Episodes

Right in the thick of awards season, Drew Taylor and Jim Hill cover a wide swath of animation history and current events - from box office heavyweights and streaming announcements to the complicated legacies of mid-century cartoon characters. Along the way, they connect the dots between past controversies, present-day reappraisals, and how modern creators are recontextualizing classic animated icons.NEWS• Why Avatar: Fire & Ash remains unstoppable at the box office, holding the top spot for ...

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...

Welcome back to Fine Tooning with Jim Hill and Drew Taylor, who is officially back behind the mic after a very eventful hiatus. Before diving into a mountain of animation news, the guys catch up on where Drew has been, why Burbank’s Providence Saint Joseph Medical Center has more Disney history than you might expect, and why this might be one of the biggest transition moments the entertainment industry has seen in decades.NEWS• The Academy Awards announce a major media shift, with the Oscars...

As 2025 comes to a close, Jim Hill flies solo on this Drew-free edition of Fine Tooning to take stock of one of the biggest, strangest, and most consequential years the animation industry has seen in decades. From record-shattering box office runs and surprise streaming hits to uncomfortable conversations about AI and the future of creative labor, this episode connects the dots between where animation has been and where it appears to be heading next.NEWS• Why Disney’s $1 billion investment i...

With Drew Taylor sidelined by a nasty case of the Christmas crud, Jim Hill flies solo for this end-of-year edition of Fine Tooning. After a bit of seasonal vamping, Jim dives into animation news before kicking off the first half of a deep-dive holiday history lesson. This week’s episode sets the stage for a story that begins with a modest Disney featurette and ends up triggering one of the biggest upheavals in the history of Walt Disney Feature Animation.NEWS• Avatar: Fire & Ash dominates th...

Drew Taylor and Jim Hill kick off this week’s show with a genuinely wild media landscape where holiday releases, awards season, and corporate maneuvering are all colliding at once. From a brewing battle over Warner Bros. Discovery to Disney’s latest tech-flavored swing, the first half is a rapid tour through what’s breaking (and what might be breaking next). Then Jim takes the wheel solo for a longer, history-packed trip over the rainbow, tracing how animation veterans, studio deals, and a certa...

Jim and Drew unpack one of the biggest industry shakeups in years as Netflix snaps up Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that reshapes everything from Adult Swim to the broader animation marketplace. Then the guys follow the yellow brick road into this week’s feature, exploring the strange, stop-and-start history of Hollywood’s many attempts to revisit Oz, from Disney’s abandoned visions to Filmation’s long-delayed Journey Back to Oz.NEWS• Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billio...

Jim goes solo this week while Drew speeds back toward LA for an early press screening of “Avatar: Fire & Ash.” In the meantime, Jim catches us up on a very eventful week in animation news, from the monster launch of “Zootopia 2” in China to Disney Parks animatronics already slipping into B mode. He also spotlights new shorts, holiday specials, and takes a deep dive into the surprising Hollywood history behind “The Wizard of Oz.”NEWS• Zootopia 2 shatters expectations with a $156M domestic deb...

As Jim Hill and Drew Taylor sit down just hours before Zootopia 2 preview screenings begin, they dig into the film’s early reactions, the surprising box-office shape of the holiday season, and the escalating economics behind today’s animated franchises.HIGHLIGHTSEarly reactions to Zootopia 2 and what Drew learned from scoring sessions and long-lead press days.How Wicked: For Good outpaced the original film’s opening—and why reviews may complicate the long-term outlook.Stephen Schwartz’s ...

As the long Thanksgiving weekend approaches, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor dig into a flurry of newly dropped animation trailers, surprising box office projections, and the industry shifts shaping Spring and Summer 2026. Recorded just as holiday season ramps up, this week’s Fine Tooning mixes news, nostalgia, and some unexpected industry history.HIGHLIGHTSWhy studios dropped so many major trailers this week — and what their early online rollouts say about today’s marketing playbook.A look at th...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor salute Veterans Day and talk about Xavier “X” Atencio, the new Disney Editions book celebrating the Imagineer behind the Haunted Mansion’s “Grim Grinning Ghosts.” Then, Drew and Jim dive into the weekend box office — from Predator: Badlands breaking franchise records to the upcoming Zootopia 2 — before Jim goes solo to finish his deep-dive on the 20th anniversary of Chicken Little: Disney’s first CG feature and the film that changed everything at the studio.HIGHLIGHTS...

This week on Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor mark the 20th anniversary of Chicken Little — Disney’s first fully computer-animated feature — and trace how the film’s rocky launch reshaped the studio’s animation strategy in the mid-2000s. Recorded the morning after Daylight Savings Time kicked in, this episode mixes history, humor, and behind-the-scenes insight as the guys unpack what really happened inside Disney Animation during one of its most volatile eras.HIGHLIGHTS...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor celebrate Halloween week by taking a deep dive into Disney’s darkest fairy tale — and the long, strange legacy of “Pinocchio.” From canceled attractions and creepy Hong Kong mazes to Julie Taymor’s unrealized Broadway musical, this little wooden boy has haunted Disney history for over 80 years.Why Walt Disney once scrapped six months of work on “Pinocchio”The forgotten Disneyland expansion that almost gave us “Pinocchio Square”How Hong Kong Disneyland turned the fi...

