In this first Toon My Heart episode for 2025, Tracy is taking a look at Disney's 2000 animated short film, "John Henry," about the black folk hero and his famous competition against a steam drill. And she's joined by the Burden brothers, hosts of "A Burden for the Times," a podcast all about clarifying conversations on culture and race. They discuss whether representation matters in media and how it can be done right, the real history behind the legend of John Henry and whether that affects how we view the film, how this tale of self-sacrifice and leading others to a promised land reminds us of the Gospel, and more. Find out director Mark Henn's faith shines through in this small but mighty animated film.

Mentioned in this episode:

• A Burden for the Times: https://www.aburdenforthetimes.com
• "A Black Hero Comes Up Short" by Jim Hill (Orlando Weekly): https://www.orlandoweekly.com/arts/a-black-hero-comes-up-short-2262183
• "American Legends (featuring John Henry)" by Ben Simon: https://animatedviews.com/2007/american-legends-featuring-john-henry
• The Tiara Talk Show: Interview with Director Mark Henn for 15th Anniversary of "John Henry": https://tammytuckey.com/the-tammy-tuckey-show/interview-with-director-mark-henn-for-15th-anniversary-of-john-henry
• "Mark Henn: Disney Animator on Frozen, Christian Faith and Fairy Tales" by Hannah Goodwyn (CBN): https://cbn.com/article/christian-life/mark-henn-disney-animator-frozen-christian-faith-and-fairy-tales
• John Henry by Roark Bradford, illustrated by J.J. Lankes: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Henry_(novel)
• Steel Drivin' Man: John Henry, the Untold Story of an American Legend by Scott Reynolds Nelson: https://www.amazon.com/Steel-Drivin-Man-Untold-American/dp/0195341198
• "The Ballad of 'John Henry' Elicits Varied Feelings For Some Black Appalachian Residents" by Nicole Musgrave: https://wvpublic.org/the-ballad-of-john-henry-elicits-varied-feelings-for-some-black-appalachian-residents
• The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast: Mark Henn: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/mark-henn/id911802874?i=1000641496547
• The Bancroft Brothers Animation Podcast: Why We Left Disney: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-we-left-disney/id911802874?i=1000504727924
• "The Legend of John Henry" (1974): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yLRBzT7VbXc
• "John Henry and the Inky-Poo" (1946): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3VoTLLb08R4 (beginning at 43:40)
• Light of the World movie: https://lightoftheworld.com

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com

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In each "Showtune My Heart" episode, Toon My Heart host Tracy Herold and a special guest discuss one of their favorite songs from an animated movie from a Biblical perspective. In this episode, our special guest is Donnie Lakes, the host of another Christian podcast called The Ride of Your Life and founder of Ride of Your Life Ministries, which seeks to share the gospel with coaster and theme park enthusiasts. For our conversation, Donnie has chosen the most iconic song from Pixar's groundbreaking first feature-length computer animated film Toy Story: You've Got a Friend in Me, written and sung by Randy Newman. In the movie, of course, this song is about the friendship between Woody and Andy. But how can its lyrics also remind us of our greatest friend of all, Jesus, the friend who sticks closer than a brother, and what can it teach us about what it means to be good friends to each other and love one another as God commands?

Mentioned in this episode:

• Ride of Your Life Ministries: https://www.rideofyourlifeministries.com
• @rideofyourlifeministries on Instagram, Threads & Facebook; @roylministries on X
• The Ride of Your Life podcast S4E17, "Toons with Truth": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mo_b5FULAnk&list=PL1qoFCW31dQ61FJZPTVMQovey_lWdlUQp&index=3
• "Toy Story: How Randy Newman Provided the Perfect Soundtrack": https://www.udiscovermusic.com/stories/toy-story-soundtrack-feature/
• "Randy Newman, The Musical Voice of Toy Story": https://www.npr.org/2019/06/21/734515413/randy-newman-the-musical-voice-of-toy-story
• "Quentin Tarantino refuses to watch Toy Story 4 because Toy Story 3 ended perfectly: 'I'm done!'": https://ew.com/quentin-tarantino-refuses-watch-toy-story-4-8702960

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Or do you have a song you'd like to discuss on "Showtune My Heart"? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com

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"Small but mighty" is the theme of the day as Toon My Heart takes a break from feature-length films to examine the Disney short film "The Legend of Johnny Appleseed," part of 1948's Melody Time. Featuring the song "The Lord is Good to Me" sung by Dennis Day (who also narrates and does all of the character voices), and a character who carries a Bible, interacts with his guardian angel, and goes to Heaven, this short is one of the most open and positive portrayals of Christianity you'll find in any Disney film. But that doesn't mean that Christians should watch it uncritically. Host Tracy Herold discusses the responsibility we have when watching media depicting actual historical figures, such as John Chapman (also known as Johnny Appleseed), before launching into the lessons we can learn from this fictional Disney-fied version of Johnny Appleseed-- lessons about faith, determination, kindness, and how God delights in using the weak and foolish things of the world to do His work. Also featured in this episode is an interview with special guest Alison Bond of Kindness Through Letters Mission Project.

