Shows
Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 135 - Fred's HeadHigh school can be a bit of a pain. Especially when you're a horny, pale, sarcastic teenager besieged by criminal lust and pursued by rabid squirrels. Such are the many trials and tribulations of the titular protagonist in Fred's Head - an acerbic teen comedy that balances the zany with a level-headed approach to the lifestyles of teenagers. Chris loved it. Sylvie liked it.Episode covered for the podcast was episode 7 "Rodent Terror." Written by Malorie Nault-Cousineau, directed by Benoit Godbout and Sylvain Lavoie, and storyboarded by Karine Charlebois. Original airdate February 17, 2008....2025-04-261h 02Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 117 - Dark OracleBreak out those early-2000s haircuts and Hot Topic accessories, it is once again time for our Spooktober Celebration! And to kick it all off, we are taking a look at the scariest thing our country's television industry has ever produced - a mopey, pseudo-gothic live-action teen drama about an evil comic book...that is technically animated. In our most contentious episode to date, Sylvie and Chris check out Dark Oracle on its 20th anniversary - an alleged blend of live-action and animation that is just barely the latter. But at least we get a lot of early-2000s...2024-10-051h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 114 - CanaDUB: The Story of Saiunkoku (Ocean Dub)We're back!
After a long summer hiatus, Chris and Sylvie are back to push their pro-dubbing agenda once more with the latest episode of CanaDUB. While Studio Madhouse's The Story of Saiunkoku is a perfectly competent shōjo romance surrounding court intrigue and economic disparity, the real interesting story can be found in the state of the anime distribution industry at the time. Chris and Sylvie break down the influential ramifications for the industry surrounding the unfortunate release of Saiunkoku and its ill-fated distributor Geneon Entertainment. It's a history lesson on the 2000s anime boom type of p...2024-09-071h 14Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 106 - Totally Spies!On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie program a fashionably (heh) late Mother's Day episode, and wind up accidentally programming a Pride celebration episode! In the next installment of our big hitter series, just in time for the new reboot season, we are taking look at the flagship series from Marathon Media that blends action, style, and barely disguised fetishes - OMG it's like, Totally Spies!
Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 36 "Mommies Dearest." Written by Michelle & Robert Lamoreaux. Directed by Stephane Berry. Original Canadian airdate April 9, 2003.
If you liked what...2024-06-011h 19Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 105 - Camp CandyHowdy campers! On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie are talking about the strangely lucrative trend of "celebrity vanity cartoons" with one of the most beloved Canadian comedians of all time. John Candy conquered Hollywood in the 1980s, but the '90s brought a new venture - Saturday Morning Environmentally Conscious Cartoons! It's Camp Candy, and if you think John Candy wasn't going to smuggle a bunch of his sketch comedy buddies from SCTV into his big NBC cartoon, you would be dead wrong.
Episode covered for the podcast is "Saturday Morning Polka Fever." Written by Tino...2024-05-181h 11Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 104 - Wall (2017)Prompted by the ongoing genocidal campaigns effecting the people of Palestine, Chris and Sylvie decided to tackle an animated documentary from 2017 that endeavored to portray the Israel-West Bank Barrier in a nuanced perspective based on an outsider's perspective. It failed. Miserably. While visually it stuns through a masterful mixing of animation techniques by Alberta based filmmaker Cam Christiansen, as an adaptation of a self-serving, close-minded monologue written by British playwright David Hare back in 2009, its biases and outdated views are apparent and frustrating.
Wall (2017). Directed by Cam Christiansen. Available to stream on the NFB...2024-05-111h 06Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 103 - CanaDUB: Inuyasha (Ocean Dub)We are back on our anime bullshit with another all-time classic series that was introduced to us Canadians by a dub produced in Vancouver. It's Rumiko Takahashi's seminal Shonen series Inuyasha, a beloved series that Sylvie and Chris were first introduced to through the YTV anime programing block "Bionix." As with all CanaDUB episodes, we break down the phenomenon of the series, its release in Canada, and the dynamics, performances, and reception of its dubbing produced by the fine people over at Ocean Productions. Plus, Sylvie gives her definitive breakdown of what constitutes a Little Guy™.
Episode co...2024-05-041h 17Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 100 - Being IanFor the 100th episode of Cartoon Night in Canada, Chris and Sylvie tackle a big hitter in the Canadian cartoon canon. A formative series for both hosts whose latent film buff personas could be traced partially back to it, it seemed like the only choice for a milestone episode to finally cover personal favourite Being Ian. A hilariously relatable portrait of an amateur filmmaker finding his way against his disapproving family, essentially Being Ian is Ian James Corlett's The Fabelmans.
Thank you to anyone who has checked out our podcast, shared our interests in Canadian animation, and...2024-03-301h 31Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 98 - RoboCop: The Animated SeriesOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie finally put to bed the hot-button media debate of our age - Is RoboCop PoLiTiCaL?? While the Paul Verhoeven 1987 masterpiece is unassailable on this front, what about the oft forgotten attempt to soften the hard edges of the NSFW sci-fi satire for Saturday morning television that premiered a year later? What gets lost in translation when you take one of the hardest R-rated movies ever released that poignantly and painfully tackles reagonomics, capitalism, dehumanization, and the militarization of the police force and make it for kids? And the most pressing question, does...2024-03-161h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 97 - George ShrinksOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie do what they do best and ponder the grotesque biological and terrifying existential implications of a show for literal preschoolers with William Joyce's George Shrinks. How does a three-inch child with the ingenious mind of an inventor make his way through a world not built for his size? Can his tiny worldview help save his dismal local hockey team? And what in god's name did the parents go through when they went through the body horror nightmare of giving birth to a child the size of a cockroach?! All this and more...2024-03-091h 01Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 95 - Ripley's Believe It or Not!: The Animated SeriesBelieve It or Not, those coffee table books of weird and strange facts from around the world were once a part of a thriving media empire that at one point included cheaply produced French-Canadian Satutday morning cartoons. Sylvie and Chris catch up with the Ripley brand in the late 90s and discover a surprisingly educational and admirable attempt to translate the compendium of global oddities into a jetsetting, mystery-busting adventure series. Outside of the signature, lowly Cinar animation, the show surprisingly holds up. Plus, our scorching hot takes on the 2018 horror film Winchester.
Episode 7 covered for the podcast was "Ghost...2024-02-241h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 94 - XcaliburOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie boot up an old copy of The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion and contemplate the history of CGI animation while talking about a wrongfully forgotten show from that history's awkward, transitional years. It's Xcalibur - a sword-and-sorcery tale that was made with so much passion the still nascent technology behind its animation could not match. If you put the show in context, it holds up pretty well. If not, well...
