Verbal Diorama

I don't usually re-release old episodes, however the revival of X-Men: The Animated Series as X-Men '97 on Disney+ has been a tremendous success, not only with fans, but also critics. The show has been praised for revitalising the MCU, and being the template on which Marvel need to move forward with on future projects. X-Men '97 has been made with so much love for the original series, as well as the comic books; updating the animation, but keeping the same characters we know and love, and even some of the original cast of X-Men: The Animated Series. With the X-Men '97 season one finale just around the corner, let's go back into how that original, ground-breaking animated series came about... Halloween 2022 was the 30th anniversary of the airing of Night of the Sentinels Part 1, the pilot episode of X-Men: The Animated Series, with Night of the Sentinels Part 2 airing a week later. Fox Kids CEO Margaret Loesch's original plan to launch an X-Men animated series had failed in 1989, but a couple of years later she was adamant she would get the X-Men on the small screen. The series itself was a risky move, but debuting with a story about the Sentinels was even more risky. And Stan Lee wasn't as involved as you might think! Episode originally released on 10th November 2022. Mentioned in this episode: From the Archive

Release the Kraken! Twice! Clash of the Titans had been an idea since the late 1950s, with writer Beverley Cross writing a treatment in 1969 called Perseus and the Gorgon's Head. At the time, producer Charles H. Schneer and legendary animator Ray Harryhausen were working on other films, and so what became Clash of the Titans would have to wait until 1977 to start pre-production. It would eventually release in 1981 and include not only one of Harryhausen's most memorable creatures, Medusa, but also signal the beginning of the end of his career. Clash of the Titans would be his final film, in part thanks to a scathing review. Clash of the Titans would inevitably be remade one day, and that remake fell to Louis Leterrier, and new writers Phil Hay and Matt Manfredi, using an original script by Travis Beacham based on Cross' original script. Updated to modern audiences' needs for big budgets, big-name actors and huge CG spectacle, Warner Bros would notice the huge 3D revolution started by James Cameron's Avatar, and decided to convert Clash of the Titans to 3D in post-production... I would love to hear your thoughts on Clash of the Titans (1981) & Clash of the Titans (2010) ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos, Sean, Ryno and Russell!

64 years ago, The Flintstones became the first ever animated prime time sitcom in the US, and 30 years ago, the live-action film was released. A live action adaptation of The Flintstones first came about in 1985, but it wouldn't be 'til Steven Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment acquired the rights in 1992 that the project started moving forward, but by that point eight writers had already had a crack at the script... Once Spielberg, and mega fan director Brian Levant, got involved, many more writers would have a pass, but only three would ever be credited for their work after the Writer's Guild of America got involved. Credit to the team of writers behind The Flintstones... That's 32 writers. 29 of which never received credit. This movie has incredible production design, set design, costumes, puppet work and casting. It does not deserve to be as derided as it is. Let's celebrate The Flintstones! Yabba dabba doo! I would love to hear your thoughts on The Flintstones (1994) ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos, Sean, Ryno and Russell!

The history and legacy of Shakespeare in Love is long-winded and complicated, but how is it that a movie can be wholly and completely tarnished by one man? I don't know. It's a mystery. From its beginnings as a project for Universal starring Julia Roberts, to it being shut down after spending $6 million and losing Julia Roberts, to being resurrected in the worst possible way by actual real-life villain Harvey Weinstein; the story of Shakespeare in Love has comedy, romance and tragedy, just like an actual Shakespeare play. Nowadays its mostly known as being the "unworthy" winner of the Best Picture Academy Award in 1999, beating Saving Private Ryan, in an unprecedented marketing and bad-mouthing campaign that changed awards season. Was Saving Private Ryan really "robbed" of its Best Picture Oscar? Or were more Academy voters just charmed by a period romantic comedy than a war epic that year? I guess we'll never truly know the answer, other than it ends as stories must when love's denied; with tears and a journey. I would love to hear your thoughts on Shakespeare in Love ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos, Sean, Ryno and BRAND-NEW PATRON Russell!

