Writers Get Animated

Episode 200! In our final episode we discuss what we've learned from watching all these cartoons and what makes art "inspiring." How does art make us feel the need to create? How have the animated shows and movies we've experienced over the past six years (and beyond) helped our art?  Thank you so much for being with us on this journey! 

Every year, we binge all of the new shows of the year to bring you some recommendations in the hopes that you will find some new favorites! The list keeps getting longer and longer as more and more animated shows hit the airwaves. What a wonderful time to be a fan of animation! Chris and Mackenzie’s Recommendations Young Ages: City of Ghosts (Netflix) Ada Twist, Scientist (Netflix) Ridley Jones (Netflix) Spidey and His Amazing Friends (Disney) Alma’s Way (PBS Kids) Oggy Oggy (Netflix) All Ages: Kid Cosmic (Netflix) Wolfboy and the Everything Factory (Apple TV+) The Snoopy Show (Apple TV+) Kamp Coral (Paramount+) Elliott from Earth (CN) Rugrats (2021) (Paramount+, Nickelodeon) The Bad Batch (Disney+) Monsters at Work (Disney+) Dug Days (Disney+) Chip ‘n’ Dale: Park Life (Disney+) Yabba Dabba Dinosaurs (HBO Max) Jellystone (HBO Max) Centaurworld (Netflix) I

Those rambunctious chipmunks Chip and Dale are back in a new show, so we're seeing how they have evolved over the years! What makes duos so satisfying? Why are Chip and Dale always fighting? Are we Chip or Dale? Links Watch Food for Feudin' on Disney Plus Watch Chip 'n Dale's Rescue Rangers on Disney Plus Watch Chip 'n' Dale: Park Life on Disney Plus Remembering ‘Rescue Rangers’ Frank Angones on Twitter Explains the Rescue Rangers' Cameo on DuckTales (2017) Here's How Disney's 'DuckTales' Just Gave 'Rescue Rangers' a New Origin Story 

It's the Emmy's again, and we're watching (streaming) all the nominees to see what stories are being told! Spoilers, there's a lot of coronavirus in these shows. From South Park to Simpsons to Robot Chicken to Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal, this year has some striking entries! Links Watch South Park on HBO Max Watch Genndy Tartakovsky's Primal on HBO Max Watch Bob's Burgers on Fox Watch Big Mouth on Netflix Watch The Simpsons on Fox Watch Love, Death & Robots on Netflix Watch Once Upon a Snowman on Disney Plus Watch Maggie Simpson in "The Force Awakens from its Nap" on Disney Plus Watch Robot Chicken on HBO Max  

First there was Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, then The Mitchells Vs. The Machines, now Sony brings Vivo! What can we learn from this musical, buddy comedy, finding a new family adventure movie? How do the music and visuals interact to create something meaningful? Links Watch Vivo on Netflix Lin-Manuel Miranda's Music from Vivo Deep Dive on Twitter

We have the power (to discuss the character development and world-building He-Man)! In this week's episode, we look at where He-Man and the Masters of the Universe started and then look at what has changed in Masters of the Universe: Revelation! How do you reboot a show without rebooting a show? How can you give depth to a world that was built to sell toys? Previously on Writers Get Animated 004 - A Very Special Christmas Special Christmas Special Links Watch The Cosmic Comet on YouTube Watch the Diamond Ray of Disappearance on YouTube Watch Masters of the Universe: Revelation on Netflix Watch The Power of Grayskull: The Definitive History of He-Man and the Masters of the Universe on Netflix Kevin Smith unpacks Masters of the Universe: Revelation's world-shattering premiere

Chris and Mackenzie jump into Space Jam: A New Legacy to see how the game is different this time! How do you get a famous NBA player and the Looney Tunes characters to the basketball game and make the game matter? How is the story constructed? What did we learn from this Looney sequel? Links Watch Space Jam: A New Legacy Behind the Scenes of Space Jam: A New Legacy Why Hollywood Can’t Stop Transforming Workaholic Dads Into Cats, Dogs, and Snowmen

All rise for a rocking, moving civics lesson from Chris Nee, Barack and Michelle Obama, and a whole host of artists and musicians: “We the People” on Netflix! How do narrative and image and music collide to teach lessons? What are the different ways to inspire an audience toward action? Links Watch “We the People” on Netflix 'We The People' Creator On Making A Kids' Show About American Democracy ‘We the People’ Updates the Sound of Schoolhouse Rock With Rap and R&B She Never Saw Herself in Children’s TV Shows. So She Created Her Own

Travel with us to Italy for Pixar's latest story: Luca! How does the story of Luca fit with our expectations for Pixar movies? How is Luca different? How can a story's intentions change through the collaboration process? Links Watch Luca on Disney Plus Luca: How Studio Ghibli Inspired the Pixar Movie How Pixar created Luca’s adorable, transforming sea monsters

