AESTHETICS — all episodes — Fantasy/Animation

Episode 154 - World of Tomorrow (Don Hertzfeldt, 2015-2020) (with Elizabeth Cox)

For Fantasy/Animation’s very first look at California-born animator, writer, and independent filmmaker Don Hertzfeldt, Chris and Alex are joined by Elizabeth Cox, founder of independent animation studio Should We Studio, to discuss Hertzfeldt’s influential World of Tomorrow (2015-2020) featuring the tribulations of protagonist Emily. In her role as the Senior Editorial Producer at TED-Ed, Elizabeth has written and edited the scripts for over 200 educational animated videos including “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster," a seven-part adaptation of the book by Bill Gates (supported by Gates Ventures). She also served as a science advisor on “My Love Affair With Marriage,” an animated feature film that premiered at Tribeca Festival 2021. Elizabeth recently wrote a short piece for the blog on her animated series Ada, with each episode exploring how a different technology or policy could shape the future.

PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantMarch 24, 2025SURREALISM, AMERICA, COUNTER-CULTURALISM, STYLE, AESTHETICSComment

Archive Episode - The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926) (with Caroline Ruddell - Live @ Cinema Museum)

The latest archive instalment takes Chris and Alex back to January 2020, and their first live episode recorded in front of an audience of animated fantasy fans in attendance at the Fantasy/Animation screening series in collaboration with the Cinema Museum in Kennington, London. Joining the Q&A to discuss The Adventures of Prince Achmed (Lotte Reiniger, 1926) was special guest Dr Caroline Ruddell (Brunel University London), an expert on Lotte Reiniger who has published work on the filmmaker in Fantasy/Animation: Connections Between Media, Mediums and Genres (2018), and the recent anthology The Crafty Animator: Handmade, Craft-based Animation and Cultural Value (2019).

PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantJuly 15, 2024GERMAN EXPRESSIONISM, STYLE, AESTHETICS, ALLEGORYComment

Episode 126 - ParaNorman (Sam Fell & Chris Butler, 2012) (with Stacey Abbott)

As Halloween rolls around once more, things take a positively spooky turn as Chris and Alex discuss the stop-motion animated horror film ParaNorman (Sam Fell & Chris Butler, 2012) with very special guest Professor Stacey Abbott, who is incoming Professor of Film at Northumbria University and an expert in histories of gothic and horror in film and television.

PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantOctober 23, 2023HALLOWEEN, STOP-MOTION, HORROR, CHILDREN, AESTHETICSComment

Episode 103 - Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021) (with Cristina Formenti)

he acclaimed animated documentary Flee (Jonas Poher Rasmussen, 2021), which tells the story of Amin Nawabi and his journey from from Afghanistan to Denmark as a refugee, is the subject of Episode 103 of the podcast that reflects on the shared ability of animation, fantasy and the documentary format to ‘reveal.’

PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantAugust 8, 2022DOCUMENTARY, AESTHETICS, TRAUMA, HISTORYComment

Episode 58 - Roobarb (and Custard) (Grange Calveley, 1974) (with Birgitta Hosea)

The anarchy and artistry of British television animation provides the springboard for Episode 58 of the Fantasy/Animation podcast, which welcomes London-based media artist, animator and curator Professor Birgitta Hosea (who is also the Director of the Animation Research Centre at the University for the Creative Arts) to talk about Roobarb (Grange Calveley, 1974) directed by English animator Bob Godfrey.

PODCASTChristopher Holliday and Alexander SergeantOctober 12, 2020STYLE, TELEVISION, BRITISH, AESTHETICS, BOILING, FANTASY, REFLEXIVITYComment