Mele Kalikimaka as the ThawedCast covers 'Moana,' the monumental 2016 film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by longtime Disney Animation dynamic duo John Musker and Ron Clements, and co-directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams. Bridget, Lara and Philip revisit the mythical ancient Polynesian world of Moana of Motunui (Auli'i Cravalho) an…

The ThawedCast celebrates the release of ‘Wicked: Part I’ from Universal Pictures, 21 years after the Broadway musical made its sparkling debut. Jodi, Lara, Bridget, and Philip discuss the new 160-minute film which concludes at the intermission point of the stage version. This ‘Wizard of Oz’ prequel began as a 1995 Gregory McQuire novel depicting a…

Jodi, Bridget, and Philip convene prior to Thanksgiving to sneak in a quick episode about a holiday classic (Passover, in this case)--2019's 'Uncut Gems,' directed by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie. Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jewelry dealer in Manhattan's Diamond District. He and his associates, Demany and Julia (LaKeith Stanfield and Juli…

In celebration of Wicked Month, Philip, Bridget, and Lara discuss the 2015 LucasFilm animated feature, 'Strange Magic.' Featuring the voice talents of Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth, this fairytale combines the fantasy romance of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ and the musical tastes of George Lucas, who curated this jukebox music…

Samara and Philip review and discuss the found-footage horror film from directorial sibling duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes, 'Late Night with the Devil.' This re-creation of a 1970s late night talk show, the fictional "Night Owls" with Jack Delroy, depicts one night of the show gone horribly wrong, as the broadcast becomes infiltrated by an evil forc…

Philip and Elliott chat about 'Transformers One,' the new animated film from Paramount Animation depicting the origins of the Autobots and Decepticons and their respective leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron. These central characters within the Transformers franchise begin as humble miner bots on Cybertron, a planet ravaged by conflicts that have d…

Hayao Miyazaki directs the latest film from Studio Ghibli, 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023). This Oscar-winning film serves a magnum opus for a venerated animator nearing the end of his career, reflecting on his early life in this quasi-autobiographical fantasy. Mahito Maki leaves his home in Tokyo following the death of his mother in a World War II …

Philip and Bridget discuss the 1984 film from Hayao Miyazaki 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' the film that kick-started the animation output of Studio Ghibli, co-founded by Miyazaki in 1985. Based on a manga series by Miyazaki, the film takes place in an environmentally ravaged word a millennium after a major apocalyptic event. The remaining …

Philip and Samara discuss the latest film in the 'Alien' franchise, 'Alien: Romulus.' This new release from Twentieth Century studios and director Fede Alvarez delivers sci-fi thrills and chills as a group of young colonists attempt to escape their bleak circumstances. Their opportunity comes when a wayward research station is pulled into orbit abo…

Philip, Jodi, and Lara discuss the 90s blockbuster 'Twister' and growing up in the 1990s in rural environments. Also discussions on modern blockbusters and introducing kids to media. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast. Find us at instagram.com/laraakal, instagram.com/philipehlke…

Philip and Bridget discuss the latest film from Pixar Animation, Inside Out 2, the smash hit sequel to 2015’s Inside Out. Riley Andersen is on summer break just as her emotions, Joy, Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust, are forced to reckon with a major renovation to their Headquarters. The upgrades, a.k.a. puberty, have resulted in the creation of a…

Jodi, Philip and Bridget discuss the sequel to 'Dune' from 2021, concluding Denis Villeneuve's adaptation of the original 'Dune' novel by Frank Herbert. After the massacre of House Atreides on Arrakis, the Harkonnens have retaken their stronghold over spice and resumed their war with the Fremen. Paul Atreides and his mother, Jessica, enlist the hel…

Philip and Jodi discuss the 2022 film from Jordan Peele and Universal Pictures, 'Nope', an alien-abduction tale with a few genre twists. OJ and Emerald Haywood are a brother-and-sister duo who experience strange phenomena on their horse ranch and attempt to capture images of what they believe to be a real UFO. They enlist the help of Angel, a secur…

