Mario’s Massive Opening, AI Animation Backlash, and the Mystery Disney Drone Show (Ep. 353)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 7 April 2026

⏱️ 51 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor kick off this week’s Fine Tooning with a real-life animation-adjacent story involving Bob’s Burgers’ Eugene Mirman, before diving into a huge Easter weekend box office led by Nintendo’s latest animated hit. From Disney+ shorts and Netflix trailers to Broadway updates and AI controversy, this episode covers a wide swath of animation and industry news. Plus, the guys explore a lingering mystery involving Disney’s experimental drone shows. HIGHLIGHTS • Eugene Mirman, the voice of Gene Belcher on Bob’s Burgers, is involved in a serious electric vehicle accident in New Hampshire and shares a humorous recovery update • The Super Mario Brothers Galaxy Movie opens to a massive $372 million worldwide, outperforming expectations despite mixed reviews • Pixar’s Hoppers continues its theatrical run with $332 million globally, while Project Hail Mary climbs to $420 million worldwide • Disney+ debuts “Versa,” a visually ambitious animated short exploring grief and loss, alongside two new Short Circuit entries • Netflix releases the trailer for Swapped, a new animated feature from Tangled co-director Nathan Greno • Disney’s Hercules stage musical sets a closing date in London as speculation continues about a possible U.S. transfer • WildBrain faces backlash for AI-upscaled episodes of The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! airing on MeTV Toons • A closer look at Disney’s evolving Short Circuit program and the final Disney work of legendary animator Mark Henn • Updates on Disney theatrical projects including the live-action Tangled and the evolving Hercules film concept • The growing use of AI in animation restoration and the debate over preserving original artistic integrity HOSTS • Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com • Drew Taylor - IG: @drewtailored | X: @DrewTailored | Website: drewtaylor.work FOLLOW • Facebook: JimHillMediaNews • Instagram: JimHillMedia • TikTok: JimHillMedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency SPONSOR This episode is sponsored by Unlocked Magic. If a Disney or Universal trip is on your radar for 2026, get expert help securing the best ticket deals with no stress. Visit UnlockedMagic.com to start planning your next theme park adventure. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. 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.
0:02.3	Your one-stop shop when it comes to animation news and commentary.
0:05.9	I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill and Mr. Taylor,
0:09.3	whose writings in the industry you can regularly read over on the rap,
0:13.2	and his musings on the Mission Impossible movies.
0:15.7	You can still listen to Unlight Defuse the official Mission Impossible podcast.
0:20.9	He and I are recording this week's show on Sunday, April 5th, 2006.
0:26.2	Happy Easter for those of you who celebrate the holiday.
0:29.0	Likewise, belated, happy holidays for those of you who are celebrating Passover,
0:33.2	which this year runs from, well, this past Wednesday, April 1st, through this coming Thursday, April 9th.
0:42.8	And Drewie, you and I were talking a little bit off air before we get started here, and you celebrated by checking out a new bookstore right across the street?
0:54.0	Yeah, yeah, the last bookstore, which there's a location downtown.
0:58.0	They open one on Lancashem Boulevard, which is very close to us, and it's just a lovely
1:03.5	little used bookstore with a ton of stuff, and I bought for your information gym,
1:10.3	Oliver Stone's memoir that came out a couple of years ago.
1:13.7	And a couple of the old X-Files TV show guides, which were written by my buddy, Brian Lowry,
1:21.6	because Katie and I are going through the original show for the first time.
1:25.3	Oh, I mean, I watched it when I was younger.
1:27.2	She has never seen an hour of it, so she has been enthralled.
1:31.6	It's just been a lot of fun, so, yeah.
1:33.7	It was a great show back in the day, and by the way, that that bookstore sounds dangerous
1:38.5	to me.
	...

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