We're investigating the gorgeously crafted show "City of Ghosts" on Netflix! How do the stories of real neighborhoods and real people get enhanced with art and story? How can a show about ghosts be so inviting and earnest in its approach? How can you make a show that is for everyone? Links Watch City of Ghosts on Netflix! Watch the short Welcome to My Life Read on Wired: Netflix’s City of Ghosts Maps a Better Way to See LA—and Everywhere Else Interview from NPR: City of Ghosts creator Elizabeth Ito  Read on Vulture: How City of Ghosts Crafted an Inclusive Ode to Los Angeles’s Overlooked Past  

We're jumping on the Infinity Train to figure out what makes an anthology show so compelling? How do mysteries deepen and shift? How do you hold onto an audience when main characters shift? What connects these stories together? Also, how can we get more Infinity Train?! Links Watch Infinity Train on HBO Max Infinity Train's Owen Dennis Talks About the End of the Cartoon  

A new animated Star Wars show is on our televisions, and we're here to enjoy it alongside all of you! How does this story fit into the larger Star Wars universe? Where do we think and hope the story will go? What are the familiar Star Wars elements that are already present in this new show?   Links Watch The Bad Batch on Disney Plus Brad Rau's Road to Star Wars Interview with Producers Brad Rau and Jennifer Corbett  

How can the robot apocalypse bring family together? We find out in this episode as we upload ourselves into The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix! How does this movie both defy and meet our expectations? Links Watch The Mitchells vs. The Machines on Netflix The Mitchells vs. The Machines: How Michael Rianda Made a 'Dirtbag Miyazaki' Movie The Mitchells vs. The Machines Director Mike Rianda Wants to Make You Laugh (and Call Your Mom) The Mitchells vs the Machines Team Explain How They Made One of the Best Animated Movies of 2021 Every Pop-Culture Easter Egg in The Mitchells vs. the Machines

The Oscars are here again, and we're taking a trip through the varied ways these filmmakers have told their stories in this year's nominees for Best Animated Short Films! From the story of a bunny creating her home to a young woman dealing with the chaos of the world, we look at how animation can make meaningful and thought-provoking art time and time again. Links Watch the Oscar-Nominated Short Films

We’re saying goodbye to one of our favorite shows: DuckTales! The series finale certainly solved some mysteries and rewrote some history! How does the series finale complete the story that was being told? What themes and tools told the story? Previously on Writers Get Animated  176 - Healthy Rejections: DuckTales and Steven Universe 164 - Quack Pack v. Quack Pack 141 - The Breakdown: Nothing Can Stop Della Duck! 121 - The Lost Loves of Scrooge McDuck and BoJack Horseman 090 - DuckTales! Woo-oo!  Links Watch DuckTales on Disney Plus Watch DuckTales on DisneyNOW DuckTales: Inside the Finale’s Big Webby Twist (Den of Geek)

Tom and Jerry are back in new animated shorts and a new animated/live action hybrid movie! What endures about these two characters? How do animated/live action hybrid movies work story-wise? What can we learn from a decades-long rivalry between a cat and a mouse? Previously on Writers Get Animated 085 - Pure "Imagination" - Tom & Jerry: Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory  Links Watch Tom & Jerry Special Shorts on HBO Max Watch Tom & Jerry on HBO Max

A new era of Disney animated films is here with "Raya and the Last Dragon!" How does "Raya" represent a change in storytelling for Disney? What makes this story so unique? How does watching at home change the experience of a new Disney film? Links Watch Raya and the Last Dragon on Disney Plus Interview: ‘Raya and the Last Dragon’ Producer and Screenwriter on Creating a New Kind of Disney Hero

We’re back with another breakdown! In the breakdown, we go beat by beat to see how a show works! This time, we’re looking at one of our favorites: Hilda! How does time travel work in the world of Hilda? How to do you establish theme and danger?  Links Watch Hilda on Netflix Previously on Writers Get Animated 131 - Hilda and Adaptation

This week, we’re heading to the desert to have a date with destiny! And the rings of power! And Kid Cosmic, the latest hero from Craig McCracken! How do the expectations of a specific creator, a specific streaming service, and of the super hero genre collide and affect a show for families? Links Watch Kid Cosmic on Netflix Craig McCracken Talks About Creating Netflix Series “Kid Cosmic”    

In a year of catching up on streaming, we look back on one of Mackenzie’s favorite shows: Gargoyles! Looking at the fabled third season, we investigate how this animated show from the 90’s is prescient about our current era. What would make someone join The Quarrymen? What does justice look like? Previously on Writers Get Animated 040 - Thine Doodles Moveable: Shakespeare in Gargoyles and The Simpsons Links SyFy Wire: An Oral History of Gargoyles  Polygon: Gargoyles was nearly the center of a vast Disney Cinematic Universe