Podcast · Film & TV

Cartoon Night in Canada

by Chris Luciantonio · English · Film & TV

We're on a nostalgic journey to dig through decades of Canadian animation to find the good, the bad, and the just plain weird cartoons of the Great White North. Every week, Sylvie and Chris take a look at an animated something or other from their shared experience of growing up in Canada to see what

New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 1 hr 2 min
Latest: 21 Jun 2025
Language: English

Latest episode

21 Jun 2025 · 1 hr 5 min

Episode 140 - Rescue Heroes

Happy Belated Pride Month Everybody! Our apologies, we'll have more Pride-centric contact coming in the next few weeks. For the time being, here is a soft-copaganda show that probably responsible for many a bisexual awakening. A super team of bulky emergency responders who have no known jurisdiction, no oversight, and seemingly no system of checks and balances to curtail their authority. It's the Rescue Heroes, and safety is their game all across the globe. Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 18 "High Anxiety/Canyon Catastrophe." Written by Howard Nemetz and Melissa Mortimer,…

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Earlier episodes 29 most recent

S2 · E139 · 31 May 2025 · 57 min
Episode 139 - NFB Showcase #12
Once again, we make use of the incredible archival resource of Canadian animation that is the National Film Board of Canada for another cursed double bill. A stop-motion raucous bug orgy and a storybook Inuit creation song. What do they have in common? Not much. Films covered for the podcast are Martin Barry's Juke-Bar (1989) and Germaine Arnattaujuq, Neil Christopher & Louise Flaherty's Arctic Song (2022). Links: https://www.nfb.ca/film/juke_bar_en/ https://www.nfb.ca/film/arctic-song/ If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a…
S2 · E138 · 25 May 2025 · 58 min
Episode 138 - Delta State "Case Study."
We once again find ourselves drifting aimlessly through the parallel dimension known as the Delta State. A paranoid state of delusion that decides the fate for all humankind if not for a group of amnesiac twenty-something Montreal hipsters. We felt it was only right to return to a one of a kind Canadian production we will never see on television again because we just appreciate that it exists so much. Episode covered for the podcast was Episode 3 "Case Study." Written by Vincent Bonjour and directed by Gilles Cazaux. Original airdate Sept, 19, 2004. If you liked what you heard please and…
S2 · E137 · 17 May 2025 · 1 hr
Episode 137 - Ville Neuve (2018)
Straight off the heels of our federal election which has left a small contingency of conservative voters in Alberta hoping for a secession, we are covering a film which explores the ramifications of a province seeking sovereignty and the broader effects of the temperament of its population. In short, it leaves us all feeling like divorced alcoholics drying out at a fishing cabin with our ex-spouse. It's Félix Dufour-Laperrière's gorgeously realized ink and paint drama Ville Neuve (2018). If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and leaving…
S2 · E136 · 3 May 2025 · 1 hr 7 min
Episode 136 - The Magic School Bus
In a trying time where PBS could be defunded and Nelvana go under, we felt it was necessary to tackle a big hitter that served as a cornerstone for the domination of educational television in the 90s. It's The Magic School Bus - an all time classic that many do not realize is technically Canadian (the best kind of Canadian). Also, some mildly depressing Canadian federal election chatter because it is actually relevant for once! Episode covered for the podcast was episode 8 "In the Haunted House." Written by John May, Kristin Laskas Martin & Jocelyn Stevenson. Directed by Lawrence Jacobs.…
S2 · E135 · 26 Apr 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Episode 135 - Fred's Head
High school can be a bit of a pain. Especially when you're a horny, pale, sarcastic teenager besieged by criminal lust and pursued by rabid squirrels. Such are the many trials and tribulations of the titular protagonist in Fred's Head - an acerbic teen comedy that balances the zany with a level-headed approach to the lifestyles of teenagers. Chris loved it. Sylvie liked it. Episode covered for the podcast was episode 7 "Rodent Terror." Written by Malorie Nault-Cousineau, directed by Benoit Godbout and Sylvain Lavoie, and storyboarded by Karine Charlebois. Original airdate February 17, 2008.…
