A short time ago, on a podcast network pretty nearby, Ben and Zane were trying to unravel the mysteries of the force. Thankfully, a nearby Jedi known as 'Ulysses' set them straight. It was really complicated, what with balance being ill-defined, and the whole mind-control thing. Basically, he claimed, the force just did whatever it wanted, and you either caught the wave or got out the way. They didn't much care for his answers, but at least they didn't have to talk to the B1's.
Ben and Zane had a problem. Or rather, they had no problems at all. All their cares had been danced away. Sure, their society was a fractured class-divided race-divided shantytown without access to electricity or felt cleaner, but none of that seemed to matter. The Cartoncasters had each other, they had music, and they had Hawaiian shirts as far as the eye could see. Which was not very far, living in a dark cave and all. Down in Fraggle Rock.
Welcome again to our Bootlegg'd segment, where we tune in this time to watch "Sita Sings the Blues", an animated adaptation of The Ramayana, a famous and hugely influential Indian epic. This incarnation of the story focuses on a woman's struggle to be worthy of her husband's love, but the movie is about a whole lot more, including thinly veiled domestic abuse parallels, the author's own personal struggles, and anachronistic media presentations from across the ages that somehow form a more perfect whole. And our discussion is about even more than that, so get ready for a record-breaking number of disclaimers at the top of the episode, the eternal struggle of separating content from creator, and an unreasonable number of Jojo's references. That's all!
It was a beautiful sunny day in the Moomin countryside, as Ben and Zane ambled slowly toward the river. Perfect day for fishing. Whenever they caught one, they gave it a pat on the head and threw it back. All in good fun, and the point was to enjoy each others' company regardless. When the lake grew dark, the Cartoncasters grew wary. Bubbling water gave way to a giant ever-burning snail. It waved its eyeballs in semaphore, and they realized the problem: those fish got all out of order and he had to start his counting over again. To make it up to him, they brought him Jello the next day. That's just being neighborly.
There comes a time in a man's life where he must truly shake the foundations he was raised on. When he must confront what he knows to be true and pushes against its limits. He breaks free from the shackles of his previous existence and embraces a world where truly anything is possible.***Scene Missing***So we went and did a Spongebob draft. Confused? So were we.
In a lot of ways, Johnny was just like Ben and Zane remembered him: energetic, juvenile, and with a flimsy understanding of personal space. Still, he was charming enough...until he met the other guest the Cartoncasters invited, the Queen. He kept trying to pelt her with "smoocherinos" and ask to see her crown. They apologized, and she said it was quite alright, provided she could string him up in the town square and smack him about. It was a result that, surprisingly, everyone was okay with. At least, we assume, as men, that everyone was okay with it.
Welcome to our first Reheat'd segment, where we look at how a particular property has changed over the years. Today we have Andrew Spohn from the delightful podcast Amusement Sparks on the show, and he brought us a real treat. The new She-ra show takes the core positive message of female empowerment and builds on that ideal, including tons of representation without beating you over the head. Add onto that a solid set of voice actors, get rid of some of the He-man toy-mania that was slowing it down, wait 30 years for the public to pick up what you're putting down, and you have a great reimagining of a show well worth dusting off for a new generation. For the Honor of Grayskull!
With only a night before the big show, Ben and Zane had to get the band back together. They called Gary Lane to fill in the third spot in their classic band "The Cartoncasters" and went to practicing. Unfortunately, a series of comedic mishaps involving a disco ball, super-glue, doughnut holes prevented them from getting anything done until the show. They tuned their instruments as best they could and tried to pump up the crowd, but before long there was a riot on their hands. They had to call in a Witch Doctor to put a hex on the audience so they would forget all about this show...at least for 20 years or so.
Welcome to a world in disarray, and a story of humanity hanging on to supremacy by its fingernails. Nausicaa of the Valley of the wind can be recommended for many things - its storytelling, an effective and independent female protagonist, being the effective start of the famous Studio Ghibli - but at its core is much more than that. The excellent art design and worldbuilding allow Miyazaki to breathe his ideal of pacifism into a compelling fantasy tale that's brimming with imagination and message. So jump on your radical airgliders and make sure you have your full complement of insect repellent - it's gonna be a wild ride.
Ben and Zane signed up for an adventure. "Pirates, swag, booty, what more could you ask for?" They buckled their swashes and went to the address posted on the quest board. It was a dock on the outskirts of town, and rather than a house, a boat, or a houseboat, there was a whale. It opened its mouth and out came two creatures. One, a fresh-faced little boy, and the other some disfigured wretch wearing galoshes. "Here," he said, his voice gnarly enough to warp a mizzenmast, "he's all yours." The Cartoncasters looked after the child for a day of tiresome lollygagging, but there was no whale to return him to in the evening. Tossing him into the murky waters, they agreed that things would probably work themselves out.
