Nation of Animation
Nation of Animation is a cartoon book club podcast for all ages! Join lifelong cartoon fans Ryan Stevens and Brooke-Erin Smith every other week as they discuss classic cartoons through a modern lens and celebrate everything cartoons have to offer!
Episodes
July 12, 2025 • 64 mins
Ryan, Brooke, and professional actor/writer/friend of the pod Lilly Heidari crack open the history books AND the comic books as they read Marjane Satrapi's adaptation of her autobiographical graphic novel, Persepolis! We talk about history, the life of a person in the middle of historic events, the power of one's own culture, expatriation, and the bizarre fun of being assigned comic books in college. This one has it all!
FILMS DISCU...
FILMS DISCU...
Mark as Played
June 28, 2025 • 40 mins
Strap on that diapy and get that thumb out of your mouth! These babies have gotta do what a baby's gotta do, and in this case, these babies have got to talk about Rugrats! We break down the perspective of babyhood, the importance of life lessons, the drag of being all growed up, the majesty of Cynthia, and so much more!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebroo...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebroo...
Mark as Played
June 7, 2025 • 53 mins
This week on Nation of Animation we bring you some behind the scenes story time of the making of our Atlanta Fringe Audio special, 'The Indigo Twins.' If you haven’t had a chance to hear the last episode, it's the perfect week for a double feature! Plus animation news and your questions!
Listen to 'The Indigo Twins' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indigo-twins-by-nation-of-animation/id1465858298?i=1000709086940
And ne...
Listen to 'The Indigo Twins' here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-indigo-twins-by-nation-of-animation/id1465858298?i=1000709086940
And ne...
Mark as Played
May 24, 2025 • 47 mins
This week we talk about the classic 90s cartoon The Indigo Twins! It's all about the joy of being a twin, the simpler days of the early 90s, and the lovely power of fans and fandom. That's The Indigo Twins!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projec...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and
@ryanwithcheese on Twitter
http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com
&
Support secret projec...
Mark as Played
April 26, 2025 • 46 mins
A wise man once said, or rather screamed, "YOU! ARE! A TOY!" But here at Nation of Animation, we're not toys, we're podcasters! We're celebrating 3 decades of the legacy of Toy Story, and 3 decades of our very own Brooke-Erin Smith! Witness the film that put Pixar on the map, and how 30 years has shaped both our friends Buzz & Woody, and our dear darling Brooke. Cut yourself a slice of birthday cake and join in!
Follow our blues...
Follow our blues...
Mark as Played
April 12, 2025 • 41 mins
Hear that school bell ringing? Drop those textbooks and pick up a tetherball, it's time for RECESS! We talk about the joyful highs and shocking lows of Disney's sociopolitcal school simulation, talk about the charismatic power of Spinelli, pin down the politics of the Ashleys, and give our best pitches for Recess's version of modern political events! What a show, and what a podcast!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Inst...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Inst...
Mark as Played
March 29, 2025 • 45 mins
It's time for March Madness, so break out your brackets and get your parlay ready! Ryan has asssembled a list of 16 eligible fellas from across all of anime, and we're gonna pit them against each other for Brooke's affection! Who will win it all? The answer may surprise you - it sure surprised us!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@whoisbrooke
and
@ryanstevens on ...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@whoisbrooke
and
@ryanstevens on ...
Mark as Played
March 15, 2025 • 69 mins
100 EPISODES! THE MILESTONE IS HERE!
Ryan and Brooke celebrate their hundredth time on the mic by revealing their Top Ten animated seriess of all time! What do they have in common? What do they differ on? And what do some of our past guests have to say?
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@whoisbrooke
and
@ryanstevens on Bluesky
http://brookeerinsmith.com
http://ryangs...
Ryan and Brooke celebrate their hundredth time on the mic by revealing their Top Ten animated seriess of all time! What do they have in common? What do they differ on? And what do some of our past guests have to say?
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@whoisbrooke
and
@ryanstevens on Bluesky
http://brookeerinsmith.com
http://ryangs...
Mark as Played
March 1, 2025 • 50 mins
Get your designer dresses and matching clutches ready for the red carpet! We’re talking about all of the Oscar nominated animated films and animated short films. We check this year’s trends, talk our favorites, and chart the proud rise of the beautiful republic of Latvia — all this and more on this week’s Nation of Animation!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@w...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@w...
Mark as Played
February 8, 2025 • 48 mins
Bust out the popcorn (and your most tear-stained handkerchiefs) for this one, folks! We talk about Hayao Miyazaki’s latest, final (?) film, the award winning The Boy And The Heron! Ryan also watched the documentary Hayao Miyazaki And The Heron, and offers some additional insights on how this film is the culmination of Miyazaki’s career, the filmography of Studio Ghibli, and a life spent in an ever-changing world. All that, and the ...