S2 · E134 · 29 Mar 2025 · 57 min
Episode 134 - The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo
And here we find ourselves at the bottom of the barrel once more. A shoddily slapped together series by way of Montreal's Cinegroupe produced to coincide with the release of a high-profile Disney feature film. The era of the mockbuster is most certainly passed, but we will always have those VHS memories of cheap garbage like The Magical Adventures of Quasimodo. Episode covered for the podcast was Episode 20 "The Music Maker." Written by Lyle Slack and directed by Bahram Rohani. Unknown airdate. If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and…
S2 · E133 · 22 Mar 2025 · 59 min
Episode 133 - Action Man
It's time to A.M.P. it up!!! Remember back in the 2000s when it felt like extreme sports was the be-all end-all of popular culture and plenty of things from the past were being retrofitted with a more edgy and radical look for the new generation? Well, one series/extended toy commercial by Mainframe Entertainment took it to such tubular heights that it practically killed the entire fad. It's ACTION MAN!! Episode covered for the podcast was Episode 16 "Ground Zero." Written by Nick DuBois and directed by Angela Stevenson. Original airdate May 3, 2001. If you liked what you heard please and…
S2 · E132 · 15 Mar 2025 · 1 hr 17 min
Episode 132 - CanaDUB: Nana
Sorry for the delay! We are going to blame the tariffs because why not. We have returned to the realm of Canadian dubbed anime with a fabulous punk rock classic of growing up and heartbreak between young women who meet by happenstance. Ai Yazawa's NANA has endured in popularity since it's premiere in 2006, and part of that enduring popularity has to do with the pitch perfect dub produced by our friends at Ocean Productions. Episode covered for the podcast was Episode 1 "Prologue: Nana K. and Nana O." Written by Tomoko Konparu and Directed by Morio Asaka, Ryōsuke Nakamura. Original airdate…
22 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
Episode 131 - Rotten Ralph
On this week's episode, we encounter an utterly contemptible protagonist in a little-known stop-motion co-production with Britain and Italy which left us utterly charmed. A sharp, abrasive art style for a sharp, abrasive character that we wound up watching via a scuffed cam version on YouTube. There is nothing more fittingly Rotten for ol' Ralph. Episode viewed for the podcast is Episode "Surf's Up Ralph." Written by James Backshall. Unknown original airdate. If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing and leaving a nice review on your…
8 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Episode 130 - Mythic Warriors
We are back in some familiar territory - a shoddy, obscure Nelvana production (#SaveNelvana) and a radical adaptation of Greek Mythology made for children. It's Mythic Warriors: Guardians of the Legend - contractually obligated fodder produced through a brief lucrative partnership with television network CBS. Filling out an entire Saturday morning cartoon block requires a lot of man hours and animation, and so inevitably, some stuff might not be quite up to standard. But god damn it, Nelvana needs to cash in on the success of Disney's Hercules (1997). Episode covered for the podcast is…
1 Feb 2025 · 1 hr 9 min
Episode 129 - NFB Showcase #11: Robert Verrall (1928 - 2025)
On this latest's trip to the National Film Board's Archive, we pay tribute to a stalwart of the NFB's Animation Department since its inception whose contributions to Canadian cinema are too varied to list out. Veteran animator, producer, and director Robert Verrall sadly passed away on January 17th, 2025 and left a cinematic legacy few can measure up to. For this occasional spotlight series, we took a look at some of his earliest credited work to hopefully impart how significant a figure he was in his lifetime. Films covered for the podcast are Three Blind Mice (1945) and The Romance of…
S2 · E128 · 25 Jan 2025 · 58 min
