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 t...
2020-06-01 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Summer is here and the Talking Simpsons Network is ready for it all. We may all be spending more time indoors, it's time for a bunch of new podcasts, and this month means five different What A Cartoons! Duckmen? Baby Muppets? Clownish girls? Winged Gundams? Jams in Space? It's a wild month!
Also, don't forget, if you're a $5 subscriber to the Patreon, you get to hear all these upcoming episodes...
2020-05-31 13:00:03 +0000 UTC View Post
Mission Hill hits its midway point with a Kevin-focused episode about the trials of getting into a good college—namely, Yale. When the Jolly Boys find out good grades alone won't get them into the Ivy League, they set out to break the code of the SATs in order to get a perfect score. Meanwhile, Posey's poorly worded classified ad makes the outside world see her as less of a masseuse and more of a sex worker. Will Kevin and the boys make their collegiate dreams come true? And will Andy and P...
2020-05-29 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Before the summer begins, it's time for another episode of our monthly community podcast! In the Simpsons news we've got details on Alf Clausen's lawsuit, dates on the arrival of 4:3 aspect ratio, and more predictions coming true! Then we preview some cool stuff coming soon, share a couple of gifts we got during the month, and, as always, we respond to some of our favorite replies on Patreon. Listen now with or without glistening pork products!
2020-05-27 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
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!...
2020-05-25 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View PostSummer is about to begin for the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we once more need your help in our poll for the next subject of our premium podcast. As you may know, once a month we release the What A Cartoon Movie! podcast, an extra-long discussion about an animated film, exclusively for our $10 Patreon subscribers. And when we open up the voting, we want to let all the $5 folks have a chance to be heard as well so those subscribers can help pick episodes they might enjoy down the ...
2020-05-24 23:19:55 +0000 UTC View Post
[Note: Since Patreon has a file size limit per upload, from now on we'll be uploading these super-size episodes of What A Cartoon Movie! in two segments in order to give you the best audio quality possible. So if you haven't listened to this history segment first, please do that now!]
Hey howdy hey, it's time for May's episode of What A Cartoon Movie! And the winner of this month's Pixar sequel poll is—unsurprisingly—the fantastic Toy Story 2. It's an amazing follow-up that quite ho...
2020-05-24 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Hey howdy hey, it's time for May's episode of What A Cartoon Movie! And the winner of this month's Pixar sequel poll is—unsurprisingly—the fantastic Toy Story 2. It's an amazing follow-up that quite honestly shouldn't be thanks to the extremely small window of time Pixar had to rescue and finish it, and we go into Toy Story 2's surprisingly rich history—including some big facts most folks (even us) get wrong! And, as always, we give a full, scene-by-scene breakdown of the entire film, w...
2020-05-24 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Talking Mission Hill continues as Andy's budding art career hits so many brick walls that he decides to sell out and become Ron's sleazy protege. But Kevin sees the promise in Andy's cartoons and wants to steer him away from the world of vice and into a modest income drawing for an alt weekly. Will Andy make his full transition into becoming Raunchy McSmutbag? And will Stogie's debilitating couch addiction tear the gang apart? Enjoy this week's episode, and remember: please, no meat touching!...
2020-05-22 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
As we reach the end of our first season re-evaluation, we've got Giant Bomb's Alex Navarro to help us with the Simpsons' platinum album, The Simpsons Sings The Blues! At the height of Bartmania, Matt Groening, Jim Brooks, and David Geffen brought together a huge list of famous musicians to make an album about our favorite Springfieldians. Learn how the 1990 album happened, the famous (and infamous) folks who secretly wor...
2020-05-20 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
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!
2020-05-18 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
What if they made jokes about Star Wars on TV? A commonplace concept in 2020, but 20 years ago, sitcoms rarely skewered legitimate nerd culture. So please keep this in mind as we explore an episode of Mission Hill where a shared love interest between the French brothers comes to a head with a series of jokes that were seriously cutting edge in Y2K. Plus: an important lesson about taking knives stuck in your head seriously. Now quit fussing' and get ready for this week's podcast!
2020-05-15 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
A special surprise podcast today, an interview with Spencer Grammer, the actress behind Summer on Rick & Morty! We chat with her about the new season, her favorite moments, and what it's like growing up the daughter of Sideshow Bob!
2020-05-15 00:39:59 +0000 UTC View Post
This week we welcome on Thad Komorowski of the Cartoon Logic podcast, as we dig into the messy production of Some Enchanted Evening! Originally conceived as the pilot, the first director was fired, and then it was heavily reanimated to serve as the season one finale. Learn all the dirty details on how much it changed, and even major changes from th...
2020-05-13 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
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 ...
2020-05-11 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
It's a brand new interview with Lauren MacMullan, Designer and Supervising Director of Mission Hill! Available a week early for $5+, we chatted with the Oscar-nominated artist about her decades in animation! Lauren told us about how she defined Mission Hill's look and feel from its creation, and shares some fun behind-the-scenes stories. Plus, we chat about MacMullan's work on The Critic, King of the Hill, The Simpsons Movie, Avatar: The Last Airbender, her Oscar-nominated Mickey Mouse short,...