Philip and Elliott discuss some recent animated offerings from the Star Wars universe, 'The Bad Batch' and 'Tales of the Empire'. Both series depict the transition from the era of the Jedi and the Republic into the tyrannical Empire secretly controlled by the evil Sith. The Bad Batch follows a select group of clones with desirable mutations who hav…

Philip, Bridget, and Jodi chat about musicals, film franchises, motherhood and other entertainment hopes and hangups in the ever-evolving 2024 media landscape. Will new throwback franchise installments like 'Twisters' inject some much needed life into the box office? Or will new properties like 'The Fall Guy' and 'IF' provide a sense of originality…

After the chickens escape the Tweedys' farm in 2000's 'Chicken Run,' they settle on a secluded island and enjoy their newfound freedom. In this stop-motion sequel, again from the claymation experts at the UK's Aardman animation studio, the heroic duo Ginger and Rocky have hatched a daughter named Molly. Molly grows to be as adventurous and freedom-…

The first feature animated film from Aardman, the animators of the famous 'Wallace and Gromit' stop-motion "claymation" short films, 'Chicken Run' was one of DreamWorks' first great successes as an up-and-coming rival to Disney and Pixar. The film is an homage to World War II prisoner-of-war stories like 'The Great Escape' and 'Stalag 17', depictin…

Bridget and Philip discuss ‘A Whiker Away,’ a 2020 anime film from Studio Colorido, Toho Animation and Twin Engine and distributed on Netflix. The film follows Miyo, a fanciful eighth grader in Japan who finds herself embroiled in a Faustian bargain with a feline seller of magical Noh masks. Her newfound power to transform into a cat provides a wel…

'Suzume' is the 2022 animated feature from CoMix Wave Films and the seventh film from writer/director Makoto Shinkai, who most recently saw global crossover success with 'Your Name' (2016) and 'Weathering with You' (2019). 'Suzume' is a supernatural adventure wherein the eponymous heroine accompanies the mysterious Souta across Japan on a quest to …

Philip and Jodi review 'Wish', the 62nd animated feature from Walt Disney Animation Studios. 'Wish' continues a legacy that is currently being celebrated in the Walt Disney Company's 100-year anniversary as the foundation upon which the rest of the company is built. The Disney Empire has come a long way since its humble beginnings in 1923 as a comp…

Lara joins Philip to reminisce about ten years of Disney's 'Frozen'. They discuss the film's influence and how the film and animation industries have changed since 2013. They also explore the fandom of 'Frozen' and Disney more generally and consider the future for the franchise in the context of Disney's status as a film studio in 2023. Follow The …

Philip and Elliott discuss the latest live-action Star Wars series from Lucasfilm and Disney Plus, 'Ahsoka,' spotlighting the popular Jedi who first appeared in 'Star Wars: The Clone Wars.' Ahsoka Tano is portrayed by Rosario Dawson in this eight-episode exploration of the roving former Jedi. Ahsoka is searching for clues to the location of Grand A…

Jodi, Bridget and Philip discuss the 1992 Francis Ford Coppola Film 'Bram Stoker's Dracula.' This film follows the 1897 'Dracula' novel and lends a signature artistic flourish courtesy of Coppola's visionary direction and diverse practical visual effects, vibrant costumes, ornate period sets and atmospheric score. Originally conceived as a minimali…

Bridget and Philip discuss the new animated film from Paramount and Nickelodeon Studios, 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem.' Directed by 'Mitchell's vs the Machines' alumni Jeff Rowe and Kyler Spears, 'Mutant Mayhem' incorporates numerous hand-drawn elements to enhance the cel-shaded 3D animated world of the Ninja Turtles. This new take …

Philip and Jodi discuss 2010's 'TRON: Legacy,' the long-awaited sequel to 1982's 'TRON' starring Jeff Bridges as a plucky computer programmer who gets sucked into the computer world. This seminal "legacy sequel" from Joseph Kosinski, who would go on to direct the 2022 mega-hit 'Top Gun: Maverick,' also stars Jeff Bridges as Kevin Flynn and centers …

