Old School Lane

In the 26th Hey Arnold Anniversary Show, Arun Mehta welcomes Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett for a fan-driven journey through the show’s history, its most enduring mysteries and the stories that might still lie ahead. Craig revisits the creative decisions behind Ruth, Helga, Gerald and the wider Hillwood cast; explains how artists such as Tuck Tucker helped the characters evolve; reflects on the casting of George Takei and Jean Smart as Phoebe’s parents; and reveals the inspirations behind episodes including “Gerald’s Game” and “The Ghost Bride.”

The discussion goes deep on Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, including what Arnold realises about Helga during the bridge scene, why Craig considers the long-awaited film a complete success and how the final story changed from an earlier, much darker idea. Craig also gives a candid update on Season 6, explains why any revival ultimately rests with Nickelodeon and imagines a sixth-grade continuation with Arnold’s parents back home, Arnold and Helga navigating a loving but stormy relationship, and new conflicts at the boarding house.

Craig also opens up about the unmade The Patakis spin-off and the surprising performer he once imagined as the mysterious Fuzzy Slippers. Beyond Hillwood, he traces the origin of his Old West comedy Party Wagon, shares an update on the feature-length Ready Jet Go! project, discusses the fate of Sky Rat, and offers practical advice for creators pitching animated series. The conversation closes with reflections on modern animation, industry consolidation, creative mentorship and the enduring connection between Hey Arnold! and its fans.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia continue their lookback into the American Tail franchise with the 3rd film in the franchise in the 1998 direct to video film An American Tail: The Treasure of Manhattan Island. Taken place after the first film, Fievel and Tony discover a map in an abandoned subway leading to a treasure that is located in a hidden Lenape village underground. Together, Fievel, Tony, Tiger, a museum curator, and his assistant find out that the tribe is still living underground due to the cruelty that the European settlers did to the Lenape Native American humans. Not wanting to suffer the same fate when the European mice settlers would arrive in America, they went underground hiding from the surface world. Meanwhile, Papa Mousekewitz is dealing with the harsh treatments of working in the cheese factory and inadvertently causes a union strike due to the unfair conditions of hours of work with little pay when he's trying to not cause trouble for his family. The film received mixed reviews from critics and fans due to the subpar animation and controversial topics. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In the 25th Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show, creator Craig Bartlett joins Arun Mehta for a wide-ranging fan Q&A packed with stories. Craig looks back on Arnold’s handmade claymation beginnings, explains how Jim Lang’s jazz-infused music helped define Hillwood, and shares the origins of fan-favourite characters and moments including Pigeon Man, Stoop Kid, Dino Spumoni, Abner and Grandpa Phil’s unforgettable advice.

The conversation also explores why Helga was his favourite character to write, the darker side of episodes such as “Helga and the Nanny,” the evolution of Arnold and Helga’s relationship, and creative decisions behind Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie. Plus, Bartlett discusses 1990s Nickelodeon merchandise, Helga’s appearance in Nickelodeon All-Star Brawl, and what he was working on at the time.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2026 live action/animated hybrid film Coyote vs. Acme based on the Looney Tunes cartoons. Wile E. Coyote wishes to sue Acme Corporation after the numerous times he's bought their products and failed to function while trying to capture the Roadrunner to eat him. He hires an attorney named Kevin Avery after watching a TV ad promoting that his law firm Avery, Jones, & Maltese will help anyone affected by Acme products. It turns out that Kevin and his law firm only settles their cases for a few hundred dollars and drops any charges instead of tackling the Acme Corporation head on. Wile E. believes that by taking Acme to court, the Roadrunner will come as a witness and he'll have a better chance to capture and eat him. Kevin believes this is his chance to stand up to the big Acme Corporation led by CEO Foghorn Leghorn and their head attorney Buddy Crane and bring justice to the cartoons who were affected by Acme products.

Based on the New Yorker editorial Coyote vs. Acme written by Ian Frazier, the film was produced around 2022 before Warner Bros. Discovery cancelled the film and used it as a tax write off in 2023. However, due to massive backlash, it was later revived and distributed by Ketchup Entertainment who also released the also cancelled Looney Tunes film The Day the Earth Blew Up. The film received massive praise from critics and fans calling it the best Looney Tunes film ever made. Is this true? Do Arun and Patricia agree with those statements?

Arun Mehta is joined once again by series creator Craig Bartlett for the 21st Hey Arnold! Anniversary show! This is a deep dive into the world of Arnold, Helga, Gerald, Phoebe, Grandma Gertie, and the long-awaited Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie. Craig answers fan questions about classic episodes, character relationships, production changes, fan theories, Arnold and Helga’s future, and what it was like returning to the series after years of anticipation.

The conversation covers everything from the mysteries of Arnold’s parents and the emotional stakes of The Jungle Movie to behind-the-scenes memories of animation, voice casting, fan fiction, deleted ideas, and the possibility of a future sixth season.

In this 24th Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show, Arun Mehta sits down with Hey Arnold! creator Craig Bartlett for a wide-ranging conversation packed with behind-the-scenes stories from one of Nickelodeon’s most beloved animated series. Craig explains how Jim Lang’s distinctive jazz and hip-hop-inspired score shaped the world of the show, reflects on the remarkable response to the soundtrack’s vinyl release, and discusses the possibility of further music releases.

The conversation also explores how much of Craig can be found in Arnold, the creation and casting of Mr. Simmons, and what it was like working with Mark Hamill. Craig reveals the inspirations behind fan-favourite characters and episodes—including Ronnie Matthews, the Sewer King, Preteen Scream, and the show’s memorable half-hour specials—while sharing candid insights into the writing room, voice-recording sessions, character development, and the creative ambitions that drove the series forward.

In the 23rd Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show, Arun Mehta welcomes series creator Craig Bartlett back for an in-depth fan Q&A celebrating the legacy of the beloved Nickelodeon classic. Craig reflects on the origins of Hey Arnold!, the freedom of the early Nicktoons era, the show’s mix of childhood stories and mature themes, and the characters, episodes, and creative choices that continue to resonate with fans.
The conversation covers everything from Helga’s iconic design, Monkey Man, Lorenzo, Lila, Arnie, Lockjaw, The Journal, Hey Arnold!: The Movie, the much-loved “What’s Opera, Arnold?” episode, and the road that eventually led to Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie. Craig also discusses representation in the series, why the show connected with different generations of viewers, and what made the world of Hey Arnold! feel so real, funny, and emotionally enduring.

In this special 22th Hey Arnold! anniversary episode, Arun Mehta welcomes creator Craig Bartlett back for an in-depth fan Q&A celebrating the beloved Nickelodeon classic. Craig reflects on the origins of Hey Arnold!, the freedom of creating a thoughtful cartoon about childhood, the design and evolution of characters like Helga, Lila, Lorenzo, Arnie, Monkey Man and Mr. Simmons, and the stories behind fan-favourite episodes including “What’s Opera, Arnold?”, “24 Hours to Live”, “Field Trip”, “The Journal” and more.
The conversation also dives into Hey Arnold! The Movie and The Jungle Movie, including the long road to resolving Arnold’s missing parents storyline, the creative decisions behind the show’s emotional payoff, and the enduring impact of the series on fans across generations. Packed with behind-the-scenes memories, production stories, character insights and plenty of Hey Arnold! nostalgia, this episode is a must-listen for longtime fans and anyone interested in animation, storytelling and classic Nicktoons.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia look back on the American Tail franchise continuing with the second film Fievel Goes West released in 1991. Taking place a few years later, Fievel has a dream of wanting to be a gunslinging cowboy akin to his hero Sheriff Wylie Burp. However, he still lives in New York City with his family and being constantly being attacked by cats led by Cat R. Waul. With their home destroyed and ending up at the sewer, they witness a cowboy mouse from Green River, Utah talking about how great the Wild West is and how cats and mice are friends over there. Convinced that the life of opportunity is at the West, they leave New York to move to Utah. When Fievel realizes that Cat R. Waul is behind convincing the mice to move to Green River to gain their trust and would make them into mice burgers later on, he is thrown off the train and left to fend for himself.

Meanwhile, Tiger tries to catch up with Fievel and his family, but is being chased by dogs left and right and would wind up in the desert where a group of Native American mice think he's a god. When Fievel enter into Green River, he tells his family on the conversation he heard from Cat R. Waul, but no one believes him. He meets his hero Sheriff Burp, but he's over the hill and too tired to fight the cats. But he offers to train a dog everything he knows to do it instead. Fievel asks Tiger for help and has less than a day to become a hero otherwise all the mice are turned into burgers.

When the film premiered in theaters, it only made $40 million dollars out of its $16 million budget with mixed reviews from critics and fans. It also didn't help much that it came out the same year as Disney's Beauty and the Beast. Does the film hold up over 35 years later?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia look back on the American Tail franchise starting with the first film released in 1986. A Russian-Jewish family called the Mousekewitzes consisting of Mama, Papa, their daughter Tanya, their son Fievel, and baby Yasha, decide to move to America to have a prosperous life with no cats attacking them. Fievel gets lost while a giant wave crashes on the ship the immigrants were in going to America and now has to find them when arriving in New York City. Fievel goes through many obstacles, meets up with other mice like Tony Toponi, Bridget, Honest John, and Gussy, and the evil corrupted leader of a cat gang named Warren T. Rat. Will Fievel reunite with his family?When the film premiered in theaters, it made $84.5 million dollars out of a $9 million dollar budget beating the Disney animated film The Great Mouse Detective which came out a few months prior. It received positive reviews from critics and viewers and made Don Bluth a household name. The song "Somewhere Out There" became a huge hit in the radio charts and was the first non-Disney song to be nominated for Best Original Song in the Academy Awards. It's still regarded as an animated classic. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

Craig Bartlett, creator of Hey Arnold!, joins Arun Mehta for the 20th Anniversary Show! A wide-ranging interview about the past, present, and future of the beloved Nickelodeon series. In this episode, Craig shares behind-the-scenes stories from the original show, including how long it took to make an episode, the moving real-life inspiration behind Arnold’s Christmas, the origins of Brainy, and why Arnold and Helga were always on a path toward something deeper.
The conversation also looks ahead to Hey Arnold!: The Jungle Movie, the possibility of a sixth season, The Patakis, reboot character designs, fan demand, and how a new generation of artists and viewers helped bring Arnold back into the spotlight.

