Category: Cartoon Breakdown
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Cartoon Breakdown: Tom and Jerry go to Prague: The Gene Deitch Year
In the second part of our three part look at Tom & Jerry, Todd and Andy discuss the short-lived Gene Deitch era, in which American director Deitch and his team of Czech animators produced some of the strangest and least acclaimed films in the characters’ history. From odd animation to misjudged violence and surreal soundtracks,…
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Cartoon Breakdown: The Tip of the Freberg
In this episode we take an in-depth look at the career of Stan Freberg, from his radio work and hit records to his voice work for Warner Bros. Todd introduces Andy to Freberg’s comedy album Stan Freberg Presents The United States of America, and Andy introduces Todd to a mysterious stop-motion animation of Freberg’s Banana…
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Cartoon Breakdown: Huff, Puff, and Repeat
We’re all about pigs again this week as Andy and Todd take a look at other studios’ takes on the Three Little Pigs story. Wartime themes, musical arrangements and swapping pigs for pups: Do these fresh approaches work? Andy and Todd are finding out. SHORTS DISCUSSED: Blitz Wolf (1942, Tex Avery) Pigs in a Polka (1943, Friz Freleng) The…
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Cartoon Breakdown: Who’s Afraid of the Three Little Pigs?
In this episode we take a look at one of the most important cartoons ever made, Disney’s Three Little Pigs, and the three sequels that followed (three and a half counting the propaganda short The Thrifty Pig). Can you top pigs with pigs? Which of the Big Bad Wolf’s disguises is the sexiest? And are…
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Cartoon Breakdown: Daffy Duck: From Screwball to Superstar
In this episode we’re taking a close look at the iconic little black duck himself. Andy attempts to convince a very receptive Todd that Daffy Duck is not only the greatest cartoon star but also one of the greatest movie stars of all time, animated or not. Using three shorts by different directors, we take…
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Cartoon Breakdown: Six Favorites
In this inaugural episode, Andy and Todd take a look at some of their personal favorite animated shorts and discuss what each one means to them. Avoiding obvious choices, Andy aims to illustrate the many facets of animation beyond just the gags, while Todd’s picks provide a glimpse of the later years of the golden…