CORRECTION: In this podcast we refer to the region of France that speaks the Occitan language as "the Occitan region of France."...2024-02-131h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 93 - Chop Socky ChooksOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris look back at the mid-2000s flirtation with martial arts cinema and wonder aloud what exactly a legendary claymation company from jolly ol' England was doing collaborating with Decode Entertainment. It's Aardman Animation's Chop Socky Chooks (no, that's not a slur! It just Aussie for Kung-fu Chicken). A high-concept tribute to martial arts cinema from an innovator in claymation that is neither A). interested in martial arts cinema, or B). claymated. This was Flushed Away era of Aardman Animation we're dealing with, people.
Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 14 "...2024-02-031h 15Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 92 - Salty's LighthouseOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie struggle to find anything of value to say about a show for preschoolers that is the epitome of lazy edutainment. A cobbled-together variety program which lets the creators of Thomas the Tank Engine and stock footage from 60 years ago pad the runtime, there is nothing to the paltry animation of Salty's Lighthouse beyond the decades old footage it records over. Yes, turns out this was a secret CanaDUB episode all-along that took the British nautical puppet show TUGS and made it more Canadian. We had nothing to talk about here, so we...2024-01-2750 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 90 - Captain FlamingoOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie answer the call of neglected kids in distress and save the day with cheap novelty toys with Captain Flamingo. While reminiscing and lamenting the bygone era of superhero media that was not under the conglomerate thumb of Marvel and DC, we chat about this utterly charming cartoon about forsaken kids in a world of uncaring, absent adults and the reality-warping powers of too much comic books. Plus, some diatribes about A.I. art (as we are want to do).
Episode covered is 6a/b, "Ack Give my Backpack Back Jack...2024-01-131h 14Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 87 - CanaDUBcember: BeybladeIt's heavy hitter time here on CanaDUBcember! On this week's podcast, Chris and Sylvie let 'er rip against roaming gangs of pre-teens with devastating spinning tops containing the trapped souls of demigods. It's Beyblade!
Is it a toy commercial? Kind of? Is it a gag dub? Kind of? Does it hold up? You better believe it!
Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 1 "The Blade Raider." Original canadian airdate May 31 2002.
If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a nice...2023-12-161h 14Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 85 - CanaDUBcember: Bakugan Battle BrawlersThroughout the entire month of December, we are in the spirit of celebrating with an entire month dedicated to covering what everybody associates with the holidays...ANIME!!!! Specifically, CanaDUBcember is an entire month spotlighting the exciting cross-cultural exchange of the anime boom in the early-to-late 2000s and the still felt effects it had on the media landscape. Not just officially licensed dubs produced here in Canada, but how Canada took a hands on approach to capitalizing on a popular culture shift through co-productions, anime inspired aesthetics, and tons of other surpriseses.
We are kicking off the month...2023-12-021h 14Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 84 - Freaky StoriesThe following podcast is a true story. It happened to a friend of a friend of mine.
Rounding out our extensive 2023 Spooktober Celebration, we pull up a stool at Ted's Diner to talk about Freaky Stories: spooky anthology of pseudo-urban legends hosted by two gross puppet bois that teach us valuable moral lessons about how to function in society. For example, if you are a doctor, always make sure to check your pockets for feces. All that and discussions of horrifying puppets from our childhood (Je Suis Un Ananas, anybody?) in this goopy send off to our...2023-11-251h 15Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 83 - Spooktober Shorts: The Erlking and Lake ErieOur 2023 Spooktober Celebration may be winding down and both your hosts may be tired beyond belief, but we still cobbled together an NFB Showcase...sort of? In reality, we just wanted to talk about labour unions in the animation industry and slapped together a quickie double feature of short films that have literally nothing to do with each other. But when the shorts are this good, who is going to object? Congratulations to the employees of Wildbrain Studios for your successful formation of a union. May other Canadian animation houses follow your lead.
Shorts covered: The Erlking (2002...2023-11-1857 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 82 - Moville Mystery "Sold Your Soul for...What?"Happy October 35th! Our Spooktober Celebration rolls on for a whole extra month because Halloween is a state of mind.
In our tradition of returning Canadian horror icons to this program, we are taking a trip back to Ouija Falls to listen to our favourite short-king, gremlin child exploring the ooky-spooky goings ons of his hometown with Moville Mystery. On this trek through the weird and creepy, a classic crossroads myth of the delta blues sees the devil himself coming for the soul of the neglected son of a polka aficionado.
Episode covered is Episode 21 "Sold Your Soul for...What?"...2023-11-041h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 81 - Scary Godmother: The Revenge of JimmyHAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
Our Spooktober Celebration reaches its high-water mark for 2023 with the return of a Canadian Halloween icon and her queer Monster Mash friend group. It's the hotly anticipated sequel to Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular that should have led to a television series, but apparently we just live in a cruel, unfair world.
Film covered for this episode is "Scary Godmother: The Revenge of Jimmy." Directed by Zeke Norton and written by Ian Boothby. Original airdate October 7, 2005.
If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show...2023-10-311h 18Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 80 - BeetlejuiceIT'S SHOWTIME!!!
On this week's installment of our Spooktober Celebration, we finally take on a Saturday morning staple born from the bizarre trend of turning 80s films for adults into cartoons. It also happens to be technically Canadian. A Tim Burton classic by way of Nelvana Animation, it's Beetlejuice, and it's delightful.
Episode covered for the podcast is episode 51 ""Them Bones, Them Bones, Them Funny Bones." Written by Larry Parr and directed by Rick Marshall/Alan Bunce. Original airdate
October 8, 1991.
If you liked what you heard please and wish to su...2023-10-211h 02Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 79 - Spookley the Square PumpkinIt's finally time to tackle a Halloween icon for the ages. The geometric symbol of adversity that inspired a generation to embrace their squareness. The personified spirit of the holiday itself - that's right, it's Spookley the Square Pumpkin.
Never heard of him? Well, sounds like a you problem...
Film covered is "Spookley the Square Pumpkin." Directed by Bernie Denk and written by Thomas Hughes. Original release date October 19, 2004.
If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a nice review on your podcatcher...2023-10-141h 03Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 78 - Martin Mystery "The Body-Swapper."Pleasant screams to all our ghouls out there. We are officially in Spooktober, and we promised old favourites making returns. What better than the spookiest cartoon Canada ever produced - the continuing Monster of the Week adventures of Martin Mystery. Add it in a blatant homage to one of the greatest horror films of all time, and you've got yourself a great Halloween watch.
Episode covered is Season 2, episode 29 "The Body-Swapper." Written Rhonda Smiley. Original airdate October 17, 2004.
If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a nice review on your...2023-10-0750 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 77 - Growing up CreepieIt's the most wonderful time of the year. It's time for Cartoon Night in Canada's celebration of all things macabre, weird, and scary in Canadian animation - it's 2023's Spooktober Celebration.