Ben and Zane were visiting the annual 'Shadowy Cabal Society Meeting' (the networking opportunities are excellent) when one of the members began bragging about Clone High, a high school full of cloned famous people throughout history. The Cartoncasters were riveted as they were told tales of loving, learning, sharing, and judging. It was only when he started talking about how it related to the principle and his wacky robot butler that their eyes started to glaze over; honestly, they should've stuck with the sexy teens.
The Cartoncasters just moved into this great new house in the middle of nowhere. It's a bit of a fixer-upper, but luckily Dan Caves was able to come by to help out. After redecorating a few rooms, they started hearing some strange sounds, like a voice on vinyl telling them to tally bananas. They decided that they were being haunted, and hit the books to figure out how to have a proper exorcism. Then they just ignored all that continuity and watched Beetlejuice the animated series instead.
Ben and Zane once again found themselves in the middle of a techno-anarcho-revolution. Cowards that they are, the Cartoncasters hurried to figure out the situation so that they could best ingratiate themselves with the side best able to protect them. It was...difficult. The rebels seemed to be in the right, claiming that the Alliance's use of Noultramium was a clear violation of the Peace Accords of 20XX (named for the Peace Accordions, of course). The Alliance, for their part, said that the rebels were targeting civilians with mind-control. Eventually they gave up and joined the Tarot Turncoats, clearly a group of double-agents, but at least they had cool haircuts.
In the adolescence of animated features, Little Foot and his motley band of dinosaurs captured the hearts of children everywhere. Drawing inspiration from titans like Fantasia and Bambi, as well as that indefinable natural allure of the titans that once ruled the earth, The Land Before Time has endured the eons. Join us - as well as special guest J.T. Andrews of the Cocktail Party Congress - to rediscover a story about loss, community, and love.
Ben and Zane were having a wonderful kind of day walking down the streets of Elwood City. But there was a problem: they couldn't find their lucky egg! They looked on the street and on the sidewalks. Where was the egg? They looked on top of the buildings and inside the stores. Where was the egg? They asked the policeman and the crossing guard. Where was the egg? Finally, they asked Arthur, who seemed like a knowledgeable...person? He said he had the same problem last week, but after 22 minutes of searching he realized that he had left it at home, and it turned out that the Cartoncasters did too! Ah, the simple life.
Ben and Zane were hesitant to join SHIELD, the Society Helping In Egg-related Leisures Distribution, but after a quick tour and being given their complimentary motorcycles, they warmed to it. The only problem was the sheer number of people in masks standing around, shouting nonsensical catchphrases at each other. You couldn't even cross over to the other end of the airship without causing a fight sequence. Even so, it was nice to get away from DC (Dialogue Competency) for awhile.
Well up on Muscle Planet, the Muscle League was inducting new members, and wouldn't you know it, Ben and Zane were first in line. They were a little nervous about all of the wrestlers what were animals in line, but a quick talk from the one and only Kid Muscle set them straight. Not only did they learn about multiculturalism in the ring, they also got an engrossing song about the merits of a high-fiber diet. A brief induction ceremony later, The Cartoncasters were off, dreaming of one day having a planet with their faces on it.
Ben and Zane were having a hell of a time in the jungle, running from lions and eating bees. Their salvation came in the form of world-renowned explorist Nigel Thornberry, who gave them a ride in the CommVee and fed them some delicious cheesy-puffs. His family was a bit odd, though. One of those darned kids wouldn't get off her phone, while another one couldn't stop screaming. One of them kept mumbling to the pet monkey (also, pet monkey). Nigel sat down to interview the Cartoncasters about their time in the wild, but to be honest, they couldn't really remember much.
The highly coveted Cartony Cup (a large glass that you crack eggs into before whisking) is up for grabs again this year, with hosts Ben and Zane presiding. It's a real menagerie of animated contenders this year, and we intend not to stop until everyone, including the ourselves, the cartoons, and even the audience, is disoriented and ashamed. It takes about five minutes this year.
Wendell Jones of Sideshow Sound Theatre (That's "r-e") joined us to talk about this unique and emotion-driven classic. Some pieces have stood the test of time and look as good now as they did in 1940, while others are Toccata and Fugue. While it may not have lived up to Disney's dreams during his lifetime, Fantasia remains an important piece of culture. In that, it is not unlike the Cartoncast.