After making The Mummy and The Mummy Returns, Stephen Sommers wanted to make a small movie; no monsters, no action, no visual effects, just something simple, but then he started thinking about all the Universal monster movies he loved as a child, and came up with a collective story of three monsters, connected by one man - Van Helsing - but not the Abraham Van Helsing you knew.... Gabriel Van Helsing would be serving alongside Dracula with the Knights of the Holy Order before having to kill him. He would ask for his memories to be removed to purge himself of his sins, and end up walking the Earth for 400 years with no memories and end up at the Vatican. Hugh Jackman, fresh from playing Wolverine in X-Men, would be Van Helsing, and when Universal realised what they had, thoughts of a franchise appeared in front of them... It would be Universal's Dark Universe, before Universal's Dark Universe.... I would love to hear your thoughts on Van Helsing (2004) ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos, Sean and Ryno!

Great Scott, it’s the 250th episode! Where we’re going, we don’t need roads, and if my calculations are correct, when this baby hits 88 miles per hour, you're going to get the history and legacy of Back to the Future! It's a story of how Romancing the Stone, Coca-Cola's takeover of Columbia and Double Indemnity came together to make Back to the Future a possibility. Back in the days when Ronald Reagan, the actor! was president and you needed a nuclear reaction to generation 1.21 jigowatts of electricity to power a DeLorean, a young man called Calvin Klein changed the course of his own personal history by going back to 1955, meeting his parents and technically then accidentally dating his own mother; jeopardising his future in the process. I guess you guys aren’t ready for that yet, but your kids are gonna love it. It’s your density to listen. So, make like a tree, and get outta here.... pop your 1980's headphones on, turn up the volume and listen to this! I would love to hear your thoughts on Back to the Future ! THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT FOR 250 EPISODES! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos and Sean!

In 1993, before they were acquired by Eidos, a little games developer in Derby called Core Design were working on their new action adventure game. It was an Indiana Jones-style 3D platformer; revolutionary for its time, and not just because of the immense 3D world and cleverly designed levels, but the protagonist was a woman. Her name was Lara Croft, and the game was Tomb Raider. In the mid-90s, Lara Croft became a virtual celebrity, and while Eidos demanded more and more Tomb Raider games, the wheels were in motion to give Lara the cinematic outings she deserved. Lara Croft: Tomb Raider had a revolving door of writers, and a special clause in the contract between Eidos and Paramount, which meant production had to start, and start quickly. Director Simon West only wanted Angelina Jolie for the main role, and ended up putting together a two-hour plus first cut. The problem was, Paramount hated it, ended up firing West and getting in one of Hollywood's most famous fixers to save the movie... Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life was the opportunity to fix the mistakes of the previous movie. Angelina Jolie had refused to return unless Lara was more well-rounded, so Lara was given more personality, more character and more stakes. The budget would be smaller, but the director would be a coup - Jan de Bont. This time there was one writer, a lead actress who was happier with the direction of her character, and no issues with editing, however the experience would lead to Jan de Bont retiring from directing... I would love to hear your thoughts on Lara Croft: Tomb Raider (2001) & Lara Croft: Tomb Raider - The Cradle of Life (2003) ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos and Sean!

Sport biopics are usually only reserved for well known big-name sportspeople from yesteryear - people like Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, James Hunt and Niki Lauda, or stories based in reality with fictional characters. What makes Fighting with My Family, and Paige’s story so different, is that not only did she achieve the WWE Divas Champion at the tender age of 21, she also won that title just ten years ago, and she comes from a working class family from Norwich, that had just so happened to be the feature of a Channel 4 documentary in 2012. Women’s sporting achievements are rarely commended or highlighted in Hollywood, but working class women’s sporting achievements are less so. A meeting with Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson just before winning the Divas title in 2014 would change everything for Paige. Not only would she take the title from AJ Lee, but Johnson had seen the documentary, related to her story, and told her that very day that he wanted to make a movie of her incredible story. Fighting with My Family perfectly captures the spirit of a family brought together by wrestling, and you'll find something to love whether you're a wrestling fan or not. Ironically, it was the wrestling that made it such a hard sell to studios in the first place... I would love to hear your thoughts on Fighting with My Family ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos and Sean!

For Women's History Month and Mother's Day, here in the UK, silence is deafening for a spec script written in an unconventional way, that happened to get picked up by Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes production company. Taking inspiration from silent movies from Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton and Jacques Tati, as well as horror classics like Jaws, Alien and Alfred Hitchcock's filmography, A Quiet Place started life as an almost dialogue free script, written in 2016. The original screenplay can be found here John Krasinski's involvement came much later, but he was instrumental in getting the project made, and his casting choices would change everything. Not just by his wife Emily Blunt's eventual involvement, but the casting of a young deaf actress, and the inclusion of American Sign Language would make A Quiet Place one of the freshest and most atmospheric new horror films in years... I would love to hear your thoughts on A Quiet Place ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele, Xenos and BRAND-NEW PATRON Sean!

