RubberOnion Animation Podcast

Oops we did it again... got lost in the chat... we're talking A.I. #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Our epic end of the year episode runs nearly 3.5hrs... that's longer than the new Avatar movie! Both equal in quality. Enjoy!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Took a couple weeks to get this one edited and up but we have another "what we're watching" update episode with recommendations galore! If you're looking for some new animation to watch or catch up with something that might be a bit older that you missed here is a roundup of what we're watching so far in 2025! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

The main crux of the conversation on this episode are the two dueling live-action "hybrid" remakes of beloved animated films. We wanted to keep this one light as it was recorded during the heatwave here in NYC and we had only a matter of time before we disintegrated. #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

It's all about Google Veo 3 this episode. What does this new A.I. video generation model mean for us as artists and just the world as a whole? Is the outlook really as bleak as people are feeling? Has the projection changed in the last couple years? Oh and also... a Michael Bay skibidi toilet movie? What is reality anymore? Enjoy a show where two guys are watching the world burn and debate about the color of the flames. #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

We talk two things we know very little about, like any good podcast these days. Timestamps: 2:40 How You Doin' 6:23 ANIMATION NEWS... 6:47 Tariffs 34:39 Cartoon Network 52:19 Rapid Fire!!!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

FINALLY! We got some positive stories! I mean we're still in a fog of turmoil in general but through it all some bright spots shine through and we can start to see a picture of what the landscape ahead looks like... some good, some bad. Join us in the excursion, won't you? Timestamps: 3:55 How You Doin 6:10 Not Just a Goof 13:33 ANIMATION NEWS... 14:22 Fixed 26:49 Gaslight District 41:01 AI WATCH... 46:29 No Fakes Act 54:14 YouTube Fake Trailers 1:09:55 NVIDIA Tom & Jerry 1:27:44 RAPID FIRE!!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Obviously we had to talk the two big stories — the resurrection of Coyote vs ACME and all this ChatGPT Ghiblification nonsense — but we also have a go at another Live-Action-with-CG-Character-Hybrid-Disney-Remake trailer and of course... what's going on with A.I. lately. Suffice to say this is definitely an explicit episode so expect the swears. Timestamps: 2:12 How You Doin' 6:46 Trailer Talk 7:28 Lilo and Stitch 2025 25:21 Animation News 25:56 Ketchup buys Coyote vs ACME 43:19 AI Watch 44:19 ChatGPT Ghibli 56:53 Ember 1:17:59 RAPID FIRE!!!!!!!!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Know that movie that literally every animator won't shut up about? Listen to us talk about it for 80 minutes! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Always timely, we talk this years' Oscars and 3 upcoming sequelboots! Timestamps: 3:00 The Oscars 2025 14:48 Flow 30:20 TRAILER TALK… 30:50 Smurfs 2025 45:14 How to Train Your Dragon 2025 1:09:31 A.I WATCH... 1:10:39 Hank Azaria NYTimes 1:19:30 The Problem of A.I. Reporting #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

As things go, one thing that wasn't really supposed to be a segment turned into a 20 min chat and something we thought we'd have a lot to say about was actually pretty straightforward. We talk some new series, new techniques, new closings, and award shows. Just another day in the life of the animation industry! Timestamps: 3:13       How You Doin' 8:29      Common Side Effects 27:18     Creature Commandos 32:05     ANIMATION NEWS… 32:35     Annie Awards Winners 46:59     Return to Hairy Hill 56:16     Technicolor Goes Under #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Keeping things moving we have quick (for us anyway) episode that actually covers a lot of topics. There's lawsuits, trailers, and two animation use cases of A.I. in the wild that have very different public reactions. Oh and it was my birthday not long ago so Rob prepared a little surprise for me that'll definitely get this auto-flagged on various platforms for copyright because they're always too aggressive and don't take fair use cases into account. Enjoy!  Timestamps: 3:14       How You Doin' 19:18     ANIMATION NEWS… 20:01    Lawsuit over Moana IP 31:04    TRAILER TALK… 31:34      Win or Lose 41:423    Wander to Wonder 47:49.    A.I WATCH... 48:06     Japanese studio uses A.I. for inbetweens 1:02:27   Undergrads Indie project uses A.I. for inbetweens 1:08:05    RAPID FIRE!!! 1:13:14     Recs #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

