Netflix Buys Warner Bros. Discovery and an Animated Trip Over the Rainbow (Ep. 336)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Tv & Film

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 9 December 2025

⏱️ 46 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Jim and Drew unpack one of the biggest industry shakeups in years as Netflix snaps up Warner Bros. Discovery, a deal that reshapes everything from Adult Swim to the broader animation marketplace. Then the guys follow the yellow brick road into this week’s feature, exploring the strange, stop-and-start history of Hollywood’s many attempts to revisit Oz, from Disney’s abandoned visions to Filmation’s long-delayed Journey Back to Oz. NEWS • Netflix acquires Warner Bros. Discovery for $82.7 billion and what this lightning-fast deal could mean for Paramount, cable networks, and Adult Swim. • How the sale compares to Disney’s 2017–2019 acquisition of Fox once you adjust for inflation. • Industry chatter around the merger’s approval process amid concerns from competing studios. FEATURE • A colorful tour through Hollywood’s many post-MGM attempts to return to Oz. • Disney’s near-miss projects, including the almost-produced “Rainbow Road to Oz.” • Rankin/Bass, Chuck Jones, and the surprising number of animated Oz interpretations in the 1960s. • Filmation’s turbulent decade-long journey to complete Journey Back to Oz, featuring Liza Minnelli, missing dialogue tapes, and recycled Sammy Cahn music. 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 brought to you by Unlocked Magic — where you can save up to 12 percent on Walt Disney World and Universal Orlando tickets. Planning a 2026 trip? Pick your dates, grab your tickets, and let Unlocked Magic handle the rest. And don’t forget to tell them Jim and Drew sent you.UnlockedMagic.com 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	Think about cheese.
0:02.0	Make your thoughts cheesier.
0:04.2	Now add 100% chicken breast fillet, Chipopla sauce and Ameta cheese melt.
0:08.3	And it's giving the new cheesy chicken stack at McDonald's.
0:12.0	Did we mention it's cheesy?
0:13.9	Cheese.
0:15.8	Availments with the 4th of Jan, 2026 from 11 a.m.
0:18.1	Plus and participation may vary.
0:19.2	Subjects availability.
0:20.1	Welcome back to fine-tuning with Drew Taylor. You one-stop shop when it comes to animation
0:24.7	news and commentary. I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill and Mr. Taylor, whose writings in the
0:30.1	industry you can regularly read over on the rap and whose musings on the Mission Impossible
0:34.8	movies. You can still listen to on Light the Fuse, the official Mission
0:39.5	Impossible podcast. Drew and I are recording this week's show on Sunday, December 7, 2025,
0:47.2	and it has been a busy week for Mr. Taylor. By the way, before we get started here, Drew,
0:52.5	I want to say I really enjoy the article that you wrote this past week about Frank Gary.
0:56.6	Oh, thank you.
0:57.4	Yeah, lovely piece.
0:59.1	Animation fans probably know this Titan of Architecture from his work on the Walt Disney Concert Hall in downtown Los Angeles.
1:07.7	And we lost Gary this past Friday, December 5th, at the age of 96. And Drew's
1:15.9	piece over in the wrap does a really great job of summing up Frank's career. And I urge
1:21.9	fine-tuning listeners to seek it out and read it. And also, we missed you on last week's show.
	...

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