Gumby Turns 70, DreamWorks Eyes Cocomelon, and Peppa Pig Teams Up with Walmart (Ep. 307)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Society & Culture, Places & Travel

4.8 • 1.4K Ratings

🗓️ 20 May 2025

⏱️ 40 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

In this solo episode of Fine Tooning, Jim Hill dives into a packed week of animation news while Drew Taylor covers the opening of Epic Universe in Florida. Topics include: The 70th anniversary of Gumby – A look back at Art Clokey’s clay-animated classic and upcoming updates like Gumby Kids. Faith-based animation on the rise – Following the box office success of The King of Kings, Fairly OddParents creator Butch Hartman launches a new animation studio focused on spiritual storytelling. DreamWorks embraces early childhood IP – From the upcoming Cocomelon feature to Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie and Bad Guys 2. Paramount’s shifting release schedule – New dates for Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem 2, The Legend of Aang, and Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie. Peppa Pig’s gender reveal episode debuts… on Walmart.com – A bold retail-media crossover with exclusive merchandise tied to streaming content. Smurfs movie sparks fan backlash – Rihanna’s new song “Friend of Mine” fails to impress her Navy, despite her upcoming role as Smurfette. AI in animation – With $42 million raised by AI animation startups like Cartwheel and Hedra, concerns about job displacement echo the shift from hand-drawn to CG in the ’90s. New Shaun the Sheep movie announced – Aardman’s The Beast of Mossy Bottom arrives in 2026 with a Halloween theme. A thoughtful and wide-ranging episode covering preschool hits, legacy IP, streaming trends, theatrical strategy, and the evolving role of AI in the animation industry. Be Our Guest Vacations Planning your next Disney vacation? Be Our Guest Vacations is a Platinum-level Earmarked travel agency with concierge-level service to make every trip magical. Their team of expert agents plans vacations across the globe, from Disney and Universal to cruises and adventures, ensuring you have the best possible experience without the stress. Learn More Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to fine tuning with Drew Taylor, your one-stop shop when it comes to animation, news, and commentary.
0:07.1	It is me, entertainment writer Jim Hill, doing yet another solo show this week.
0:13.2	Apologies, folks, but I neglected to check Mr. Taylor's travel schedule, and it would appear that as soon as Drew got back from London, where he was covering the
0:21.7	world premiere of Mission Impossible to Final Reckoning, just reminder, folks, that Paramount
0:28.4	Pictures release opens in theater this coming Friday, May 23rd, where Mission Impossible
0:33.8	8 then goes head-to-head in, at least in Northern American theaters, with Disney's live action reimagining of Lilo and Stitch, which is why exhibitors are hoping for some truly crazy domestic box office numbers a week from today.
0:49.9	When will be then wrapping up the long Memorial Day weekend.
0:54.6	Anyway, again, as I mentioned, I neglected the check Drew's travel schedule,
0:59.5	which is why I'm recording this show solo.
1:02.8	You see, even as I speak, Mr. Taylor is down in Florida with Lentesta, my co-host on the Disney Dish podcast,
1:10.6	where these two gentlemen are hanging out
1:12.9	as invited guests of the Universal Orlando Resort. They're both there to cover the grand
1:18.3	opening of Epic Universe, whereas I'm home scooping cat poop. Just to be clear here, I too was
1:25.4	invited to the grand opening of Epic Universal, but seeing
1:29.0	his media event was scheduled to run May 19th to the 22nd, the actual day that Universal
1:38.3	Orlando likes to go of what Universal London likes to call its fourth theme park. That's when Epic Universal will officially be opening to the day.
1:46.9	But let's be clear here.
1:49.0	Okay, Volcano Bay is a water park, not a water theme park.
1:53.1	And to quote what Regina told Gretchen in Mean Girls,
1:57.7	stop trying to make fetch happen.
1:59.8	Again, Universal, I mean, how many times, no matter to make fetch happen. Again, Universal.
2:04.7	I mean, how many times, no matter how many times you tell people that volcano bay is a water theme park, visitors are not going to call that thing that.
	...

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