It's 2025 and we catch up on some of the major stories left on the table from 2024 and look forward to the rest of the year. We chat about WFH vs Remote in our How You Doin' segment and see the return (again) of a favorite segment that was definitely recorded before "fire" was a word we really don't want to say right now. Also just to give you all a sense of continuity, we record this episode in our respective homes which of course means there was a tech issue where Rob was recording on his computer mic and not the fancy podcast one so get ready for table taps, mouse clicks, and various other noises. Happy New Year! Timestamps: 2:21       How You Doin' 14:30    ANIMATION NEWS… 15:02    Golden Globes 24:02    Popeye and Tin-Tin enter public domain 31:47    Upcoming Animated Films 2025 38:49    TRAILER TALK… 39:36    The Day the Earth Blew Up 52:46    Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man 1:01:38    RAPID FIRE!!!! 1:06:31    OUTRO #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

It's finally here! Our three hundredth episode... recorded way back in AUGUST. Listen... it's been a hell of a few months. We talk about the state of things and you know what? It still holds up like it was recorded yesterday. From RubberOnion we wish you all a HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR... 2025, let's do this!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Almost to 300 episodes! This one we're calling an "Animation News" episode but it's really more like a "How You Doin'" or "Whatcha Watchin'" if you will... I put a little extra sauce on this one with the audio editing because we bring up a lot of songs. We were GOING to talk about news stories and just got caught up in conversation so we put them in a Rapid Fire at the end which I think was even more fun. Enjoy! Now back to editing our 300th! Timestamps: 16:06 Sausage Party Foodtopia 23:44 Exploding Kittens 37:02 Smiling Friends 1:00:00 RAPID FIRE!!!!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

We talk some things! Check out Jacob Kafka's Kickstarter "Beverly Bunny" Indie Animated Feature Length Film #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Another month, another episode! Earthquakes! Technical problems! Things on fire! Train horns! Puppy sounds! All the things that make a great show. And this episode's banner comes courtesy of Rob this time... really had his work cut out for him. Timestamps: 5:15 HOW YOU DOIN' 11:54 X-Men '97 41:33 A Spider Within 1:02:05 TRAILER TALK 1:02:35 Harold and the Purple Crayon 1:22:52 Garfield 1:29:14 A.I. WATCH 1:29:31 Qianqui Shisong, Chinese Show Made with A.I. 1:53:59 Late Night with the Devil A.I. images 2:20:58 OUTRO #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

The big story this episode is obviously Coyote vs Acme but rather than just talk about how much of a bummer this all is we try to wrap our heads around the why of it all. We also start a new segment called "A.I. Watch" which I'm sure will be a regular thing as we check in on what's going on with all that. There's also a bunch of what we're calling "body sounds"... it's painfully make sense. Enjoy! Timestamps: 4:33 ........... How You Doin 10:21 .......... Animation News of the Week... 11:08 .......... Annies 23:53 ......... Coyote vs Acme 1:35:33 ....... A.I. Watch 2:12:34 ....... RAPID FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!! 2:28:20 ...... Recommended Reading #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Had a great time celebrating and chatting about the last 10 years of us doing this little ol' podcast on a live show with Patrons in chat... sampling many bourbons and rye in our collection. The actual anniversary is Oct 19th and we did in fact record on this day! I put timestamps down for this one since it's a three-hour show to make it easier to move about the episode but if you want the true experience just listen to it straight through and listen to Rob and my speech get slower and slurrier as the episode goes on, it's a delight. Cheers to 10 years!   Timestamps: 9:14.......... How did this all start 22:28....... Our favorite episode titles 41:23........ The first year of the podcast 57:53....... "The Hundreds" 1:05:21...... Our favorite segments 1:15:33...... Failed and dropped bits 1:40:58..... 2017 2:03:30..... Episode count by year 2:05:29..... Wishlist and future plans 2:11:44....... Hot cocoa shows 2:28:10...... Production of the show 2:43:51...... Chat 2:51:15....... Outro #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Second day in a row of new podcast episode! We talk about the overlooked beginning of VFX Unions, Vivienne Medrano's Amazon Prime debut with "Hazbin Hotel," and of course the upcoming Procreate Dreams. #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Tiny Toons Looniversity and The Little Mermaid 2023. We didn't like either one of them. But it's a fun listen anyway! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

