Episode 23: A Christmas Carol

Some say the Christmas season is the most wonderful time of year, but there's at least one person who would disagree: Ebenezer Scrooge, that old skinflint from Charles Dickens' classic tale, A Christmas Carol. This week's Mousterpiece Cinema kicks off December by looking at the most recent adaptation of this story, from Walt Disney Pictures and Robert Zemeckis. Is Jim Carrey a great Scrooge? Does motion-capture animation work better here than in The Polar Express or Beowulf? What does Keystone Light beer have to do with any of this? Take a listen to an all-new Mousterpiece Cinema to find out!

Episode 22: The Muppets

It's time to play the music, it's time to light the lights. It's time to meet The Muppets on Mousterpiece Cinema tonight! Yes, friends, after a 12-year hiatus, the furry felt creatures that sprung from the imaginations of such visionaries as Jim Henson are back on the big screen. Is the new movie a return to form? Are people too hard and cynical to enjoy this old-fashioned humor? To answer these and more questions, Josh is joined once again by Disney (and Muppet) aficionado Gabe Bucsko to get things started on this week's most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational episode of Mousterpiece Cinema!

Episode 21: Beauty and the Beast

Tale as old as time, song as old as rhyme, beauty and the beast. Yes, friends, just in time for its 20th anniversary, Josh takes a look back at the pinnacle of the Disney Renaissance, 1991's Beauty and the Beast! After the last couple of weeks, and with the holidays right around the corner, nothing could be better than revisiting this old-fashioned classic. But you might find a few surprises here, such as a discussion of the alternate 18-minute opening or Josh wondering about the origins of the Beast. You'll have to check out the new Mousterpiece Cinema, though; just make sure you don't go into the West Wing!

Episode 20: Pete's Dragon

What is the old saying? "The night is darkest before the dawn, but the dawn is coming?" That has never seemed as true as it does this week, when Josh sees what an ambitious failure looks like: why, it's 1977's Pete's Dragon, of course! Yep, friends, if you want another patented Mousterpiece Cinema rant, this is the episode for you. If you wanted to know what Josh's impression of hillbillies sounds like, this is the episode for you. And, if you wanted to know what it would be like to see something worse than Home on the Range, well, you may want to download this one. Next week, Josh reviews Beauty and the Beast, so that old saying is true: the dawn is coming!

Episode 19: Home on the Range

We've all heard the song "Home on the Range" before, but have you seen the Disney movie called Home on the Range? Oh, you might know about this movie, the 45th animated feature from Walt Disney Pictures, with Roseanne Barr and Dame Judi Dench as the voices of cows. But have you seen it? If so, you know there aren't any deer or antelope at play here. And Josh may only have discouraging words for Home on the Range, which was the death knell for hand-drawn animation at Disney for over 5 years. If you're a fan of rants about that, pop-culture jokes, and much more, you'll find plenty to love about this new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema!

Episode 18: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to hear something strange? It's Halloween time, and what better way to celebrate this spooky holiday than by watching the 1993 Disney film The Nightmare Before Christmas? Josh revisits this now-iconic stop-motion animated film about what happens when Jack Skellington, King of Halloween Town, decides that he wants to give Christmas a try, too. There's a bit of discussion about Tim Burton, too, so why not try out this show, right in time for the beginning of the holiday season? Everybody, sing! "This is Halloween, this is Halloween..."

Episode 17: Ratatouille

What kind of ingredients does it take to make a great podcast episode? For starters, make sure you have a great topic. This week's episode of Mousterpiece Cinema has just the movie to create a great episode: 2007's Ratatouille from Pixar Animation Studios. Next, put in two dashes of honesty, a pinch of analysis, and a sprinkle of cinematic pretension. (Hey, it's just a sprinkle.) The final ingredient is for you to listen and let the chef know what you think of this new episode! Bon appetit!