Takahashi and what was its bumpy arrival on Japanese TV before its surprise popularity in North America? Plus, we discuss the first season's eighth episode, all in one anything-goes martial arts podcast! 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!

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 1985's The Black Cauldron! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

Our premium patron Royce wanted us to talk about easily the best Avengers cartoon, Earth's Mightiest Heroes! Created just as Disney took over Marvel, we talk about the show's genesis, the team of comic and Batman veterans producing it, and the complicated cancellation of the series. Then we discuss the late season 2 episode "New Avengers" which has its own comic history to dig through. So assemble and listen now, true believers! 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!

After covering his most famous film, it's time to return to Lupin in his most successful TV series! How did the silly thief steal the world's heart with Lupin III Part 2? How were Lupin vets Yasuo Otsuka and Hayao Miyazaki instrumental in building TMS's world-class animation team at Telecom Studios? And how did a giant airplane full of nukes lead to one of the best looking TV toons ever made? Learn all about it just in time for the episode's 40th anniversary! 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!

Requested by premium patron Phillip, we're finally covering the groundbreaking Cartoon Network series Adventure Time! How did a student project become a viral sensation and then turn into a hit show that was a launching pad for many important toon creators? And after the history, we discuss two of the show's most beloved episodes, so get algebraic and listen along! 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 asked our patrons what Warner Animation film we should cover, and Space Jam won in a resounding, Jordan-esque victory. $10+ subscribers to the Talking Simpsons Network, can hear our looooong discussion of Space Jam now, but if you're not yet a subscriber, give a listen to this extended preview. Our good buddy and classic cartoon expert Thad Komorowski joins us to explore the complex Space Jam history! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

While Jim Henson tried and failed to break free of the Muppets throughout the '80s, his biggest commercial success that decade came from a series he had very little to do with. That show would be Muppet Babies, a vehicle for pint-size versions of the famous Muppet characters to sing, propagandize the powers of imagination, and obey the giant pair of legs that holds dominion over their kind. This week on the What A Cartoon podcast, high-level patron Alex Irish makes your dreams come true by requesting a deep dive into the legendary '80s cartoon that spawned too many imitators. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Our top-level patron David is back once more, and he asked us to check out DC Universe's breakout toon, Harley Quinn! This take on the animated character borrows from some of her best comics to craft a world of loser villains and white-faced fuckboys, all as Harley Quinn finds her independence. We cover the show's creation and how surprisingly funny the violent comedy is, so grab your favorite baseball bat and listen along... 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!

What the hell are YOU starin' at? Well, if you were watching the USA network in the mid-'90s, you might have been staring at Duckman, cable TV's answer to the Simpsons starring a cast of yellow characters much more twisted than anything Fox had to offer. Despite not being a ratings smash, Duckman's star power and status as a critical darling gave it an impressive 70-episode run, and it remains an impressive mix of lewd jokes and cutting social satire 25 years later. This week, listen in as we give a full history of this private dick/family man, and explore a bottle episode that proves just how versatile this animated sitcom can be. Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

We return to the Gundam franchise this week, and we're joined by Gundam expert/USG Editor-In-Chief/our good friend Kat Bailey! 20 years ago this year Gundam Wing premiered on Cartoon Network and had a huge impact on US anime fans, but how did this variation on the Gundam franchise happen? How did it get broadcast on TV? And what's its legacy? We discuss all that and the first episode in this gundanium-enriched podcast! 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!

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 1999's Toy Story 2! Listen now to this free extended preview, and then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the whole thing and all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie podcasts! Sign up today!

Chosen by our premium patron Jibbly, it's time to return to the DC Animated Universe with Justice League! The 2001 toon made the Superfriends cool for the first time ever, and set ratings records for Cartoon Network. How did Bruce Timm's team grow to handle a bigger series and expanded the DC stories they had already told? We talk about that and the second half of the season one classic, Injustice For All! Listen now or else Lex Luthor has won already! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

Chosen by our premium patron L, we're covering the original Dragon Ball anime with our expert friend Shivam Bhatt (co-host of the Commanderin' podcast)! We discuss how Akira Toriyama developed his action-comedy phenom, how Toei Animation adapted it, and how Goku's earlier adventures had a weird localization history in the US. Then we break down one of the first battles in the initial Budokai tournament, as Goku takes on his first round challenger, a kaiju named Giran. So ready up your ki for a kamehameha wave of podcasting action! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

This week, we're visiting one of the earliest What A Cartoon! subjects—and one of our favorites—the great MTV cartoon, Beavis and Butt-Head. But instead of jumping back to their heyday in the go-go '90s, we're heading back to the less-distant year of 2011, when MTV's crude cartoon got a fresh reboot and all seemed right with the world. This short-lived revival might have come and gone in three short months, but it amazingly matched (and often surpassed) the energy and crude creativity of the original run. Load up on cheap convenience store nachos and get ready for yet another podcast that doesn't suck! Support this podcast and get dozens of bonus episodes by visiting Patreon.com/TalkingSimpsons and becoming a patron! And please follow our official Twitter account, @TalkSimpsonsPod!

With the end of April, the Talking Simpsons Network has another awesome podcast about an animated feature film ready for you! This month, our $10+ Patreon subscribers get to hear us talk about 1979's Lupin III feature film, The Castle of Cagliostro! It's the first film directed solo by Hayao Miyazaki, and in this free extended preview, you'll learn all about the making of the film! And then subscribe at the $10 level (or up your current pledge to $10) to hear the full four-hour podcast AND all of our previous What A Cartoon Movie! podcasts!! Sign up today!

This week we are joined again by premium Patreon subscriber Casey to talk about a classic of '90s anime, Revolutionary Girl Utena! From many of the folks who adapted Sailor Moon, this challenging show pushed against gender roles and sexuality like few animated series did nearly 25 years ago. Learn how it was made, Utena's ongoing legacy, and listen to our discussion of the first two episodes of the series right 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!