Wes Anderson's genre-bending, fourth wall-breaking new film 'Asteroid City' features a colorful cast collected in a remote desert setting. The government research hub of Asteroid City has few permanent residents but plays host to a science convention honoring the achievements of brilliant young minds. Suddenly, a quarantine befalls Asteroid City, a…

Philip and Jodi discuss the latest film from Christopher Nolan and Universal Pictures, 'Oppenheimer,' documenting the Manhattan Project and the life of its co-leader and chief researcher, J. Robert Oppenheimer. Oppenheimer would earn the nickname "Father of the Atomic Bomb" and later "American Prometheus" as the person most responsible for the crea…

Bridget, Lara, and Philip discuss 'Barbie' from Warner Bros. and Mattel. This motion picture phenomenon is directed by Greta Gerwig and stars Margot Robbie as Barbie, or "Stereotypical Barbie" as distinguished from all the other Barbies in Barbieland. Ryan Gosling plays her Ken, who exists to impress Barbie but often goes underappreciated. We follo…

'Nimona' is an animated film released by Netflix on June 30, 2023. It was produced by Annapurna Pictures and the animation team formerly of Blue Sky, the studio behind 'Ice Age' (2002) and 'Spies and Disguise' (2019) and a casualty of the Disney/21st Century Fox acquisition. Nimona is set in a world of futuristic technology combined with medieval c…

'Elemental' is the new film from Pixar Animation and Walt Disney Studios, directed by Peter Sohn. Philip and Bridget discuss the new film all about two characters who are of two opposite extremes. Ember is a being made of fire who comes from an immigrant family and Wade comes from the city's long-established water community. Their conflict blossoms…

Philip and Jodi are joined by 'The Little Mermaid'-superfan Lara Akal to review the 2023 'The Little Mermaid' from Disney. This film reimagines the 1989 Disney animated original in live action with a fresh cast and additional songs by Lin-Manuel Miranda. Alan Menken returns to score and Howard Ashman's legendary lyrics have been revived once again …

Philip and Elliott discuss the latest release from Marvel Studios, 'Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3' written and directed by James Gunn. The Guardians must race to save the life of one of their members after a surprise encounter with an agent of the High Evolutionary, a maniacal scientist and warlord with aims to create a perfect utopia under his …

Jodi, Bridget and Philip discuss the new Max Original animated series ‘Fired on Mars’ available on HBO Max. Jeff Cooper is a graphic designer for the tech giant Mars.ly, and has recently been transferred to their corporate offices on planet Mars. He awaits the day when he can finally start a new life with his partner Hannah, who is scheduled to arr…

Philip and Bridget talk about season 3 of Lucasfilm's 'The Mandalorian' on Disney Plus. This season finds Din Djarin and Grogu searching for the Living Waters of Mandalore. Din believes he can work with his fellow Mandalorians to restore their homeworld and reunite their people. The disgraced Bo-Katan Kryze is one of the few people who can lead a f…

'The Super Mario Bros. Movie' is the record-shattering 2023 film adaptation of the beloved 'Super Mario Bros.' video game franchise from Nintendo. Philip, Bridget, and Alex review the new animated release from Universal Pictures and Illumination, delving into the whimsical fantasy of the Mushroom Kingdom along with New York City plumbers Mario and …

Bridget, Jodi and Philip review the Oscar-winning 'Everything Everywhere All at Once,' a wild visual spectacle from directors Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert and A24 Films. Released in April 2022 in the United States, 'Everything Everywhere All at Once' features a Chinese immigrant couple struggling to keep up with the pressures of their laundromat b…

Jodi, Bridget and Philip review the 2022 'Pinocchio' adaptation from renowned filmmaker Guillermo del Toro and Netflix. Filmed using stop-motion puppetry, del Toro co-directs with Mark Gustafson a film that reflects the signature dark whimsy of del Toro's earlier films, unafraid to delve into heavy symbolism involving war and loss. The wartime sett…

Jodi, Bridget and Philip review and discuss the 2022 animated film 'The Sea Beast' from Netflix. Walt Disney Animation Studios veteran Chris Williams writes and directs on a film that follows in the footsteps of his past efforts including 'Bolt,' 'Big Hero 6,' and 'Moana.' 'The Sea Beast' offers epic adventure on the high seas where we follow the c…