In the 19th Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show, Arun Mehta welcomes creator Craig Bartlett back to the show for an in-depth fan Q&A celebrating one of Nickelodeon’s most beloved animated series. Craig discusses the legacy of Hey Arnold!, the show’s emotional storytelling, why it continues to resonate with fans, and the characters and episodes that still spark discussion nearly two decades later. He also answers long-running fan questions about Arnold’s design, Gerald’s voice change, Brainy’s connection to Helga, the truth behind the Pigeon Man rumours, Arnold’s family, the unfinished Jungle Movie, and the possibility of future stories.

The conversation also touches on Craig’s work on Ready Jet Go!, his thoughts on children’s animation, the power of cartoons to connect across generations, and how fan passion helped keep the world of Hey Arnold! alive.

In the 18th Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show, Arun Mehta welcomes creator Craig Bartlett back for an in-depth fan Q&A and a heartfelt tribute to the late Steve Viksten. Craig reflects on Steve’s huge contribution to Hey Arnold!, from writing some of the show’s most memorable stories to voicing Oskar, and shares personal memories from their years working together on Rugrats and Hey Arnold!.
The conversation also explores the legacy of Hey Arnold!, the enduring fanbase, the origins of Arnold’s iconic football-shaped head, the emotional depth of characters like Harold and Helga, and what might have happened with The Patakis spin-off. Craig also talks about returning to Nickelodeon, developing Skyrat, the changing animation industry, social media, fan art, DVDs, end credits, and why the world of Hey Arnold! still means so much to viewers years later.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guests Jim Bevan and Eli "The Hero of Tomorrow" Stone look back on the winners and nominations of the animated films that were highlighted at the Academy Awards. They also discuss about animated films that should've or shouldn't have been nominated for the Oscars.

Join Arun Mehta for the 17th Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show with Craig Bartlett, the creator of Hey Arnold!, as they dig into the stories, characters and creative choices behind the beloved Nickelodeon series. Craig answers fan questions about Arnold’s love of jazz, Helga’s family life, Monkey Man, Lila, unused episode ideas, voice recording sessions, musical episodes, ratings, celebrity cameos and much more.Whether you grew up watching Hey Arnold! or are discovering the show’s legacy today, this conversation offers a warm, funny and revealing look at the world of Arnold, Helga and the rest of the neighbourhood from the person who created it!

Craig Bartlett, the creator of Hey Arnold!, returns for a fan-focused deep dive into the world of Hillwood. In this episode, Arun Mehta hands the microphone over to the audience for the first time, using questions submitted by fans to explore some of the show’s biggest mysteries, behind-the-scenes stories, and character details.Craig talks about casting the original voice actors, why real kids were so important to the sound and emotional authenticity of the series, the evolution of Arnold as a character, and the deeper layers behind Helga, Olga, Phoebe, Rhonda, Lila, Brainy, Fuzzy Slippers, Monkey Man, and more. The conversation also touches on fan-favourite episodes including April Fool’s Day, Helga Blabs It All, What’s Opera, Arnold?, Parents Day, and The Journal.This episode also marks the first instalment to feature questions directly from the fans, with hundreds of submissions helping shape the discussion. From long-running theories to production secrets, Craig gives thoughtful, funny, and revealing answers that longtime Hey Arnold! fans won’t want to miss.Listen now for a nostalgic, fan-driven conversation celebrating the characters, stories, music, and unanswered questions that continue to make Hey Arnold! such a beloved animated series.

Celebrate the legacy of Hey Arnold! with this special anniversary edition of The Arun Mehta Show, originally broadcast on North Manchester FM 106.6 in 2011. This episode marks the first ever Hey Arnold! Anniversary Show, featuring an in-depth conversation with series creator Craig Bartlett.
Arun and Craig look back at the origins of Arnold, the evolution of the show, fan-favourite episodes, the emotional depth behind characters like Helga, Gerald and Arnold’s grandparents, and the long-running mystery surrounding Arnold’s parents. The discussion also touches on the making of the series, the music of Jim Lang, Hey Arnold!: The Movie, the planned Jungle Movie, and why the show continues to mean so much to fans.

Whether you grew up watching Hey Arnold! or discovered it later, this anniversary show is a nostalgic and thoughtful tribute to one of Nickelodeon’s most beloved animated series.

In this episode of PixMix, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2025 Pixar animated film Toy Story 5, the fifth installment of the Toy Story franchise. Bonnie is 8 years old now and she is having trouble making friends. Her parents decide to give her a Lilypad tablet device since the girls from her dance class have one and believe it would help her socialize. However, she becomes addicted to it and Bonnie's toys are left behind. Jessie tries to confront Lilypad, but she is outsmarted by her stating she will help Bonnie make friends with all her features. She inadvertently calls Woody for help and arrives to take care of Lilypad and return things to normal. But Lilypad hacks her system and puts all the toys in the garage. Meanwhile, Jessie ends up in her previous owner Emily's house and meets with Blaze, a young farm girl with an active imagination and who loves horses. Together with Blaze's old devices Smarty Pants, Atlas, and Snappy, Jessie tries to return home before Bonnie is taken over by Lilypad.

When the film premiered in theaters, it received positive reviews from critics and fans making $585 million dollars out of a $250 million dollar budget, the largest budget in Pixar history. However, it received some response saying that Toy Story 5 doesn't justify its existence and that the franchise is overdone and exhausting. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

After an almost 2 year hiatus, In Search of the Crystal Skull is back! Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2026 live action film Masters of the Universe based on the 1983 animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe. Taken place in the world of Eternia, a timid boy named Prince Adam was tasked of protecting The Sword of Power and heading to Earth for safety after an evil sorcerer named Skeletor threatens to conquer everything and stealing the sword to make him more powerful. However, he lost the sword and was stuck on Earth for 15 years living a mundane life. One day, someone found the sword and Adam retrieves it. Immediately afterwards, his childhood friend Teela from Eternia returns him home only to learn that Skeletor has taken over everything. When the film premiered in theaters, it received mixed reviews from critics and fans. It was a box office bomb making $102 million dollars out of a $200 million dollar budget and is currently 68% on Rotten Tomatoes. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia look back on the 1983 animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe in honor of the upcoming movie Masters of the Universe. They discuss about the premise, characters, favorite episodes, and the legacy of the show's impact.

Continuing our lookback at the Mario adaptations, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1986 Japanese original video animated film Super Mario Bros. The Great Mission to Rescue Princess Peach! Mario and Luigi are tasked of rescuing Princess Peach from King Koopa after he kidnaps her wishing to marry her. Mario and Luigi must gather three objects to free the Toads from their imprisonment and use it to save Princess Peach before the full moon appears. The film was only released in Japan and released on VHS and Betamax. It wasn't until 2016 when a YouTuber named Carnivol acquired an 16mm reel of the film. Years later, both Carnivol, Femboy Films, and Kineko Video worked on a 4K restoration with English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Russian subtitles for more people to view it. What were Arun and Patricia's thoughts of this obscure Mario OVA?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia start a new month looking back on the adaptations of the Super Mario Bros. franchise by Nintendo. They first they look back are the three animated television shows animated and produced by DiC Entertainment: The Super Mario Bros. Super Show, The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, and Super Mario World. All 3 shows involve Mario, Luigi, and Princess Toadstool defeating the evil King Koopa from taking over the land they're residing in. In The Super Mario Bros. Super Show and The Adventures of Super Mario Bros. 3, Toad is alongside the group preventing King Koopa taking over the Mushroom Kingdom. In Super Mario World, Yoshi is alongside the gang preventing King Koopa and the Koopalings taking over Dinosaur World. All 3 shows have lived in infamy due to being prominently featured on parodic videos, reanimation projects, and YouTube poops. How do they hold up in their own merits?