It's International Women’s Day tomorrow, and if we’re talking about someone who represents feminism, women’s rights, gender equality and reproductive rights, there’s no fictional character used to represent this as frequently on International Women’s Day than Wonder Woman. A character born from polyamory, first-wave feminism and also linked to the very first birth control clinic in the United States; Wonder Woman was the only one of DC's top tier heroes to not have her own solo headline movie, after Superman in 1978 and Batman in 1989, and their numerous sequels. With the MCU blazing a trail for the superhero cinematic renaissance, the race to get the first female headlining superhero movie of the 2010s was on. It was a race that DC won, rather wonderfully. That doesn't mean it was quick, easy or free from studio mandated scenes... I would love to hear your thoughts on Wonder Woman ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos!

The final episode of Animation Season 2024, and one of Walt Disney's crowning achievements in animation: Sleeping Beauty. Doing another princess movie after Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs and Cinderella seemed like the obvious choice, but it was also risky. Walt Disney didn't want to make the same thing again, and wanted to wow the public with yet another cinematic visual masterpiece to prove Disney were the pioneering animation studio. A "moving illustration". To do this he enlisted Eyvind Earle, combining pre-Renaissance, Italian, and Gothic French influences with his own abstract style of realism to create the formalised elegance and stylish design, while also taking advantage of 70mm Super Technirama for the first time ever in animation. Sleeping Beauty would be lavish and be exactly what Disney intended, but it would come at a cost. Literally and figuratively. I would love to hear your thoughts on Sleeping Beauty (1959) ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos!

5 years, 244 episodes, 258 histories and legacies. I guess I need to crack on and do some more... Thank you to you all for supporting me over five years of podcasting. Huge thanks to Russell, Brett, Tracy, Josh, KT, Oti, Jack, Scott and Zack for being kind enough to send me some messages of congratulations. Lots of love to you all! Thanks for listening!

For the final fifth birthday episode, Disney could see that motion capture was quickly becoming the next big thing for animation, and they wanted in. They teamed up with Robert Zemeckis to make A Christmas Carol, and then Mars Needs Moms, based on a children's book, written to persuade a young child to eat his vegetables. But Mars Needs Moms would not only be incredibly dark for a family animated film, and venture deep into the realms of the uncanny valley, it would also become a huge box office bomb for Disney, affecting their next Martian-set movie John Carter, and who Disney now do their best to avoid promoting in any way as their own...

Sir Patrick Stewart has never had a role that could officially be described as "poop", until now. For the second fifth birthday episode, The Emoji Movie was Sony's $1 million winning bid on making a movie all about those little characters you use on WhatsApp instead of actual words, and to ensure this was completed before anyone else had a chance, it came together in under two years! Unfortunately, it was a critical disaster. Insert shocked face emoji here!

Quite famously a movie that almost destroyed DreamWorks by losing $125 million, Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas doesn't deserve its negative reputation as a box office bomb, and the final traditional 2D animated film from the studio. It instead deserves to be featured as one of the fifth birthday episodes of this podcast. Only five years late, too!

The Black Cauldron is notorious for being one of Disney's darkest and scariest movies, and it is, but there's a beauty in its darkness that's unrivalled. The score does feel mismatched in places and the characters aren't very well-developed, but there's something truly ambitious there, and the animation has moments of sheer awe-inspiring brilliance. It really is a work of visual art. But you can see the behind-the-scenes troubles even in its animation - while some scenes are some of the most challenging and technically brilliant of all of Disney’s hand-drawn output, others look almost amateur. The Black Cauldron was different, risky and slightly more mature in tone to average Disney fare. It’s often accused of being the movie that almost killed Walt Disney Feature Animation, but there’s always more to the story, and that includes the potential that The Black Cauldron had to change Disney’s animated fortunes for the better... I would love to hear your thoughts on The Black Cauldron ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos!

