Philip and Bridget discuss the 1984 film from Hayao Miyazaki 'Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind,' the film that kick-started the animation output of Studio Ghibli, co-founded by Miyazaki in 1985. Based on a manga series by Miyazaki, the film takes place in an environmentally ravaged word a millennium after a major apocalyptic event. The remaining human population struggles to survive alongside vast expanses of inhospitable toxic jungles and the giant insects that inhabit them. Nausicaä, the adventurous Princess of the Valley of the Wind, gets caught up in the tribal struggles of two adjacent kingdoms; one of which has awakened an ancient weapon it foolishly hopes can ward against the various existential threats to humanity. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: x.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

ThawedCast pt. 3

Nausicaä Of The Valley Of The Wind

Hayao Miyazaki directs the latest film from Studio Ghibli, 'The Boy and the Heron' (2023). This Oscar-winning film serves a magnum opus for a venerated animator nearing the end of his career, reflecting on his early life in this quasi-autobiographical fantasy. Mahito Maki leaves his home in Tokyo following the death of his mother in a World War II firebombing. Raised in a wealthy family, Mahito struggles to get along with his peers at his new rural school. He spends his time exploring his maternal family's palatial estate, including an abandoned tower that holds a profound secret. A mysterious gray heron beckons him to enter the tower, and when it appears his aunt-turned-stepmother has gone to the tower as well, Mahito hurries after her, plunging headfirst into a glimpse at destiny itself. Join Philip, Jodi, and Bridget as they discuss this animated epic. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/jodipolasky,  instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

The Boy and the Heron

Philip and Elliott chat about 'Transformers One,' the new animated film from Paramount Animation depicting the origins of the Autobots and Decepticons and their respective leaders, Optimus Prime and Megatron. These central characters within the Transformers franchise begin as humble miner bots on Cybertron, a planet ravaged by conflicts that have depleted its key natural resource, Energon, needed for life to exist on Cybertron. In order to become Transformers, miner bots would need to acquire a "cog," which are also scarce. The ambitious miners simply known as Orion Pax and D-16 hatch a plan to attempt to raise all miners' status within Cybertronian society, all while attempting to unlock the secrets of their world's mysterious past. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.   instagram.com/ellimundo, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Transformers One

Samara and Philip review and discuss the found-footage horror film from directorial sibling duo Cameron and Colin Cairnes, 'Late Night with the Devil.' This re-creation of a 1970s late night talk show, the fictional "Night Owls" with Jack Delroy, depicts one night of the show gone horribly wrong, as the broadcast becomes infiltrated by an evil force. Desperate to rise to the top of the ratings, Delroy pulls out all the stops for his 1977 Halloween special, bringing on a colorful panel of guests culminating with a psychologist and her patient. Each round of guests successively leads the show down the road toward a hellish outcome, providing a spectacle that confirms the old adage for Delroy: Careful what you wish for. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/samara_ehlke9, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Late Night with the Devil

In celebration of Wicked Month, Philip, Bridget, and Lara discuss the 2015 LucasFilm animated feature, 'Strange Magic.' Featuring the voice talents of Evan Rachel Wood, Alan Cumming and Kristin Chenoweth, this fairytale combines the fantasy romance of ‘A Midsummer Night's Dream’ and the musical tastes of George Lucas, who curated this jukebox musical's all-pop soundtrack. The musical selections range from the titular song by ELO and the main protagonist's eponymous "C'mon Marianne" by The Four Seasons to more recent hits from Beyoncé and Kelly Clarkson. Marianne is a fairy princess who abruptly ends her engagement to the self-obsessed knight Roland. Presumptive heir to the fairy kingdom, she must follow her destiny to protect her kingdom from the Dark Forest as well as from the scheming Roland. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/partoflarasworld,  instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Strange Magic

Jodi, Bridget, and Philip convene prior to Thanksgiving to sneak in a quick episode about a holiday classic (Passover, in this case)--2019's 'Uncut Gems,' directed by brothers Josh and Benny Safdie. Adam Sandler plays Howard Ratner, a jewelry dealer in Manhattan's Diamond District. He and his associates, Demany and Julia (LaKeith Stanfield and Julia Fox), work together to attract a high-profile clientele. Kevin Garnett stars as himself as an interested buyer of a mysterious black opal recently obtained by Howard. Set during the 2012 NBA Eastern Conference semi-finals, 'Uncut Gems' imagines an outcome to the series perhaps influenced by Garnett's connection to the opal, as he feels drawn to it. Howard first needs Garnett to win the opal in an auction where he hopes to gain a large enough profit to pay off a gambling debt. When this plan falters due to the opal's poor valuation, Howard sneakily uses the reduced earnings to place a bet on Garnett, now in possession of the opal, hoping KG will score big in game 7. This Rube Goldberg mousetrap of a film sees Howard go from a failed family man pleading with his wife (Idina Menzel), to uptown playboy renting helicopters, to cornered con fending off loan sharks. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  tiktok.com/@jodipolasky47,  instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Uncut Gems