In this episode of PixMix, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2026 Pixar animated film Hoppers. Co-written and directed by Daniel Chong, the creator of Cartoon Network's We Bare Bears, Hoppers focuses on a 19-year-old young adult named Mabel who has a love and passion for animals and nature due to her grandmother. When she passed away, the forest glade that her and Mabel would go to often is in danger of being replaced by a freeway led by the mayor of her town. One day while trying to lure one beaver to the glade to restore it, she sees a beaver wandering around. She follows it and learns that it's a robot beaver created by her college professor Dr. Sam Fairfax under the project Hoppers to have their human consciousness into robotic animals to observe them. Mabel places her consciousness into the robotic beaver to find beavers to save the glade. She meets up with all the animals in a small, crowded part of the forest led by a beaver named King George who knows everyone and sees the good in everyone. When the film premiered in theaters, it made over $164 million dollars with a $150 million dollar budget. It received positive reviews from critics and fans calling it a hilarious, insane, yet heartfelt film that was a refreshing change of pace from the previous Pixar films. It became the highest grossing opening for an original Pixar film since 2017 when Coco premiered. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1993 animated film We're Back: A Dinosaur's Story based on the 1987 book by the same name by Hudson Talbott. Four dinosaurs consisting of a Tyrannosaurus Rex named Rex, a Pterodactyl named Elsa, a Triceratops named Woog, and an Apatosaurus named Dweeb were fed a cereal called Brain Grain by Captain Neweyes and his alien companion Vorb to make them smart. They're tasked on heading to New York City around the Middle Future to meet up with Dr. Bleeb, the main curator of The Museum of Natural History. The dinosaurs meet up with a boy named Louie who ran away to join the circus and a girl named Cecilia who is alone due to her parents not being around. When Louie and Cecelia reaches the circus, they later learned that it's run by Captain Neweyes' brother Professor Screweyes whose main goal is to scare people. When the film premiered in theaters, it made $9.3 million dollars out of a $20 million dollar budget with mixed to negative reviews. Patricia covered this film during her lookback of the Amblimation trilogy while Arun hasn't seen the film since he was a kid. What did they think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1987 live action film Masters of the Universe based on the 1983 animated series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe animated and produced by Filmation based on the toys. In the planet Eternia, He-Man, Man of Arms, Teela, and a new character named Gwildor are fighting the evil minions of Skeletor to prevent him from taking over Castle Grayskull. Gwildor's invention, the Cosmic Key, is able to travel to different dimensions across the galaxies. Skeletor sends his soldiers to capture them to retrieve the device, but Gwildor uses it for them to escape to another planet in another dimension: Earth. Meanwhile, a teenage girl and her boyfriend get caught in the fight of He-Man and Skeletor finding the Cosmic Key.When the film premiered in theaters, it made $17 million dollars out of $22 million dollar budget with negative reviews from critics calling it a Star Wars and Conan the Barbarian ripoff with He-Man plastered on it. Over the years, it has gained a cult following for its campy humor and offbeat depictions of He-Man and Skeletor. What did Arun and Patricia think of this film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2025 Disney animated film Zootopia 2, the sequel to the 2016 animated film Zootopia. One week after the events of Zootopia, Judy Hopps and Nick Wilde are continuing their work at the Zootopia Police Department as partners, but Chief Bogo sees their destructive actions to capture bad guys. It doesn't help that their personalities were the complete opposite of one another. He states that they have to work together if not they would separate them. Meanwhile, a gala celebrating the city's 100th anniversary is being held at the estate of the Lynxley family, whose ancestors was Ebenezer Lynxley, the founder of Zootopia. All of the sudden, a snake named Gary attempts to steal the journal which contains information on who the founder of Zootopia really is and who created the weather walls controlling the temperature of all of Zootopia's sections. Judy sees the good in him and after inadvertently attacking Chief Bogo and rendering him unconscious from a venom bite, Judy and Nick escape with Gary and the journal making them fugitives. When the film premiered in theaters, it made $1.4 billion dollars in the box office receiving critical acclaim from critics and viewers calling it a film that's just as good as the first one. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia take a break watching DreamWorks Dragons to watch the 2018 Netflix animated series She-Ra and the Princesses of Power. Based on the 1985 series She-Ra: Princess of Power, a spinoff of the 1983 series He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, She-Ra focuses on Adora, a soldier of the villain Hordak's army The Horde who wishes to conquer the planet Etheria to bring peace to the land. One night, Adora and her friend Catra sneak out to the Whispering Woods and she finds a sword. After picking up the sword, she becomes She-Ra and is destined to stop Hordak from his evil plans. She leaves the Horde, joins two companions named Glimmer and Bow, and together they reunite the princesses from the other lands and stop the Horde from conquering Etheria.When the series premiered on Netflix, it received critical acclaim from critics and viewers with its engaging story, memorable characters, LBGTQ representation, and making necessary updates to the original source material. It has been called one of the greatest animated series of the 2010s and one of the few times a remake to a classic show is better than the original. What did Arun and Patricia think of this new incarnation of She-Ra?

In the final episode of Casual Chats for 2025, Patricia and special guest Jesse McAnally from Musicals with Cheese discuss about 10 musicals based on the 1843 novella A Christmas Carol written by Charles Dickens. They go over the pros, cons, and best songs that encompasses each key moment from this classic Christmas story. The musicals we covered for this podcast are as follow: The 1954 adaptation of A Christmas Carol from the anthology series Shower of Stars.The Stingiest Man in Town from the anthology series The Alcoa Hour that aired in 1956. The 1962 animated television special Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol.The 1970 musical film Scrooge.The 1978 animated adaptation of The Stingiest Man in Town produced by Rankin/Bass.The 1992 film The Muppet Christmas Carol.The 1994 Off-Broadway show A Christmas Carol: The MusicalThe 2010 stage show A Christmas Carol: A New MusicalThe 2022 animated adaptation of Scrooge: A New Musical that was released on Netflix.The 2022 Apple TV+ film Spirited.

We're now entering bonus territory in Puppets Go BOOM! Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2004 live action adaptation of the 1965 British sci-fi action series Thunderbirds created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Alan Tracy is a 14 year old teen who wants to be a Thunderbird just like his father Jeff and his four older brothers Scott, Virgil, Gordon, and John. But he has to go to school before he could even think of joining. Meanwhile, a man known as The Hood wishes to steal the Thunderbirds vehicles so he can break into the banks around the world and steal all the money and wealth. With Jeff and his older sons trapped in Thunderbird 5 up in space and his scientist Brains captured by The Hood and his assistants, it's up to Alan, Brains' son Fermat, and a young teenage girl named TinTin to save the day.When the film premiered in theaters, it made $28 million dollars out of a $57 million dollar budget. It received negative reviews from critics calling it a terrible adaptation of the show with awful characters, terrible CGI, and a story geared towards kids. Even Gerry Anderson himself called the movie "the biggest load of crap I had ever seen in my life". What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia conclude their lookback on childhood movies that aren't as good as they remember it being. It's Arun's turn where he talks about the 1992 movie Blinky Bill: The Mischievous Koala. Based on the 1933 book series by Dorothy Wall, Blinky Bill is a koala who plays pranks and does a lot of mischief to his teacher, friends, and his mother. One day, loggers destroy the forest they call home and Blinky Bill has amnesia. When told about his life from an old wombat named Mr. Wombat, he remembers and learns that his mother wasn't with the animals who escaped the destruction of their homes. Blinky Bill, together with his friends, head to the loggers' home to see if his mother is still trapped in the tree they were living in.This movie served as a pilot to an animated series called The Adventures of Blinky Bill that aired on the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and distributed in multiple countries, including the UK where it aired on Cartoon Network. The Blinky Bill series is a classic for Australian kids who grew up with it. But Patricia has never read the books or watched the series. What are her thoughts on it?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia looks back on one of the animated movies she grew up with: the 1989 animated film Happily Ever After. Taken place after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Snow White and the Prince travel to the forest to invite the dwarves to the wedding. However, The Wicked Queen's brother Lord Maliss wishes to take revenge on Snow White and the Prince after learning of her death. So, he turns into a dragon and tries to attack them, but Snow White got away and captures the Prince. Snow White meets up with the dwarves' cousins The Dwarvelles who has elemental powers from Mother Nature. Together, they travel to The Realm of Doom to rescue the Prince.When the film premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb making $3.3 million dollars out of a $6.8 million dollar budget. In addition, due to the numerous lawsuits from The Walt Disney Company claiming that Filmation's previous film Pinocchio and the Emperor of the Night and Happily Ever After were trying to call themselves "official sequels" to their films, it ended up bankrupting them and shutting down. When it was released in theaters in America in 1993, the film bombed in the box office, especially when Disney re-released Snow White and the Seven Dwarves around the same weekend to counteract Filmation. Nowadays, the film is forgotten by the general public and has become reviewing material for online critics calling it a bad Disney ripoff. What did they think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun looks back at one of the movies from his childhood he grew up watching which is the 1985 animated film Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer based on the 1984 Hallmark cards and animated series. Rainbow Brite is trying to bring spring all over the world, but her rainbow powers aren't working. It turns out that an evil princess is attempting to steal a planet sized diamond called Spectra to keep it for herself. Together with a boy named Krys and his robotic horse On-X, Rainbow Brite travels to the princess' palace to prevent her from stealing Spectra.When the film premiered in theaters, it made $4.9 million dollars in the box office with mixed to negative reviews from critics. Today, Rainbow Brite is seen as a forgotten part of 1980s pop culture that has been overshadowed by its contemporaries. How well does the film hold up 40 years later?

In this special themed month of looking back on nostalgic animated films that aren't as good as Arun and Patricia remember. Patricia starts up with a movie she grew up with which is the 1993 animated film Once Upon a Forest based on the Welsh story "A Furling's Story" by Rae Lambert. Three furlings named Russell, Abigail, and Edgar are tasked of rescuing their friend Michelle after she inhales deadly gas caused by a truck that crashed outside their home, a forest called Dapperwood. They only have two days to journey to another meadow to find the plants to cure Michelle or else she would succumb to the gas. When the film premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb making $6 million dollars out of a $13 million dollar budget receiving mixed to negative reviews. It was the last animated theatrical film that was produced by the animation studio Hanna-Barbera. Since then, it has garnered a small fanbase from the people who grew up with it in the 90s. How well does it hold up over 30 years later?

The Roald Dahl Retrospective is back after an almost two year hiatus. In this episode, Arun, Patricia, and special guest Eli a.k.a. The Hero of Tomorrow discuss about the 2025 Netflix animated film The Twits based on the 1980 film of the same name starring Margo Martindale, Johnny Vegas, Emilia Clarke, Natalie Portman, and Alan Tudyk,. Mr. and Mrs. Twit are an evil, gross couple who play pranks on one another. They open a theme park called Twitlandia to attract people into giving them money only for it to shut down immediately. They also drive a truck filled with hot dog filling and shove it into the town's silo to make a huge mess everywhere. A young orphan girl named Beesha and her best friend Bubsy learn about Twitlandia and want to go there, but then learned it's ran by the same people who covered the town with hot dog filling. They get them arrested and find out they have been locking up and abusing a family of monkeys called Mugglewumps into using their tears to run Twitlandia. They set them free, but then things turn for the worse when Mr. and Mrs. Twit are out of jail and are running for mayor when they promise to make the town great again by reopening Twitlandia to generate money and convince the townspeople that Beesha is bad for stealing the Mugglewumps, the only source of power to make Twitlandia run successfully.When the film premiered on Netflix, it received mixed to negative reviews from critics and fans criticizing its gross humor, its strange art style, its forgettable musical numbers, its social and political commentary, and not fitting into the spirit of the book. What did Arun, Patricia, and Eli think of this film?