The time has come. We review a new TMNT movie! This is a clean review with spoilers saved for the end of the show. Obviously we talk about the story, style, acting and animation... but we also address the comparisons to Spider-Verse and more importantly what this all means for the future of animation as we see it today. Enjoy! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

There is so much going on in the industry right now that we couldn't just stick to one topic because everything is pretty tangled up. So while we do bring up things like the AI open credits of Secret Invasion, the movie Nimona, the series reboot/new season of Clone High, Mushka and I'm Hip animated shorts from Disney vets, and other stories... we also thread it with discussions on the current strike (recorded before SAG-AFTRA made theirs official), state of streaming and jobs, what is happening to theater attendance, and also a bunch of other things. #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

This is a perfectly PG review with no spoilers that aren't in trailers. We mostly talk about story competence and satisfaction and of course the style and animation. Enjoy! (and then go see it for yourself if you haven't already!) #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

  Alternate title of this episode is "A.I... or won't I?" Coudn't decide. This was obviously recorded a few months ago and many things have happened since then but the conversation still remains. There's a lot of threats out there constantly to not just our career but many careers, and the current one centers around deep/machine learning tech known as A.I.    We have as open a conversation as we can about it but are simpathetic to whomever is directly affected. It's important that we support each other in this industry while staying realistic about what's coming. There's a path here that might not resolve itself until later but that's one of the things we try to think about. Hope you enjoy this conversation we have about it as we do it in our own often silly way, but would love to hear what you have to think about it as well in the comments. See you there!  #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

The topic for this episode came from a Facebook post I made asking for topics:  Could you talk about doubts in this career path, I've had a bit of a career related dilemma because I thought I'd hit some really good milestones recently... and I've only recently found out about rigging and the fact that it's a whole new skill set required for industry. Also I've been using Animate for years rather than Toonboom. These two revelations have really disheartened me from this career path, and I was wondering if you guys had any advice? Do you have any tips about what would make the mountainous stuff we need to learn as animators a little less overwhelming? We have plenty of thoughts! Figure this was a good episode to close out the year on.   Are there any topics you would like use to cover on the shows in 2023? #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

An episode recorded in early August and released in late November? You betcha! We have a classic variety episode with Trailer Talk and Animation News AND Rapid Fire, the theme really seems to be... "it's all bad." Enjoy! Timestamps: 5:45 ------  How You Doin? 19:57 ----- TRAILER TALK 20:45 "Pantheon" 34:00 "Slippin Jimmy" 47:40 "Little Demon" 43:28 ----- ANIMATION NEWS 58:08 "Marvel VFX Artists' Issues" 1:12:30 "Popeye Animatic Leak: 1:25:23 "Mike Moon Leaves Netflix" 1:33:13 --- RAPID FIRE!!!! #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Two movies that could not be more different than one another, but somehow we found a way to thread them together. We talk about animation styles, tone, production, marketing, narrative, and a whole bunch of other things in the process of our discussion (featured image courtesy of Rob this week). Timestamps: 4:08 ------  Marcel the Shell with Shoes On 43:28 ----- Mad God #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Nothing like recording at 8am to get the ideas flowing! Enjoy this perfectly coherent variety show. I took much too long to make the featured image this week fit a theme that I'm sure nobody will get at all but it made me smile Timestamps: 3:05 ------ How You Doin' 22:45 ----- MOVIE REVIEW: "Sea Beast" 43:11 ----  ANIMATION NEWS... 43:58 ----  Nintendo buys Dynamo Pictures  54:04 ----  Netflix acquires Animal Logic  1:07:29 --  SDCC Marvel Animation Panel  1:25:20 --  Powerpuff Girls and Fosters Home reboots  1:37:50 --  AX BY FAX: "Would you rather: ONLY be able to watch every episode of your favorite animated series, and nothing else -or- Only be able to watch the last episode of any animated series you're interested in watching." ~Way Singleton #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

