Fine Tooning with Drew Taylor
Jim and Drew break down the animation world frame by frame, until you get the singular picture. If you love Disney animation, Pixar, and the classics that were hand sketched, or built out of 1's and 0's in a computer, this is the podcast that draws you in.
Episodes
January 6, 2026 • 53 mins
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
• ...
Mark as Played
December 30, 2025 • 37 mins
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 ...
Mark as Played
December 23, 2025 • 36 mins
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 D...
Mark as Played
December 16, 2025 • 52 mins
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 r...
Mark as Played
December 9, 2025 • 48 mins
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. ...
Mark as Played
December 2, 2025 • 44 mins
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.”
...
Mark as Played
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.
HIGHLIGHTS
Early 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...
Mark as Played
November 18, 2025 • 43 mins
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.
HIGHLIGHTS
Why studios dropped so many major trailers this week — and what their early...
Mark as Played
November 11, 2025 • 44 mins
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...
Mark as Played
November 4, 2025 • 51 mins
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 Di...
Mark as Played
October 28, 2025 • 60 mins
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...
Mark as Played
October 21, 2025 • 53 mins
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, includi...
Mark as Played
October 14, 2025 • 49 mins
Jim Hill and Drew Taylor welcome special guest Matt Kaszanek, 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 up...
Mark as Played
October 7, 2025 • 52 mins
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.
Wha...
Mark as Played
September 30, 2025 • 51 mins
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 2025
Pix...
Mark as Played
September 23, 2025 • 48 mins
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 1955
How that decision created the Saturday...
Mark as Played
September 16, 2025 • 54 mins
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 apart
Toy Story’s 30th anniversary celebration and the first five minutes of Toy Story 5 reve...
Mark as Played
September 9, 2025 • 48 mins
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 records
Updates on “The Bad Guys 2”...
Mark as Played
September 2, 2025 • 47 mins
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 franchise
Updates on Big Mouth, its Emmy legacy, and the upcoming series Mating Season
Aardman’s latest projects, including Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast...
Mark as Played
August 26, 2025 • 38 mins
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 weekends
Why streaming habits continu...
Mark as Played
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Gregg Rosenthal and a rotating crew of elite NFL Media co-hosts, including Patrick Claybon, Colleen Wolfe, Steve Wyche, Nick Shook and Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic get you caught up daily on all the NFL news and analysis you need to be smarter and funnier than your friends.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com
The World's Most Dangerous Morning Show, The Breakfast Club, With DJ Envy, Jess Hilarious, And Charlamagne Tha God!