Nickelodeon Animation Podcast

Heeeyyy Arnold fans! You've waited almost 20 years for The Jungle Movie and it's almost here! This week on the podcast, Hector shares the mic with Hey Arnold mastermind Craig Bartlett, voice stars, and the team's creative visionaries to discuss the legacy and highly-anticipated movie starring our football-headed hero, friends and family. It's the deepest of dives into everything you want to know about The Jungle Movie which premieres Thanksgiving weekend!

Everyone loves a theme song! It's the first thing you hear on your favorite toon, and it's a tune you'll never forget. Why are Nickelodeon theme songs so catchy? What makes a good theme song? Hector finds out when he talks toon tunes with some of our iconic Nick creators from CatDog, Invader Zim, Hey Arnold!, Dora the Explorer, TMNT and more in this special musical episode of the podcast. Get ready to start singing along!

Pinky Malinky creators Chris Garbutt and Rikke Asbjoern are the proud parents of the first social media savvy cartoon character on Nickelodeon - who also happens to be a hotdog! Pinky Malinky is an infectiously-positive wiener who lives in the human world, goes to school, sings, dances, inflates like a balloon, and makes hilarious social content with his best buds Babs and JJ. The ingenious creators join Hector and share the inspirations for the series design, music, diversity, and humor.

Beast Boy! Stinkyfly! Craz! Steven Jackson! Tu! Kevin Levin! Chiro! And of course, the amazing Michaelangelo on the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles! Greg Cipes is one of the most successful and soulful voice actors working in cartoons. But as Hector discovers in this epic episode, Greg's passions don't stop there. He teaches meditation, writes music and is devoted to the rescue and welfare of animals. Booyakasha!

Earth. Fire. Air. Water. And a whole lot of elements of awesomeness in this episode with The Legend of Korra cast! Janet Varney (Korra), Seychelle Gabriel (Asami), David Faustino (Mako) and P.J. Byrne (Bolin) join Hector on a deep dive into their auditions, favorite memories and what it was like to star in one of the most inspiring toons of all time.

The Angry Beavers creator Mitch Schauer was more than an expert animator when Nick heard his idea for a cartoon; he was also a self-educated beaver expert! Luckily for future fans, Nick said "yes" to the idea and before long, Norbert and Daggett became the network's most memorable cartoon critters ever. Join Hector as Mitch stops by the studio to share beaver fun facts, career stories, and insights into the creation of these ridiculous broad-tailed rodents.

Dora The Explorer co-creator Valerie Walsh Valdes helped bring to life the world's most popular Latina explorer. As one of the longest running series ever on Nickelodeon, Dora wowed kids and parents in homes and toy aisles across the globe, while always empowering audiences to come along on her adventures. From Dora The Explorer to Go Diego Go! to Dora and Friends, Valerie is one of the few creators who knows what it's like to see a creative vision explode into a worldwide phenomena.

John DiMaggio is the mad voice genius behind some of our favorite cartoon characters ever: Bender from Futurama, Jake from Adventure Time, the Scotsman from Samurai Jack, Penny from Sanjay and Craig, and lately the grumpy Mr. Grouse from The Loud House. Hector holds on tight as the actor, comedian, and producer of the documentary I Know That Voice recounts his career and inspirations, and shows us why he's one of the best of the best.

Welcome To The Wayne's creator Billy Lopez grew up in a big city, in an apartment building, and was obsessed with the mysteries of the strange place he called home. It's no coincidence that Welcome To The Wayne is about three kids who have exactly the same experience! Nick's newest creator (and voice of series star Olly Timbers!) joins Hector in the booth and reveals the musical, literary and brotherly influences behind Nick's new cartoon.

3-2-1...Season 3 of the podcast blasts off with the legendary cast of The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius. Debi Derryberry (Jimmy), Jeff Garcia (Sheen) and voice super-genius Rob Paulsen (Carl) visit the studio and share all the nerdtastic details of this CG-animated classic. Join our super fan host Hector as the actors discuss taking each other and cartoon fans to new dimensions of time, space and hilarity with an Academy Award-nominated film, a series and the spin-off Planet Sheen.

The Loud House is the brainchild of creator Chris Savino and one of the most popular cartoons on television. But what goes into writing this smash hit week after week? On this epic season 2 finale of the podcast, Hector learns the behind-the-scene details when he takes our crew out of the recording studio, across the Nickelodeon campus, and into animation offices of this beloved series. We're unpacking all the secrets with writers Mike Rubiner, Karla Sakas Shropshire, Kevin Sullivan, Whitney Wetta, Sammie Crowley, and the main Loud-man himself, Chris Savino. So join the gang and learn what it takes to tell hilarious stories straight from the heart.

