Writers Get Animated

It's a new year and a new season! We're unpacking the themes and ideas in Pixar's latest film, Soul! What makes life so special? What is the "spark?" How does Pixar (and Pete Docter) continue create rich, tangible worlds based on ideas? Links Watch Pixar's Soul on Disney+ It’s Like a Magic Trick: Pete Docter and Dana Murray on Pixar's Soul Pete Docter, Kemp Powers & Dana Murray Interview: Soul  

There's a new Star Wars Holiday Special, and it's LEGO! Does the new LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special pass as authentic Star Wars and as a true holiday specials? What Star Wars expectations do we have? What holiday special tropes pay off in this adventure? Previously on Writers Get Animated 152 - Klaus: A Very Early, Very Special Christmas Special Christmas Special 128 - A Very Special Hanukkah Special 102 - A Very Special Christmas Special Christmas Special III: Revenge of Claus 052 - How the Grinch Stole Christmas Turns 50! 004 - A Very Special Christmas Special Christmas Special   Links Watch the LEGO Star Wars Holiday Special on Disney+

The Warner Brothers and the Warner Sister are back! Is this a reboot, a sequel, or a continuation? We investigate audience expectations, including our own, to see how much difference 22 years can make when a show returns! Previously on Writers Get Animated 045 - Bologna in Our Slacks: Animaniacs! Links Watch Animaniacs on Hulu  

Who knew that one of the best movies to compliment 2020 would be a Laika film from 2012? This week we discuss the strangely timely message of ParaNorman! How can the passage time help a story's message?   Links Watch ParaNorman on Netflix Chris Butler and Sam Fell interview: on writing and directing ParaNorman

Have you ever experienced a crushing rejection? It's rough. But, as we learn from "DuckTales" and "Steven Universe," there are healthy ways to deal with rejection. We unpack representations of relationships, love interests, and rejections. Chris even expresses his hatred of the term "friend zone."

Once a year, we binge for you! It's the best new animated shows of 2020! 2020 has given us so many new shows, we can barely keep up! We cover new shows for young audiences, shows for the whole family, and shows for "adults." Will you find a new favorite? Previously on Writers Get Animated 169 - Happy Birthday, Bugs Bunny! 168 - Current Trends in Adult Animation 163 - Never Fear, The Rocketeer’s Here! 162 - Magical Adventures in The Owl House, Hoot! 159 - Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts 156 - Harley Quinn!

We’re breaking tradition and are discussing a Disney live action remake that is actually live action: Mulan! How does this version of Mulan compare to the original animated film? What is improved? Who is the audience for this new version?   Previously on Writers Get Animated 027 - Is The Jungle Book (2016) an Animated Movie? 144 - Circle of Remakes: The Lion King (2019)  

It's the Emmys! We look at what we can learn from each of this year's nominees. It's an eclectic bunch! Big Mouth, Bob’s Burgers, BoJack Horseman, Rick And Morty, The Simpsons, Forky Asks A Question, Robot Chicken, and Steven Universe Future! Previously on Writers Get Animated 148 - 2019 Best Short Form Animated Program Emmy Nominees! 147 - 2019 Best Animated Program Emmy Nominees    

Today we’re breaking down one of the best scenes in Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse: the reveal of Olivia... You know... How does this great film set, reset, and subvert our expectations? How do you switch tone as necessary? How do character details and specificity influence a scene? Previously on Writers Get Animated 129 - Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse Links ‘Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse’: Making Doc Ock Olivia the Subversive Secret Weapon

In this episode, we look at what makes a satisfying ending! By looking at three different series finales (Wizards, Doc McStuffins, and Steven Universe:Future), we try to see how endings function and how you can stick the landing of your story. Previously on Writers Get Animated 165 - Ended, The Clone Wars Have 161- Nice While It Lasted: The End of BoJack Horseman 157 - The Return of the Writers from Harvey Girls Forever! 137 - Star Vs. The Forces of Evil: The Beginning of the End Links ‘Steven Universe’ creator Rebecca Sugar explains the series finale, ‘Future’—and her future  

