Episode 102: The Great Mouse Detective

Before Robert Downey, Jr. donned the cap and pipe, before Benedict Cumberbatch deduced in the modern world, there was another revival of Sherlock Holmes back in the 1980s. And yes, it was a Disney movie. Sure, the lead characters were...mice, and sure, they weren't...called Sherlock Holmes and John Watson. But no matter! This week on Mousterpiece Cinema, Josh and Gabe take a look at The Great Mouse Detective, one of Disney's last animated features before the vaunted Renaissance period kicked in. They're joined by Doug Tilley of DailyGrindhouse.com to discuss the majesty of Vincent Price, the old-school bumbling nature of Watson (or, as he's known here, Dr. Dawson), Basil of Baker Street, and erotic fan fiction. (No joke! And if you're listening with kids, be warned: we do discuss said fan fiction in a bit of PG-13 detail around 40 minutes in.)

Episode 101: Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume One

Take a walk back in the past with us, friends, on the new episode of Mousterpiece Cinema. This week, Josh and Gabe look back to the humble beginnings of Pixar Animation Studios, specifically its animated short films. Yes, it's time to look at the Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume One DVD set on the podcast. Josh and Gabe are joined this week by Sound on Sight contributor and Sordid Cinema co-host Edgar Chaput to discuss the awfulness of Mater the tow truck, the sadness of a lonely unicycle, and exactly how much they all kind of hate Boundin'. But there's plenty of positivity to go around in spite of those few stumbles, so make sure to check out the new show!

Lucasfilm Bonus Episode: Howard the Duck and Raiders of the Lost Ark

Hey, friends! It's time for another b-b-b-bonus episode of Mousterpiece Cinema, going along with the show having recently hit 300 Likes on Facebook. And per an old challenge laid out by our good friend Michael Ryan, Gabe and Josh are tackling the high and low of the Lucasfilm enterprise, now owned by Disney. First up, it's the 1986 disaster known as Howard the Duck; Gabe's seen it before, but Josh has not. Would you be surprised to learn that neither of the hosts was impressed with the misguided story of an anthropomorphic talking duck in 80s-era Cleveland? They were, of course, thrilled as usual by the other movie on the docket this week: Steven Spielberg's adventure classic Raiders of the Lost Ark. Come for the Lucasfilm discussion, stay for Josh's dramatic reading from the Star Wars Holiday Special!

Episode 100: The Lone Ranger

Yes, you read that title right, friends, it's our 100th episode. The first episode of Mousterpiece Cinema focused on Cars 2, not the most auspicious film to kick off any podcast. So perhaps it's fitting that our first major milestone episode focuses on the fine old mess known as The Lone Ranger. Gabe and Josh are joined by Battleship Pretension and CriterionCast writer Scott Nye to sift through all of Johnny Depp's quirks, Gore Verbinski's excess, and William Fichtner's cannibalistic nature to discuss whether this movie is actually as bad as so many people feared, if it's halfway decent, or if it's actually a hidden gem. Plus, Gabe pulls out his patent-pending Dumb Guy Voice! Celebrate 100 episodes by giving this one a listen.

Episode 99: Meet the Robinsons

If you've had a bad day, or a bad week, or simply made a few too many bad decisions lately, follow this simple advice: keep moving forward. No, seriously, say it to yourself: keep moving forward! You feel a bit better now, don't you? You especially will if you're a fan of Disney's 2007 animated film Meet the Robinsons, as those three little words are the film's mantra. And that film is this week's topic on Mousterpiece Cinema, as Josh and Gabe are joined by Scott Mendelson of Forbes.com to discuss B-movies in Disney's animated canon, time travel, emotion, and, at the very end, Despicable Me 2. (Because why not?) Check it out!

Episode 98: Monsters University

Attention, students! The summer session has just begun at your beloved and monstrous educational institution, and now it's time for class to commence. Apologies for the academic build-up, but this week, Josh and Gabe are going back to school with Mike Wazowski and James P. Sullivan, those lovable monsters from Monsters, Inc. Mike and Sulley, though, are a bit younger this time around, of course. Yes, it's time to talk Monsters University, Pixar's newest computer-animated feature. To do so, Josh and Gabe are joined by past guest Adam Kempenaar, from the Filmspotting podcast, to discuss prequels, Pitch Perfect, and...wait, Pitch Perfect? Yes, really. And you may be surprised by which member of this motley crew is most positive about a Pixar prequel. But you'll have to tune into this scare-ifying episode to find out!

Episode 97: Who Framed Roger Rabbit

Anniversaries aplenty this week, friends. First up, we're at the two-year point of Mousterpiece Cinema's history! (Two years is a mix of silver and gold, right? We'll take all gifts of both kinds.) But more importantly, we're celebrating another anniversary on today's podcast, in which Josh and Gabe discuss the 1988 animated/live-action hybrid Who Framed Roger Rabbit with Walt Disney Imagineering intern and friend of the show Morgan Ditta. Yes, this episode is going up on the 25th anniversary of this classic, and you'd better believe that Josh, Gabe, and Morgan spent the entire show figuring out new ways in which to explain how great this movie is. Does it hold up? Is the Pope Catholic? Will we stop asking questions without answering them? Yes. (See?) Check out the new show today, and raise a glass to one of the all-time classics celebrating its birthday. (Also, make sure to honor Who Framed Roger Rabbit.)