Kicking off our annual tradition of terror, we are back talking about the mainstreaming and cutesification of the goth aesthetic with a series about a child who lives in squalor and desperately needs child protective services called for her. It's Growing up Creepie, an edutatinment series about a little scene girl who was raised by bugs....that's kind of it.
Episode covered for this...2023-09-301h 02Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 76 - Chilly BeachOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie take a hard look in the mirror to see an exaggerated stereotype of Canadiana stare back at them when they head on down to Chilly Beach to see if they can unwind. A proudly flash-animated satire that revels in skewering all things typical small town Canada that both is and is not as clever as it thinks it is. Does it hold up? Does any "satire" from the early 2000s hold up?
Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 16 "Country Cooking." Directed by Michael Stuart Bass and written by Dave...2023-09-0954 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 75 - Monster by MistakeAh-choo! It's time for Chris and Sylvie to return to their favourite pseudo-genre - Horror 4 Kids. This time, it's the nasal misadventures of a young boy who transforms into a giant blue sasquatch whenever he sneezes which somehow is not a metaphor for puberty. It's Monster by Mistake, an early CGI animation series that has not aged particularly well in the visual department. But hey, at least we found an episode that lets Chris be obnoxious about professional wrestling again.
Episode covered is Episode 27 "Wrestling Challenge." Directed by David Geldart and written by Steve Westren. Original air...2023-09-021h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 74 - Ned's NewtOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris mourn the inimitable talent of one Robin Williams by taking in a Nelvana series that desperately tried to copy his schtick. It's Ned's Newt, the motormouthed, lol so random, bit-heavy comedy that believed so long as the big obnoxious blue thing never stopped talking, the laughs come fast and furious. We found out that is pretty far from the truth. Plus did you know Tom Green's Freddy Got Fingered is the greatest film ever directed by a Canadian?
Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 2 "Nightmare on Friendly Street/A...2023-08-261h 02Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 73 - CanaDub: Death Note (Ocean Dub)Getting back into our anime groove, we tackle a (in our opinion) poorly-aged heavy-hitter which helped defined the pseudo-gothic aesthetics of the mid to late 2000s. It's Death Note, a generation-defining anime that's philosophy concerning morals, ethics, and a society's sense of judgement - all filtered through an edgy teenager's point-of-view - surprisingly does not hold up in the cold-light of 2023. But hey, at least the Canadian produced dub is a bit of fun.
Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 8 "Glare." Directed by Masato Bessho and written by Toshiki Inoue. English airdate December 9, 2007.
2023-08-191h 07Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 72 - Barbie™ as the Princess and the PauperHi Barbie.
To do more of that sweet brand synergy and intentional programming we are famous for, Chris and Sylvie have taken a look at the cinema's first experience of Barbiemania - the direct-to-DVD CGI features that Mainframe Entertainment has been churning out consistently since the 2000s. Greta Gerwig's Barbie film may be making a billion dollars and shifting the culture, but have you considered the long-lasting cultural impact of the musical Mark Twain adaptation with Martin Short and a barking cat? No? Well clearly somebody does not have a tiktok account where Barbie as the Princess...2023-08-121h 13Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 71 - Delta StateWe are back! After a sojourn into a parallel dimension of fragmented memories that left it impossible for us to record a podcast, Chris and Sylvie have returned for a CNIC Detour episode on one of the most mature and striking series we will ever cover. A complex, sci-fi, paranoia thriller about four twenty-something amnesiacs who hold the fate of all humanity in their blasé hands and another existential plane that can alter our world irrevocably. It's heavy, it's a lot, it's beautifully rotoscoped and designed, it's Delta State.
Episode covered is Episode 1 "First Contact (Part One)." D...2023-08-051h 10Cartoon Night in CanadaBONUS - Live from Fantasia 2023AUDIO WARNING - This podcast was recorded in a noisy public space.
Coming at you live from a bar next to Concordia University, it's a special bonus episode of Cartoon Night in Canada that features movies that are neither Canadian and are not animated (except for one)!
Chris attended the 26th annual Fantasia Film Festival in beautiful Montreal for a program of films that ran the gamut from esoteric art films, international genre movies, strange outsider independent cinema, flicks by established transnational exports and bold new visionaries, and everything weird enough for the French Canadian...2023-08-031h 20Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 70 - Anne of Green Gables: The Animated SeriesOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris take a trip down to Avonlea with a cheaply produced adaptation of a beloved coming of age novel that spawned a media franchise so large as to rival the works of Tolkien. As one Canadian media mogul attempted to wring every cent out of the rights to L.M. Montgomery's beloved children's novel, it was inevitable a slapdash and forgettable cartoon would be produced. While we discuss the book, the poorly adapted cartoon, and the unexpected global phenomenon of this red-headed orphan girl from Prince Edward Island, we also get into the...2023-07-081h 12Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 69 - CybersixOn this week's episode, we brazenly extend our month of Pride programming with a certified queer cult classic about a leather-clad, gender-fluid, vampiric, super-soldier fighting against Nazis. A show so utterly perfect for our current era we needed to bring it back. And yes, we literally only programmed it for our 69th episode because it's the meme number and we are mature professionals. Even so, this show deserves another look.
Episode covered for this podcast is episode 5 "Lori is Missing." Written by Jono Howard and directed by Keiichiro Furuya. Original airdate September 25, 1999.
...2023-07-011h 09Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 68 - NFB Showcase #8: Pride EditionOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris return to the archive of moving images that is the NFB for an out and proud double bill of short, queer animation. A bittersweet, neon-soaked eulogy to a dingy gay bar in Edmonton where outcasts could find community, chased down with a stick-figure tribute to a beloved indie pop duo summarizing their career. They have a lot more in common than you would expect as we found out when we broke down their aesthetics, productions, and messages. Plus some Waterloo college bar hopping memories and why queer history in all its forms...2023-06-2456 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 67 - The Dragon PrinceOn this week's desperate attempt to program for Pride Month, we take a look at a series with a notable pedigree that was often bandied about as a stellar example of representation in children's television...after the first couple of seasons, that is. It's Netflix's The Dragon Prince, a series from one of the minds behind Avatar: The Last Airbender (with a fraction of the budget and production time that went into making that series thanks to Netflix's production/releasing methods that are inherently hostile to creativity). This mostly just turned into yet another bull session over how inhospitable...2023-06-171h 17Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 66 - Beast Wars: Transformers "Other Visits Pt. 1 & 2"On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie are torn between their hastily programmed Pride theme month and the desire to program with new releases with the release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts. Returning to the beloved Canadian CGI series Beast Wars: Transformers, they found a way to kill two birds with one stone through a quick Google search to find "The Gayest Episode of Beast Wars." Turns out, the massive Transformers fandom has heavy representation of LGBTIQA+ members who have done all the work for us of reading queer themes into the long-running Hasbro series, and Beast Wars...2023-06-101h 02Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 65 - Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the WorldHAPPY PRIDE TO ALL OUR LISTENERS!!
