Toon My Heart

Tracy Herold

In Toon My Heart, we'll dive into your favorite animated movies to see if we can discover redeeming themes, traces of eternal truth, and ideas that are relevant to the Christian faith.

  1. JAN 1

    Forgotten Christmas Specials: The Little Troll Prince, with Tim Ingle

    Special guest Tim Ingle, creator of the Bearly Biblical animated series on Loor.tv-- and coming soon, the Bearly Biblical trading card game-- returns to Toon My Heart to talk about The Little Troll Prince: A Christmas Parable. This 1987 Christmas television special with a very explicitly Christian message, produced by Hanna-Barbera and backed by the International Lutheran Laymen's League, carries a lot of nostalgia for host Tracy Herold. But despite airing on Cartoon Network for many years in the '90s, many people today have never even heard of The Little Troll Prince-- and Tim was one of them! Without nostalgia goggles, will he still find things to appreciate in this traditionally animated musical holiday special? In this final "Forgotten Christmas Specials" episode for 2025, we discuss the history of Hanna-Barbera, including the role that faith played in some of Joseph Barbera's pet projects; the uniqueness of a Christmas special that doesn't mention Santa once but does mention the Savior; how the themes of love, faith, heart transformation, and God's sovereignty are presented in story of the troll prince Bu; and our pros and cons and how we might choose to tell the story differently. Please follow @bearlybiblical on X, Instagram, Facebook, YouTube, and TikTok; follow @intellectric on X and @intellectricanimation on Instagram; and visit BearlyBiblical.com Mentioned or referenced in this episode: The Gospel According to Hanna-Barbera on YowpThe Little Troll Prince on archive.orgCabbage Patch Kids First Christmas/The Little Troll Prince DVD on AmazonThank you to soundeffectfactory.com for the sleigh bell sound effects used in this episode.

    55 min
  2. 12/01/2025

    First Impressions: Light of the World

    Light of the World is the second animated film released in 2025 about the life of Jesus, so how does this traditionally animated project compare to the 3D-animated The King of Kings that came out earlier in the year? Produced by The Salvation Poem Project and with the talent of former Disney animators and directors and unique storybook-style animation provided by Lighthouse Studios, a joint venture between Cartoon Saloon and Mercury Filmworks, Light of the World tells the gospel story from the point of view of the Apostle John as a young teenager. Find out host Tracy Herold's initial thoughts upon seeing this film in theaters. Mentioned in this episode: The Salvation Poem Project: https://salvationpoem.comGavin Ortlund, "These A.I. Videos Raise a Theology Question": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uiLDeIFqw2sThe Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast: https://bancroftbros.libsyn.comLighthouse Studios: https://lighthousestudios.ieLight of the World on Christianbook.com: https://www.christianbook.com/light-of-the-world-blu-ray/pd/044399?srsltid=AfmBOoqbNaHy2ec5a0wdJldsjdKRgBQUCjZVjT-_RmO3TnqpCP2_nFjPBuy Toon My Heart merch at teepublic.com/user/toon-my-heart Donate to Toon My Heart at https://buymeacoffee.com/toonmyheart Follow @toonmyheart on Instagram, X, and Facebook Other links at linktr.ee/toonmyheart Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com Questions, comments, or suggestions? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com

    17 min
  3. 08/01/2025

    How to Train Your Dragon and Love Your Enemy, with Monica Theiler of Moonglow Animation

    On this episode of Toon My Heart, host Tracy Herold is joined by animator Monica Theiler, founder of Moonglow Animation, to talk about Dreamworks' 2010 animated film How to Train Your Dragon. Based on the book by Cressida Cowell and brought to life by the writing/directing team of Chris Sanders and Dean DeBlois, who previously collaborated on Disney's Lilo & Stitch, How to Train Your Dragon launched an incredibly long-lived franchise, encompassing sequels, TV shows, comics, an arena show, a theme park, and of course, Dreamworks' first live-action remake. But at its heart is a simple message about overcoming fear with love, and learning to love your enemies, just as Jesus Christ taught his followers in the Sermon on the Mount. We discuss how that message is brought to life through the story of Hiccup and Toothless' blossoming friendship on the Isle of Berk, as well as lots of other fun topics, including: the live-action remake trend; what the Bible says about dragons; the symbolism around weaponry in the film; how Hiccup reminds us of Jesus; and more! Find Monica Theiler at www.artistmonica.com, on Instagram @artistmonica, and on YouTube @artistanimatormonica Visit MoonglowAnimation.com Also mentioned in this episode: G.K. Chesterton on dragons and fairy tales"How to Train Your Dragon: Behind the Scenes" by Tim Nasson"How to Train Your Dragon" by Matt Risley"Even How To Train Your Dragon's Live-Action Director Has Found The Movie Trend 'Disappointing.' Why He Made The Movie Anyway" by Sarah El-Mahmoud"How to Train Your Dragon Review: A Pointless Shot-for-Shot Remake" by Jonathan SimThe Plausible Impossible on Disney+"Tannin" entry from Strong's Concordance"Spurgeon Verse Expositions - Isaiah 43:18-43:28""BibleProject Guide: Dragons in the Bible"Thanks to the following folks on X for sharing their comments for this episode's discussion: @realpopchrissy, @KevinTRod, @_rockinmrmagic, @KerryStapp, @desertofreelpod Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

    1h 29m
5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

In Toon My Heart, we'll dive into your favorite animated movies to see if we can discover redeeming themes, traces of eternal truth, and ideas that are relevant to the Christian faith.

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