Revisiting Animation’s Renaissance Through Tom Sito’s New Book (Ep. 358)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 12 May 2026

⏱️ 43 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor unpack the latest animation and box office news, from the surprising strength of The Devil Wears Prada 2 to new reveals tied to Toy Story 5, Dragon Striker, and Netflix’s Annecy plans. The duo also discuss upcoming art books, anime releases, and Tom Sito’s new memoir about the animation renaissance of the 1980s and 1990s. Along the way, they reflect on how modern animation continues to blur the line between live-action and CG filmmaking. HIGHLIGHTS • The Devil Wears Prada 2 narrowly defeats Mortal Kombat II at the North American box office during a crowded Mother’s Day weekend • Amazon MGM’s Sheep Detective overperforms thanks to strong reviews and audience response • Target stores begin rolling out extensive Toy Story 5 merchandise months ahead of the film’s theatrical debut • Jim and Drew discuss the latest trailer for Minions & Monsters and its playful references to classic Hollywood history • Disney XD and Disney+ finally announce premiere dates for Dragon Striker after the series’ lengthy delay from its original Annecy reveal • Netflix prepares its latest Annecy Festival animation showcase while GKIDS sets a June release for the anime feature Another World • New animation art books spotlight Star Trek: Lower Decks, Your Friendly Neighborhood Spider-Man, and Laika’s upcoming Wildwood • Tom Sito’s memoir Drawing Life Back into Animation offers firsthand stories from the rise of modern feature animation in Hollywood HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | Website: jimhillmedia.com • Drew Taylor - X/Twitter: @DrewTailored | Instagram: @drewtailored | Website: drewtaylor.work FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR UnlockedMagic.com - Save on your next Disney or Universal vacation with exclusive ticket deals from travel experts who know the parks inside and out: https://unlockedmagic.com/?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=finetooning If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ 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.
0:06.7	I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill and Mr. Taylor, whose writings on the industry you can regularly read over on The Rap and his musings on the Mission of Possible movies.
0:16.2	You can still listen to on Light the Fuse, the official Mission Impossible podcast.
0:21.6	He and I are recording this week's show on Sunday, May 10th, 2006, which is, of course,
0:27.6	Mother's Day here in the States.
0:30.0	So happy Mother's Day to all your moms out there, somewhat belatedly, because this show goes up
0:34.7	on Tuesday the 12th.
0:37.3	So, but your mom, Drew, what did you do there? because this show goes up on Tuesday the 12th.
0:41.5	So, but your mom, Drew, what did you do there?
0:43.0	Card, flowers, what?
0:44.3	Card, yep.
0:45.5	She got it in time.
0:51.5	It's always a little touch and go, Jim, as you know, trying to time out a card getting to the other coast, but she said she got it so you know i'm i'm
0:56.4	in the clear there we go you're a good son okay now try try yeah there we go now in my case
1:03.1	of course like i lost my mom uh last september uh she was 93 i had a good long life and did drive down to Massachusetts yesterday to, you know, to bring some flowers to the gravesite.
1:17.7	And just it was, you know, what was sunny is I was trying to get her favorite flowers, which are lilies of the valley.
1:25.4	But it's been so cold here back in the northeast.
1:29.8	It's been a very weird spring that, you know, all the greenhouses I went to were like,
1:34.1	no, we don't have them yet.
1:35.4	You know, take some azaleas.
1:36.9	Leave us alone.
1:37.6	I won't tell her if you won't, Jim.
	...

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