Episode 118 - Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, 2022) (with David Sorfa)
Episode 118 - Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, 2022) (with David Sorfa)

Prepare for more multiverse madness as Chris and Alex dive into the world of Everything Everywhere All At Once (Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert, 2022), the Oscar-winning absurdist sci-fi action adventure that engages head-on with the question of what it means to be human set against the backdrop of forking path storylines, a sumptuous mise-en-scène of colliding visual styles, and a maelstrom of digital VFX. The special guest for Episode 118 is Dr David Sorfa, Senior Lecturer in Film Studies at the University of Edinburgh and editor-in-chief of the journal Film-Philosophy, who specialises in philosophy’s relationship with cinema, Existentialism, phenomenology, the work of Jacques Derrida, and the presentation of thought and thinking in cinema.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantPOSSIBLE WORLDS, EXISTENTIALISM, KUNG FU, SCIENCE FICTION, VISUAL EFFECTSComment
Episode 117 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) (with Jyotsna Kapur)
Episode 117 - Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) (with Jyotsna Kapur)

Whomping willows, Ford Anglias, and so much more are covered in episode 117 of the podcast, which (better late than never!) returns to Hogwarts for the second instalment of the Harry Potter film franchise and an adaptation of the 1998 novel originally released back in November 2002. Joining Chris and Alex for a closer look at Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Chris Columbus, 2002) is Jyotsna Kapur, who is a Professor of Cinema and Media Studies at Southern Illinois University. 

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantCHILDREN, NEOLIBERALISM, FRANCHISE, HOLLYWOOD, FANTASY, HARRY POTTERComment
Episode 116 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002) (with Daniel White)
Episode 116 - The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002) (with Daniel White)

Finally following up their podcast on The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Peter Jackson, 2001), Episode 116 has Chris and Alex picking up the story of Middle-earth with this instalment on the second film in the franchise, The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Peter Jackson, 2002). Joining them is special guest Dr Daniel White, who is Senior Lecturer in Musicology in the Department of Music & Design Arts at the University of Huddersfield, and author of a number of publications looking at music in relation to worldbuilding and fantasy storytelling, including its role across the Lord of the Rings films.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantSOUND, MUSIC, VOICE ACTING, VISUAL EFFECTS, HOLLYWOOD, FRANCHISEComment
Episode 115 - Peppa Pig Revisited (with Sarah Ann Kennedy)
Episode 115 - Peppa Pig Revisited (with Sarah Ann Kennedy)

Episode 115 celebrates Chris and Alex’s return to Peppa Pig (Neville Astley & Mark Baker, 2004-) for a part-interview, part-reflection on this staple of contemporary British animation and culture, which (unofficially at least!) follows on from the earlier podcast instalment discussing the style and tone of the series.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantTELEVISION, CHILDREN, STYLE, VOICE ACTING, BRITISHComment
Episode 114 - The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Mike Rianda, 2021)
Episode 114 - The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Mike Rianda, 2021)

The Netflix feature The Mitchells vs. the Machines (Mike Rianda, 2021) gets the Fantasy/Animation treatment, as Chris and Alex offer up a discussion in this episode of the film’s dysfunctional family dynamics, road movie structure, and its spectacular sentient robots techno-narrative.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantCOMPUTER-ANIMATED FILMS, NETFLIX, FAMILY, CHILDREN, VIOLENCE, COMEDYComment
Episode 113 - Czech Animation (1946-2011) (with Adam Whybray)
Episode 113 - Czech Animation (1946-2011) (with Adam Whybray)

For this brief survey of the politics and pleasures of Czech animation, Alex and Chris are joined by special guest Dr Adam Whybray, who lectures in Film Studies at the University of Suffolk and who is also the author of The Art of Czech Animation: A History of Political Dissent and Allegory (London: Bloomsbury, 2020).

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantPOLITICS, EUROPEAN, ALLEGORY, METAPHOR, STOP-MOTION, PUPPETRY Comments
Episode 112 - House of the Dragon (Ryan Condal & George R. R. Martin, 2021-) (with Kim Akass)
Episode 112 - House of the Dragon (Ryan Condal & George R. R. Martin, 2021-) (with Kim Akass)

For Episode 112, Chris and Alex are joined for this discussion of HBO’s television series House of the Dragon (Ryan Condal & George R. R. Martin, 2021-) - the prequel to Game of Thrones (David Benioff & D. B. Weiss, 2011-2019) - by Professor Kim Akass, who is Professor of Radio, Television and Film at Rowan University, Glassboro.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantDRAGON, FANTASY, TELEVISION, FRANCHISE, WORLDSComment
Episode 111 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 2001) (with Gary Trousdale)
Episode 111 - Atlantis: The Lost Empire (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 2001) (with Gary Trousdale)

For the first episode of 2023, Chris and Alex are back into the world of Disney Feature Animation, following up earlier discussions of The Emperor’s New Groove (Mark Dindal, 2000) and Treasure Planet (Ron Clements & John Musker, 2002) with Episode 111, which looks at the studio’s 2001 feature film Atlantis the Lost Empire (Gary Trousdale & Kirk Wise, 2001), a science-fiction adventure that draws inspiration from Jules Verne’s Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea (1870).