Episode 128 - Max & Ruby #SaveNelvana
This week, we start off with a sobering call to action regarding the uncertain future of our beloved Nelvana before awkwardly segueing into talking about one of their longest running series. Financial mismanagement and executive payoffs over at Corus Entertainment may very well lead to the shuttering of one of Canada's most prolific animation studios, and while talking about what a momentous loss that would be for our industry, we also chat a bit about Nelvana's Max and Ruby. A show about bunny siblings for babies that we both hated. Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 26 "Max's…
S2 · E127 · 18 Jan 2025 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 127 - Trailer Park Boys: The Animated Series
This week on the podcast, boys, we get two birds stoned at once as we tackle a fucking vanity cartoon of a classic Canadian series featuring a pack of greasy shitbirds smoking dope and doing crime. It's Trailer Park Boys and it's utterly unnecessary, pointless, Netflix animated series that may just be entirely antithetical to the spirit of the original series. Plus some Wayne Gretzky bashing and some enlightening look into fanfiction. Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 3 "The Stanley Bong." Written and directed by John Paul Tremblay, Robb Wells, Mike Smith, Norm Hiscock & Michael…
S2 · E126 · 11 Jan 2025 · 58 min
Episode 126 - Barbie™ and the Magic of Pegasus
To conclude the lucrative enterprise that was our Barbie™ theme month, we deliver a fashionably late episode on Barbie™ and the Magic of Pegasus (2005). Featuring a totally straight main villain, a magical cloud kingdom that controls the weather, figure skating and gambling addiction, and a "cunty little polar bear." It's a formulaic entry in the Barbie franchise, but nevertheless a continued showcase for the work of Mainframe Entertainment. Film covered for the podcast is Barbie™ and the Magic of Pegasus. Written by Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby. Directed by Greg Richardson. Original release…
S2 · E125 · 25 Dec 2024 · 1 hr 18 min
Episode 125 - Barbie™ in the Nutcracker
Happy Barbcember to all, and to all a good night! For our official Holiday special, we return where it all begin with Mainframe Entertainment's first crack at the Barbie license with the seminal, janky, and all around charming Barbie™ in the Nutcracker (2001). A rough around the edges time capsule of early 2000s CGI animation that showcases the amount of growth and skill Mainframe would progressively inject these films with. Plus, an all-time villain performance by the incomparable Tim Curry. Film covered for the podcast was Barbie™ in the Nutcracker. Written by Linda Engelsiepen & Hilary…
S2 · E124 · 14 Dec 2024 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 124 - Barbie™ as Rapunzel (2002)
Barbcember™ rolls on with a modern spin on the Brothers Grimm classic that sees our heroine Barbie trapped in a tower. Except...she doesn't have long hair...and there are talking dragons and mammals...and magic paintbrushes...and a territorial war between kingdoms...and Anjelica Huston. What we are driving at is this is far superior to Tangled. Film covered for the podcast is Barbie™ as Rapunzel . Written by Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby. Directed by Owen Hurley. Original release date October 1st, 2002. If you liked what you heard please and wish to support the show, please consider subscribing…
S2 · E123 · 7 Dec 2024 · 1 hr 2 min
Episode 123 - Barbie™ Fairytopia
HAPPY BARBCEMBER!!! In our continued efforts to avoid talking about Christmas and the Holidays, we are programming an entire month of Mainframe produced Barbie direct-to-video films. For the first installment, we are establishing the official Bibble Baseline™ and tackling the "classic" Fairytopia - a magical adventure drawn from a sparsely populated, murky forest that has a lot to say about baseball and adversity. Film covered for the podcast was Barbie: Fairytopia. Written by Elise Allen and Diane Duane. Directed by Walter P. Martishius and William Lau. Originally released on March 8, 2005.…
S2 · E122 · 30 Nov 2024 · 56 min
Episode 122 - Moville Mysteries "How Now, Meowing Cow?"