In the final episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats of 2025 covering spooky stop motion animated films, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2022 Netflix animated film Wendell & Wild directed by Henry Selleck and co-written by Selleck and Jordan Peele. A teenage juvenile delinquent named Kat Elliot returns to her hometown Rust Bank to a private Catholic school. Her parents had died in a car accident 5 years prior and she still carries the guilt that she was responsible for it. Meanwhile, two demon brothers named Wendell and Wild wish to start their own theme park after being punished to care for their father's hair. When they learn that the hair cream can raise people from the dead, they see a vision of Kat and believe they can convince her to make their dream a reality. Kat wishes to use them to get her parents resurrected using the same hair cream.When the film premiered on Netflix, it was given decent reviews by critics for its animation, characters, and atmosphere, but was criticized for the story being too overstuffed and convoluted. It was also overshadowed by other stop motion animated films that were released that year such as The House, Marcel the Shell with Shoes On, and Guillermo Del Toro's Pinocchio. What did Arun and Patricia think of this film?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1969 sci-fi espionage series The Secret Service. The show takes in a small English village where a parish priest named Father Stanley Unwin is a secret member of the British Intelligence Service Headquarters, Operation Priest (BISHOP). Together with his partner Matthew Harding, they are giving assignments by the head of the organization The Bishop to uncover secrets while under the guise of a regular vicar. By shrinking Matthew small using a device called the Minimiser, Father Unwin packs him in his suitcase and has him learn the plans of various people of bribery, counterfeiting money, sabotage, or blackmail and reports it to Unwin to stop them. When the show premiered, it received mixed reviews. While Gerry Anderson and Barry Gray called it their favorite Supermarionation show they ever worked on, many people felt it was too eccentric thanks to Stanley Unwin's well known way of speaking gobbledygook, had far less action and adventure, and was too distinctly British to connect to a mass demographic compared to the other shows like Thunderbirds. It was cancelled after 13 episodes and is regarded as the weakest Supermarionation show ever made. The Secret Service would be the final Supermarionation show and Gerry Anderson wouldn't create another show featuring puppets until 14 years later with Terrahawks under the term Hypermarionation. Is it as bad as people say it is?

Continuing Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats' theme of spooky stop motion animated films, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2012 Disney animated film Frankenweenie co-written and directed by Tim Burton. Based on the 1984 short film of the same name, a young boy named Victor Frankenstein is devastated that his best friend, a dog named Sparky, was killed by a car. When learning about electrical impulses from science class, Victor decides to conduct an experiment bringing Sparky back from the dead. While succeeding, he has to keep it hidden from his family, neighbors, and classmates. But it won't be easy, especially one classmate who wishes to use the same tactic to raise his pet fish from the dead to win the school science fair.When the film premiered in theaters, it made $81 million dollars out of a $31 million dollar budget receiving decent reviews from critics and fans, but has since been forgotten due to other animated films like Wreck-it-Ralph and Paranorman being released in the same year. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1968 sci-fi espionage series Joe 90. A young 9 year old boy named Joe McClaine is helping his adopted father Ian "Mac" McClaine testing his invention the Brain Impulse Galvanoscope Record and Transfer (BIG RAT) where it sends pre-recorded brain wave patterns into the recipient sitting on it. After the test is successful, Sam Loomer, an agent of the World Intelligence Network (WIN) sees the potential of the BIG RAT and Joe, so he proposes to have him as their youngest secret agent with the alias Joe 90. Thanks to the BIG RAT, Joe is able to get the knowledge of pilots, secret agents, piano players, military colonels, racecar drivers, and spies. Armed with a pair of glasses to bring the brain waves into his head, a badge, a walkie talkie, and a gun inside a briefcase, Joe goes on various missions to save people from harm as well as preventing shady weapon trading, assassinations, tortures, and murders from happening. When the show premiered, it was released during the height of the James Bond films being released as well as both The Avengers and The Man from U.N.C.L.E. airing on TV. Kids gravitated to the show putting themselves into Joe 90's adventures wanting to be just like him. However, Joe 90 wasn't as beloved compared to its previous Supermarionation shows due to being more child-oriented and having a smaller cast of characters compared to Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. What did Arun and Patricia think of it? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2012 stop motion animated film Paranorman. A young boy named Norman Babcock is ostracized from everyone in his small Massachusetts town because he's able to see and speak to the dead. His uncle informs him that every year, a witch places a curse on the town and it's up to him to read from a book to subside it for another year. But trouble strikes when zombies rise from the dead and the witch's curse becomes more and more powerful. Norman then realizes that to get rid of the witch's curse, it involves more than what was done for 300 years to keep her at bay.When the film premiered in theaters, it made $107 million dollars out of a $60 million dollar budget. It received critical acclaim from critics and viewers for its story, animation, atmosphere, and social commentary. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1968 sci-fi/action/adventure film Thunderbird 6 based on the 1965 series Thunderbirds. Brains creates a airship for the New World Aircraft Organization called the Skyship One. Its maiden voyage starts off on a rough note when a man hired by The Hood under the guise of The Black Phantom killed the original airship crew and replaced them as Captain Foster. Alan, Tintin, Lady Penelope, and Parker are onboard the Skyship One to test out Brains' airship, but are suspicious of Captain Foster with his mannerisms and hidden microphones in their rooms. Meanwhile Brains is trying to create a new Thunderbird vehicle with Jeff's disapproving every design he comes up with.When the film premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb with negative reviews from critics. It was the last Thunderbirds movie until the 2004 live action film directed by Jonathan Frakes. Is it worse than the first Thunderbirds film or is it a misunderstood gem?

Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats is back with its 4th year covering spooky stop motion animated films. Arun and Patricia start off with the 2009 Laika animated film Coraline based on the book by Neil Gaiman. A young teenage girl named Coraline Jones and her parents move into a new house in Oregon. Her parents are catalog writers for plants, flowers, and gardening and are too busy to give Coraline any attention. When she discovers a hidden door by the living room, she discovers another world where she meets with doppelgangers of her parents, neighbors, and home where everything is colorful, bright, and receiving attention and love from her Other Mother and Other Father. But then a cat tells her that things are not what they seem and Coraline doesn't listen to him at first, but notices things go wrong when her parents go missing.When the film premiered in theaters, it was critically and commercially successful making $185 million dollars out of a $60 million dollar budget praising the story, characters, atmosphere, and animation. It was the film that put Laika on the map for releasing high quality stop motion animated films. How well does it hold up over 15 years later?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1967 sci-fi series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons. Taken place in 2068, Captain Black and his crew traveled to Mars to track a mysterious radio signal. They found out that it came from the inhabitants of Mars, the Mysterons. Believing they were going to be attacked, Captain Black and his crew attacks the Mysterons. Vowing for revenge, the Mysterons kills Captain Black and control his mind making him their primary agent to take down his former organization Spectrum led by Colonel White. They almost killed and controlled one of Spectrum's agents Captain Scarlet, but he eventually broke out of their control and is now indestructible. Captain Scarlet, together with Captain Blue and the all female pilots, the Angels, learn more about the Mysterons as they kill off people or destroy vehicles and control them to try to destroy them. Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons marked a major change in Supermarionation where the puppets were more realistic looking and had more dynamic cinematography due to Gerry Anderson wanting to stray away from doing movies and shows featuring puppets and doing more live action projects instead. It also went in a darker direction where the violence was increased and the action was more intense than previous Supermarionation shows. For some people, they loved it. Others felt it was too dark and took away the charm of the previous shows, especially after the major success of Thunderbirds. What did Arun and Patricia think of the show?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1966 action/adventure sci-fi film Thunderbirds Are Go based on the 1965 show Thunderbirds. The space ship the Zero-X was sabotaged by The Hood from going to a mission to Mars to explore it. International Rescue are being called to supervise the second attempt for Zero-X to complete their mission. Alan feels that he isn't treated as seriously as his older brothers when it comes to being assigned to missions, so he accompanies Lady Penelope to a space restaurant where Cliff Richard Jr. and his band The Shadows are performing. Meanwhile the Zero-X is on the verge on crashing into Earth after being attacked by Martians and it's up to Alan to save the day.When the film premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb with mixed reviews from critics calling it an extended episode of the show on screen. What did Arun and Patricia think about the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2025 Sony Pictures Animation/Netflix animated film Fixed co-written and directed by animation legend Genndy Tartatovsky. A dog named Bull notices that his owners are treating him extra nice with treats, sitting on the couch, and drinking Kool-Aid in the toilet. When he learned from his friends that he was going to be fixed, he runs away from home to enjoy the last night with his genitals. When the trailer premiered, it received negative backlash from animation fans. When the film premiered, it had gotten mixed to negative reviews from critics and fans calling it a disappointment from both Genndy and Sony Pictures Animation since they had made better animation projects previously. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1965 sci-fi action adventure series Thunderbirds in honor of its 60th anniversary. In the year 2065, whenever danger is happening around the world, a secret organization called International Rescue are there to save the day. Led by retired astronaut Jeff Tracy, together with his five sons Scott, Virgil, Gordon, John, and Alan, engineer/scientist Brains, and London agent Lady Penelope alongside her butler Aloysius Parker, they work together to save people from supernatural or man made disasters as well as stop the evil plans of the enigmatic villain The Hood.When the series first premiered, it was an instant hit. Toys, action figures, costumes, and model sets sold by the millions and the show was very popular for kids and adults all over the world. It even influenced people such as Wallace and Gromit creator Nick Park, Super Mario Bros. and Legend of Zelda creator Shigeru Miyamoto, and South Park creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone. Thunderbirds gained a new audience of kids around the 1980s and 1990s when the stage show Thunderbirds F.A.B. premiered and reruns aired on the BBC. To this day, Thunderbirds is seen as Gerry Anderson's magnum opus and the peak of Supermarionation. Is that statement true? Is it as good as its reputation says it is?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1964 sci-fi series Stingray. Set in the year 2064, an organization called the World Aquanaut Security Patrol is in charge of policing the World's oceans led by Commander Shore. Stingray, their flagship submarine, is controlled by Troy Tempest and his partner George "Phones" Sheridan. They go on underwater missions and adventures as well as take down the evil tyrannical ruler King Titan of Titanica and his agent X-2-Zero who wears disguises to help King Titan to rule the surface. Stingray was the first British television show in color, the first Supermarionation show to feature puppets with glass eyes, rotating hands, and more humanized proportions to make them more realistic, and what many people call the first "classic" Supermarionation show after learning from the previous shows like Supercar and Fireball XL5. Does it stand the test of time or has it not aged very gracefully and should be called the prototype of later shows to come like Thunderbirds?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2025 Sony Pictures Animation/Netflix animated film KPop Demon Hunters. In South Korea, there's a K-pop group called Huntr/x consisting of Rumi, Mira, and Zoey who is the biggest band in the world with millions of fans coming to their concerts and posting their love and appreciation for them on social media. What they don't know is that they're demon hunters who fight evil demons to prevent them from absorbing human life. When Gwi-Ma, the main leader of the demons, is trying to find a way to get a large amount of souls absorbed, one of the demons named Jinu proposes that he and several other demons disguise themselves as a K-pop group named The Saja Boys. Mira and Zoey wish to take them down, but Rumi gets to know Jinu and has a slight change of how she feels about demons, especially since she's half demon herself.When the film premiered on Netflix, it became critically acclaimed by critics and viewers praising the animation, characters, and soundtrack. It's currently the most viewed movie on Netflix and the songs have reached on both #1 on the Billboard and Spotify charts. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Puppets Go BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1962 sci-fi series Fireball XL5. Set in the year 2062, an organization known as The World Space Patrol in Space City does various rescue missions and interplanetary discoveries in outer space. A spaceship named Fireball XL5 piloted by Steve Zodiac alongside his companions Dr. Venus, Professor Matthew Matic, and a robot named Robert patrol Sector 25 and go on various adventures. Meanwhile, the head of The World Space Patrol Commander Zero and his assistant Lieutenant Ninety give missions and assignments to the members of all the Fireball XL spaceships. Each episode has Steve, Dr. Venus, her Lazoon Zoonie, Professor Matic, and Robert go on different missions and adventures in space, discover new worlds, interact with various extraterrestrials, and save the galaxy. When the show premiered, it was very popular due to it airing around the time of the Space Race of the 60s. How accurate does it portray space travel? Not very well. Is it a fun and entertaining show? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Puppets GO BOOM!, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 1961 sci-fi action series Supercar. Supercar is about 3 people working at a secret organization in Black Rock, Nevada named Mike Mercury, Professor Rudolph Popkiss, and Dr. Horatio Beaker. One day, they rescue a young boy named Jimmy, his older brother Bill, and his monkey Mitch after a plane crash resulting in being lost at sea. After rescuing them thanks to Supercar, a vehicle with the ability to fly, go underwater, and travel into space, Jimmy and Mitch live with Mike, Professor Popkiss, and Dr. Beaker where they go on different missions to rescue people and stop the evil plans of Master Spy and his partner Zarin.When the show premiered, it became a big hit and would be the prototype of many Supermarionation shows that would come out later. It was the first very first show under the Supermarionation name, the first Supermarionation show that was produced by AP Films, and the first show that was commissioned by British proprietor Lew Grade. How well does it rank compared to the later Supermarionation shows? How is it as a standalone show?

