Show #183: The Thief And The Cobbler

A podcast thirty one accumulated hours in the making, SOTSM broaches the subject of the animation albatross known as The Thief And The Cobbler!

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With the recent passing of the esteemed Richard Williams and the tributes that followed a pair of titles repeatedly stood out: his undeniably popular work Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, and another convoluted and perhaps notorious production called The Thief And The Cobbler. Delayed, waylaid and recut into various releases in its unfinished state, many had given up Williams' grand artistic statement as folly. But is this being uncharitable to what he strove to achieve not just in the film itself but animation as a whole? Crime, corporate skullduggery and a years long quest for perfection almost distract us from savouring a cartoon spectacle the likes of which may never be seen again!

SOTSM x DITB: The Anime That Didn’t Make Us #1 – Captain Tsubasa, Fushigi Yugi, Bonobono

Niall recently took a wander down a hypothetical memory lane with Brian and Anthony over on Dynamite In The Brain as they sampled some anime series that could have been formative experiences in their youth had they ever been released in their parts of the world. Captain Tsubasa cashed in on 80s World Cup fever, Fushigi Yugi whisked us to another world before it was cool and Bonobono innovated children's television with the addition of existential dread. Find out how this experiment in manufactured nostalgia unfolded when you listen up!

Show #170: Disenchantment

A wizened old wizard dusts of his tomes so that the world may know him once more! Matt Groening emerges from the mists to relate his sordid tale of Disenchantment!

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Besides serving as a prominent reminder of just how long ago Futurama was on television, Matt Groening's latest original offering for Netflix had others taken aback for different reasons and wondering if this adult animated sitcom had anything new to offer in an increasingly crowded field. But does Disenchantment have a trick up its sleeve for the end of this season and beyond? Inaccurate comparisons, a predictable investigation of artistic references and probably far too much use of the high-pitched cautiously optimistic voice await you at the end of your quest!

Show #124: The BFG (1989)

Is this all just a dream? No! A delusional state brought on by this heat maybe but we can safely say that The BFG is definitely a real thing.

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The work of seminal children's author Roald Dahl has been adapted for the screen in live action form many a time but animated versions are few and far between. Surely the cartoon medium would be better suited for the fantastical imagery he conjured up and luckily such is the case here, a very humble production that captures all the goofy capering and macabre humour of his famous book. Boasting amazing design work and an immersion friendly pace it should stand as a good counterpoint to the handsomely made but frenetic big budget version courtesy of Steven Spielberg.

THE SHORT VERSION

Friendly giants

Not so friendly giants

Giant imagination

Show #115: He-Man & The Masters of The Universe (1983)

By the power of Grayskull we have the Paul Shipley, here to celebrate SOTSM's fourth year and to share memories of the plastic fantastic world of He-Man & The Masters of The Universe!

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You can't be a cartoon liker on the internet without some manner of opinion about this 80s animation staple, but unlike a number of other pundits we feel no need to make excuses or throw it to the wolves for cheap thrills. Time may have certainly tempered our expectations of a show that didn't look spectacular to begin with but its bright, positive, anything-goes aesthetic is ageless. Cynics may deride it as being satirical or camp, its often bizarre storylines construed as a negative; rather if you embrace that earnestness you'll find a series full of love, compassion and fun that isn't ashamed of what it is.

THE SHORT VERSION

Messages of kindness

Villains just chillin'

We're camp and we don't care!

Show #113: Fire and Ice

We brave the savage, frozen wastes of a new year on a trip to the boilerplate fantasy realm of Fire and Ice!

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We said we'd give old Ralph Bakshi another spin of the wheel after our last encounter but we're finding maybe fantasy may not be his forte. In spite of an impressive assemblage of talent including Frank Frazetta, an artist who defined the look of these kind of stories, Fire and Ice never really adds up to the sum of its parts. It really serves as more of a template left unfilled, which is all the more maddening when one wonders what could have been produced had that creative energy been fully utilised.

THE SHORT VERSION

Untapped potential

Caveman Batman

BUTTS

Show #86: Oh No! A Lovely Garden!

It's the most wonderful time of the year; another Hobbit movie means another Hobbit cartoon movie, The Return of the King!

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The live action Hobbit trilogy has finally come to a close and with it we must also round out our experiences with the animated J.R.R. Tolkien works, which we have covered previously. This final chapter brings back Rankin Bass and Topcraft who brought us the quite enjoyable 1977 Hobbit, taking a similar approach from that film which doesn't quite gel with the scale of this saga of war between good and evil. An imbalance of focus, difficulties with compressing the narrative and some non sequitur musical interludes make for a bizarre and frustrating viewing experience.

THE SHORT VERSION

You're late pal.

Skeletor?

"THIS IS THE SONG OF THE THIRD BLOGPOST PICTURE"

Show #78: Turtles Of Mass Destruction

While we venture on and on in search of our lost podcast guests we undertake a small sidequest into the fantastic world of Amon Saga!

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An eighties fantasy OAV with a difference, springing forth from the fertile creative mind of one Yoshitaka Amano with the help of a stable of fine anime talent. Amon Saga has all the makings of a tale of high adventure as we follow our hero's quest for revenge in a realm of bizarre sights and sounds, however much in the tradition of OAVs and eighties fantasy flicks in general it has the distinct sense of being only the first chapter in a longer story that unfortunately has yet to be told.

THE SHORT VERSION

Stoic adventurers

Merry companions

Terror incarnate