In the conclusion to our 2024 Spooktober Celebration, we resurrect a classic tradition and revisit Ouija Falls for more prattling about with creepy weirdos and cryptid whatsits with Moville Mysteries . This time around, we go down on the farm for some good ol' fashioned DNA splicing with Farmer Dell and his Pig Boys. Another sardonic horror classic from one of our favourite spooky shows to cover! Episode covered for the podcast was Episode 12 "How Now, Meowing Cow?" Written by Dale Schott. Storyboarded by Lyndon Ruddy and Steve Daye. Directed by Mike Csunyoscka. Original airdate November 30,…
S2 · E121 · 27 Nov 2024 · 1 hr 22 min
Episode 121 -6teen
Spooktober rolls into Scarevember as we make up for our absence by bringing you a big hitter series frequently teased on previous episodes. A controversial series which endeavored to represent the teenage experience in a warts and all comedic approach that instantly ascended to instant cult status. It's 6teen - and for one incredible Halloween special, it took a few notes from horror master George A. Romero and his predilections for the undead. Episode covered for the podcast is episode 27 "Dude of the Living Dead." Written by Tom McGillis and Jennifer Pertsch. Directed by Karen Lessmann and…
S2 · E120 · 9 Nov 2024 · 58 min
Episode 120 - Rotting Hills
On this fashionably late episode of our Spooktober Celebration, we're packing up and moving out to a zombie apocalypse...localized entirely in a small rural Northern Ontario municipality. Rotting Hills is a cast away from the time Nelvana Animation tried to participate in the animated anthology craze that gave us the 2000s television animation boom with it's FunPak . It's a coming-of-age comedy about living among the living dead that is, if we are being generous, not that well thought out. Rotting Hills is created and directed by Glen Wyand. Original airdate Februrary 2005. If you liked what…
S2 · E119 · 19 Oct 2024 · 59 min
Episode 119 - Witch's Night Out (1978)
On this installment of the 2024 Spooktober Celebration, we look back to a forgotten cult classic with an extended, fascinating post-life based on the dedicated work of one super fan. A network special from a bygone era about the true reason of the season - partying and mob justice - we breakdown the fascinating animation and character design on display before going LONG on the attempts to turn this into a franchise forty-five years after the fact. Film covered for the podcast was Witch's Night Out . Directed by John Leach and written by Leach and Isobel Jean Rankin. Original airdate October…
S2 · E118 · 12 Oct 2024 · 1 hr 13 min
Episode 118 - Martin Mystery "Haunting of the Blackwater"
Making good on our Spooktober promise to bring back some old favourites, we are taking another look at one of the greatest Canadian produced shows and one of the best examples of introducing the horror genre to kids - Martin Mystery. What other show for kids would attempt a parody of Stanley Kubrick's The Shining? And set it in British Columbia? Episode covered for the podcast is episode 15 "Haunting of the Blackwater." Written by Simon Racioppa & Richard Elliot. Directed by Stephane Berry & Gregory Panaccione. Original airdate March 3, 2004. If you liked what you heard please and wish to…
S2 · E117 · 5 Oct 2024 · 1 hr
Episode 117 - Dark Oracle
Break out those early-2000s haircuts and Hot Topic accessories, it is once again time for our Spooktober Celebration! And to kick it all off, we are taking a look at the scariest thing our country's television industry has ever produced - a mopey, pseudo-gothic live-action teen drama about an evil comic book...that is technically animated. In our most contentious episode to date, Sylvie and Chris check out Dark Oracle on its 20th anniversary - an alleged blend of live-action and animation that is just barely the latter. But at least we get a lot of early-2000s nostalgia and discover how…
S2 · E116 · 21 Sep 2024 · 1 hr 5 min
Episode 116 - Kid vs. Kat
