Spirited Animation

According to Erin's very niche and nerdy liturgical knowledge, it is Christmastide until February 2...so we're still celebrating with The Muppet Christmas Carol! So light a lamp (not the rat), grab some cheeses for us meeses, and listen as we discuss this holiday favorite!

Tim and Erin help you kick off the new year by discussing our favorite cozy, eco-justice adventurer with 3 seasons and a movie, Netflix's Hilda. From pitch bibles to perfectionist friends to dealing with authority's inevitable disappointment, we think Hilda has much to teach us about great storytelling, growing up, and parenting.

Would college Tim and college Erin be friends? No. But we gain more appreciation for nerdy college Tim by watching Triplets of Belleville, and discuss the importance of music, intergenerational relationships, and snooty French animation. 

Listen to a recording of our first ever LIVE SHOW! Thanks to our special guests, Dr. Mathieu Berbeguier and Rev. Jin Kyung Ko, and our hosts at Carnegie Mellon University! We loved the opportunity to build community, talk about fandom, learn about Korean culture, and revel in general greatness that is K-Pop Demon Hunters! 

Join Erin and Tim as they reflect on one of their favorite productions on PBS Kids, Molly of Denali. We love Molly's tenacity, generosity, and ability to teach kids about both indigenous culture and misinformation. You can find our more about the ELCA's Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations, especially the work of Truth and Healing from Indian Boarding Schools at elca.org/indigenous.

Spirited Animation is back with Season 3! We kick off this season with a franchise that takes regular laps through the Jones' house - Disney-Pixar's Cars! We talk about community, toxic masculinity, and finding joy! 

Hearts don't fail us now! Tim and Erin end the journey of this second season discussing Don Bluth's Anastasia! We talk rom-coms, gendered experiences of movies, Anastasia's magical growing hair, and how to talk to our kids about historically inaccurate* movies. We'll be back in a couple of months with more spirited conversations!  *understatement.  Also, https://explosm.net/comics/surgery Rob DenBleyker is dead wrong on this one... but The Pebble and the Penguin doesn't work with the pun.

Erin and Tim continue their mini-theme examining the animation of Tim's childhood through the recent return of Wallace, Gromit, an AI-smart gnome, and one very naughty penguin Tim ponders why animators seem to love gadgets but distrust automation while Erin considers Wallace's meddling with Gromit's garden as an invitation to understand the people we love and what they most care about. It's all in embracing process.

Erin simultaneously makes fun of Tim's AFOL (adult fan of Lego) status and praises his parenting in this episode about The Lego Movie. We talk about Will Arnett's iconic Batman, Will Ferrell's inability to hug, and the importance of playing well. Share your memories of Lego and playing well on our Social Media! 

The world is falling apart because of the callous whims of billionaires...so we take on the world's most famous billionaire vigilante by watching episodes of the 90's classic, Batman: The Animated Series.' Listen as Erin rants about how billionaires are inherently immoral, and her longing for a series of superhero men in therapy to address their problematic relationship to toxic masculinity and toxic charity. And don't even get us started on the 90's fat-phobia... thought ultimately Tim brings us around to appreciate the artistry and cultural significance of this series that has shaped millennial culture more than we'd care to admit.

Tim and Erin pay their seasonal homage to the work of Hayao Miyazaki by discussing his classic Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind and delve into trypophobia, ecojustice, and gender-bent Christ figures.  Tim talks airplanes and environmental stewardship, but really just listen to find out why Erin feels this features one of the best crucifixion allegories in all animated cinema!

Hannukah may be over but there are still two more days of Christmas. Happy holidays from Spirited Animation! May your gift giving be un-coerced by magical surveillance and may "a true selfless act always spark another.” Erin and Tim discuss the Netflix feature Klaus, holiday traditions, grief, community restoration, and whether Santa has any place in a Christmas movie not titled Elf.

Do you have deep questions about robots, creation, love, and family? Don't have Disney+ so you can't watch Wall-E or Lilo and Stitch? Watch The Wild Robot instead!  Tim and Erin discuss how no one is programmed to be a parent, and what building community across biological/robotic divides can teach us about humanity. It's all fine :) Listen wherever you get your podcasts! 

In this special episode, Erin and Tim process (some of) their feelings around the US Presidential election, and contemplate how small, persistent action can make desolation transform into abundance using The Man Who Planted Trees as salve and inspiration.  Plus a related shout out to some more contemporary animated reflections on caring for the land, from an indigenous perspective: Láwa7 (Frankie Mcdonald, 2021) https://indigenousartscollective.org/frances-mcdonald/ ABC Kids - Lullaby (Jake Duczynski, 2024) https://studiogilay.com/

Erin and Tim are back! We enter the world of Riley's emotions where we confront all of our feelings, secrets, and beliefs. What shapes our sense of self? How do we find balance between hope and toxic positivity? What on earth do we do with kids going through puberty?! We loved returning to the Inside Out-verse and hope you do too! 

We're back! Join us as Tim and Erin take the leap into the Spider-verse. Themes of animation labor, parenthood, isolation, heresies and comic book canon make this is a particularly complex web of an episode. We hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Season 2 Premiere! We discuss the movie that made Erin fall in love with Tim. Song of the Sea combines Celtic folklore, imagery and spirituality in an animated story of grief and family healing. This makes for an ideal spirited start to our new season.

Merry Christmas! Tim and Erin are joined for the holiday season by Dr. Rayna Denison to discuss Tokyo Godfathers. Themes of homelessness, shame, chosen family and reconciliation make this the perfect Christmas movie as we celebrate a baby born in a manger. Blessings to all as we seek to bring more light and warmth into the world! 

Season Finale! Erin and Tim wrap up this first batch of episodes with Nimona. Based on IP by our favorite ND Stephenson, it's a delightfully trans-positive, queer-affirming take on how society makes a monster, and what it means to let ourselves be metal as we seek to bring about justice and change. Special thanks to River White for being way cooler than us, and giving their perspective on this great film!

The spooky season isn't over! Tim and Erin are joined by RMU's Visiting Documentary Filmmaker, Kevin Schreck, for a celebration of the Simpson's Tree House of Horror! From Poe to SciFi to Lutherans, we talk about the ability of the Simpsons' expanded universe to tell great stories and ask big questions about humanity, horror, and Halloween.  Find out more about Kevin's work here: https://www.kevinschreck.com/