Happy Father's Day! To celebrate, this special episode of Toon My Heart features two special guests (and dads): Matt Williams, aka Rockin Mr Magic of Jeek Nation, home of the best conversations combining sports and geek; and pastor and comedian Bobby Benavides, host of the "Taking Up Your Time" comedy special and podcast. Matt and Bobby join host Tracy Herold to talk about some of our favorite animated dads: Goofy from Disney's A Goofy Movie, Chief Benja from Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon, and Marlin from Finding Nemo. We discuss the challenges of fatherhood that we see reflected in each of these characters' journeys, from Goofy's struggle to connect with his teenage son, to Chief Benja's preparing his daughter for trials while also encouraging her to strive to be a peacemaker, to Marlin's learning to overcome his anxiety and let his son go and grow. Bringing in both personal experience and Biblical wisdom, Matt and Bobby use these characters as a springboard to share their thoughts and advice for fellow dads.

• Find Matt Williams and Jeek Nation at https://linktr.ee/JeekNation

• Find Bobby Benavides and "Taking Up Your Time" at https://bobbybcomedy.com

Thank you to the following people on X for sharing some of their favorite animated dads for inclusion in this episode: @myne_ehrenwood, @CookiesThin, @DeniseKT052951, @TorYHarbin, @King__Julian7, @animetangles

Make a donation of any amount to support Toon My Heart podcast at https://buymeacoffee.com/toonmyheart

Interested in sponsoring an episode, or have any questions or comments to share? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com!

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

Happy Mother's Day! To celebrate, this special episode of Toon My Heart features two special guests (and moms): Author Shayla Huber, whose latest book is titled "10 Things I Hate About Motherhood: Exchanging the World's Perfection for God's Peace and Presence;" and voiceover actor Katie Leigh, who has played a multitude of characters, including Baby Rowlf on Muppet Babies, Sunni Gummi on Adventures of the Gummi Bears, Dumbo on Dumbo's Circus, and Connie Kendall in Focus on the Family's audio drama series, Adventures in Odyssey. Shayla and Katie join host Tracy Herold to talk about some of our favorite animated moms: Mrs. Brisby from Don Bluth's The Secret of NIMH, Chicha from Disney's The Emperor's New Groove, and Roz from Dreamworks' The Wild Robot. We discuss how each of these mother characters reflect the joys and the challenges of motherhood, the qualities we admire in them, and the lessons we can take from them-- and all ultimately in light of what the Bible tells us about motherhood, love, sacrifice, and the grace and guidance God provides for his mother sheep.

• Find Shayla Huber at shaylamariehuber.com
• Follow Shayla on TikTok @shaylahuber30, Instagram @shaylamariehuber, and Facebook @shaylamariehuber
• Find Shayla's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Shayla-Huber/author/B0D2P3BR61

• Find Katie Leigh at katieleigh.com
• Follow Katie on Instagram @katieleighvo, Facebook @katieleighvo
• Watch the Tell Ya Later podcast on YouTube, or listen wherever you get your podcasts
• Find Katie's books on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/Katie-Leigh/author/B01CYX2E36

Also mentioned in this episode: AdventuresInOdyssey.com

Thank you to the following people on X for sharing some of their favorite animated moms for inclusion in this episode: @alec_behan, @thetangles, @rozemyne_rmr, @Cookiesthin, @Kitsulie, @p1eak1ey, @TDWilli140173, @diamond_jemgirl, @MilesRi80520690

Make a donation of any amount to support Toon My Heart podcast at https://buymeacoffee.com/toonmyheart

Interested in sponsoring an episode, or have any questions or comments to share? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com!

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com

2025 was quite a year for Bible-based animated films, with Angel Studios' and Sunrise Animation Studios' "David" closing out the year, following in the footsteps of Angel's Easter epic "The King of Kings" and the traditionally animated "Light of the World"-- and overtaking both of them to become the highest-grossing faith-based animated film of all time. But is it worthy of such a distinction? In this "First Impressions" episode of Toon My Heart podcast, host Tracy Herold takes a quick look at both the strengths and shortcomings of this family film depicting David's rise to the throne, including iconic scenes like his battle with Goliath, beautiful musical numbers, and moments of genuine emotion.

Referenced in this episode: David creator Phil Cunningham on 30-year journey to 'the best animated film of 2025': https://joynews.co.za/david-creator-phil-cunningham-on-30-year-journey-to-the-best-animated-film-of-2025/

Make a donation of any amount to support Toon My Heart podcast at https://buymeacoffee.com/toonmyheart

Interested in sponsoring an episode, or have any questions or comments to share? Email toonmyheartpodcast@gmail.com!

Music by REDproductions, sourced from Pixabay.com