Nation of Animation

Nation of Animation
  • 5.0 (14)
  • Animation & Manga
  • Bimonthly

Nation of Animation is a cartoon book club podcast for all ages! Join lifelong cartoon fans Ryan Stevens and Brooke-Erin Smith every other week as they discuss classic cartoons through a modern lens and celebrate everything cartoons have to offer!

  1. 2d ago

    A Salute to Tim Curry

    We honor the memory of voice acting (and acting, and just, like, life) legend Tim Curry. REAL WORLD RECS Ryan: Digger (Alejandron Innaritu, 2026) Brooke: The 'Lonely Room' Scene in I'm Thinking of Ending Things (Charlie Kaufman, 2020) and Paranormal Activity on Broadway Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  2. Oct 21

    Great (North)'s Anatomy Adventure

    We brave the Alaskan wilderness to check out the critically under-appreciated Bob's Burgers cousin show, The Great North! We talk about how to make it as a modern animated show, network vs streaming television, Nick Offerman's whole deal, and A LOT of talk about modern TV. Digressions aplenty in this thrilling conversation! EPISODES DISCUSSED Season 1 Episode 6 - “Pride and Prejudance Adventure” Season 2 Episode 1 - “Brace/Off Adventure” Season 3 Episode 18 - "Pa Shank Redemptions Adventure" Season 5 Episode 2 - "The Prince of Hides Adventure" REAL WORLD RECS Brooke: Cutting your own bangs Ryan: K.A. Applegate's Animorphs series Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  3. Aug 26

    How Gorillaz Evolve

    Listeners, is it perhaps the case that you ain't happy? And in fact, you're feeling sad? Well don't worry, because this week we do indeed have sunshine in a bag as we unpack the awesome animated super-band, Gorillaz! We talk Blur, the convoluted lore of these cartoon musicians, their own eras, eclectic music tastes, and more! REAL WORLD RECS: Brooke: Monopoly GO! Ryan: 'The Bright Sword' by Lev Grossman Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  4. Aug 12

    Wall-to-Wall WALL-E

    We discuss Pixar's crowning achievement, WALL-E! It's about a little robot with big dreams, big robots with little empathy, and future space-baby people. We analyze the secret sauce that makes this movie so good: character designs, musicals, Real Human Being Fred Willard, and much more! PLUS in this week's animation news, a special ad sponsor (not for us -- not yet!), a bizarre upcoming movie, and an, uhhh, *impassioned* plea for anime from one cartoon fan in Texas. MOVIES DISCUSSED: WALL-E (2008), dir. Andrew Stanton REAL WORLD RECS Brooke: Widow's Bay on Apple TV+ Ryan: The Backrooms, dir. Kane Parsons Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  5. Jul 29

    King of the Hill Returns Again

    It's the Return of the King! King of the Hill's second season (and 15th season overall) is here, so we finally discuss its miraculous resurrection from last year. How has the Hill family grown up? What has life had in store for our dear Bobby Hill? What the hell is Dale Gribble doing these days? EPISODES DISCUSSED: Season 14 Episode 1 - 'Return of the King' Season 14 Episode 2 - 'The Beer Story' Season 14 Episode 6 - 'Peggy's Fade-Out' Season 14 Episode 9 - 'No Hanks Left Behind' REAL WORDS RECS Brooke: A BIG surprise! Ryan: A RELATED surprise! Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  6. Jul 15

    The Divisive Digital Circus

    CONTENT WARNING: This episode contains discussion of mental illness, suicide, dementia, and online harassment of a trans woman. Listener discretion is advised. Brooke and Ryan dive into the surprising rise and complex conclusion of the indie animation super-hit The Amazing Digital Circus. How did this show catch fire? And why can't fans just be normal about it? Also, did we enjoy the show? Is Ryan the Jax of the podcast? Listen and find out! WE FORGOT TO DO REAL WORLD RECS, WE'RE SORRY ABOUT THAT, WE RECOMMEND THE AMAZING DIGITAL CIRCUS AND BEING NORMAL ON THE INTERNET Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  7. May 27

    Wholesome Fun With Smiling Friends

    Just in time for the show's end, Ryan and Brooke tune into adult swim's latest adult animation darling, the anarchistic and internet-laced Smiling Friends! We talk animation style, changing senses of humor, the 00's internet, and whether it's better to burn out or fade-away, all while staying mostly on topic. You picked the BEST time to listen! EPISODES DISCUSS: S1 E6 - “Enchanted Forest” S1 E 9 - “The Smiling Friends Go To Brazil!” S2 E1 - “Gwimbly: Definitive Remastered Enhanced Extended Edition DX 4K (Anniversary Director's Cut)” S3 E2 - “Le Voyage Incroyable de Monsieur Grenouille” REAL WORLD RECS Brooke: 'Red Comet: The Short Life and Blazing Art of Sylvia Plath' by Heather Clark Ryan: Tasty Hand-Pulled Noodles II in Hell's Kitchen Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

  8. May 6

    Reclaiming Thumbelina

    It's Brooke's birthday, so she gets to pick the movie! She summons up a forgotten mainstay from the VHS players of a bygone era, Don Bluth's Thumbelina. We confront our dubious memories of this childhood favorite, investigate the fascinatin history of the man who would be the Anti-Disney, and consider if, by some strange twist of fate, this movie is actually "good." What does "good" mean in this context? You'll have to listen and find out! Real World Recs: Brooke - "Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan Macmillan on Broadway, starring Daniel Radcliffe Ryan - The Spectacular Spider-Man on DVD (and the spectacular Debora Strang and David Kepner!) Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and  @ryanwithcheese on Twitter   http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com & Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimation BIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our theme Follow them @menkemaster & Urvashi Lele for our art Learn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

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5
out of 5
14 Ratings

About

Nation of Animation is a cartoon book club podcast for all ages! Join lifelong cartoon fans Ryan Stevens and Brooke-Erin Smith every other week as they discuss classic cartoons through a modern lens and celebrate everything cartoons have to offer!

Information

  • Creator
    Nation of Animation
  • Years Active
    2021 - 2026
  • Episodes
    128
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright Audio Mint
  • Show Website
    Nation of Animation