It's meeeeeeeeee! Today we're donning our pointy black hats and talking about Wicked, both the 2024 movie and the original Broadway musical (but mostly the movie, live theater can be expensive!). The original cast recording had a significant influence on young Victoria's theatrical aspirations, and now she acts as our guide analyzing the twisted prequel-sidequel plot and the wizardly propaganda of Oz. Michael is enchanted by the potential of exploring villainous backstories, and Jino makes excuses on behalf of the movie's lighting department. Tune in as we discuss a real actual love triangle, a significant Palpatine detour, and the most important question of all: Why'd they do that to Defying Gravity?
Oh, and happy Halloween!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Jino Jang
Music from WOW Sound
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Penderwick family honor! We’re back with the second installment in our discussion of Jino’s favorite children’s book series. This coming-of-age masterpiece is both timeless and contemporary, with plenty of life lessons and charm to boot. After reading the first book, Victoria entered a fugue state and woke up two weeks later having scoured every local library in the area for the rest of the series. Michael loved Jeanne Birdsall’s poetic prose and authentic characters, even the terrible Mrs. Tifton. Tune in to hear about starting your own rock-based religion, Batty’s no good very bad year, and the most important question of all: Who should Jeffrey have ended up with?
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
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We’re all in this together! Get your head in the game! And a third cool line from the High School Musical movies, which dominated both the Disney Channel and our hearts back in the mid-2000s. Joining us is Shannon, Michael’s sister and karaoke queen whose constant renditions of the soundtrack when they were kids wormed their way into the permanent canon of their lives. Jino’s first time watching High School Musical 3 was a transcendent experience, and Victoria tells us the tale of Zach Efron’s incredible improvised golf course strut. Tune in as we discuss how Gabriella is an elf from the Lord of the Rings, working-class hero of the proletariat Troy Bolton, and The Song That Did Not Age Well.
Season 5 babyyyyyy lets goooo!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
With Shannon Keane
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
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We’re back with the second and final part of our Season 4 Recap, covering our episodes from Mulan to Madagascar. Michael recounts a harrowing tale of facing his daemons, Victoria shares some final thoughts on the various Little Women adaptations, and Jino declares that pizza is soup. Plus, some hints for what Season 5 has in store!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Jino Jang
Music from WOW Sound
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Season 5 is coming soon, so let’s wrap up Season 4! For newer listeners, we always end each season by revisiting previous episodes and commenting on things we may have forgotten to mention or new updates since the episode’s release. In Part 1, we cover our episodes from Ratatouille to The Goose Girl (spoiler warning for any series mentioned in the episode). Tune in to hear all about our favorite childhood comfort foods, how specific the fears in Divergent could potentially get, and the ways that animal societies stack up against each other.
Thank you to everyone who wrote in to correct us on things we said (we are often wrong), we always love reading your emails and comments!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
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It’s time to move it, move it to our final episode of Season 4, because we watched all three Madagascar films in a row and we have a lot to say about it! This Dreamworks franchise started with the 2005 film that introduced us to Alex, Marty, Gloria, and Melman. The series subsequently took us from New York City to the titular island, to Africa, and eventually all across Europe! Jino watched the first movie countless times as a kid until he got sick of it, but returns with a newfound appreciation. Michael was surprised by how much detail was put into constructing the jokes, including very niche references to The Twilight Zone! Victoria just loves those penguins. Tune in to hear our thoughts on Madagascar as a queer allegory, unionizing monkeys, and the funniest animated bit we’ve ever seen.
Thank you for joining us for Season 4. We’ll be taking a little break, but stay tuned for more episodes soon!
MENTIONED:
Check out Only 2 Movies on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, and follow them on Bluesky @only2movies.bsky.social
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Get ready for a Whale of a Wash because we’re swimming with the fish today in the 2004 Dreamworks classic: Shark Tale! Joining us is Nikki Spina, here to tell us all the easter eggs we missed and provide some important animation industry context to this movie. Michael and Jino thought they’d never watch this movie all the way through, but here they are. Victoria enjoyed rewatching this film with fresh eyes and was surprised by some of the deeper themes and metaphors it dives into. Tune in to hear our thoughts on breaking out of the cycle of poverty, the implications of a sushi restaurant in this world, and Angelina Jolie Fish.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
With Nikki Spina
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Cowabunga dudes! This week we’re diving into the sewer to meet the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles of crime-fighting fame! After watching the live-action 1990 film and animated 2007 film, we’re running at full Turtle Power! Jino grew up reading the original comic books, and offers unique insights on the tone, lore, and development of the brand to a very Turtle-poor Michael. Meanwhile, Victoria relives the fraternal drama and sheer aura-farming all over the 2007 animated feature. So grab some pizza and join us as we discuss the pitfalls of freelancing, making "sharpness" your key villain trait, and the Turtles' rat dad...or is he their dad who just looks like a rat??