In this special Retrospective episode we talk about the original Beavis & Butt-Head shorts, the 90s series, that era of MTV animation, the movie "... Do America", the 2011 reboot, and of course the brand new Paramount+ movie "... Do the Universe!" Music and short clips have always been a part of the Beavis & Butt-head so I put a little extra time zhuzhing this one up... and a very special shoutout to Jayden Libran for providing the amazing Beavis & Butthead impressions! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

We usually like to do these Trailer Talk episodes on a Live-Stream but we're not setup for that yet so enjoy this very visual episode of this audio show (links below)! Timestamps: 4:30 ------ How You Doin' 8:23 ------ ...Las Vegas 21:50 ----  Trailer Talk 23:38 ----  Paws of Fury: The Legend of Hank  37:22 ----  Primal season 2  1:05:03 --  Rise of the TMNT: The Movie  1:26:17 --  RAPID FIRE!!!!!!  #RubberOnionPodcast@RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

We're on a roll! A deliciously egg-washed, sesame sprinkled, enriched dough roll! Here's our review of "The Bob's Burgers Movie." We talk the usual: plot, animation, performances, treasonous acts of sedition, bad impressions, budgets... you know... the yoozh #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

Clocking in at 2hrs and 40min here is our next episode which, yes, was recorded on June 2nd and since then Seth Green bought his NFT back and the Rescue Rangers movie is just a figment in people's imaginations but it's a good show if I do say so myself! It's the first episode we've done since the start of the pandemic in person! We'd like to know if YOU can tell the difference and also very interested in what your feelings are on getting this as one episode vs being split up into two. Timestamps: 4:00 ------ How You Doin' 9:08 ------ ...."Inside Job" 27:01 ---- .... "Cuphead Show" 28:33 ----  Animation News of the "Week" 29:24 ----  Married with Children animated show 50:22 ----  Seth Green NFT fiasco 1:08:18 --  Pinocchio trailer 1:42:55 --  Rescue Rangers mini movie review #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere Patreon iTunes

BRAND BRAND NEW EPISODE! We asked on Facebook what stories you wanted us to talk about on our return and there were some really great ones to choose from but there was one from Martin Bell that stood out to us: "What's going on with Netflix animation?" There's something about this topic that we keep coming back to but with the recent exiting of Phil Rynda and the layoffs which followed (we refer to this article from The Wrap quite a bit) it's back in the discussions. There's a very real situation at play with what makes us want to watch and keep watching shows in general but specifically animated offerings at Netflix versus other options on Hulu, Amazon, and elsewhere. We discuss the situation itself but use that as a springboard to talk about our viewing habits and what might be leading to our own animation series apathy. It's a fun time! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

BRAND NEW EPISODE! With the "Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers" (2022) movie releasing today on Disney+ here is Rob and I talking about the very first trailer that came out. I know, I know... not exactly fresh, but knowing what we know now about what the next trailer brought and the impending movie review we're going to do it all works out. These first episodes back to the routine were really hard to get out the door for a lot of reasons that we'll share on Patreon but there's still one more episode to release today, so enjoy our "official return" (and wonder at the splendor of 3D ROB)! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