The ThawedCast celebrates the release of ‘Wicked: Part I’ from Universal Pictures, 21 years after the Broadway musical made its sparkling debut. Jodi, Lara, Bridget, and Philip discuss the new 160-minute film which concludes at the intermission point of the stage version. This ‘Wizard of Oz’ prequel began as a 1995 Gregory McQuire novel depicting a darker, more adult take on the original mythology conceived by L. Frank Baum. The film doesn’t shy away from borrowing heavily from the imagery of the seminal 1939 Judy Garland film, but it certainly provides a different take on the characters, positioning Elphaba, future Wicked Witch of the West, as the main hero of the story. Elphaba’s widowed father only grudgingly allows her to leave home in order to help care for her paraplegic younger sister, as the two enroll at the prestigious Shiz University. There, Elphaba meets Galinda, future Good Witch of the North. This iconic pair embark on a fateful rivalry that evolves heavily over the course of the film. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/partoflarasworld,  instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke, tiktok.com/@jodipolasky47. Visit thawedcast.com

Wicked

Mele Kalikimaka as the ThawedCast covers 'Moana,' the monumental 2016 film from Walt Disney Animation Studios, directed by longtime Disney Animation dynamic duo John Musker and Ron Clements, and co-directed by Don Hall and Chris Williams. Bridget, Lara and Philip revisit the mythical ancient Polynesian world of Moana of Motunui (Auli'i Cravalho) and her adventures with the demigod Maui (Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson). Moana--a princess of sorts as the daughter of the chief--is faced with inheriting the leadership of an insular island nation that has abandoned its seafaring roots. However, she must learn to sail in order to restore the Heart of Te Fiti, a magical relic bestowed on her by the ocean. Failing in her mission would doom her island to a growing famine. Guided by her grandmother's spirit and the power of the ocean, she first seeks out the aid of the shapeshifter Maui. He reluctantly agrees to accompany her, first to retrieve his magical fishhook, and then to potentially face the perils posed by the demon Te Kā, who has corrupted the influence of the nature goddess Te Fiti. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/partoflarasworld,  instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

Moana

Philip and Lara discuss the new film from Focus Features and Robert Eggers, a remake of the 1922 German silent film 'Nosferatu.' Eggers brings his signature austere style to this classic Gothic horror story, originally an unauthorized adaptation of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula.' Key details were changed from the book, but that didn't stop the original film's legacy from being threatened by the forcible destruction of all prints due to copyright infringement. Thankfully the film lives on and Max Shreck's iconic portrayal of the corpse-like Count Orlok would go on to inspire generations of vampire enthusiasts. Bill Skarsgård provides a unique take on Count Orlok as he haunts and seduces his unwitting victims, such as the newlywed Thomas and Ellen Hutter and their friends Frederick and Anna Harding. This dark, atmospheric film evokes the previous works of Eggers whose obsessive attention to detail transports you to 1830s Germany, where the fear of plagues and sorcery were ever-present, often requiring tremendous sacrifice to thwart the evil that infects the world. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast.  instagram.com/partoflarasworld,  instagram.com/laraakal, instagram.com/philipehlke. Visit thawedcast.com

ThawedCast pt. 4

Nosferatu (2024)

Jodi, Bridget and Philip talk about 'Spellbound' (2024), a new animated musical from Netflix and Skydance Animation. This is the second animated feature to come from Skydance after 'Luck' (2022) and is directed and co-written by 'Shrek' director Vicky Jenson. The film takes viewers to the enchanted, or rather, cursed, kingdom of Lumbria, ruled by King Solon and Queen Ellsmere. Their daughter, Princess Ellian, must determine whether to become queen, since the king and queen were transformed into feral monsters and have been hidden away in the palace for a year. Ellian manages to contact two oracles who are unable to reverse the enchantment but point her toward a possible solution. She must guide the two lizard-like monsters on a journey to a lake of light, but must contend with the fact that this perilous quest will likely leave her, her kingdom, and her family forever changed. Follow The ThawedCast: Conversations About Animation: twitter.com/thawedcast and instagram.com/thawedcast, instagram.com/bridget5246, instagram.com/philipehlke, visit thawedcast.com

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