To celebrate, we here at Cartoon Night in Canada our programming a whole month of (somewhat) LGBT-centric shows produced here in Canada. And we are starting off with a thematically confused message and a mouthful of a title. It's Rick and Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple in All the World! An in-your-face, stop-motion satire of the queer community that so proudly wears its "equal opportunity offender" and "politically incorrect" labels on its sleeve like a badge of honour. Surprisingly, it winds up being an utter mess that routinely has no idea...2023-06-031h 03Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 64 - NFB Showcase #7: The Cat Came Back & I Like GirlsOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris are back in the vast archives of the NFB for a pairing of two shorts that could not be more different. An adaptation of a beloved children's novelty song about an absurdist struggle between man and animal, and a confessional anthology of women discussing their first same-sex attraction with charm and vulnerability. While we somewhat failed at finding a connecting theme (despite many attempts), we nevertheless broke down the two shorts in terms of style, direction, themes, and adaptations.
Films discussed are Cordell Barker's The Cat Came...2023-05-2743 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 63 - Clone HighOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris tackle another big hitter of the Canadian cartoon canon - a cult favourite from the minds of a now beloved directing duo that many might not even realize is TECHNICALLY Canadian (the best kind). It's the greatest animated teen sitcom to ever exist, it's Clone High! A wacky, zany, and maybe even silly teen show parody for the irony poisoned teenagers of the early 2000s that still holds up to this day (in some ways...). In honour of the long rumored and finally happening Season 2 coming out this month, we decided it...2023-05-201h 17Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 62 - RedwallOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie head to the Mossflower Woods to witness the divine struggles of war between mice, rats, otters, and other woodland critters in Brian Jacques' Redwall. While hesitant to cover an apparently beloved series like this, we get into the beautiful aesthetic inspired by Gary Chalk's illustration work, how the show adapts the more mature/intense themes of Jacques' original novel series, and why the show was a hard sell back in the late 90s to early 2000s when television animation was going in a different direction entirely. Plus, a lot of the recording...2023-05-131h 17Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 61 - Wapos BayOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie take a trip down to the stop-motion community of Wapos Bay to really emphasize the importance of Indigenous stories and media, produced by Indigenous creators, for Indigenous audiences. A charming children's program and meticulously crafted animation that's only real glaring issue is it speaks to a very young audience about the realities of their community and can be a tad squeaky clean (understandably). Otherwise, utterly pleasant little show.
Episode covered is Episode 11 "As Long as the River Flows." Written and directed by Dennis Jackson. Original airdate December 4th, 2007.
2023-05-061h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 60 - Tripping the RiftOn this week's episode, the CNIC Detour takes Chris and Sylvie to where no socially-awkward horny nerd has gone before with Tripping the Rift. A misogynistic cavalcade of jokes that were poorly aged in the mid-2000s when they were first made. Under the revealing light of 2023 the only thing more past its prime than the try-hard offensive humour and deeply ingrained sexism is the early CG animation. And when the dead-eyed, CG plastic women are what you were banking on to fill the spankbanks of your frustrated geek audiences, you start to wonder who this was even for in...2023-04-221h 06Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 59 - CanaDub: Ranma 1/2 (Ocean Group Dub)On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie get into one of the early turning points for anime fandom in the West with the Canadian produced dub for Rumiko Takahashi's groundbreaking gender swap comedy Ranma 1/2. Our old Vancouver buds The Ocean Group whipped together a bold yet faithful reworking of the original release which really highlights the sharp comedy and surprisingly progressive approach to the fluidity of gender identities of this series. It was pleasantly surprising to find that this one really held up in the cool light of 2023.
Episode covered was episode 1 of the original Ocean group...2023-04-1559 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 58 - Donkey Kong CountryOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris do some intentional programming for once and celebrate the release of the (apparently mediocre) Super Mario Bros. movie with another video game adaptation from the Mario franchise that most definitely DID NOT have the same amount of care, money, or consideration of fan opinion underlying its production. It's another artifact of early CGI animation during the peak of bad videogame adaptations, it's Nelvana's Donkey Kong Country. While we get into the seemingly unbreakable "curse of the videogame adaptation," we dig into why this janky, awkward, and unnecessarily musical interpretation of the classic...2023-04-081h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 57 - Seven Little MonstersHappy April Fools' Day! This week, Sylvie and Chris played a prank on themselves by wading back into shows produced for toddlers with the ill-fated Nelvana adaptation of a beloved children's book author lesser known book. It's Seven Little Monsters, a series that takes all the charm of Maurice Sendak's aesthetic and darker outlook on children's storytelling and smothers it to make it palatable for Canadian kids. If you're wondering if this episode features an extended discussion on "monster fucking" and debate over the musical merits of the Barenaked Ladies, let me assure you we get into it all...2023-04-011h 03Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 56 - Producing ParkerOn this week's CNIC Detour, Sylvie and Chris ponder what exactly a "producer" actually does and the sorry state of daytime television as they get into the needlessly zany workplace comedy Producing Parker. While admiring the sharp direction and stunning aesthetic of this forgotten TvTropolis (remember that??) series, we suffer through the two-thousand and late sense of humour which feels like somebody got too much Family Guy randomness in their 30 Rock. A horny, catty show with a star-studded cast that neither Sylvie or Chris could figure out who its supposed to appeal to. Plus, we determine what is the...2023-03-251h 12Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 55 - The HollowOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie bumble their way through a multi-layered mystery of strange landscapes and stranger creatures in the Netflix-produced teen adventure show The Hollow. While acknowledging we were in no way the target audience for this, we broke down why this recent show lacks the staying power to invest you in its multi-arc narrative and why it can never shake the "Netflix needed another Stranger Things-esque show" allegations. We really, finally get into the reasons why Netflix and its business practices have not been an ally to the animation industry as of lately after teasing...2023-03-181h 11Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 54 - NFB Showcase #6: The Oscar SpecialFor Chris and Sylvie's continued exploration of the National Film Board archives, we decided to commemorate the 95th Academy Awards with a double-stuffed Oscar special! Three nominated or winning films from the NFB's extensive archives and the currently nominated short film The Flying Sailor. From a darkly comic midlife crisis, to an psychedelic appreciation of the abstract beauty of a walk cycle, to a breakneck series of bits on world history, and finally a glorious meditation on the fragile beauty of life in the wake of a national tragedy. We know the Oscars have never cared about animation as...2023-03-111h 14Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 53 - My Dad the RockstarOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie are getting into the uncharted territories of vanity animated projects and over- the-hill narcissistic rockstars with the Gene "That Guy from Kiss with the Tongue" Simmons produced show My Dad the Rockstar. A fairly solid coming of age show about the trials of having a flamboyant celebrity father that hits at the nefarious veracity of reality television in clever and funny ways. Unfortunately, the main drawback is the utterly insufferable producer behind it all which is just too hard to ignore in hindsight. Plus, the poorly aged Gene Simmons Family Jewels experiment...2023-03-0456 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 52 - Mona the VampireOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris show you their fangs and get way too invested in the fragile delineations between fantasy and reality with Mona the Vampire. While debating some favourite tropes featured in shows we covered (the HorrorKid, precocious girl with overactive imagination, monster of the week story structure, etc.), we once again get into the joys of horror made for kids and our nostalgic memories of this ordinary girl in an extraordinary world. Plus, Joss Whedon is mentioned. There is your content warning for that guy.