This week on Fine Tooning, Drew Taylor and Jim Hill explore how Disney’s most beloved songwriting duo—the Sherman Brothers—found new creative life after leaving the Mouse House in 1968. From the heartfelt melodies of Snoopy Come Home to the timeless charm of Charlotte’s Web, Jim revisits how their music carried Disney’s spirit into other studios’ animated worlds.Drew shares highlights from the Animation Is Life event, including Q&As for ChaO and ArcoWhy TRON: Ares’s box office dip has Disney...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor welcome special guest Matt Kazantzik, Program Director for the Animation Is Film Festival, to talk about what fans can expect at this year’s event at the TCL Chinese Theatre. From exclusive screenings and panels to the state of the animation industry, this episode dives deep into the heart of Hollywood’s celebration of animated storytelling. Jim and Drew also cover the latest box-office chatter, streaming updates, and big animation headlines.• Why Tron: Ares may still ...

This week on Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor, Jim Hill and Drew dive into Disney’s animation future, beginning with Drew’s firsthand report from the “Zootopia 2” press day. From the creative direction behind the sequel to updates on everything from “The Simpsons Movie 2” to Quentin Tarantino’s surprise animated project, this episode covers the wild world of animation news and commentary with Jim and Drew’s trademark insight.What Drew learned at Disney’s “Zootopia 2” press dayWhy “The Simpsons ...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor wrap up September with a packed episode of Fine Tooning. From this year’s sold-out Halloween Horror Nights in Hollywood to the long, winding saga of Richard Williams’ unfinished opus The Cobbler and the Thief, the guys cover the latest in animation news, box office battles, and even a courtroom clash over Steamboat Willie.Highlights from Universal Studios Hollywood’s Halloween Horror Nights 2025Pixar’s Gatto facing off against heavy-hitting sequels in 2027Crunchyro...

This week on Fine Tooning, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor rewind to the mid-1950s to uncover how a forgotten studio sale and one scrappy rodent changed television forever. Along the way, they’ll cover everything from box office updates to Paw Patrol holiday specials, plus the latest shake-ups inside Disney corporate.The Disney-related twist behind CBS launching Mighty Mouse Playhouse in 1955How that decision created the Saturday morning cartoon traditionWhat the Jimmy Kimmel controversy means fo...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor are back with another packed episode of Fine Tooning. From anime shattering records at the box office to Pixar showing off the future of Toy Story, the duo break down the biggest stories shaping animation this week.Demon Slayer’s record-breaking $70 million North American debut and what set this release apartToy Story’s 30th anniversary celebration and the first five minutes of Toy Story 5 revealed at Destination DDisney updates on Frozen 3, Incredibles 3, and Coco...

Awards season is heating up, and Jim Hill and Drew Taylor are here to break it all down. From the Venice Film Festival and TIFF premieres to box office shocks and studio shakeups, this episode dives into the films and animated projects making headlines around the globe.Highlights include:Venice Film Festival winners and early buzz from TIFF“The Conjuring: Last Rites” breaking horror recordsUpdates on “The Bad Guys 2” and Aaron Blaise’s hand-drawn short “Snow Bear”Disney’s new animated ...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor kick off September with a packed episode of Fine Tooning, covering the biggest stories in the world of animation:The record-shattering success of KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix and what’s next for the franchiseUpdates on Big Mouth, its Emmy legacy, and the upcoming series Mating SeasonAardman’s latest projects, including Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy BottomPixar’s Elio and how its international release stood out in u...

Jim Hill is solo this week and breaks down the end of the 2025 summer movie season and why traditional blockbusters are struggling at the box office. From shocking second-weekend drop-offs to Netflix’s “KPop Demon Hunters” taking the No. 1 spot in theaters, Jim covers the hits and misses of the season.How films like Fantastic Four: First Steps and 28 Years Later stumbled in their second weekendsWhy streaming habits continue to disrupt box office expectations“KPop Demon Hunters” theater deb...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor return with a packed episode of Fine Tooning, highlighted by an interview with legendary voice actor Jim Cummings. From Pooh and Tigger to Darkwing Duck, Jim shares behind-the-scenes stories from a career that shaped generations of animation fans.The shifting release date of Shrek 5 and what it means for DreamWorksWhy Disney pulled back marketing on The Rocketeer opening weekendThis week’s box office projections — and why Jim calls them “wild guesses”Streaming su...

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor return with another jam-packed episode of Fine Tooning, covering everything from Sirius the Dog Star to the latest in animated film and TV news. This week’s stories span box office winners, Netflix premieres, and the challenges of recasting beloved characters.• The history of the “Dog Days of Summer” and why Sirius is more than just a bright spot in the sky• Genndy Tartakovsky’s Fixed - the long road to Netflix for this R-rated animated comedy• Box office breakdown...