On this week's episode, we convince you to get paranoid about your pet cat and how they might be orchestrating your imminent demise with Kid vs. Kat. A deliberate throwback to the classic adversarial Coyote and Roadrunner cartoons, we find ourselves talking about what we would call a "modern classic" from Rob Boutilier - the current name behind Apple Tv's Peanuts franchise. Episode covered for the podcast is Episode 12 "House of Scream/Planter's Warp." Written by Roger Fredericks and Leslie Midiner. Storyboarded by Jamie LeClaire and Kent Webb. Directed by Rob Boutilier, Josh Mepham, and…
S2 · E116 · 14 Sep 2024 · 1 hr 15 min
Episode 115 - Barbie™ of Swan Lake
In the second installment of our new series - The Untitled Barbie Movie Side Series ? or maybe The MFBCU (Mainframe Barbie Cinematic Universe) ? - we are returning to the janky CG Barbieland produced right here in Canada with a classy, 100% faithful Tchaikovsky adaptation. Canadian girls love ballet, Barbie toys, tragedy, and the dulcet tones of Kelsey Grammer, so how could this go wrong? Film covered the podcast is Barbie of Swan Lake . Directed by Owen Hurley. Written by Elana Lesser & Cliff Ruby. Original release date September 30, 2003. If you liked what you heard and wish to support the…
S2 · E114 · 7 Sep 2024 · 1 hr 14 min
Episode 114 - CanaDUB: The Story of Saiunkoku (Ocean Dub)
We're back! After a long summer hiatus, Chris and Sylvie are back to push their pro-dubbing agenda once more with the latest episode of CanaDUB. While Studio Madhouse's The Story of Saiunkoku is a perfectly competent shōjo romance surrounding court intrigue and economic disparity, the real interesting story can be found in the state of the anime distribution industry at the time. Chris and Sylvie break down the influential ramifications for the industry surrounding the unfortunate release of Saiunkoku and its ill-fated distributor Geneon Entertainment. It's a history lesson on the 2000s…
S1 · E113 · 27 Jul 2024 · 59 min
Episode 113 - The Brothers Grunt
On this week's episode, we tackle an ugly little footnote in the career of Ed Edd n' Eddy creator Danny Antonuuci that has been memory-holed from the line-up of MTV Animation. A grotesque gross-out comedy featuring five perpetually pained creatures who tortuously fill your eyes and ears with bad vibes. It's The Brothers Grunt , and it is not what we would call an easy watch. "Episodes" covered are Episode 1,2, and 6 "The Ceremony, Make Mine Grunt, and Scrub Me Sammy." All written by Danny Antonucci and Dennis Heaton. All directed by Danny Antonucci. Original airdates August 15th, August…
20 Jul 2024 · 1 hr 8 min
Episode 112 - Jane and the Dragon
We are back with a favourite topic of ours we will always go far out of our way to dissect and ramble on - the awkward growing pains of CGI animation. We've entered the mid-2000s and what we are calling CGI's "scene kid years" with Jane and The Dragon . A beloved children's book adapted by two veritable titans of the film industry: our beloved Nelvana with their noted pedigree in CGI animation, and Wētā Workshop who is best known for their work on Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings franchise. How did this six degrees of separation between Nelvana's Donkey Kong Country and Gollum come…
S1 · E111 · 6 Jul 2024 · 52 min
Episode 111 - Cybersix "The Eye"
On this week's episode, we are returning to an absolute classic - another steamy monster-of-the-week chapter from Cybersix, a show that burned briefly, but burned brightly to set high standards for television animation and storytelling unseen at the time beyond the likes of Batman: the Animated Series. Will our gender-fluid, leatherclad antifa supersoldier overcome the sociopathic nazi child and his soul-sucking eye creature? Tune in to find out! And as a little bonus, Sylvie takes us down a fascinating internet rabbit whole she got lost in that proves how difficult it is to source reliable…

About Cartoon Night in Canada

Cartoon Night in Canada is a English film & tv podcast from Chris Luciantonio. Melo plays each episode straight from the publisher's own feed — no ads added, no account needed — and remembers where you stopped, in this browser only.

Publisher: Chris Luciantonio
Language: English
Category: Film & TV
New episodes: Weekly
Typical length: 1 hr 2 min
Latest episode: 21 Jun 2025
Feed: RSS — paste into any podcast app
Apple Podcasts: podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1608794258
Rights: Chris Luciantonio

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