Mark as Played
January 11, 2025 • 50 mins
Happy new year, listeners! We’re ringing in 2025 with some comfort food, namely Burgers — Bob’s Burgers! We look at our favorite episodes from the three most recent seasons, and see how far Bob and his family have come since they’re early days. It’s the perfect episodes for old fans and new ones, so get ready to chow down!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@theb...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@theb...
Mark as Played
December 21, 2024 • 38 mins
Marley was dead to begin with. Dead as a doornail. But Nation of Animation is alive and well this holiday season, and we're bringing you a happy haunting with three, count' em, THREE animated adaptations of Charles Dickens' timeless anti-capitalist classic, A Christmas Carol! We check in with our good friend Richard Williams, stop by the House of Mouse for Scrooge McDuck's opus, and then deal with the unfortunate Mr. Zemeckis' ill-...
Mark as Played
December 7, 2024 • 53 mins
Thanksgiving season means gorging on toons till we burst, and this year we’re piling our plate high with Dreamworks’ Kung Fu Panda series! What can this panda teach us about martial arts? About life? About…love? (Not much, on that last one.) We blitz through all four films, talk, and learn the mysterious ways of the Dao of Po!
If you like the show, don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe.
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation an...
If you like the show, don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe.
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation an...
Mark as Played
November 16, 2024 • 44 mins
He lives in you, listener, and by “He,” we mean this podcast! Don’t think about it too hard. This week we talk about a beloved Disney classic…’s sequel: The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride! What is Romeo & Juliet like with lions? How does the music match up to the original? Why is the bad boy lion so hot?
PLUS! We check in on the Over The Garden Wall 10th anniversary stop-motion special, and old friend Freddie Powers drops in to s...
PLUS! We check in on the Over The Garden Wall 10th anniversary stop-motion special, and old friend Freddie Powers drops in to s...
Mark as Played
November 2, 2024 • 55 mins
Hop on top of the bear stack, listener! This week, we’re tuning in for a heaping helping of Cartoon Network’s under-appreciated gem, We Bare Bears! We talk about what it means to be “all-ages,” the comedy of character design, and what kind of bears we might be!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and @ryanwithcheese on Twitter
http://brookeerinsmit...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts
@thebrookesmith
and @ryanwithcheese on Twitter
http://brookeerinsmit...
Mark as Played
October 19, 2024 • 33 mins
Trick-Or-Treat, dear listener! It’s Halloween, and this year we’re giving you not one, but TWO bite-sized halloween specials from yesteryear. First, a spooktacular animal adventure in ABC Weekend Special’s “Bunnicula, The Vampire Rabbit”! Then, there’s a sour-sweet blowing in Whoville, and that can only mean one thing: Halloween is Grinch Night! And we’re gonna talk about it!
This one has it all: age-appropriate scares, industrial ...
This one has it all: age-appropriate scares, industrial ...
Mark as Played
October 5, 2024 • 42 mins
The long awaited episode is here! Strap in and turn your throwback machine on cause we’re gonna talk about the 1993 film ”The Thief and the Cobbler” (aka The Princess and the Cobbler aka Arabian Knight). We talk the legacy, longevity, and loss of the creation and releases of this film. If you don’t like what we have to say, there’s the door!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and fo...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and fo...
Mark as Played
September 21, 2024 • 54 mins
School is back in session and we still got a lot to learn! We have an interview with animator and current Head of the School for Animation & VFX at Vancouver Film School Colin Giles! We talk inspirations, unsung heroes, and of course cartoons! Not afraid to say this one is a banger!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and @ryanwithcheese on Tw...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts @thebrookesmith and @ryanwithcheese on Tw...
Mark as Played
August 24, 2024 • 42 mins
Every 4 years we gather around our screens to watch the best athletes in the world compete to bring home the gold, now we’re bringing the world of animated sports to you! This week we’re diving into the Anime-lympics! All your favorite sports are readily available year round with tropes, storylines, and our recommendations! Light the torches!
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and f...
Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation and our Instagram and Twitter @cartoonbookclub, and f...
Mark as Played
August 10, 2024 • 52 mins
This week, Ryan and Brooke are booming with joy to talk about Netflix’ Exploding Kittens, and learn about the world of soundtrack composition and scoring from composers Jina An and Shirley Song! Jina and Shirley share their process, how they adapted a fast and frenzied party game into an animated series, dream projects and more!
And, a surprising new temptation might threaten to capture Brooke’s heart and possibly ruin her life, if...
And, a surprising new temptation might threaten to capture Brooke’s heart and possibly ruin her life, if...
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.
The official podcast of comedian Joe Rogan.
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Special Summer Offer: Exclusively on Apple Podcasts, try our Dateline Premium subscription completely free for one month! With Dateline Premium, you get every episode ad-free plus exclusive bonus content.
Listen to 'The Bobby Bones Show' by downloading the daily full replay.
The latest news in 4 minutes updated every hour, every day.