2020-05-10 04:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Mission Hill rolls on with an in-depth parody of something that was once extremely relevant, but now only exists as a nostalgia piece: MTV's The Real World. Those of you who lived through the '90s were no doubt captivated by season upon season of aimless youths picked to live in a house and have their lives taped, and even Andy French succumbs to this siren song when the series starts taping in Mission Hill. Listen in as we explore how well this episode takes on the godfather of reality shows...
2020-05-08 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Professional cartoonist KC Green (check out his newest book, He Is A Good Boy!) returns once more for the best episode of season one, Krusty Gets Busted! It's the first Sideshow Bob-focused episode, the first one directed by Brad Bird, and the best script/animation combo of the whole run. Plus KC drops on us some cartoon hist...
2020-05-06 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
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 ...
2020-05-04 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
It's time to cover the second episode of Mission Hill, and the final one to air as part of The WB's fall 1999 lineup! Perhaps those Warner prudes were too offended by the serious topic this very special episode covers: masturbation. More specifically, how Kevin's newfound discovery of self-love leads to catastrophic property damage and the insidious frame-up of beloved students Griffo and C-Dog. And will Jim's return from Japan give us the chance to talk about our favorite country for the 300...
2020-05-01 04:01:01 +0000 UTC View Post
Summer is just around the corner—at least, that's what we're observing from the safety of indoors. And with another month comes another dose of podcast fun to keep you nice and distracted! This month, we have a wide range of topics, including cartoon dumbasses, anime legends, super friends, and one of the world's greatest sequels. So stay inside, stay safe, and get ready for another excellent four ...
2020-04-30 19:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
Another month has passed, so it's time once again for another episode of our community podcast! This time, we cover plenty of Simpsons news, like the grand arrival of the 4:3 aspect ratio on Disney+, a brand-new A.V. Club interview with longtime show runner Al Jean, the recently discovered Krustygate scandal in Who Shot Mr. Burns Part 1, and more! Plus, as always, we respond to your questions and comments from the last month of episodes. Keep hanging in there, and always remember to bless the...
2020-04-29 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
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 le...
2020-04-27 05:56:47 +0000 UTC View Post
This month you all were asked to choose a classic Hayao Miyazaki film, and so we're doing his feature film debut, the Lupin III film, The Castle of Cagliostro! We not only cover how Miyazaki made this movie, but also how he was welcomed to work on it by his lesser known animation mentor, Yasuo Otsuka. Learn how they both shaped the animation adaptation of Lupin, then we go scene by scene with the Green Jacket-wearing icon! Listen now before he steals your heart!!
2020-04-27 04:32:14 +0000 UTC View PostMay is just around the corner on the Talking Simpsons Network, and that means we need your help once again with the next subject of our premium podcast, As you may know, once a month we release the What A Cartoon Movie! podcast, an extra-long discussion about an animated film, exclusively for our $10 Patreon subscribers. And when we open up the voting, we want to let all the $5 folks have a chance to be heard as well so they can help pick episodes they might enjoy down the line. And in case y...
2020-04-24 20:51:26 +0000 UTC View Post
It's time to formally kick off our fifth limited miniseries on the Talking Simpsons Network—thanks so much for signing up to listen! This week, we explore the second episode of the series, where Andy finds himself in a father figure role as he joins the PTA in a desperate attempt to get laid. Meanwhile, Kevin and the Jolly Boys end up in an epic struggle via one of the first parodies of MMORPGs to ever exist on TV. Grab some Bugles and affordable malt liquor and get ready for us to fully ex...
2020-04-24 04:01:00 +0000 UTC View Post
This week we're beginning our new Patreon-exclusive podcast miniseries, Talking Mission Hill! And we're sharing the first episode with all of you, featuring our Mission Hill expert/pal Matthew Jay (The Deep End, Cartoons 101) as a guest! We celebrate how Simpsons' executive producers Bi...
2020-04-22 04:00:02 +0000 UTC View Post
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!
2020-04-20 04:00:01 +0000 UTC View Post
The fantastic Jon Vitti is one of the most accomplished writers in comedy history, having written for The Simpsons' golden years, as well as King of the Hill, The Larry Sanders Show, The Office (US), Saturday Night Live, The Critic, and so much more! We finally got a chance to chat with him about the early days of The Simpsons, episodes like Crepes of Wrath, Lisa's Substitute, Mr. Plow, as well as some untold stories from King of the Hill's writing staff, and even some secrets of SNL! Listen ...
2020-04-17 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post
We all take an unplanned trip to France and our guide is returning guest/USG Editor-In-Chief Kat Bailey! We discuss the power of cherry bombs, the first appearance of Agnes, and how we forgot this is a king of aimless episode of the series. Plus, we learn a thing or two about wine, antifreeze, and classic French literature in this week's international episode...
2020-04-15 04:00:00 +0000 UTC View Post