Episode covered is episode 23 "Time...2023-02-251h 14Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 51 - Celebrity DeathmatchOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie meet in the deathmatch arena to fight over a dark period in our celebrity obsessed culture with MTV's Celebrity Deathmatch. A partially Canadian series where the mid-2000s revival of this "beloved" MTV series was fully produced in Toronto, we catalog the many, many ways this series has aged poorly with its ugly attitude towards troubled stars and starlets. Plus, every low-hanging, lazy joke you can imagine about the Olsen Twins, Charlie Sheen, and Ryan Seacrest. But hey, at least the animation is pretty good, right?
Episode...2023-02-181h 10Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 50 - CanaDub: Cardcaptors (Nelvana/Ocean Dub)On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie wonder how you could make a Shōjo manga intended for young girls more incomprehensible with the wrong-headed intentions behind the Nelvana produced dub of Cardcaptor Sakura. Trying to parse the ambitious decision to de-Shōjo the Madhouse and Clamp series and make it appeal to young male anime fans, Chris and Sylvie try their best to breakdown the butchered production and comb through the voice cast of usual Ocean Group players to get to the bottom of it.
Episode covered for the podcast is the first ep...2023-02-111h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 49 - Erky PerkyOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie drift back into CG animation for some fun times with nondescript bugs fighting for survival under a gluttonous tyrant. It sounds a lot more entertaining than it was. For whatever reason, we really came out gunning for Erky Perky and had A LOT to say. Plus, the debut of a controversial recurring segment, Sylvie's brief attempt at getting on Ghost Trackers, a long chat on the hot dog situation in Reykjavík, and so much more.
Episodes covered are episode 19 and 20 "Key to the Kitchen/Cold Snap." U...2023-02-041h 18Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 48 - Ed, Edd n EddyIt's official, we have been doing this Cartoon Night in Canada thing for a year. A whole entire year of classic Canadian cartoons, hidden treasures of the NFB, anime for some reason, and some animated shows we could have just left stay in our memories.
To celebrate, we decided to cover one of the universally agreed upon great examples of Canadian animation (that some might not realize is actually Canadian in the first place). It's Ed, Edd n Eddy, the longest running Cartoon Network about greedy goblin children scamming their way to candy. We cover everything from t...2023-01-281h 10Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 47 - Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese CatOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris are delving back into preschool entertainment with the first cross-cultural exposure of many young Canadians to any form of Chinese culture with Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat. While seeing whether or not this Amy Tan adaptation holds up (spoiler alert: we're not sure, but potentially maybe?), we dig into the efforts to portray its cultural context, the can of worms that is the voice cast, the animation and design, and empirically analyze how adorable the cats truly are. Plus, 9/11 memories and talking shit about far-right youtubers for some reason!
2023-01-211h 10Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 46 - Fugget About ItAyyyyyyyy its 2023 ova here!!
And there is no better way to begin a new year than with some immature adult animation that thinks "Regina" is a joke in itself. It's Fugget About It, the show that mashes together the worst aspects of Family Guy and The Sopranos into a less than memorable package. Chris and Sylvie dissects its obvious inspirations, its bizarre production history on the "Teletoon Pilot Project", its poor attempts at edgy humour, and its lasting legacy post its run on Teletoon's Detour. Plus we make some resolutions for the podcast for the year.
2023-01-141h 06Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 45 - NFB Showcase #5: Christmas Cracker and The Energy CarolHappy Holidays CNIC listeners! Sylvie and Chris TOTALLY ON PURPOSE planned a Christmas special that just happened to coincide with our recurring dive into the National Film Board of Canada's archives. This in no way was slapped together at the last minute after looking at a calendar...
We picked two charming Holiday themed shorts produced by the NFB featuring some familiar directors and even more familiar literary inspirations. Somehow we get on the topic of Pajama Sam and Free Palestine during our conversation (as we are want to do).
Wishing you all the best this...2022-12-241h 13Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 44 - Magi-NationOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie head to the Moonlands to learn the way of the Magi and go one on one with all sorts of Dream Creatures with Magi-Nation. Taken from a bygone era when Yu-Gi-Oh was a prime target to be ripped off and western animation was overtly anime inspired, Magi-Nation is based on s defunct trading card game neither of us have heard of. To increase the challenge of parsing the dense lore of this faux anime, we decided to watch the finale when all the nonsensical plotlines finally pay off. Needless to say, we...2022-12-171h 08Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 43 - Wayside: The MovieOn this week's podcast, Chris and Sylvie enroll in the surreal, towering institution that is Wayside elementary for a chat about the stealth pilot/television special Wayside: The Movie. While dissecting its absurd humour, connections to the beloved Louis Sachar novel, and its vibrant aesthetic, we wind up talking extensively about the careers of Michael Cera and Skye Sweetnam (while continuing our Danko Jones propaganda efforts).
Episode covered is "Wayside: The Movie." Original airdate November 19, 2005.
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us a like, share, follow...2022-12-101h 08Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 42 - Jacob Two-Two "Scholars for Dollars"Not to repeat ourselves, but Chris and Sylvie are covering old favourite Jacob Two-Two for our first ever return episode this week on the podcast. This time, we tackle another scathing indictment on a Canadian institution with Jacob Two-Two taking down the gamification of education in this country and the predatory youth gameshow circuit. This episode is basically the Jacob Two-Two version of Paul Thomas Anderson's Magnolia. No seriously.
Episode covered is "Jacob Two-Two and Scholars for Dollars." Original airdate October 25, 2003.
If you liked what you heard please consider g...2022-11-261h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 41 - Bromwell HighFor our "Cartoon Night in Canada After Dark" episode this month, Chris and Sylvie take a gander at a rightfully forgotten British-Canadian offensive comedy that should have been left back in 2005. We slag off, hav a laugh, and take the piss out of Bromwell High, a satirical look at the United Kingdom school systems which has aged VERY poorly. From the whitewashed voice cast to the stereotyped characters to the unfunny comedy (but actually decent and interesting character design), this was one we weren't particularly chuffed to watch.
