Nation of Animation

Reclaiming Thumbelina

May 6, 2026·57 min
Episode Description from the Publisher

It's Brooke's birthday, so she gets to pick the movie! She summons up a forgotten mainstay from the VHS players of a bygone era, Don Bluth's Thumbelina. We confront our dubious memories of this childhood favorite, investigate the fascinatin history of the man who would be the Anti-Disney, and consider if, by some strange twist of fate, this movie is actually "good." What does "good" mean in this context? You'll have to listen and find out!Real World Recs:Brooke - "Every Brilliant Thing" by Duncan Macmillan on Broadway, starring Daniel RadcliffeRyan - The Spectacular Spider-Man on DVD (and the spectacular Debora Strang and David Kepner!)Follow our bluesky @nationofanimation, our Letterboxd @NationAnimation, and our Instagram and @cartoonbookclub, and follow our hosts@thebrookesmithand @ryanwithcheese on Twitter  http://brookeerinsmith.com http://ryangstevens.com&Support secret projects on Venmo @nationofanimationBIG THANKS TO: Jacob Menke for our themeFollow them @menkemaster&Urvashi Lele for our artLearn more about Urvashi Lele's animations by visiting http://www.sirpeagreenstudios.com and follow their endeavors on instagram at @sirpeagreen and @maisonaudmi

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