Mentioned in this episode:

Kindness Through Letters Mission Project (KTLM Project) on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kindnessthroughletters?mibextid=LQQJ4d

Allison Bond's Paypal to donate to KTLM: https://www.paypal.me/alliebmusic23

KTLM Project Amazon wishlist: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/29PHSLW7U958Z?ref_=wl_share

Heaven by Randy Alcorn: https://www.amazon.com/Heaven-Randy-Alcorn/dp/0842379428

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

Questions, comments, or suggestions? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com

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The latest episode of Toon My Heart: First Impressions is a family affair, with not just host Tracy and daughter Darcy weighing in, as usual, but also a very special guest-- their husband and father, respectively, Dave! Listen to find out what all three of us thought of the latest animated film from Dreamworks, The Wild Robot, how we felt about the changes made from the original book by Peter Brown, whether we cried or managed to hold it together, what Bible verses it reminded us of, and why we wholeheartedly recommend this movie not just for kids, but for filmgoers of every age and stage of life.

Mentioned in this episode:

• "'The Wild Robot' Director Says Film's Painted Style Offers an 'Emotional and Immersive' Experience" by Peter DeBruge, Variety
• "'The Wild Robot' Turned Its Animators Into Painters" by Bill Desowitz, IndieWire

Music from Pixabay, by REDProductions

Welcome to the first episode of a new ongoing bonus series called "Showtune My Heart," in which Toon My Heart host Tracy Herold and a guest will discuss a song from an animated film from a Christian faith perspective. In this episode, Tracy is joined by Kevin T. Rodriguez, also known as iCritic, to discuss the song "God Help the Outcasts," written by composer Alan Menken and lyricist Stephen Schwartz for Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame. We talk about the story behind the song and how it almost didn't end up in the film, admire the accompanying animation, discover Bible passages that the lyrics reminds us of, discuss how Esmeralda's feelings and character are revealed in the course of the song, contrast it with the other "prayer" song from the movie (the villain Frollo's "Hellfire",) ponder whether it's true that "we all [are] the children of God," and more!

Mentioned in this episode:

• https://www.icritic.net
• https://www.youtube.com/@KevinTRod
• Heidi Mollenhauer's IMDB: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0597012/
• Romani Rants: The Hunchback of Notre Dame (Disney) critiques and concerns: https://www.tumblr.com/romani-in-art/121214077396/romani-rants-the-hunchback-of-notre-dame-disney
• "Is everyone a child of God?" from Bible.org: https://bible.org/question/everyone-child-god

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

If you have an idea for a song you'd like to discuss in a "Showtune My Heart" episode, please email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com

Disney Pixar's Inside Out 2 is smashing box office records left and right, but is the sequel worth all the hype and a fitting follow up to the studio's beloved original "emotional rollercoaster" of a movie? Host Tracy and daughter Darcy weigh in with their thoughts (and feelings, of course) about 2024's first $1 billion box office film, and the return of Joy, Sadness, Fear, Anger, and Disgust, along with their new friends (or are they enemies?) Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui, in this "First Impressions" episode of Toon My Heart.

Music by REDproductions, sourced from pixabay.com

Pixar is an animation studio known for producing films that tug on the heartstrings, but perhaps its most emotional movie-- quite literally-- is Inside Out. Now, with the release of Inside Out 2 just around the corner, Toon My Heart host Tracy Herold is taking a closer look at the original, and the lessons it has to teach us about emotional and mental health, with the help of special guest Jay Nepomuceno of The Climb ministry. In this episode, we discuss the Christian faith of director Pete Docter and how it impacts his work, the stigma surrounding depression and anxiety and how pastors and churches can help break it down, the ways in which Jesus Christ experienced and expressed joy, sadness, anger, fear, and disgust during his earthly life according to the Bible, the role these emotions have to play in our own lives, and much, much more!

Mentioned in this episode:

• The Climb Ministries: https://theclimbministries.com
• The Climb Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/theclimbministries
• Interview with Pete Docter (Radix, archived):
• How Inside Out Director Pete Docter Went Inside the 11-Year-Old Mind by Lisa Miller (New York Magazine)
• It's All In Your Head: Director Pete Docter Gets Emotional in 'Inside Out' (Fresh Air, NPR)
• The Science of 'Inside Out' by Dacher Keltner and Paul Eckman (New York Times)
• Universal Emotions by PaulEkmanGroup
• 'Inside Out' is a kids' movie without villains, princesses, or cool cars - and that's a good thing by Kristen Page-Kirby (Washington Post)
• Those 365 "Fear Not" Verses in the Bible by Rebecca Davis
• Is crying good for you by Leo Newhouse, LICSW (Harvard Health Blog)
• Charles Spurgeon on Psalm 6

Music by REDProductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

Landing in theaters late in 2023, and now available on Peacock and other streaming networks, Migration flew under a lot of people's radar. But while the latest animated film from Illumination, the studio behind Despicable Me, Minions, The Secret Life of Pets, Sing, and The Super Mario Bros. Movie didn't soar to the same levels of box-office success as those predecessors, both host Tracy and daughter Darcy (age 8) enjoyed it-- although for very different reasons. Listen to this short episode to find out why this quirky but lovable family of ducks made a good first impression on us.