Episode covered is Episode 4 "Noe More T...2022-11-191h 01Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 40 - CanaDub: Master Keaton (Ocean Group Dub)On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie find themselves in Ireland with a globe-trotting insurance fraud investigator to foil the plot of the IRA in our fourth episode of our anime side series CanaDub. Once again, we find ourselves talking the legacy of Pioneer/Geneon Entertainment with one of their less remembered dubbing efforts with a Madhouse adaptation of a Naoki Urasawa classic, Master Keaton. While sifting through its production history (and why exactly neither of us have any nostalgic memories for it) we breakdown the voice cast, where you heard them before, and how well they handled Uraswa's...2022-11-121h 04Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 39 - Moville MysteriesIn our official one-week extension to Spooktober, Chris and Sylvie take a look at a mostly forgotten star vehicle for a child actor which made sarcastically investigating the paranormal it's whole deal. It's Moville Mysteries, a visually odd monster-of-the-week horror show clearly schooled in comedy at the Joss Whedon Writing Academy. We dig into the show's look, the career of Frankie Muniz, somehow fit in the ridiculous things Sherlock fans believe, and once more chat about getting kids into horror.
Episode covered is Episode 5 "The Moville Witch Project." Original airdate October 5, 2002.
2022-11-051h 01Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 38 - Martin MysteryOn this week's creepy Halloween special, Chris and Sylvie find something more spooky than any ghouls, witches, or vampires: the prominent influence on anime in western animation. We are returning to our friends at Marathon Media for (possibly) the best of their four flagship series, the paranormal-busting teen horror-comedy Martin Mystery! While digging through the tangled web of its production history, its artistic influences, and fawning over the versatility and entertainment of the 'monster-of-the-week' format, we fall over ourselves in praising this near-perfect "X-Files for Kids" show. And MothMan might even show up!
Episode...2022-10-291h 07Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 37 - Scary Godmother: Halloween SpooktacularOn this week's sinister slice of Spooktober, Chris and Sylvie let their scare down and revisit the delightful Halloween special where the only eerie thing about it is the early CGI animation. It's Scary Godmother: Halloween Spooktacular - the surprisingly uplifting tale of a queer friend group of over-the-top movie monsters partying and vibing together on the scariest night of the year. We break down Mainframe Entertainment's perfect holiday special in terms of queer representation, its bold experiments with animation, the state of media release in the era, and where exactly the fandom lies for Jill Thompson's comic book...2022-10-221h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 36 - Tales from the CryptkeeperGreetings Boils and Ghouls, it's officially Spooktober month here on the podcast and we are celebrating with a whole month of creepy Canadian animation. For this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie ponder what would happen if you took a campy, gory, salacious HBO show and....just kind of take all that good stuff out and marketed it to Canadian kids. You get the ill-fated kiddified version of Tales from the Crypt, now know as Nelvana's Tales from the Cryptkeeper. Between the digs at the atrociously cheap animation and the ruminating over the doomed endeavor of repackaging adult entertainment for...2022-10-151h 04Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 35 - Ultimate Book of SpellsAs we are officially entering spooky season, Sylvie and Chris have programmed an entire month of spooktacular Canadian cartoons and episodes to entertain themselves all through October. And we may have accidentally selected the most terrifying for the first week with the forgotten Harry Potter rip-off the Ultimate Book of Spells. While getting our rants off over a certain terfy British author, we talk extensively about the dense and confusing lore of UBOS, the strange character designs and art style, why we feel it never became anything other than an obscurity, and Chris has a complete breakdown over the...2022-10-081h 08Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 34 - The Wrong CoastOn this week's episode, Cartoon Night in Canada goes "After Dark" once again so Sylvie and Chris can chat about a show which distilled the cultural obsession with celebrity and cheap, obvious parody in the mid-2000s into a perfectly serviceable stop-motion show. While every riff on Hollywood isn't perfect in The Wrong Coast, Sylvie and Chris found enough interesting commentary and revealing satire in this forgotten (and widely unavailable) tinsel town send-up to talk about it .
Episode covered is Episode 4 "The Broken Teleprompter."
If you liked what you he...2022-10-011h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 33 - Little BearOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris finally step into the Treehouse and cover a show intended for preschoolers with the imaginative pastoral storybook series Little Bear. While Chris nurses a TIFF-induced hangover, your hosts work diligently to analyze the visuals and themes of this show about a grizzly bear intended for babies. This was not easy, but hey, apparently Sylvie found the soft colonialist meaning behind this bear and his animal pals, so that's something.
Episode covered is Episode 5 "Little Bear's Wish/Little Bear's Shadow/A Present for Mother Bear."
2022-09-2459 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 32 - NFB Showcase #4: Bydlo and The SweaterOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie continue exploring the vast archives of animation that is the National Film Board of Canada with another pairing of short films which couldn't be more different in terms of tone and mood. An endless and visceral cycle of birth, labor, and death set to a classic Russian piano suite paired with a childhood memory of hockey fandom and team tribalism in middle of nowhere Quebec. The shorts couldn't be anymore different but we somehow got a lot of our chests for both.
Films covered are Patrick Bouchard's B...2022-09-171h 06Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 31 - Mummies Alive!On this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris save the world today (the Egyptian way) with a vestige of two dominant '90s trends colliding in Mummies Alive! Hot off the heels of a resurgence in Egyptomania in the West and when the hottest trend in animation was shamelessly ripping off the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, this Canadian co-production from the desk of Ivan Reitman debuted to the world as a fledgling media franchise that never truly took off. Time to kick Tut and appropriate ancient cultures to appeal to kids!
Episode covered is Episode 19 "...2022-09-031h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 30 - SilverwingOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie take flight with some uwu anime bats in the miniseries adaptation of a beloved children's book series, Silverwing. While first getting a little rant off about the state of animation in the streaming era (shame on you, HBOMax) we talk a bit about the show's "unique" design, its stellar voice cast, its noble efforts of adapting Kenneth Oppel's novel series, and its enduring fandom that allows us to access the show to this day.
Episode covered is Episode 1 "A Glimpse of the Son."
2022-08-2757 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 29 - Station XOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie get real and talk about their problems against a backdrop of vaguely connected media clips with Teletoon's late appeal to the MTV generation, Station X. An odd cartoon that has grown in infamy as a media rights issue nightmare, our chat somehow encompasses this show, obscure French-Canadian coming of age films from the 90s, ineffective prison reform techniques, and World Championship Wrestling. And it is somehow all on topic for once!
Episode covered is Episode 1 "Violence."