In the premiere episode of Puppets GO BOOM!, Arun and Patricia are looking back on Gerry Anderson's Supermarionation shows from the 1960s. The first one was the 1960 Western Four Feather Falls. Taken place in a town called Four Feather Falls, Tex Tucker is a sheriff who has four feathers given to him by a Native American chief after saving his grandson. Two feathers are for talking to his horse and dog and the other two are for his guns that are able to shoot on their own. In every episode, Tex protects Four Feather Falls from evil cowboys and renegade Native Americans.When the show premiered, it was well received. However, as more Supermarionation shows came out, Four Feather Falls became forgotten. Did it deserve to be forgotten and seen as prototype of better shows or is it a underrated gem?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2025 animated film The Day the Earth Blew Up: A Looney Tunes Movie based on the 2020 HBO Max series Looney Tunes Cartoons. Daffy Duck and Porky Pig were orphans raised by a farmer named Jim. He left them the farmhouse where it's now in disrepair and disarray. After failing a house inspection, they have several days to raise money to fix their roof before they lose their house forever. They work at a gum factory where a new flavor is being promoted, but an alien invader tampers with it to create gum zombies. It's up to Daffy, Porky, and Petunia Pig to save the earth from aliens.The film went through massive production hell and was even written off for tax purposes by Warner Bros. before an animation company called Ketchup Entertainment saved the film from obscurity. It received a short theatrical release with no advertisement. Despite making its budget back of $15 million dollars, it received positive reviews from critics and animation fans. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2025 DreamWorks action/adventure film How to Train Your Dragon, which is a live action remake of the 2010 animated film of the same name based on the book series by Cressida Cowell. In the island of Berk, a young teenage boy named Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III is the outcast of his village of Vikings who is unable to fight against the dragons that attack consistently. It doesn't help much that he's the son of the chief of Berk, Stoick the Vast. One night, he uses one of his inventions to shoot down a rare dragon called a Night Fury. When he finds it, he befriends it and calls it Toothless. Meanwhile, the children of Berk are being trained to fight dragons and Hiccup uses his skills and knowledge to take them down without killing them. The village believes that Hiccup is a real dragon fighter and praises him while Hiccup is keeping his secret. When the film premiered in theaters, it made $530 million dollars out of a $150 million dollar budget with mostly positive reviews. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of PixMix, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2025 Pixar animated film Elio. The film is about a young boy named Elio who feels alone and isolated because his aunt Olga, who works at the Air Force after his parents died in a car accident, is almost never around, and bullies pick on him for his dream of being abducted by aliens. Before being dropped off at a summer camp, he sends a message to a call from an unknown source from space to take him away from Earth. He is brought to the Commnuverse where he lies about being the leader of Earth and is made into an ambassador to maintain peace in the universe. An evil alien warlord named Lord Grigon wants to be an ambassador, but is rejected because of his harsh attitude. Elio promises the ambassadors of the Commnuverse to make a peaceful treaty with Lord Grigon, but ends up "kidnapping" his son Glordon in exchange of having him and his people go away. Glordon becomes good friends with Elio as they have similar backgrounds and doesn't want to be as evil as his father is. When the film premiered in theaters, it became Pixar's lowest grossing movie ever making $100 million dollars out of a $200 million dollar budget with mixed to positive reviews. It became even more controversial when an article from The Hollywood Reporter brought up that many themes were cut from the final product, the original co-writer and director left, and the story was rewritten and new directors took it over. How did the movie fare despite its production issues? What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia continue their lookback at the Cartoon Network animated series DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk. How did the first season fare out, especially since they left off on a cliffhanger. Listen and find out.

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia are talking about one of the TV shows based on a DreamWorks movie franchise as voted by YOU. The winner was DreamWorks Dragons and the first season is called DreamWorks Dragons: Riders of Berk.

Taking place after the first How to Train Your Dragon movie, the village of Berk are beginning to become accustomed to dragons roaming around. Some are accepting of it, others aren't. Hiccup and his friends Astrid, Fishlegs, Snoutlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut begin an academy training to ride their dragons to defend their village and defeat villains such as Alvin the Treacherous. How did the first season fare out? Listen and find out.

In the first episode of DreamMachine of 2025, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2025 DreamWorks animated film Dog Man, a spin-off of the 2017 animated film Captain Underpants: The First Epic Movie. Based on the book series of the same name by Dav Pilkey, Dog Man is about an officer and his dog Greg stopping the evil plans of a cat named Petey who wishes to destroy Ohkay City. When trying and failing to diffuse a bomb, the doctors take the dog's head into the officer's body and Dog Man is born.

Meanwhile, Petey buys a clone machine to make more of himself, but instead a little kitten named Lil' Petey is created and loves Petey as his father and wishes to spend time with him. Petey wants Lil' Petey to be evil like him, but Lil' Petey wishes to make his father happy and tries his best to do so, even finding his estranged grandfather. Petey even tries to revive Flippy the evil fish to help destroy Ohkay City. It's up to Dog Man to save the day.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $127 million dollars out of a $40 million budget getting mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest HamsterMagenta discuss about the 1991 Argentinan comic book series Cybersix created by Carlos Meglia and Carlos Trillo, its 1995 live action series, the 1999 Canadian animated series, and its legacy.

Check out HamsterMagenta's Twitter account at https://x.com/HamsterMagenta.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Chris "RowdyC" Moore discuss about the animated Disney films from 2009 to 2019 consisting of The Princess and the Frog, Tangled, Winnie the Pooh, Wreck-it-Ralph, Frozen, Big Hero 6, Zootopia, Moana, Ralph Breaks the Internet, and Frozen 2. These slew of films are known as The Revival Era since they came out when Disney had made a massive comeback with releasing contemporary films that were praised by critics and fans deeming them as classics on par with the Disney films in the 1990s with their back-to-basic approach with telling classic stories, self aware humor, twist villains, and memorable characters, settings, and songs. What did Patricia and Chris think of the films? Listen and find out.

In the first episode of Casual Chats of 2025, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 1999 TV movie Wakko's Wish based on the 1993 animated series Animaniacs. In a small town called Warnerstock, people were living in peace, happiness, and harmony. But then the kingdom of Ticktockia took over Warnerstock and the king is taxing the people to the point of living in disarray, despair, and poverty. Yakko, Wakko, and Dot are orphans who are struggling to survive in the cold weather in an abandoned orphanage. Dot is sick and needs an operation, so Wakko leaves for a year to make money for her needs. He comes back with a haypenny, but is taxed by the king's men and is left poor again. Wakko makes a wish on a star and is told by an angel that he needs to touch the star that fell hundreds of miles away to have his wish comes true. Now, everyone in the town knows about the star and rushes towards it to have their wish come true. When it was released direct to video, it received positive reviews from critics and fans praising the music, animation, voice acting, and story. It would be the final Animaniacs project released until the 2020 revival on Hulu. How well does Wakko's Wish hold up 25 years later?