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantWALT DISNEY, CEL-ANIMATION, HISTORY, HOLLYWOOD, MYTHOLOGY, TECHNOLOGYComment
Episode 110 - The Snowman (Dianne Jackson, 1982) (with James Walters)
Episode 110 - The Snowman (Dianne Jackson, 1982) (with James Walters)

The 2022 Fantasy/Animation Christmas special is here, with Chris and Alex well and truly ‘walking in the air’ (!) for Episode 110 of the podcast as they wonder at the delights of The Snowman (Dianne Jackson, 1982), the 26-minute television special released on Channel 4 in the early 1980s and based on Raymond Briggs’ picture book.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantCHRISTMAS, DRAWING, REPRESENTATION, MOVEMENT, FANTASY, BRITISHComment
Episode 109 - Willow (Ron Howard, 1988)
Episode 109 - Willow (Ron Howard, 1988)

Alex fulfils something of a lifelong dream in Episode 109 in that he finally gets a chance to talk about the mythology and magic of Willow (Ron Howard, 1988) for the Fantasy/Animation podcast, albeit with Chris alongside him as relative novice to its world of prophecies, sorcery, and high fantasy storytelling.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantHOLLYWOOD, SPECIAL EFFECTS, VISUAL EFFECTS, COMPUTER ANIMATION, SORCERY, JOURNEY, REPRESENTATIONComment
Episode 106 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982) (with Noel Brown)
Episode 106 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial (Steven Spielberg, 1982) (with Noel Brown)

Episode 106 marks Chris and Alex’s first foray into the filmmaking career of Steven Spielberg as they take on the director’s 1982 science-fiction fantasy E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial. To help explore the film’s status as a landmark of popular U.S. cinema is special guest Dr Noel Brown, who is Senior Lecturer in Film and Programme Leader for Film and Visual Culture at Liverpool Hope University.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantCHILDREN, FAMILY, GENRE, SCIENCE FICTION, FANTASY, PUPPETRYComment
Episode 105 - In Conversation with Nancy Beiman
Episode 105 - In Conversation with Nancy Beiman

Chris and Alex return after their belated summer hiatus with Episode 105 of the podcast, and a very special instalment that features them in conversation with renowned animation director, character designer, animator, and teacher Nancy Beiman, who has worked at a number of studios (from Steven Spielberg’s Amblin studio to the Walt Disney Company and Warner Brothers) as well as on feature films including A Goofy Movie (Kevin Lima, 1995), Hercules (Ron Clements & John Musker, 1997) and Treasure Planet (Ron Clements & John Musker, 2002).

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantHOLLYWOOD, CREATIVITY, LABOUR, TECHNOLOGY, ANIMATIONComment
Episode 104 - Speed Racer (Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski, 2008) (with Tim Robey)
Episode 104 - Speed Racer (Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski, 2008) (with Tim Robey)

Strap in for Episode 104 of the podcast as the thrill ride that is Lilly and Lana Wachowski’s Speed Racer (2008) provides the focus for this latest instalment in all its unwieldy and unruly CG glory. Chris and Alex’s special guest for this episode is Tim Robey, renowned film critic and author who has written widely on all kinds of cinema for The Daily Telegraph for over the last 20 years.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantPOLITICS, TECHNOLOGY, DIGITAL, VISUAL EFFECTS, HYBRIDITY, FILM STYLEComment
Episode 103 - Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021) (with Cristina Formenti)
Episode 103 - Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021) (with Cristina Formenti)

he acclaimed animated documentary Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021), which tells the story of Amin Nawabi and his journey from from Afghanistan to Denmark as a refugee, is the subject of Episode 103 of the podcast that reflects on the shared ability of animation, fantasy and the documentary format to ‘reveal.’

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantDOCUMENTARY, AESTHETICS, TRAUMA, HISTORYComment
Episode 101 - Osmosis Jones (Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, Piet Kroon & Tom Sito, 2001) (with Tom Sito)
Episode 101 - Osmosis Jones (Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, Piet Kroon & Tom Sito, 2001) (with Tom Sito)

Episode 101 confronts the animated representation of disease and illness via Warner Brothers’ 2001 cel-animated/live-action hybrid Osmosis Jones (Bobby Farrelly, Peter Farrelly, Piet Kroon & Tom Sito, 2001), which tells the story of a white blood cell policeman who joins together with a cold pill to stop a deadly virus from destroying their human host.

Read More
PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantHOLLYWOOD, HYBRIDITY, METAPHOR, VOICE ACTING, RACEComment