If you liked what you heard...2022-08-2059 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 28 - Ruby GloomOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie look back at a time when the Gothic subculture invaded the mainstream through cutesy marketability with the delightful Ruby Gloom, a macabre little show born from a stationary line.
Episode covered is Season 1 Episode 10 "Skull Boys Don't Cry."
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Theme song by https://soundcloud.com/hvsyn2022-08-131h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 27 - Carl²On this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris send their clones to record an episode, because they couldn't be asked to do their jobs, and talk about the famed Canadian produced series about teenagers and cloning. No, not the one you are thinking of. We are chatting about Carl², the trials and tribulations of a slacking blogger and his clone who he keeps in his closet. A spirited conversation where we just can't get over the premise of spam email clone labs and spin endless fan fiction about the implications presented.
Episode covered is Season 1 Ep...2022-08-0655 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 26 - CanaDub: Black Lagoon (Ocean Group Dub)On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie go plundering with some nihilistic pirates to battle some neo-nazis in the third official episode in our anime side series CanaDub. We chat about the legacy of Geneon entertainment and G4 Tech TV and the cast behind the Ocean Group's dub of Studio Madhouses Black Lagoon. How many CG Barbie movies have they been in? Where have you heard those voices before? What was the dubbing industry like in the late aughts? All these questions and more can be found in our discussion!
Episode covered is Season 1...2022-07-301h 02Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 25 - Kevin SpencerOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris begrudgingly have a gander at the longest running animated show in Canadian history, Kevin Spencer. Once again, we come to the conclusion creating animation for adults is a difficult prospect, especially when appealing to a post-South Park try-hard edginess style of humour is just so easy.
Episode covered is Season 2 Episode 24 "The Potted Goose."
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us a like, share, follow, and rating on your podcatcher of choice to help us grow and reach a w...2022-07-2455 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 24 - Beast Wars: TransformersOn this week's episode, we maximize and roll out to take a look at another pioneering CGI series from Mainframe Entertainment with the anthropomorphized Transformers show Beast Wars: Transformers. While neither Chris or Sylvie knows a thing about Transformers lore, we nevertheless find ways appreciate the early aesthetic growing pains that was 90s CGI animation and the incredible effort by Mainframe to make "Beasties" more than just a toy commercial.
Episodes covered are episode 1 and 2, "Beast Wars Part 1 & 2."
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us a...2022-07-161h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 23 - Jacob Two-TwoOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie repeat themselves to emphasize their shared love for the lovely series based on Mordecai Richler's children's book series, Jacob Two-Two. Somehow attempting to articulate why the show's unique visual style holds up tremendously today, the conversation somehow shifts to Canada's dismal media landscape, the distinctive charms of Montreal to tourists, Tegan and Sara concerts, cemetery visits, and Canadian wrestling icon Bret Hart. It's a good chat! It's a good chat!
Episode covered is Episode 5 "Jacob Two-Two and the Daily Crown."
If you...2022-07-0959 min
Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 22 - NFB Showcase #3: The Big Snit and The Danish PoetOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie continue exploring the vast archives of animation that is the National Film Board of Canada with another pairing of short films which oddly seem to express the same ideas (in radically different tones and moods). Finding meaning in a chaotic world where nuclear annihilation is a constant threat and we are at the mercy to fate's many digressions and weird turns, it's a somewhat existential conversation your hosts get into surrounding two delightfully strange shorts.
Films covered are Richard Condie's The Big Snit (1985) and Torill Kove's The...2022-06-251h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 21 - The Adventures of Paddington BearOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris jump on the Paddington hype train to discuss the only adaptation of the marmalade loving bear to be produced by the Great White North with The Adventures of Paddington Bear (1997). Mostly we chat about Michael Bond's storybook character, his enduring appeal and legacy, and our personal histories with Paddington while sifting through the utterly comforting vibes and pleasant aesthetics of the 1997 CINAR adaptation.
Episode covered is Episode 2 "Paddington Goes Underground / Paddington in the Ring / Mr. Curry Lets Off Steam."
If you liked...2022-06-181h 01Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 20 - John Callahan's Quads!On this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris get back into poorly conceived and try-hard offensive adult animation with the unexpected adaptation of a controversial cartoonists' therapeutic newspaper cartoons. While chatting about John Callahan's fascinating career, work, and enduring legacy, we dive into the=is strange attempt to turn him into a household name through the medium of adult cartoons with the seemingly forgotten series QUADS!. Despite our best efforts to talk around it, we nevertheless dissect the bad humour, bad aesthetic, and all-around bad taste it left in our mouths after watching.
Episode covered...2022-06-1156 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 19 - Flying Rhino Junior HighOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris go back to school with a maniacal phantom creeper in the basement with Flying Rhino Junior High. While once again bemoaning how hard it is to find any research on the shows we cover, we discuss show creator Ray Nelson Jr.'s unique approach to character design and the spurious merits of edutainment in a post-Magic School Bus world. Plus, we dissect the unmistakably incel vibes from the show's main villain.
Episode covered is Episode 2 "Phantu's Curse."
If you liked what you...2022-06-041h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 18 - SplicedOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie mock God's design with animalistic abominations and unbridled gross-out humour with Nelvana's Spliced. While speculating on what the evil doctor's plan was for all his animal hybrids on his abandoned island, we chat about the show's animation style and classic inspirations and the long lost comedic art of "RAAAAANNNNNDOOOOOM" style jokes. Plus, Sylvie has some choice words for the recent Station Eleven adaptation and both wonder what kind of animal hybrid they would choose to be.
Episode covered is Episode 6 "Honorary Freak" / "Come to the Dork Side."2022-05-281h 05Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 17 - CanaDub: Dragon Ball Z (Ocean Group Dub)On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie channel their ki energy and raise their power levels to unreached numbers with the second official episode of anime side series CanaDub. We chat about the Dragon Ball Z dubbing and localization efforts by Saban Entertainment and Vancouver based Ocean Groups to make the intergalactic tale of martial arts palatable for western audiences. While skirting over DBZ and its importance to anime history and our memories of it, we delve into the important narrative and thematic changes made to Toei Animation's flagship series (something something "another dimensions"), the voice cast and their...2022-05-2156 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 16 - Sons of ButcherOn this week's episode, Chris has to answer for his terrible 14-year old taste as he and Sylvie take a look at the oddity that was Sons of Butcher. While attempting to answer the all-important question of "why it look like that?" we look into the unique production history of the strange, rock comedy born from the mean streets of Hamilton. And of course, the many, many ways it has aged poorly.
Episode covered is Episode 2 "Huntin' the Legend."