In the last episode of Casual Chats for 2024, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2024 stop motion animated film Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, the 2nd film of the Wallace and Gromit franchise by British animation company Aardman Animations. Taking place decades after the 1993 short Wallace and Gromit: The Wrong Trousers, Feathers McGraw, the evil penguin who tried to steal The Blue Diamond thanks to Wallace's invention, The Techno Trousers, is planning for revenge to break out of his prison at the zoo thanks to Wallace's new invention, The Norbot. The Norbot is a robot gnome programmed to do any job, no matter how small. Can Wallace and Gromit stop Feathers for a second time? When the film premiered, it received critical acclaim from critics and fans calling it a great return of the dynamic duo with great animation, a solid soundtrack, a stellar voice cast, and an interesting message on artificial intelligence and relying too much on technology. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2024 Disney animated movie Moana 2, the sequel to the 2016 animated film Moana. Originally, Moana 2 was supposed to be a Disney+ series, but was released in theaters due to the poor box office performances of Strange World and Wish. Years set after the events of the first film, Moana is a Wayfinder traveling to search for other people in other islands. When she receives a vision from her ancestor that an island that connected all of their people is under the ocean thanks to a god named Nalo and that if she doesn't raise it before a certain time, their people would be extinct. Together with a crew consisting of an old farmer, a tinkerer, and a Maui fan, they have a journey to locate the island, rescue Maui from a bat god who is trapped on a clam, and raise the island before it's too late. When the film premiered in theaters, it made $700 million dollars out of a $150 million dollar budget receiving mixed reviews from critics and viewers calling in an inferior movie compared to the original with a lackluster story, unmemorable songs, and forgettable characters. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2024 DreamWorks animated film The Wild Robot based on the 2016 book of the same name by Peter Brown. A robot named ROZZUM Unit 7134 or Roz for short is sent to an uninhabited island to help others in need. But she is surrounded by animals who see her as a threatening monster. One evening, Roz accidentally falls on a nest killing a goose and her eggs. She finds that there is one egg left and the gosling hatches thinking that Roz is his mother. Roz names the gosling Brightbill and together alongside a fox named Fink, they raise him as their own. While Roz is raising Brightbill, she wishes to return back to her homebase so she can fulfill her real purpose. As time passes, she realizes that she has everything she needs in the island: a home and a family. When the film premiered in theaters, it made $323 million dollars out of a $78 million dollar budget receiving critical acclaim from critics and viewers calling it a "masterpiece" and an instant classic with its story, characters, animation, and themes, especially with The Wild Robot being DreamWorks' final in-house film. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film?

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2016 Walt Disney animated movie Moana in honor of Moana 2 in theaters. 1000 years ago, a demi-god named Maui stole the heart of a god named Te Fiti in an uncharted island. While trying to leave the island, a lava monster named Te Ka attacked Maui and was never seen again. A Polynesian chief's daughter named Moana wishes to explore outside the island that she grew up in to locate Maui and force him to return the heart of Te Fiti to the island, especially since Te Ka's curse of destroying the islands has now reached their island. Receiving the blessings from her parents, Moana journeys to the vast ocean to locate Maui and return the heart of Te Fiti before her home is destroyed. When the film premiered in theaters, it made $687 million dollars out of a $150 million dollar budget with critical acclaim from critics and viewers praising the characters, animation, setting, and music. How well does the film hold up after 8 years later?

In the final bonus episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats of 2024, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2023 psychological horror fan film Emesis Blue based on the 2007 online first person shooter video game Team Fortress 2 by a YouTube channel called Fortress Films. On Halloween night in 1968, The Scout was let go from his team, the BLU team, after complaining about getting strange side effects from the respawning machines. He visits the Medic for a check up and confirms that his side effects are real and that he had seen this before. The Scout is kidnapped and the Medic investigates where he was taken. Meanwhile, The Spy and The Soldier are investigating the disappearances of the BLU chairman Jules Archibald. When the fan film premiered, it received positive reviews from fans of Team Fortress 2 with some doing analytical videos doing deep dives on its storytelling and plot twists and turns. Patricia has never played Team Fortress 2 or know anything about the lore of the game, while Arun has played the game before and has seeing the fan film several times. What were their thoughts on it?

In this second bonus episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Arun and Patricia continue their lookback at the 1989 animated series Beetlejuice based on the 1988 movie directed by Tim Burton with the 4th season that aired exclusively on Fox Fids. Lydia Deetz is a 12-year-old goth girl who lives in a small town called Peaceful Pines with her parents, goes to an all girls' school with her friends Prudence and Bertha, and befriends a ghost who lives in the house named Beetlejuice. Together, they go through many crazy adventures in both the real world and the world of the dead called The Neitherworld with Beetlejuice causing trouble towards everyone in his path, including his neighbors Jacques LaLean, a skeleton who loves working out, Ginger, a tap dancing spider, and The Monster Across the Street, a giant hairy monster with a dog named Poopsie. New to the series are a clown named Scuzzo, a television executive named Mr. Monitor, a cowboy named Jesse Germs, and Beetlejuice's brother Donny. Shortly after the ABC run had ended, the show was moved to Fox Kids where it had 65 episodes with a lot more wacky and zany adventures. It had even won an Emmy tying with The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh as Best Animated Show. How well does it hold up? Is it better than the ABC run?

In this bonus episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Patricia and special guests Nikki Blake from ScoobyAddicts and Mark Norman from The Folklore Podcast and the author of Zoinks: The Spooky Folklore Behind Scooby-Doo discuss about the 1999 direct to video movie Scooby-Doo and the Witch's Ghost. Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Velma, Daphne, and Fred are invited by horror book author Ben Ravencroft to his hometown of Oakhaven where a celebrating of his ancestor Sarah is being held. However, the town is spreading rumors that Sarah was a witch, but Ben is trying to prove to them that she was a wiccan by locating her lost journal. Meanwhile, a witch is terrorizing the town and the Mystery Inc. gang is trying to solve who's responsible for it. This is the 2nd Scooby-Doo film from Japanese animation studio Mook Animation after their major success with the previous film Scooby-Doo on Zombie Island and it has received just as much praise with its atmosphere, new characters, and music provided by the eco-goth rock band group The Hex Girls. Does the film hold up 25 years later? Listen and find out.

Happy Halloween, everyone! In this episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Arun and Patricia interview television writer and Nickelodeon animated series Aaahh!!! Real Monsters co-creator Peter Gaffney in honor of the show's 30th anniversary. They also go over the pros and cons of AI, what kids' shows were able to get away with decades ago compared to now, and the uncertainty of what Nickelodeon is doing now compared to their golden age in the 90s.

In this episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2006-2012 OVA series Hellsing Ultimate based on the 1997 Hellsing manga created by Kouta Hirano. The Hellsing Organization, led by Sir Integra Fairbrooks Wingsgate Hellsing, protects the citizens of England from supernatural beings, including vampires and ghouls. When a group of them attack a police force in Cheddar, Sir Integra sends her top agent, a vampire named Alucard to investigate and discovers only one survivor, a police girl named Seras Victoria. She is taken hostage by one of the ghouls and Alucard shoots both of them with him saving Seras by turning her into a vampire. She is now a part of Hellsing and together with Alucard, the butler Walter C. Dornez, a mercenary group from France, and Sir Integra, they fight a revived Nazi vampire army from the 1940s. This is Arun's very first anime series ever. What are his thoughts of it, especially taken place in his home country? What did they think of it as a whole?

In this episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Patricia and Arun continue their coverage of the ghost with the most with the 1989 animated series Beetlejuice that ran on ABC in honor of its 35th anniversary and the release of Beetlejuice Beetlejuice. Lydia Deetz is a 12-year-old goth girl who lives in a small town called Peaceful Pines with her parents and her cat Percy, goes to an all girls' school with her friends Prudence and Bertha, and befriends a ghost who lives in the house named Beetlejuice. Together, they go through many crazy adventures in both the real world and the world of the dead called Neitherworld with Beetlejuice causing trouble towards everyone in his path, including his neighbors Jacques LaLean, a skeleton who loves working out, Ginger, a tap dancing spider, and The Monster Across the Street, a giant hairy monster with a dog named Poopsie. When the show premiered on ABC, it was a huge hit garnering praise for its characters, voice acting, and humor despite being a huge departure from the movie it was based on. How well does it hold up?

In this episode of Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2014 Cartoon Network miniseries Over the Garden Wall in honor of its 10th anniversary. Two brothers named Wirt and Greg are lost in the woods and are trying to get home. Along the way, they meet up with a bird named Beatrice who tells them that a witch in the woods can help them out. But a woodsman warns them that there's a beast in the woods that they must stay away from. When the show first premiered, it was critically acclaimed with its characters, music, animation, atmosphere, and story filled with mystery and suspense. Patricia and Arun have never seen the show before. Is it worth the praise? How well does it hold up over a decade later?

It's October once again and Casual Chats is going in a spooky direction with Old Spook Lane Creepy Chats for the third time. In this episode, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2024 horror comedy film Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, the long awaited sequel to the 1988 film Beetlejuice directed by Tim Burton. Taking place 36 years since the original, Lydia Deetz is now a full grown adult who has a very successful TV series where she talks to people who are haunted by ghosts. However, she has an strained relationship with her daughter Astrid. When they receive news that Lydia's father Charles had passed away, they return to the old house by Winter River for the funeral. Meanwhile in the Afterlife, Beetlejuice receives news that his ex-wife Delores is after him for revenge. When the film premiered in theaters, it made over $377 million dollars out of a $100 million dollar budget receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics and fans. Was it worth the 36 year wait? What did Arun and Patricia think of this film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia welcomes back actors Kevin Shinick and Greg Lee since their interviews in 2016 about their time hosting their respected game shows based on the PC games Carmen Sandiego. This time, they promote the Kickstarter of their upcoming graphic novel Host Mortem which is about two detective game show hosts from the 1990s who are taken back in time in the 1940s to solve a real murder mystery.

