Episode 201 - TITAN A.E.

Don Bluth's directorial swan song Titan A.E. straddles the line between two eras of animation, merging  hand-drawn and computer-generated visuals to create a look befitting its extremely-Y2K style, soundtrack, and overall attitude.

We blast off with John Parton and Ace Cordova to chart a course for the future of humanity...or at least the future of big-budget epics from animation auteurs!

Titan A.E. (2000)
Directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman
Written by Ben Edlund, John August, and Joss Whedon
Story by Hans Bauer and Randall McCormick
Starring Matt Damon, Drew Barrymore, Bill Pullman, Nathan Lane, Janeane Garofalo, Ron Perlman, Tone Loc, and John Leguizamo

Episode 11 - BLANK CHECK and RICHIE RICH

Money can't buy you love, happiness, or class...but it can buy you a lot of Nerf guns and four-wheelers.  That's one thing we learned in our financial double feature of Blank Check and Richie Rich, two 1994 films designed to teach children that though materialism is an empty pursuit, it can sure fill your house with awesome stuff.  (Gotta start 'em early!)

In the spirit of this season of excess, enjoy a super-sized podcast covering everything from the surprising duality of Preston Waters and Richie Rich to the comfort of having a sidekick from a different English-speaking nation.  Also, having to choose favorites in this pair of financially-obsessed (though ultimately family-oriented) films finally puts us at odds...in a strictly collegial way.

Go ahead, help yourself to seconds - it's a special Thanksgiving episode of What Were We Watching!

Blank Check (1994)
Directed by Rupert Wainwright
Produced by Gary Adelson, Craig Baumgarten, and Tony Shimkin
Written by Blake Snyder and Colby Carr
Starring Brian Bonsall, Karen Duffy, Miguel Ferrer, James Rebhorn, Tone Lōc, and Michael Lerner

Richie Rich (1994)
Directed by Donald Petrie
Produced by Joel Silver and John Davis
Written by Neil Tolkin and Tom S. Parker
Starring Macaulay Culkin, John Larroquette, Edward Herrmann, Christine Ebersole, and Jonathan Hyde

Episode 3 - FERNGULLY: THE LAST RAINFOREST

1992's environmental extravaganza really is a lot like Avatar...but it's also so much more.  This week, we'll talk about the unique charms of this scrappy animated underdog that left its mark on a green generation.

Also: a brief Robin Williams tribute, who appears in the film as the voice of the magnificently manic Batty Koda.

FernGully: The Last Rainforest (1992)
Directed by Bill Kroyer
Produced by Peter Faiman and Wayne Young
Written by Jim Cox
Starring the voices of Jonathan Ward, Samantha Mathis, Tim Curry, and Robin Williams