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us a...2022-05-141h 04Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 15 - What's With Andy?On this week's episode, it's just a prank bro as Sylvie and Chris analyze the many harebrained antics of self-proclaimed master prankster Andy Larkin with the series What's With Andy? While digging into our culture's odd fascination with pranking and practical jokes in the early 2000s, we chat about the show's interesting production history, its animation style and influences, and get at the central question of the series of what exactly is WITH Andy? Spoiler alert: like most prankster, he's kind of a sociopath.
Episode covered is Episode 6 "101 Underpants/Playing Dead."
2022-05-0755 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 13 - NFB Showcase #2: Log Driver's Waltz and RyanOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie continue exploring the vast archives of animation that is the National Film Board of Canada with another pairing of short films which couldn't be anymore different. Our conversation somehow steers from fancy-footed lumberjacks who please the girls completely and rotoscoping to the "pyschological realism" and confluence of animation techniques used to represent the broken ambitions of a once promising animator.
Films covered are John Weldon's Log Driver's Waltz (1979) and Chris Landreth's Ryan (2004).
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us...2022-04-2357 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 12 - ReBootOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris jack into the mainframe and earn their real gamer cred by talking about Mainframe Entertainment's seminal series ReBoot. After a lively chat about its production history and the rapidly evolving status of CGI animation in the industry, we dissect the reasons why we find the landmark series paradoxically holds up while also feeling wonderfully dated at the time.
(Editor Note: we apologize for the audio quality on this episode. There was an unseen internet issue while recording and we did what we could in post to fix...2022-04-1654 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 10 - CanaDub: Sailor Moon (DiC Entertainment/Optimum Productions Dub)On this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie tap into their inner weeb and start a side series analyzing the crucial part the Canadian animation industry played in localizing and dubbing all your favourite anime from your childhood. For the inaugural episode of "CanaDub" we chat about the one named Sailor Moon and how a Mississauga company worked under incredibly stressful conditions to bring her Sailor Scout adventures to the West. While delving into the nuances and mandated changes that came with adapting anime for an international audience, we talk about Sailor Moon's importance in anime history, our memories of...2022-04-021h 00Cartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 9 - Odd Job JackOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie temp it up by taking a look at one of the most mid-2000s adult flash animated cartoons Odd Job Jack. We chat a bit about the state of flash animation in the aughts while also touching on labour rights, the show's baffling ability to pull guest stars, its dated animation and humour, and its strange legacy (or lack thereof). Also: if you have not gone to the official Odd Job Jack website, we highly recommend it.
Episode covered is Episode 13 "American Wiener."
2022-03-2651 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 8 - Class of the TitansOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie wonder why a pantheon of Greek gods settled in a Canadian metropolis to teach some teenagers how to save the world in Class of the Titans. While digging into our cultural fascination with Greek mythology that peaked in the mid-2000s, we chat about the show's style influences, what makes a good origin story for a team of heroes, the nuances and pitfalls of adapting ancient myth for contemporary audiences, and why Sylvie decided to binge the whole series....
Episodes covered are Episode 1-3 "Chaos 101 Part 1,2, and 3"2022-03-1954 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 7 - Corner Gas AnimatedOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris travel down to where there is not a lot going on to try and chat about the cynical retread of a Canadian sitcom classic with Corner Gas...Animated. While grappling with the fundamental question of "WHY DOES THIS EXIST??" we also talk about the troubling trend of lazy animated adaptations of live-action media, the merits of the original Saskatchewan set series, what gets lost in the medium translation, and some unflattering stuff about Justin Trudeau.
Episode covered is Episode 18 "Paper Sashay."
If you liked what you heard please...2022-03-1243 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 6 - Stickin' AroundOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris shake a stick at the hyperactive weirdness of Stickin' Around. While gawking at the unbridled strangeness of its parody heavy comedy, we attempt to break down it's unique, squigglevision animation, it's abstract approach to colour theory and backgrounds, how it provided a realistic depiction of the devolving nuclear family in the 90s, its interesting origin as a trauma allegory, and how exactly it holds up 20 years later. A
Episode covered is Episode 33 "Slime a Bean/Voice of Doom."
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us a...2022-03-0546 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 5 - The RaccoonsOn this week's episode, Sylvie and Chris invite you to run with us as we take a look at a certified classic (that's a little before our time) in The Raccoons. We discuss the inescapable trend of environmentalism in kid's entertainment and whether or not that resonates anymore, the incredible career of show creator Kevin Gillis, the amazing new wave soundtrack, how important the series became in the history of Canadian animation, and the strange relationship dynamics of talking trash pandas.
Episode covered is Episode 4 "The Evergreen Grand Prix"
If you liked...2022-02-2646 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 4 - NFB Showcase #1: Big Drive and NeighboursOn this weeks episode, Chris and Sylvie begin a side series exploring the vast archives of animation that is the National Film Board of Canada. While discussing the importance of the NFB and it's impact on the discussion and production of animation in Canada, we also chat about two films produced through the organization, while flying off on weird tangents about "yeeting," French Painters, Canadian geography, war propaganda, and so much more.
Films covered are Norman McLaren's Neighbours (1952) and Anita Lebeau's Big Drive (2011).
If you liked what you heard please consider giving us a like...2022-02-1956 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 3 - Team GalaxyOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie go full A.S.C.A.B (All Space Cops Are Bastards) with Marathon Media's Team Galaxy. While chatting a bit about the storied production relationship between France and Canada, we discuss the show's suspect politics, the aesthetic of Marathon Media's many anime inspirations, the voice acting industry, and so much more!
Episode covered is Episode 39 - "Intergalactic Exchange"
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Follow us on Twitter...2022-02-1248 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 2 - Life's a Zoo.tvOn this week's episode, Chris and Sylvie listen to their animal instincts and check out Life's a Zoo.tv, a "timely" parody of reality television from 2008. We chat about the evolving cultural opinion of reality television, the difficulties in producing good animated television aimed for adults, cock rocker Danko Jones for some reason related to Canadian broadcasting mandates, our fondness for stop-motion animation and so much more!
Episode covered is Episode 2 - "You Snooze, You Lose It."
If you liked waht you heard please consider giving us a like, share, follow, and rating to help u...2022-02-0551 minCartoon Night in CanadaEpisode 1 - Angela AnacondaOn the premiere episode of Cartoon Night in Canada, Chris and Sylvie take a look at the monochrome misadventures of a precocious, insolent grade-schooler with Angela Anaconda. After a brief chat about why we are fascinated by Canadian animation, we talk the unsettling appeal of the show's unique aesthetic, the surprisingly mean-spirited tone of its humour, its unexpected relevance and connection to anime's boom period of the early 2000s, the show's enduring legacy, and how it may have ruined one 4channers life. Episodes covered are Episode 19 - "View to a Brinks"/"Injury to Insult" and Episode 54 - "Jimmy Jamal...2022-01-2959 min