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Don’t you miss being a kid in the summer? The Penderwick siblings sure know how to take advantage of the season, running around with a soccer ball and breaking expensive garden vases. The first book in this series by Jeanne Birdsall perfectly captures the simple joys, but also high-stakes drama, of summer vacation. Jino loved The Penderwicks as a kid, but didn’t even know there were four other books until after college! Victoria was excited to see all the Little Women parallels, which was a primary inspiration for these books (check out last week’s episode!). And Michael appreciated the way that each sister had their own rich inner worlds and philosophies on life mirrored in the prose. Tune in to hear our thoughts on generational conflicts, soccer player alter egos, and the most boy to ever boy.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Brush up on your 1860s slang, because today we’re revisiting an American classic! Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is a novel that’s inspired generations of writers and sparked numerous adaptations. Victoria has read the book from cover to cover at least five times now, with a deep love for the March Sisters and a 2017 PBS Masterpiece adaptation. Michael and Jino enjoyed the 2019 film directed by Greta Gerwig, but this is their first time reading the source material! Michael enjoyed Alcott’s character work and shares what real-life inspirations were behind some of the book’s events. Meanwhile, Jino questions whether the book’s ending felt true to Jo’s character. Tune in to hear our thoughts on pickled limes, Laurie’s Byronic alter-ego, and book morality!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Look up, and you may see a city in the Northern Lights! We’re so excited to be joined once again by Isabella Miller for this deep dive into The Golden Compass, the first book in Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials series. This was a childhood favorite for Victoria and Isabella, and a brand new journey for Jino and Michael to embark on. In this first book, we searched for answers to the series’ greatest question: what is Dust and is it bad? Did we learn the answer? You’ll have to listen to find out! Tune in to also hear our thoughts on armored bear society, Mrs. Coulter’s unique relationship with her daemon, and how the real treasure was the friends we made along the way (except for that one we lost - yikes!).
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Hold onto your hats and get ready to move with Howl’s Moving Castle! We’re revisiting a collective favorite today in this 2004 animated Studio Ghibli film. No matter how many times we’ve watched it, there’s still a new way to interpret the film’s message. Victoria felt seen in the character of Old Lady Sophie, with some additional insights from the original book by Diana Wynne Jones. Michael loved the eccentric magic memorabilia and aesthetics of the film, but felt that redheads were dealt an unfair card during Howl’s infamous breakdown. Meanwhile, Jino thought he would understand the plot more as an adult, but still found it a bit nebulous on this rewatch. Tune in to hear our thoughts on the film’s take on inner beauty and confidence, Howl’s best hair color, and the benefits of turning into a bird.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Let’s get down to business! Today, we’re talking about the 1998 Disney animated film, Mulan, whose songs could always quickly get kids hyped up. This is a particularly personal episode, as both Jino and Michael were involved in theatrical performances based on Mulan - who would’ve thought! Victoria unfortunately had no such stage experiences, but she similarly grew up loving the movie, as well as learning about the original Ballad of Mulan. Tune in to hear our thoughts on delicious food eaten (or not eaten?) in the film, Mushu piggy banks, and setting a new bar for how to be a man.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
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Honk! Did you understand that? If not, maybe you just have to spend more time listening to geese. Today we are journeying to the kingdom of Bayern with Princess Ani in Shannon Hale’s “The Goose Girl”, a truly wonderful and comforting read. As a big fan of fairy tale retellings, Victoria read all the Books of Bayern as a kid. Upon re-reading The Goose Girl, she was reminded once again of how the author’s beautiful prose made her stop to appreciate the weight of the words. Jino was impressed by the well defined magic system of the series, and Michael loved how Ani’s character arc was tied to her discovery of new magic languages. Tune in to hear our thoughts on a talking horse subverting animal sidekick tropes, an ex-lady-in-waiting becoming a class traitor, and a prince adopting a goose through marriage.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
