What A Cartoon! - The April 2021 Schedule

Spring has sprung once again, and for the first time in a while it looks like the world is changing for the better. Thankfully, there's still plenty of time for podcasting, and we've got quite a lineup for you on the What A Cartoon Podcast this month. We kick things off with our traditional April Fool's podcast about a live-action cartoon (one very important to the history of The Simpsons), then move on to a crossover anime hit about a notebook from hell. And for the back half of April, we'll look into a forgotten cartoon about one of the most absurd Image superheroes, then close things out with our long-awaited examination of another vehicle starring a big green thing: Shrek!

And if you're not a subscriber, signing up at the $5 level will get you each episode a week ahead of time and ad-free, along with our collection of exclusive miniseries (like the recently started TalKing of the Hill Season 2 Part 1) and over 100 bonus podcasts on top of that!

Here's what's on the schedule for April:

Get A Life - "Girlfriend 2000" [Patreon: 4/5/21 - Free Feed: 4/12/21]

In the early years of Fox, they could get and would air things no other network would ever put on the schedule. This led to massive successes like The Simpsons, and also fairly popular sitcoms like Get A Life that were nonetheless hated and assassinated by the network. Though this oddball anti-sitcom only lasted for two seasons and 35 episodes, its influence can be felt decades later—and the showrunner went on to guide some of the most hilarious seasons of The Simpsons.

Get a Life has a great DVD set that's still in print, but you can find this specific episode on Youtube.

Death Note - "Rebirth" [Patreon: 4/12/21 - Free Feed: 4/19/21]

The premise of a magic notebook that can kill people sounds hilarious on the surface, but somehow, Death Note turns this concept into one of the most compelling games of cat and mouse ever told. And thankfully, this anime adaptation slavishly sticks to the manga, so it doesn't lose an iota of what makes the source material so fantastic. Listen in and prepare to be hooked by the setup of this now-classic suspense series!

Death Note is currently available to stream on just about any platform (seriously).

The Savage Dragon - "She-Dragon" [Patreon: 4/19/21 - Free Feed: 4/26/21]

Erik Larsen's The Savage Dragon wasn't always the most popular Image comic, but it was the most consistent. And somehow, it was popular enough to get a two-season cartoon in the mid-90s, starring Jim Cummings as the titular huge, green cop. It's silly, violent, and just a little horny, and for our look at The Savage Dragon we'll be covering an episode that features one of Jennifer Hale's earliest roles!

The Savage Dragon is currently available to stream on Peacock.

An Extended Free Preview of What A Cartoon Movie for Shrek [Patreon: 4/26/21 - Free Feed: 5/3/21]

Do I really need to describe Shrek on here? Well, it's what happened when Jeffrey Katzenberg decided to make an entire movie about how much he hates his former employer. The result was a massive, MASSIVE success that changed animated movies as we know them forever—for better or worse. And to celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary, we'll be talking about it via one of our ultra-long movie podcasts!

And remember: $5 patrons and folks on the free feed will hear an extended preview of the podcast, but if you want the whole thing (and access to all other episodes of What A Cartoon Movie) you'll have to bump your subscription up to the $10 level.

There you have it! Another great schedule for What A Cartoon, and with the recent launch of TalKing of the Hill, patrons will get to listen to three new episodes every week! Hang in there, and look forward to another month of great podcasts!