The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Right in the thick of awards season, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor sit down to read the tea leaves on this year’s animation race while also digging into a pivotal - and often misunderstood - moment in Disney animation history. From Annie Award trends and box office signals to Don Bluth’s garage-era rebellion, this episode covers how a shortage of effects animation talent helped spark one of the biggest talent walkouts the studio ever faced. NEWS • Why KPop Demon Hunters and Pixar’s Elio leading the Annie nominations could matter as Academy voting begins • The third Avatar film dominates the box office again as Zootopia 2 closes in on Lion King-level numbers • GKIDS picks up Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom for a Halloween release • Remembering composer Guy Moon and his legacy across The Fairly OddParents, Danny Phantom, and more FEATURE • How shrinking FX animation departments in the 1970s quietly changed Disney’s films • Why Don Bluth created Banjo the Woodpile Cat as a “training exercise pretending t