Philip and Bridget discuss a variety of pop-culture topics including AI art being sold at conventions, free shipping, the gig economy, and the pressures of standardized education. The rapid movement of commerce via online and tech-based innovation has been a source of tremendous excitement since the advent of the Internet, but eventually the excite…

The first entry in the now-ubiquitous 'Sonic the Hedgehog' film franchise starring James Marsden and Jim Carrey, with Ben Schwartz providing the voice of the classic Sega mascot, 'Sonic the Hedgehog' was released in early 2020 to an enthusiastic audience. The movie managed to win over a younger crowd who had inherited the legacy of the 90s icon, an…

'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' is the sequel to 2011's 'Puss in Boots' and is the sixth film in the 'Shrek' franchise from DreamWorks Animation. Philip and Bridget discuss this new theatrical release, the studio's 43rd feature, and measure it up against today's cinematic landscape. 'Puss in Boots: The Last Wish' finds the literary hero Puss reckoni…

Philip and Bridget discuss 'Strange World' from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The Walt Disney Company celebrates its 100th anniversary and its feature animation division's 61st animated film, coinciding with a new castle logo redesign to celebrate the centennial milestone. With a premise pulled from pulp novels of the early twentieth century, 'Str…

Philip is joined by his sister Samara and her husband Elliott in discussing the new 'Star Wars' series on Disney+, 'Andor'. This live-action sci-fi drama details the origin of Cassian Andor, co-protagonist of the 2016 film 'Rogue One: A Star Wars Story' about the mission to steal the Death Star plans from the evil Galactic Empire. Cassian finds him…

Jodi, Bridget, and Philip return to the world of 'Enchanted' in its sequel 15 years in the making. Set around a decade after the original film, Giselle and Patrick have a child of their own, the infant Sofia, and Morgan is entering her senior year of high school. They move from their Manhattan apartment to the idyllic suburb of Monroeville, but Mor…

Jodi, Bridget, and Philip discuss the seminal 2007 Disney animated/live-action hybrid 'Enchanted,' from director Kevin Lima. This film would usher in the post-Rennaissance era of the Disney Princess which saw a soft revival with 'The Princess and the Frog' and truly exploded with CGI hits like 'Tangled' and 'Frozen.' Amy Adams portrays Giselle, a b…

Philip and Bridget discuss ‘Zootopia+’ from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the six-part anthology set in the world of the film ‘Zootopia’ from 2016. Other topics in this this episode include ‘Grogu and the Dust Bunnies’ from Lucasfilm and Studio Ghibli, Taylor Swift’s ‘Midnights,’ and future ‘Avatar: The Last Airbender’ spin-offs. Follow The Thawed…

Philip, Bridget and Alex discuss 'Wendell & Wild' from 'Coraline' and 'Nightmare Before Christmas' director Henry Selick. Released October 2022 on Netflix, the film stars Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele respectively as the eponymous duo Wendell and Wild, two mischievous demons in the service of arch-demon Buffalo Belzer. The film was originally…

Bridget, Alex and Philip have a general chat about animation, entertainment and pop culture news and topics. Come hang with the ThawedCast in this laid-back episode containing everything from the upcoming 'Super Mario Bros.' movie to celebrity encounters. Also each co-host has his or her own Mandela-effect moment, so there's also that. Follow The T…

Alex, Philip and Bridget put out an APB on 'Monster House' from 2003, directed by Gil Kenan, about a villainous house that eats people (and dogs)! This edgy horror-comedy for kids is the perfect balance of kid-friendly intrigue and clever, tongue-in-cheek dialogue from the animation house behind 'The Polar Express.' Having made the tonal shift from…

Alex, Heather and Philip review the 2003 animated TV special, 'Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktakular' from Mainframe Entertainment. The Canadian studio behind classic kids' shows like 'ReBoot' and 'Beast Wars' obtained the TV rights to Jill Thompson's 'Scary Godmother' book series in the late nineties. They eventually produced two hour-long TV sp…