To learn more about the project, click on the link down below.

https://www.backerkit.com/call_to_action/27031bca-92d6-4cc7-b5d2-606a4676dbc7/landing

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guests Chris "RowdyC" Moore of TV Trash and Jim Bevan discuss about the 2024 animated film The Garfield Movie based on the 1978 comic strip series by Jim Davis. Garfield is a fat, lazy cat who loves food (especially lasagna), hates Mondays, and terrorizes his owner Jon and his dog Odie to no end. But one day, Garfield and Odie have been kidnapped to lure Garfield's long lost father Vic for a heist mission over at a dairy farm.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $250 million dollars out of a $60 million dollar budget receiving mixed to negative reviews from critics and viewers. What did they think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of In Search of the Crystal Skull, Arun and Patricia conclude Jim Henson Month with looking at what is considered my many Muppet fans the weakest film in the franchise: the 1999 sci-fi comedy film Muppets from Space. Gonzo is wondering on what he is, but no one knows. That is until one day, he receives strange messages asking if he's there. Gonzo believes that it's his family trying to reach out to him and he is determined to respond. However, an Earth ambassador from a secret government agency named COVNET sees these messages as well and believe that Gonzo can lead them to prove that aliens do exist.

When the film premiered, it received mixed to negative reviews from critics and fans calling it mediocre than the previous films. It currently has a 63% on Rotten Tomatoes. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia interviews the crew behind the upcoming documentary miniseries Game Changers: The Stories Behind Your Favorite Video Games consisting of producer Scott Barber (The Orange Years), host and narrator Phil Moore (Nick Arcade), and producer Jerod Costa discuss about video games and the importance of highlighting its significance and the people behind them.

To learn more about it, check out its Kickstarter down below.

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gamechangersseries/game-changers-the-stories-behind-your-favorite-video-games

In this episode of In Search of the Crystal Skull, Arun and Patricia continue with Jim Henson Month with the 1986 fantasy film Labyrinth. A 16-year-old teenage girl named Sarah wishes for her baby half brother Toby to be taken away by the goblin king. When she gets her wish granted, she changes her mind and wants him back. Jareth, the goblin king, tells Sarah that she has 13 hours to traverse through a labyrinth and into his castle by Goblin City to get him back. Along the way, she meets a dwarf named Hoggle, a hairy monster named Luto, and a fox riding a dog named Sir Didymus and together they go many paths, trials, and obstacles to rescue Toby before time runs out.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $34 million dollars out of a $25 million dollar budget with mixed reviews from critics criticizing the plot, but praising its visual effects, puppet work, and creativity. It currently has a 77% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Like The Dark Crystal, Labyrinth has gained a cult following over the years and various comic books, video games, a manga, and picture books were released to continue the story and celebrate its legacy. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

Continuing with Jim Henson Month on In Search of the Crystal Skull, Arun and Patricia look back on the 1982 fantasy film The Dark Crystal. 1000 years ago, everything was peaceful and prosperous, but then a crystal known as The Dark Crystal was cracked and a shard was missing making its guardians divided into two creatures: the Mystics and the Sketsis. The Sketsis rule the world leaving the world in disarray while living in luxury while The Mystics are awaiting a prophecy to being fulfilled. A young Gelflin named Jen is told that he is destined to find the shard of The Dark Crystal and put it together to restore the world to its former glory.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $41 million dollars out of a $25 million dollar budget with mixed reviews by critics calling it a watered down fantasy story with bland characters, a dark undertone that was out of place from Jim Henson's Muppets, and a lack of charm, whimsy, and fun. However, the critics were impressed with the puppetry and background set pieces. It currently has a 78% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Nowadays, it has gained a cult following and in recent years, comic books, novels, a visual history book by pop culture author Caseen Gaines, a video game, and a prequel series on Netflix helped The Dark Crystal reach a new audience. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

It's Jim Henson Month on In Search of the Crystal Skull. In honor of the recent Disney+ documentary, Jim Henson: Idea Man, Arun and Patricia look back at Jim Henson's films. The first one is the 1981 film The Great Muppet Caper, the second film in The Muppets movie series. Kermit and Fozzie are twin brothers who are newspaper reporters and their friend and co-worker Gonzo is a photographer. After failing to cover a report where a fashion designer named Lady Holiday had her jewelry stolen, they are at the brink of losing their jobs. They beg their boss to give them a second chance and they travel to England to interview her. Meanwhile, Miss Piggy wishes to become one of Lady Holiday's models, but makes her her assistant instead. In a series of events, Miss Piggy is the primary suspect of stealing Lady Holiday's jewelry. It's up to Kermit, Gonzo, Fozzie, and the rest of the inhabitants of the Happiness Hotel to prove Miss Piggy's innocence and capture the real thieves.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $31 million dollars out of a $14 million dollar budget receiving mixed to positive reviews from critics and viewers saying that there are some memorable moments, but the plot wasn't as engaging compared to The Muppet Movie. It currently has a 78% on Rotten Tomatoes. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of PixMix, Patricia and Arun discuss about the 2024 Pixar animated film Inside Out 2, the sequel to the 2015 animated film Inside Out. Riley is now a 13 year old teenage girl who is going to hockey camp with her best friends. But when the puberty button is pushed inside Headquarters, Riley's emotions Joy, Sadness, Fear, Disgust, and Anger are paired up with 4 new emotions named Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui. Anxiety feels that the old emotions aren't relevant anymore and have them stored in a jar and tossed aside far away from Riley's mind in addition to her old personality core. Now the new emotions are controlling Riley and Riley is feeling the awkwardness of being a teenager.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $724 million dollars out of a $200 million dollar budget receiving critical acclaim from critics and viewers saying it's better than the first film and a major comeback from Pixar after releasing films that didn't generate for a mainstream audience. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of PixMix, Arun and Patricia continue their lookback at the Pixar animated series Monsters at Work, based on the 2001 animated film Monsters Inc. and the 2013 prequel film Monsters University, with its second season. Tylor Tuskmon has been promoted to Jokester at Monsters, Inc., but is struggling with making kids laugh. He has received an offer from Johnny Worthington, the CEO of Fear Co., to become a Scarer. Meanwhile, the canisters and several other items at Monsters, Inc. have gone missing and an investigation on who's responsible is underway.

Arun and Patricia were very underwhelmed with Season 1 of Monsters at Work. How does Season 2 fare out? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and Kevin discuss about one of their favorite movies of all time: the 1988 animated/live action hybrid film Who Framed Roger Rabbit? based on the 1981 book Who Censored Roger Rabbit? by Gary K. Wolf. A washed up detective named Eddie Valliant is hired by a cartoon named Roger Rabbit to clear his name after he was suspected of murdering famed animator Marvin Acme. Meanwhile, an eccentric business man named Judge Doom wants to find Roger and sentence him to death via a liquid called The Dip that kills cartoons.

When the film premiered, it made $351 million dollars out of a $50 million dollar budget receiving critical acclaim from critics and viewers loving the animation, the story, the characters, and its premise. It was one of the crucial films that would bring Disney into a new golden age a year before The Renaissance Era would begin with The Little Mermaid. But does it hold up after over 35 years later? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia interviews writer, producer, and co-creator of the 1990's cult classic Nickelodeon live action series The Adventures of Pete & Pete for the second time. The first time was almost a decade ago around November 2015 when Old School Lane Casual Chats was three years old and was doing its 50th podcast episode. They catch up with one another, talking about the 30th anniversary of Pete & Pete, the 25th anniversary of the show's band Polaris, Will's Amazon Prime pilot A Kid Called Mayonnaise, the indie rock band Real Estate and their song Water Underground, clearing misconceptions of the whereabouts of the Season 3 DVDs, and potential future plans of Pete & Pete.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show discuss about the 1956 film The Ten Commandments in honor of Passover. Based on the 2nd chapter of the Bible Exodus, the Hebrews have been slaves to the Egyptians for over 400 years. The Egyptian Pharaoh commands to kill all the Hebrew babies to prevent them from potentially overpopulating them. One Hebrew woman builds a basket for her baby and places him in the Nile River to hide away from the soldiers. The Pharoah's daughter finds him and raises him as her own son calling him Moses.

Years later, Moses believes that he's a prince and helps conquer lands and building cities for the Pharoah Seti I. Meanwhile, the Pharoah's son Rameses is jealous of Moses' accomplishments. Even Rameses' future arrange wife Nefretiri loves Moses more than him. But Moses then discovers that he is not an Egyptian prince, but a Hebrew slave. He is eventually banished and becomes a shepherd in Midian.

Another few years passed and God tasks Moses to go back to Egypt and free the Hebrew slaves and take them to the Promise Land. But it won't be easy since Rameses is now the Pharoah and is refusing to let the Hebrews go.

When the film premiered in theaters, it was a huge success making $122 million dollars out of a $13 million dollar budget. It received critical acclaim for its story, actors, music, and special effects. Nowadays, it's a cinematic classic that gets played on TV during Passover every year. What did they think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2024 DreamWorks animated film Kung Fu Panda 4, the fourth installment of the Kung Fu Panda franchise. Po is now being assigned to being a Spiritual Leader and must now choose a new Dragon Warrior. However, he feels that he isn't spiritually ready to help people with advice or wise words. Meanwhile, Tai Lung has returned and has challenged Po to show up to have another fight with one another. A thief named Zhen informs Po that Tai Lung is actually The Chameleon shape shifting as Tai Lung and that she lives in Juniper City. It's up to Po and Zhen to stop her.

When the movie came out in theaters, it made $400 million dollars out of an $85 million dollar budget with mixed reviews from critics and viewers calling the weakest film in the series. What do Arun and Patricia think? Listen and find out.

In honor of Season 2A of the Disney Channel animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur completing its run on the Disney channel and Disney+, Patricia and Arun discuss about their thoughts of the episodes with its plots, characters, major reveals, theories, and final thoughts. Warning: major spoilers ahead! 00:00 Introduction 1:35 The Great Beyonder-er and Suit Up 20:05 Belly of the Beast and Ride or Die 33:28 Kid Kree and Wish-Tar 46:28 Make it, Don't Break It and The Devil You Know 1:05:54 In the Heist and Dog Day Mid-Afternoon 1:23:53 Roller Jam and Dancing with Myself 1:41:21 Family Matters and The Molecular Level

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Victoria Johnson from The Sailor Moon Fan Club discuss about the three films based on the 1992 anime Sailor Moon. They consist of Sailor Moon R: The Movie, Sailor Moon S: The Movie, and Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie.