"Are you ready kids?! I can't hear you!" SpongeBob SquarePants is cartoon royalty and adored worldwide but what goes into making our favorite sponge fresh, hysterical and a fan favorite year after year? This week supervising producers Vincent Waller and Marc Ceccarelli break it all the way down to Bikini Bottom.

Rugrats co-creator Paul Germain belongs in the Animation Hall of Awesomeness for his work on the seminal Nickelodeon show. And then there’s that little thing called The Simpsons that he developed as shorts on The Tracy Ullman Show. Then there’s Recess. And Lloyd In Space. You want more? How about getting his first job after college on the Academy Award-winning movie Terms of Endearment and giving Cameron Crow the idea for the graduation speech in Say Anything? Paul joins Hector in the studio for a lively talk about his incredible career and breaks it down for aspiring writers, producers, and animation buffs. So listen up and learn from one of the masters of the Hollywood trade!

When your cartoon career includes Snoopy, Scooby-Doo and Stimpy you really have run with the BIG DOGS of animation. Veteran producer Margaret Dean (Nickelodeon, Warner Brothers, Mattel, Stoopid Buddy Studios) and co-president of W.I.A. (Women in Animation), brings her incredible insight to this week's podcast. Join us as she discusses equality in the industry, the changing landscape of animation, and what the impacts and opportunities are for anyone with the drive to create.

Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, T.U.F.F. Puppy) has created another MONSTER hit series, “Bunsen is a Beast!” This week the legendary creator stops by the studio with the show’s stars Jeremy Rowley (Bunsen), Ben Giroux (Mikey), and Kari Wahlgren (Amanda) to discuss how this new toon is made, developing the “voice” of a character and just how hard a hard-working actor works. (Hint: REALLY HARD!) It’s a beastly cartoon world out there and we're thrilled that this talented trio and their fearless leader is bringing Nick's next hit to life!

HELLOOOO PODCAST! This week living legend Rob Paulsen is in the studio! The voice of your cartoon favorites Yakko Warner (Animaniacs), Raphael (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 1987), Pinky (Pinky and the Brain), Jack Fenton (Danny Phantom), Donatello (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, 2012) takes us through his 30+ year career in animation. Did Rob almost sabotage his chance to play tech turtle, Donnie? Which of his characters is a fan favorite with the ladies? Will he sing the “Nations of the World” song!?! We get ZANY TO THE MAX answering these questions and so many more!

Shimmer and Shine creator/genie Farnaz Esnaashari-Charmatz cut her teeth in post-production at Nickelodeon, learning all she could from My Life As A Teenage Robot, Dora the Explorer, Go Diego, Go and Ni Hao, Kai-Lan before creating magic on her own hit series. Farnaz doesn't just walk she runs us through her career journey, explaining how she broke through the boxes that people tried to put her in, and the misconception that preschool animation is "easy." Get ready for a shot of animation energy and inspiration by this amazing talent and self-proclaimed spontaneous planner.

Pete Docter was just 21 when he joined Pixar and since then he’s been the creative force behind some of the most influential animated films of all time like Inside Out, Up, Wall-E, Monsters Inc., and Toy Story. His films are modern animated classics, with characters and stories that break new ground, thrilling generations of cartoon fans, and that is exactly what we celebrate on the Nickelodeon Animation Podcast. Pete shares with Hector what it was like to be one of the first animators at Pixar, how constraints can elevate storytelling, and he even drops a few hints at what's next for him and the animation wizards of Pixar.

We're GOING GHOST! Get ready to enter the Phantom fan dimension as Danny Phantom cast members David Kaufman (Danny), Grey Griffin (Sam), Rickey D’Shon Collins (Tucker), and Colleen O’Shaughnessy (Jazz) join Hector in the ghost portal. The cast talks about their favorite Phantom fan theories, the chemistry between Danny and Sam, and recently reuniting to record the “The Fairly Odd Phantom" an animated short that combines all of the iconic Nick characters from the world of Butch Hartman. So prepare to start singing, “Gonna catch 'em all, 'cause he's Danny Phantom!”

A podcast's gotta do what a podcast's gotta do, and this week we're talking toons with the incomparable E.G. Daily. Known worldwide as the voice of Tommy Pickles, one of the most iconic characters in Nickelodeon history, E.G. has also given life to Buttercup (The Powerpuff Girls), Mocking Bird (The Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes), and Baby Mumble (Happy Feet). Hector gets the scoop on how and why EG does what she’s gotta do, including working with everyone from Rob Zombie to Pee-wee Herman ("Dottie!?") to making her own music and being a finalist on The Voice. E.G is living proof that listening to the voice inside yourself can be the greatest asset to your career.