003 Speed Racer (2008)

“THIS RACE IS FULL OF CHEATERS.“ In this episode we talk about a movie we both love, but it seems like the rest of the world hates. The movie? The Wachowskis’ Speed Racer from 2008! The Speed Racer that opened a week after Marvel Studios’ Iron Man. The world was not ready for something as wacky, colorful, and emotionally powerful as Speed Racer. We talk about how long the film took to be made, who was almost a part of it, and why it’s an incredibly underrated cinematic masterpiece. In case you aren’t familiar with Speed Racer, we give a crash course of history of the original Japanese anime, the American dub, and what changes were made to the 2008 film, and a brief summary of the film so that you don’t have to see the movie (but you really, really should) to understand the episode. Most of this episode was recorded in a podcasting booth located in Undercity Comics in Whittier before the pandemic. On occasion, you might hear some beeping from the store's front door or other people walking around the store, so apologies in advance! Thank you for listening! Music is from Triune Digital and audio clips pulled from movies we will be reviewing in other episodes. Artwork by @jannelle_o