With summer movies being postponed or canceled because of the "plague" of COVID-19, we decided to look at plagues as portrayed in animation! We look at the biblical plagues depicted in Dreamworks' "The Prince of Egypt" and a more metaphorical plague in this year's "We Bare Bears: The Movie."  Links Watch The Prince of Egypt on Hulu Watch We Bare Bears: The Movie 

What's up, Doc? We're celebrating the 80th birthday of everyone's favorite wise-cracking rabbit: Bugs Bunny! When taking a look at Bugs' first appearance in "A Wild Hare," we'll see what carries over to the brand new series "Looney Tunes Cartoons?" What are the core traits of Bugs Bunny? What has changed in Bugs since 1940?  Links Watch Looney Tunes Cartoons on HBO Max Previously on Writers Get Animated 080 - The Breakdown: Duck Amuck 015 - The Breakdown: What's Opera, Doc?  

In this episode, we break down what's been going on with animation specifically made for adults. After a brief overview, we take a look at "The Midnight Gospel" and "Lastman," two shows that look and feel like nothing else out there. How has the field of adult animation changed? What are the trends? What are the projects that set themselves apart from the pack?  Previously on Writers Get Animated 161 - Nice While It Lasted: The End of BoJack Horseman 156 - Harley Quinn 151 - Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal: Stories Without Words 140 - Tuca and Bertie 031 - Boop, Bakshi, And Beyond: Adult Animation in the 70’s And 80’s    

Scooby, Shaggy, and the gang are back in action and, this time, they're bringing some friends! The Scooby Doo-niverse is becoming the Hanna-Barbera-verse! What happens when you expand the world of Scooby Doo to include Blue Falcon and Dick Dastardly? Is anything lost? How big can this universe get?  Previously on Writers Get Animated 009 - A Tale of Two Scoobies  

What makes a family a family? And what makes a family film a family film? We get into The Willoughbys - the newest animated film from Netflix!    Links ‘The Willoughbys’ Director Kris Pearn is Blending 2D and Stop-Motion Animation Styles for a New Take on an Old Story Terry Crews Explains Why Netflix’s ‘The Willoughbys’ Is Perfect Pandemic Viewing

Star Wars: The Clone Wars has returned with a force! We take a look at how the finale of Star Wars: Clone Wars fits into the larger questions explored in the Star Wars universe. What is different about this particular ending and story? What's next for the animated Star Wars canon? Previously on Writers Get Animated 23 - All About Ahsoka 136 - Star Wars: Resistance Recap 123 - Star Wars: Resistance 113 - Star Wars: Rebels Remembrances 87 - Who Rule Cartoons? (Girls.) 72 - Rebels Retrospective 53 - Saw Gerrera: A Star Wars Episode 03 - Episode III: The Animated Menace   Links Watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Disney Plus Clone Wars Declassified: 5 Highlights from “Victory and Death”

In celebration of the episode "Quack Pack" latest season of DuckTales, we revisit Disney's Quack Pack from 1996! In what ways are they similar? How has storytelling changed in Disney TV animation since then?  Previously on Writers Get Animated 141 - The Breakdown: Nothing Can Stop Della Duck 090 - DuckTales! Woo-oo!   Links Watch Quack Pack on Disney Plus Watch the latest season of DuckTales on DisneyNOW Watch past seasons of DuckTales on Disney Plus

Buckle up your jetpacks because we're taking to the skies with The Rocketeer! What changes when a comic book movie from the early 1990's becomes a Disney Junior series? How do you make an action-packed series for young audiences? Links 5 Ways Disney Junior’s New The Rocketeer Series Was Inspired by the 1991 Film Collider: Disney Junior's New Animated Series Takes to the Skies  

Hoot! We’re following the owls to join Luz’s adventures in The Owl House! What makes The Owl House so different from other recent fantasy shows? How do Luz and Eda defy expectations? What adventures are in store for us?

We say goodbye to one of our favorite shows: BoJack Horseman. How does the “Great American Novel” end? What story have we been following these past few years? What have we learned about how to end a story? How do you give closure to characters and relationships without answering all the questions? Previously on Writers Get Animated 121 - The Lost Loves of Scrooge McDuck and BoJack Horseman 103 - From Bazooga Eyes to BoJack: Sexual Harassment in Cartoons 046 - What Are You Doing Here? The Struggles and Failures of BoJack Horseman