Sailor Moon R: The Movie has Mamoru reuniting with an old friend from his childhood named Fiore. Fiore wishes to have Mamoru as his only friend since they have both had a lonely and tragic upbringings, but sees that Mamoru has not only slightly forgot about him, but is dating Usaki. Thinking that Mamoru is being brainwashed by Usagi, Fiore, while in the control of a flower woman named Glycina, vows to cover the Earth with life draining flowers and keep Mamoru to himself.

Sailor Moon S: The Movie has Luna being rescued and cared for by a young man named Kakeru after recovering from a fever and almost being run by a car. Luna starts to fall in love with him, but realizes that Kakeru is in love with an astronaut named Himeko. Meanwhile, a mysterious comet approaches with a snow princess named Kaguya wanting to freeze the Earth to add to her collection. It's up to the Sailor Guardians to stop her.

Sailor Moon SuperS: The Movie focuses on Chibi-Usa meeting a fairy named Perle. He is part of a group of fairies under the rule of Queen Badiane who want to kidnap children to use their dream energy to create a black hole to swallow the Earth and trap people in dreams so that they can be happy. Chibi-Usa is kidnapped and Usagi, Perle, and the Sailor Guardians head to the Marzipan Kingdom to stop Queen Badiane.

The Sailor Moon films were a modest success in Japan and are just as beloved as the series. Which film is the best? Listen and find out.

Sailor Moon Moonlight Densetsu Cover is by RFBxProject ft. Minri. Click on the link below to check it out.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k_jNUGp3joI

In the first episode of Casual Chats in 2024, Patricia and special guest Des Shinta discuss about the 2023 anime miniseries FLCL: Grunge as well as FLCL: Shoegaze that were both commissioned by [adult swim].

FLCL: Grunge focuses on three teenagers and their perspectives taken place on the same night where Haruko is pretending to be the mayor's girlfriend and the wife of a yakuza organization trying to find Atomsk and take down Medical Mechanica.

FLCL: Shoegaze takes place 10 years after the events of FLCL: Alternative where a teenage boy who can see green spirits meets up with a strange, hyperactive, and unpredictable teenage girl who wants to take down the city's tower and blow it up. Meanwhile Kana Koumoto, the protagonist of FLCL: Alternative, is now a 27-year-old police officer working for the Bureau of Interstellar Immigration trying to stop them from causing catastrophic damage to the tower.

When both series premiered on Adult Swim, they received mixed reviews from fans saying that it pales in comparison to the original series from 2001. What did Patricia and Des think of both of them? Listen and find out.

The songs "Battle Onward" and "Stardust Surfer" were performed by Omni Slim. Check out his work in the link down below.

https://www.youtube.com/@omnislim5381

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia discuss about the DreamWorks animated film Orion and the Dark which is based on a children's book by Emma Yarlett. Orion is an 11 year old boy who is afraid of everything, especially the dark. One night, the Dark comes in after being sick of dealing with Orion's fear of him and decides to take him to see what he does so that he wouldn't be afraid of him anymore. But it turns out to be more difficult than he thought.

Orion and the Dark premiered exclusively on Netflix making it the first DreamWorks movie since Joseph: King of Dreams to releasing a film NOT exclusively in theaters. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In the premiere episode of The Jim Henson Mupcast, Patricia and Kevin look back at all Muppet specials that were produced when Jim Henson was alive. They start off with the first of two pilots of The Muppet Show, The Muppets Valentine Show that premiered on January 30, 1974. Wally is trying to come up with material about love, but is struck with writer's block. Thanks to special guest Mia Farrow, he is struck with inspiration...with mixed results.

Being the first Muppets special ever created, how well does it hold up 50 years later? Listen and find out.

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia discuss about the third installment of the Trolls franchise, Trolls: Band Together. Branch gets a visit from his oldest brother John Dory that their brother Floyd has been kidnapped by a brother-sister singing duo named Velvet and Vaneer. They're using Floyd's essence to be great singers when they're not. It's up to Branch, Poppy, John Dory, and Tiny Diamond to reunite with the remaining brothers, a former boy band named BroZone, to rescue Floyd right before he disappears for good.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $208 million dollars out of its $95 million dollar budget receiving mixed reviews from critics and viewers. Some people have called it the best of the Trolls films while others have called it the worst. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In honor of Season 2 of the Disney Channel animated series Moon Girl and Devil Dinosaur premiering on both the channel and Disney+, Patricia and Arun discuss about their thoughts of the episodes with its plots, characters, major reveals, theories, and final thoughts. Warning: major spoilers ahead!

00:00 Introduction

5:05 Moon Girl Landing & The Borough Bully

20:05 Run the Rink

31:20 Check Yourself

42:04 Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow

52:21 The Beyonder

58:39 Good Night, Moon Girl

1:08:49 Teacher's Pet

1:15:56 Skip this Ad...olensence

1:22:58 Like Mother, Like Moon Girl

1:40:42 Today, I am a Woman

1:53:48 Devil on Her Shoulder

2:02:10 Coney Island, Baby Live Reaction

2:24:39 OMG Issue #1 & OMG Issue #2

In this episode of DreamMachine, Arun and Patricia discuss about the 2023 DreamWorks animated film Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken. Ruby Gillman is a 16 year old teenager who is trying to fit in at her high school, but is restricted by her mother whenever she goes to activities involving with water. One day when trying to ask her crush to the prom, he is knocked into the water. Ruby rescues, but realizes that she's a kraken. Chelsea, the most popular girl at the school, is a mermaid and befriends Ruby since they're outcasts who hide their true identity. Ruby learns more about her lineage and Chelsea convinces Ruby to locate a trident so the long battle between mermaids and krakens would end for good.

When the film premiered in theaters, it was a box office bomb making $46 million dollars out of a $70 million dollar budget. Critics and viewers hated it calling it a mediocre film that gave away too much on its trailer and a genuine disappointment after DreamWorks made a massive comeback with The Bad Guys and Puss in Boots: The Last Wish a year prior. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In the final episode of Casual Chats of 2023, Patricia and special guest Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show discuss about a book titled Video Games of the Year: A Year by Year Guide to the Best, Boldest, and Most Bizarre Games from Every Year Since 1977 written by video game journalist Jordan Minor. They discuss about his choices of the best video games from 1977 to 2022 and why they're some of the most influential and popular games ever made.

To purchase the book, click on the link below to check it out. https://www.abramsbooks.com/product/video-game-of-the-year_9781419762055/

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show discuss about the 2023 Netflix/Happy Madison Productions animated film Leo starring Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, Cecily Strong, and Jason Alexander. Leo is a 74-year-old tuatara living as a class pet with a turtle named Squirtle. After learning that tuataras live up to 75 years, Leo decides that he's going to break out and make his way to the Everglades, but things change when the main teacher leaves due to maternity leave and a strict substitute takes her place. One assignment they get is to bring a pet home and they take Leo. Leo talks to them individually and gives them advice on how to better themselves.

When the film premiered on Netflix, it received positive reviews from critics calling it a sweet, funny, charming, and endearing film that replaces Eight Crazy Nights and the Hotel Transylvania films as Adam Sandler's best animated film he's ever been in. In addition, it has received more positive reviews than Disney's Wish. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show discuss about the 2023 stop motion animated film Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget, the sequel to the 2000 stop motion animated film Chicken Run animated by Aardman Animation. Taking place after Chicken Run, the chickens from Tweedy's farm have settled in a bird sanctuary. Ginger and Rocky have gotten married and had a daughter named Molly, who is just as rambunctious and adventurous as her father and wanting to know what's outside the sanctuary for freedom as her mother. However, due to their upbringing, they overprotect her. Molly runs away from the sanctuary and is captured by a farm that is happy, fun, and friendly, but has a dark secret. It's up to Ginger, Rocky, Bunty, Babs, Mac, Nick, and Fetcher to rescue Molly from the farm by breaking into it.

When the film premiered on Netflix, it had gotten positive reviews from critics and viewers calling it a good successor to the first film with its animation, characters, and story, but not without bringing up the controversy behind replacing Julia Sawalha as Ginger because of ageism. Was it worth the 23 year long wait? What did Arun and Patricia think of it? Listen and find out.

In this episode of DreamMinis, Arun and Patricia discuss about the most recent DreamWorks Christmas special, The Bad Guys: A Very Bad Holiday based on The Bad Guys film released on November 30, 2023. Mr. Wolf, Mr. Snake, Mr. Piranha, Mr. Shark, and Ms. Tarantula come up with a plan involving with pulling off the biggest bank heist in the world. However, they accidentally pop the Santa balloon and people have lost their Christmas spirit. It's up to them to bring everyone's Christmas spirit back so the bank workers and security guards could stay home.

What did Arun and Patricia think of this special? Listen and find out.

In this episode of Casual Chats, Patricia and special guest Arun Mehta from The Arun Mehta Show discuss about the 2023 Disney animated film Wish, a milestone movie to celebrate Disney's 100th anniversary. A young teenage girl named Asha lives in an island called Kingdom of Rosas led by a sorcerer named King Magnifico and his wife Queen Amaya. Every month, King Magnifico grants a citizen a wish that they give him to have it hopefully come true. Asha wants to have her grandfather's wish come true in honor of his 100th birthday, so she hopes to be hired by the king to be his apprentice for a closer shot at it. When it doesn't work out, she wishes on a star and brings about a new source of magic. Magnifico feels threatened by the new magic source and wishes to find it before the other citizens uses it instead of himself.

When the film premiered in theaters, it made $128 million dollars out of a $200 million dollar budget making it a box office failure. It had received mixed to negative reviews from critics and viewers saying that the film was too safe with its story, characters, songs, and blatant Easter eggs and homages. What did Arun and Patricia think of the film? Listen and find out.