Daniel is joined by entertainment writer Louis Peitzman to talk about one of the great forgotten gems of Disney animation, ‘The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad’, the film’s complicated origins, and its unusual impact of American popular culture.

Daniel looks at Walt Disney’s testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee in October 1947, his complicated relationship with politics, and the contentious rumours about him that persist to this day.

Daniel is joined by Disney historian JB Kaufman to look at the first three package films, discuss how they came to be, and why these mostly forgotten films are an important chapter in the history of Disney animation.

We look at the work from Walt Disney Productions during the Second World War, and Ink & Paint producer/editor Alex Amster joins Daniel to chat about the propaganda films.

We begin our journey through the Wartime Era with the two South American-themed Good Neighbor films. Daniel is hooked by comedy writer and performer Djovan Caro to discuss their handling of cultural representation, their technical achievements and their legacy today.

The Golden Age of Disney Animation comes to an end! Daniel is joined by Melbourne-based psychologist Chris Cheers to discuss the 1942 masterpiece ‘Bambi’, how it depicts early childhood development, the iconic death of Bambi’s mother, and why the film elicits such a strong emotional response from its audience.

Daniel tells the history of the union strike at Walt Disney Productions in May 1941, one of the most important events in the history of the company, and the unusual feature film released in the middle of it, the pseudo-documentary ‘The Reluctant Dragon’.

Daniel is joined by esteemed American art historian Dr Carmenita Higginbotham to discuss one of the most beloved of the Disney classics, ‘Dumbo’. They talk about its representation of race, gender and class, how ‘Dumbo’s’ coming-of-age narrative relates to the wider Disney canon, and how to make sense of the controversial final act.

Introducing Ink & Paint In-Betweeners, a series of bonus episodes expanding on the story of the Disney animated classics. In our very first In-Betweener, Daniel chats with Sydney-based artist and animator Todd Fuller about the intricacies of the animation process.

In the second half of our two-part look at ‘Fantasia’, Daniel is once again joined by composer and conductor Ashlee Clapp to talk about the second act of the concert feature, including ‘Dance of the Hours’ and ‘Night on Bald Mountain’, its troubled release and eventual redemption.

Daniel is joined by composer and conductor Ashlee Clapp in the first part of their conversation on the monolithic animated classic ‘Fantasia’, looking at its development and the first act of the film, including ‘The Nutcracker Suite’ and ‘The Sorcerer’s Apprentice’.

Daniel is joined by acclaimed theatre director Sam Strong to look at ‘Pinocchio’, the second Disney animated feature, and one of the greatest films ever made. They chat about the remarkable storytelling, the importance of coming-of-age stories and whether its moral certainty still works today.

The journey through Disney’s animated features begins! Daniel and co-artistic director of The Rabble, Emma Valente, chat about the landmark classic ‘Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs’, the film’s complicated gender politics and its important artistic legacy.

Daniel and Melbourne-based director and producer Nicholas Colla continue with their look at the early Disney shorts with an Oscar-winning trio of Silly Symphonies, ‘Flowers and Trees’, ‘Three Little Pigs’ and ‘The Old Mill’, and how they would influence the feature films that followed them.

In our very first episode, Daniel is joined by Melbourne-based director and producer Nicholas Colla for a two-part look at some of the early Disney shorts. This first episode covers the debut of Mickey Mouse in ‘Steamboat Willie’ and the first Silly Symphony short, ‘The Skeleton Dance’, as well as the early days of Walt Disney Animation and Mickey’s creator, animator Ub Iwerks.