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This episode is about to be yoicks because we’re talking about The Guardians of Ga’hoole! If you read this series as a kid, then you must know a lot about owls, including all the unique vocabulary of this owl society created by the talented Kathryn Lasky (make sure you don’t go yeep!). For this episode, we read the first two books - The Capture and The Journey, where we follow Soren and his friends as they search for the Guardians of legend. Michael read many of these books and had no idea how much lore he had stored in his brain until revisiting the world. Jino was particularly fascinated by the concept of owls baking and metalworking, but having no furniture. Victoria was mostly startled by how many similarities The Capture had to Severance. Tune in to hear our thoughts on brainwashing through moonblinking, going to owl school, and our next hit show: Downton Snakey!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
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Oya? Oya oya? We’re returning to the intense world of high school volleyball in today’s episode where we’re covering Season 2 of Haikyuu!! (Be sure to check out Episode 43 where we began the saga if you haven’t already.) This is Victoria’s all-time favorite season, with high stakes volleyball games and a lot of great character development too. Jino was happy to finally have context for all the memes his friends have referenced in the past, like the iconic meat dance! Michael enjoyed the multiple perspectives on what it means to join a club and find your passion. Tune in to hear our thoughts on Yachi as the best character, Haikyuu!! stage plays, and which players have captain potential after Daichi’s…death?
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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When there’s trouble you know who to call - it’s the Teen Titans! In this episode, we dive deep into this iconic animated series. The first episode Michael ever saw was Date With Destiny, which quickly got him invested in the Robin & Starfire dynamic. Jino tried to watch the series in college and couldn’t get into it, but the characters still became familiar to him through fanart and other DC shows. Victoria caught a few episodes of the show here and there, but her main knowledge stemmed from online 2D fighting games (who remembers Battle Blitz?) and…writing Red X fanfiction…? Tune in to hear our thoughts on modern-day Teen Titans reimaginings, insane villain/superhero power sets, and why Beast Boy should transform into whales more often.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Have you ever wondered if you might be related to a famous person? How about every famous person in history? Well, if you’re part of the Cahill family, you don’t have to wonder - you definitely are! That’s right, today we’re talking about The 39 Clues. These adventure novels not only taught kids about history and (somewhat questionable) science, but they also marketed themselves as an immersive experience through collectible cards and an online game. Victoria and her younger brother particularly enjoyed that aspect of the series, and easily related to the characters of Amy and Dan. Michael recognized the book covers but had no idea until now what they were about. Jino questions the ramifications of connecting historical figures like Mozart and Benjamin Franklin to all-powerful family branches. Tune in to hear our thoughts on sibling bickering, going into credit card debt, and why you shouldn’t drink the really bad juice.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Are you kind, honest, selfless, intelligent, or brave? Then you might belong in the world of Divergent… as long as you don’t value more than one of those traits at a time! Or something like that? Today, we’re giving our honest critiques and analysis of Veronica Roth’s debut novel. Victoria enjoyed this series as a teen, but now as an adult she’s not so sure the worldbuilding and romance lands for her. Jino wonders what the true intent behind the Dauntless simulations was. Michael just wants to sit and live a peaceful Abnegation life… or is that considered selfish? Tune in to hear our thoughts on which Faction we’d be a part of, defeating your fears with a gun, and the return of the Chicago Bean!
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Let that rat cook! We’re firing up Season 4 by combining two of our favorite Nostalgia Club topics: rodents with society + food!! You’ll probably want to grab some strawberries with cheese, or even cook up a whole pot of soup, because our discussion of Ratatouille is sure to make you hungry. Michael sings a beautiful rendition of “Le Festin”, Jino applauds the clever worldbuilding disguised as food banter, and Victoria shares a disappointing experience with French cuisine. Tune in to hear our best Anton Ego impressions, what we learned about loving your art/craft again, and more reflections on how the rats should have definitely been cooked in that sanitizer.
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Hosted by Michael Keane, Jino Jang, Victoria Cheng
Produced by MouseKnight Studios
Edited by Victoria Cheng
Music from WOW Sound
Follow Nostalgia Club: https://linktr.ee/nostalgiaclubpodcast
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Support us on Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/mouseknightstudios