Based on ND Stevenson's graphic novel, Nimona started life with Blue Sky Studios, and when Blue Sky was acquired by Disney in its purchase of 20th Century Fox, originally Nimona's production continued. When Disney officially cancelled Nimona, it came as no surprise to the team working on the movie. While officially the reasons for cancellation were financial, rumours swirled that Disney didn't like the LGBTQ themes, and opposed a same-sex kiss. But Nimona, and the crew behind the movie, refused to give up, and thanks to Annapurna Pictures and Netflix, Nimona was reborn. Nimona is more than a character. Nimona is the story of the making of this movie. Nimona is the scrappy underdog who refuses to back down from a fight. Nimona refuses to let a corporate entity subdue her and control her. Nimona might fall down, but Nimona will get back up again, and she will prove all her doubters wrong. And now Nimona is an Oscar nominated movie... take that, Disney. I would love to hear your thoughts on Nimona ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos!

Guillermo del Toro once said “No single character in history has had as deep of a personal connection to me as Pinocchio.” And this is coming from a guy who loves his passion projects. So much so that you could arguably say that every Guillermo del Toro project is a passion project, but not every Guillermo del Toro passion project gets made... It took fifteen years for Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio to finally reach the big and small screen, in a year with two other Pinocchio adaptations - the Disney live action remake, starring Tom Hanks, directed by Robert Zemeckis, and the Pauly Shore led Pinocchio: A True Story. I think everyone agrees which is the superior 2022 Pinocchio... Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio is the rare del Toro movie that, due to del Toro’s sheer resilience and stubbornness at not backing down from his artistic integrity, meant that not only did it get made, it was made exactly how he wanted it to be made. I would love to hear your thoughts on Guillermo del Toro's Pinocchio ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos!

Based on Cressida Cowell's childhood experiences of living in a remote cottage in Scotland, her How to Train Your Dragon series of books was a wild success, and so naturally Hollywood came calling. The writer/director team of Lilo and Stitch came on board the project, and the whole mythology surrounding the island inhabitants of Berk, and the mythology and biology surrounding its dragon neighbours, was built from the ground up. How to Train Your Dragon not only has the style, the substance, the entertainment value, and a great cast, but also powerful emotional storytelling, focusing on Hiccup, a young man who doesn't quite fit in to traditional Viking standards, and instead prioritises intelligence, kindness, and Toothless, the cutest, most fearsome dragon in the land (anyone with a cat will understand!). How to Train Your Dragon seems to be somewhat forgotten in the plethora of excellent animated movies - not just from DreamWorks, but from other studios too. There’s no doubt it deserves the praise, especially for its positive representation of disability. I would love to hear your thoughts on How to Train Your Dragon ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Tyler, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and Xenos!

Animation Season returns... with one of Pixar's most important movies, and one with a prescient message. Andrew Stanton had pitched an idea about the last robot on earth back in 1994. It would take eight years for the project to materialise properly, and was originally conceived as Robinson Crusoe and The Last Man on Earth, becoming a Planet of the Apes-style humans-as-aliens reveal, before its robotic love story blossomed, and along with it, a stark warning for the future of humanity, our reliance on AI, and a suggestion that following your "directive" might not be the ideal choice to make. He never intended to make any political statements about environmental issues or climate change. And he never intended for WALL-E's design to look like Johnny 5. He did, however, fully intend to use the songs of Hello, Dolly! I would love to hear your thoughts on WALL-E ! CONTACT.... @verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldiorama@verbaldioramaverbaldiorama.com SUPPORT VERBAL DIORAMA.... Give this podcast a five-star Rate & Review Join the Patreon | Send a Tip | Buy Merch ABOUT VERBAL DIORAMA Verbal Diorama is hosted, produced, edited, researched, recorded and marketed by me, Em | This podcast is hosted by Captivate, try it yourself for free. Theme Music: Verbal Diorama Theme Song. Music by Chloe Enticott - Compositions by Chloe. Lyrics by Chloe Enticott (and me!) Production by Ellis Powell-Bevan of Ewenique Studio Patrons: Simon E, Sade, Claudia, Simon B, Laurel, Derek, Vern, Cat, Andy, Mike, Griff, Luke, Michael, Scott, Brendan, Lisa, Sam, Will, Jack, Dave, Chris, Stuart, Nicholas, Zo, Kev, Pete, Heather, Danny, Aly, Stu, Brett, Philip, Michele and brand-new patron Xenos! Mentioned in this episode: Paid promotions in this episode This episode contains a paid Patron promotion for Middle Class Film Class, hosted by patron Pete.