This Animated Life
Imaginary Worlds19 Nov 2025

This Animated Life

As longtime listeners know, I worked in the animation industry before switching careers and going into broadcasting. Today’s episode features a trio of conversations that trace the history of animation in my lifetime, and my life in animation. The interviews come from Between Imaginary Worlds, a chat show that’s available exclusively to listeners who pledge $5 a month or more on Patreon. Act I: I bond with comic book and children’s book author Judd Winick over the creepy world of 1970s children’s TV – which scared us as kids but makes us oddly nostalgic today. Act II: My friend Caleb Meurer and I reminisce about his experience working with the original crew of SpongeBob at Nickelodeon, and how the creator of SpongeBob indirectly told me I was in the wrong field. Act III: Aidan Sugano and Denis-Jose Francois talk about the heartfelt effort it took for the animation studio DNEG to make the film Nimona after Disney dropped the project. This week’s episode is sponsored by The Perfect Jean and Uncommon Goods. Get 15% off your order with the code IMAGINARY15 at theperfectjean.nyc Get 15% off your order at uncommongoods.com/imaginary. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Episoder(303)

Escaping Prison with Role-Playing Games

Escaping Prison with Role-Playing Games

Role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and Pathfinder aren’t just played in game shops or living rooms. They’re also very popular in prisons – if the prison officials haven’t banned them. I talk w...

25 Sep 202442min

10th Anniversary Special Part 2

10th Anniversary Special Part 2

In the second part of our retrospective on how Imaginary Worlds has covered sci-fi and fantasy since September 2014, we look at the world of gaming. I visit the game shop Sip & Play and talk with the ...

11 Sep 202440min

10th Anniversary Special Part 1

10th Anniversary Special Part 1

When I began my podcast in September 2014, I was mostly sticking with topics that I was familiar with like blockbuster movies and animation. I liked science fiction, but I was not as familiar with tra...

28 Aug 202444min

Unlocking the Door Between Escape Rooms and Immersive Theater

Unlocking the Door Between Escape Rooms and Immersive Theater

I used to think escape rooms were gimmicky activities where everyone scrambled to solve puzzles while I stood around feeling useless. On the other hand, I love immersive theater, where an interactive ...

14 Aug 202438min

Narrating Audiobooks From Other Worlds

Narrating Audiobooks From Other Worlds

The field of audiobooks has exploded since the introduction of mp3 players, and it continues to expand. But it takes a unique set of skills to voice audiobooks in sci-fi and fantasy genres. I talk wit...

31 Jul 202439min

Fantasy and Fascism Part II: When Democracy Fails

Fantasy and Fascism Part II: When Democracy Fails

In the years since my 2020 episode Fantasy and Fascism, I knew that I had to make a follow-up episode. The political landscape was changing in ways I didn’t expect while major sci-fi fantasy franchise...

17 Jul 202440min

The Team Behind Hans Zimmer

The Team Behind Hans Zimmer

Who really composed the scores of Dune, Interstellar, Blade Runner 2049, The Dark Knight, Man of Steel, Pirates of the Caribbean and The Lion King? Were they all written by Hans Zimmer? Or were those ...

3 Jul 202455min

Swept Away by Romantasy

Swept Away by Romantasy

The hottest trend in fantasy novels – in fact the hottest trend in publishing overall – is fantasy romance or romantasy. These stories take place in worlds with dragons, faeries, vampires and werewolv...

19 Jun 202443min

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