Here's ep 2 of our 4 ep drop today continuing with this episode from earlier this year published to Patreon (Originally uploaded Feb 19, 2022). We were releasing episodes there exclusively for the last year while dealing with some very busy times which now have cleared up and we can re-enter the fray! We actually recorded this "Masters of the Universe: Revelation" review episode back in Aug 2021 and then more work/life stuff happened to decide to take a break until 2022. We'll talk all about it in our next podcasts now that we're coming up for air. But fun story, when I opened it in February I remembered why it was never released... we didn't record an intro! We just couldn't get together to record one and it sat collecting dust, getting more relevant with age... that's what happens to review episodes right?    So I woke up the next morning, recorded a quick intro, finished the edit, and put it up on Patreon with a promise that more were on their way. Now you're all caught up and Rob and I have recorded 2 more new-to-everyone episodes that I'm dropping now! Enjoy #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

Here's the start of our 4 ep drop today starting with this episode from last year published to Patreon (Originally uploaded Aug 21, 2021). We were releasing episodes there exclusively for the last year while dealing with some very busy times which now have cleared up and we can re-enter the fray!  This episode we reviewed two movies now on Disney+ for anyone to watch, SOUL and RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON! Enjoy! Timestamps: 16:07 SOUL 1:04:52 RAYA AND THE LAST DRAGON   #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

Return of the Variety Show! We talk the new Space Jam and Luca trailers, Thundercats and Peeps are getting movies, and RAPID FIRE Timestamps: 5:20 How You Doin? 15:08 TRAILER TALK 15:57 Space Jam: A New Legacy 40:05 Luca 47:34 ANIMATION NEWS OF THE WEEK 48:32 Thundercats 1:11:09 Peeps 1:32:26 RAPID FIRE #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

In this episode, Stephen and Rob switch places. Both doing long time freelance and office work and now thrown into an opposite world... what did they learn?! Discussions abound! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

One of the founders of the Academy of Animated Art, co-author of Lighting for Animation, and CG Lighter for Blue Sky Studios, Jasmine Katatikarn, joined us to talk about the industry, online learning, industry lessons learned and starts the episode off with a message about the recent closing of Blue Sky. #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

Undone is the new rotoscoped* show on Amazon dealing with time travel, mental illness, both, and of course relationships personal and family - because what narrative isn't, really. Stephen watched the whole season, Rob watched about half. *(it's a broad term, but we talk a lot about the style) #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

It's an HBO Max kind of show where we talk through all of (kinda) season 1 of Genndy Tartakovsky's "Primal" and J.G. Quintel's "Close Enough." How engaging is a 30 min series without any dialog? How about a 15 min one with a lot? Will Rob ever get to eat his lunch? Timestamps: 24:45 Primal Season 1 Review 57:30 - 1:05:30 *SPOILERS for PRIMAL ep 5 1:10:00 Close Enough thoughts ep 1 & 2 #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

We sat down separately together to talk about the new doc "Animation Outlaws" directed by Kat Alioshin about the duo known as Spike & Mike and the festivals they ran. Check it out streaming now on Amazon! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

Last episode we talked about new animated shows, this week we talk about new animation opportunities! And with all that positivity, I get mildly annoyed at the Emmy selection this year and Rob sees it as an opportunity to make me explain why Rick and Morty doesn't thrill me... again. And it works every time. #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

There are so many new animated series that have been in production or just got greenlit in this time of covid quarantine, animation is proving itself once again as one of the more creatively and financially stable mediums to get behind. #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

It's been exactly 2 months since the last episode and a lot has been going on, we catch up and address the absence. #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

The Willoughbys on Netflix interested us by the trailer. We watched the movie. #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

This was from our Live-Streamed TRAILER TALK where we discussed the trailers for Solar Opposites, Connected, The Willoughbys, and JJ Villard's Fairy Tales. Not all positive. #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

We had a live-streamed show (from our respective homes) to discuss working from home and everything that entails. Being a manager, being an animator, working on-site to working from home, freelancing and its benefits, how is and might in the future impact the industry. We also have a couple user videos, one animated, and a listener audio question as well as comments from chat. It was a fun time! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere           

About a month ago a video was uploaded that made the rounds in the animation community of a young story artist who quit her job at Disney explaining the why of it all.  We'll we're older and have had completely different paths from her and ourselves and have some thoughts on it all. It's a Hot Cocoa Show!! #RubberOnionPodcast @RubberOnion everywhere