2016 is a year full of celebrations, so far this year we have seen a wide span of series reach land-marks. Disney alone has a mind-blowing amount of properties that have celebrated anniversaries. Ranging from the likes of High School Musical to Darkwing Duck and even marking their one-hundredth original film.
But it is far from Disney alone that finds themselves cheering on grand feats. Nickelodeon is marking their twenty—fifth year of animation.
Yeah that is right, twenty-five years. Nostalgia over-load, yes.
Just thinking about it leaves me in a state of amazement. Nick has always had very dynamic way with their animated content. They took a lot of chance and played around with ideas that where the very meaning of out of the box. And the results have been fantastic and now years later we still talk about series like Rugrats, Avatar and even Hey Arnold with great admiration.
That is something to be said in itself.
As part of celebrating their linage with animation, Nick has been uploading all of their animated series openings to their YouTube channel (even some more obscure titles are getting some love!). But that is far from all they are doing, oh no. As part of celebrating it all Nick is also launched a podcast featuring the minds behind some of our most beloved series.
Check out the official press release:
In celebration of Nickelodeon’s 25 years of animation, the network is talking cartoons with its first-ever podcast, Nickelodeon Animation Podcast, launching today on iTunes, SoundCloud, YouTube and nickanimationpodcast.com. The 20-episode weekly podcast gives voice to creators and talent who brought to life some of the most innovative, hilarious, and heart-tugging animation in the history of television. The series will feature Nick-affiliated talent as well as animation visionaries from across the industry. Hosted by Hector Navarro (Geek & Sundry), each episode will discuss creator and talent life stories, careers and the inspirations behind some of the most iconic cartoons.
“It’s the perfect way for Nickelodeon to enter the podcast space by giving these inspiring and funny artists the chance to tell their stories,” said Chris Viscardi, SVP, Content Development, Nickelodeon Franchise Properties. “Every episode is unique as Hector and our guests talk about how their love of animation started, what role their childhood played in becoming the artists they are today, and what inspired them to create the work that is known to Nickelodeon fans throughout the world.”
The first episode features Bryan Konietzko and Michael Dante DiMartino, co-creators and executive producers of Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra. The pair discuss the cartoons that inspired them as kids, their creative partnership, and the highs and lows of producing two of the most fan-favorited animated shows in the history of Nickelodeon animation.
Upcoming guests include: Chris Savino (The Loud House), Butch Hartman (The Fairly OddParents), Kevin Eastman (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Arlene Klasky (Rugrats), Craig Bartlett (Hey Arnold!), C.H. Greenblatt (Harvey Beaks), and Jim Jinkins (Doug), as well as notable voice actors Tom Kenny (SpongeBob SquarePants), Billy West (The Ren & Stimpy Show), Andy Richter (Bob’s Burgers) and Maria Bamford (CatDog), among others.
Host Hector Navarro is a self-described “cartoon nerd” who has lived and breathed animation his entire life. He’s a host on Geek & Sundry Twitch Channel, as well as co-host of SuperHero News on YouTube. Hailing from San Diego, Calif., Navarro has a degree in Media Arts and Animation from The Art Institute of California, and is a former Nickelodeon intern. His preferred method of bending is water and his favorite characters include Angelica from Rugrats and Leo from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
I really love that they are doing this. There is something about listening to the creative side of any work of fiction and hearing what their prospective on a title is always very engaging. Plus it really does add another level to what we as fans know and have seen. Given the fact quite a few of the series mentioned specifically have long since been off the air it is nice to look back and take things in retrospect.
Join the conversation: What do you think about the podcast? Will you be checking it out?