Animation – The Nerds of Color

Lauren, Swara, and special guest Maryam review and discuss the episodes 4-6 of Avatar: Seven Havens, breaking them down in full spoilers.

A close-up of a frightened Billie staring at sparks of magic flickering from her fingertips in her bedroom.

October 13, 2026 Michael Lee

‘Hexed’ Filmmakers on Visual Storytelling, Cutting Great Jokes, and Blink-182 Puns

We talk to the directors, writers, and producers behind Disney’s Hexed about shaping Billie and Alice’s mother-daughter story, the visual language of Hexe, and the Blink-182-inspired scene names they almost didn’t admit to.

Animation Movies Trailers

October 12, 2026 Michael Lee

‘Hexed’ Early Preview: Inside Disney Animation’s New World of Witches and Family Secrets

The Nerds of Color joined a group of journalists at Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California, for an early look at Hexed, where directors Fawn Veerasunthorn and Jason Hand, co-director Josie Trinidad, producers Roy Conli and Yvett Merino, and writers Jared Bush and Dana Ledoux Miller pulled back the curtain to reveal a few of the tricks behind the magic of the film’s story, characters, and creative process.

Animation Reviews

October 11, 2026 Swara Ahmed

NOCs of the Roundtable Review the First Three Episodes of ‘Avatar: Seven Havens’

Lauren, Swara, and special guest Neebz of the Salaam Nerds Podcast give a full on SPOILER review for the first three episodes of Avatar: Seven Havens, diving into everything great about the series so far, the mysteries it’s setting up, its broadening of Asian cultural incorporation, and much more.

Animation Movies Reviews

October 10, 2026 Mike Manalo

NOC Review: ‘Ray Gunn’ is a Brad Bird Blast

Ray Gunn is Brad Bird’s first film since 2018’s Incredibles 2. So does it soar to the same heights as his classics? Let’s just say in a movie that features flying cars and jet packs, you better believe it!

Composer Nathan Matthew David poses with a group of local Filipino musicians and community elders in traditional dress inside a bamboo hut during his research trip to the Philippines

Animation Interview Movies Music

September 29, 2026 Mike Manalo

Feeling the Music of ‘Forgotten Island’ with Composer Nathan Matthew David

We sat down with composer Nathan Matthew David to talk about scoring Forgotten Island — and how he drew on his own Filipino heritage, and a research trip back to the Philippines, to blend traditional folk music with modern synth pop for the film’s soundtrack.

Key art for Forgotten Island: three animated characters -- one wearing a boombox headpiece, one making a peace sign, and a dog-like creature reaching toward the camera -- stand under a glowing sun against palm trees and ocean

Roundtable Animation Movies Reviews

September 28, 2026 Swara Ahmed

NOCs of the Roundtable Spoiler Review ‘Forgotten Island’

Lauren, Mike, Michael, and Swara review the latest film out now from DreamWorks, Forgotten Island, directed and written by Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford and starring H.E.R. and Liza Soberano

Animation Interview Movies

September 25, 2026 Mike Manalo

A Historic Night at the ‘Forgotten Island’ World Premiere

We were there as Forgotten Island made history as the first film to world premiere at the Lucas Museum of Narrative Art — and as the first Hollywood animated film centered on Filipino culture. We bring you our red carpet conversations with the cast and crew, including Jo Koy, H.E.R., Harvey Guillén, and directors Januel Mercado and Joel Crawford.

Animation Interview

September 24, 2026 Michael Lee

Brad Bird and Michael Giacchino on the Long Road to ‘Ray Gunn’

Brad Bird and longtime collaborator Michael Giacchino open up about their decades-long creative partnership, the hand-drawn animation Bird still champions, and what it finally took to get Ray Gunn made.

Raymond Gunn (Sam Rockwell) and Eyera share a drink in Ray's private investigator office in Ray Gunn.

Animation Movies

September 23, 2026 Michael Lee

Inside the Making of ‘Ray Gunn’ and Brad Bird’s Vision of a Noir Future

Nearly 30 years in the making, Brad Bird’s Ray Gunn blends Buck Rogers pulp with Maltese Falcon-style noir, and we got an inside look at the character design, world-building, and cinematography behind it.

Animation Movies Stop Motion

September 21, 2026 Mike Manalo

The Filmmakers of LAIKA on Handcrafting ‘Wildwood’

We sat down with Wildwood’s costume designer, character FX lead, rapid prototyping director, production designer, and head of animation to talk puppets, invention, and the challenges of bringing LAIKA’s next film to life.

Animation Interview Movies Stop Motion

September 18, 2026 Mike Manalo

Chris Butler, Peyton Elizabeth Lee, and Jacob Tremblay on How ‘Wildwood’ Found Its Voice

We caught up with Wildwood writer Chris Butler, along with stars Peyton Elizabeth Lee and Jacob Tremblay, to find out how LAIKA’s next film found its voice.

Mike Manalo poses in a navy coat and orange scarf on a misty forest path, part of a keepsake photo taken on LAIKA’s Wildwood-inspired set.

Animation Movies Stop Motion

September 17, 2026 Mike Manalo

Witnessing the Wonders of ‘Wildwood’ at LAIKA Studios

We went behind the scenes at LAIKA’s Hillsboro, Oregon studio for an up-close look at how the artists, animators, and craftspeople behind Wildwood are bringing Portland’s own enchanted forest to stop-motion life.

Forgotten Island directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado laugh together in director's chairs in front of concept art from the film.

Animation Interview Movies

September 9, 2026 Mike Manalo

The Directors of ‘Forgotten Island’ Take Us Back to Nakali

We sat down once more with Forgotten Island directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado to dig into the friendship, inspirations, and Filipino roots behind their new DreamWorks film ahead of its September 25 release.

Dave Franco, H.E.R., and Liza Soberano sit for a junket interview in front of Forgotten Island concept art.

Animation Interview Movies

September 7, 2026 Mike Manalo

Returning to ‘Forgotten Island’ with Liza Soberano, H.E.R., and Dave Franco

We sat down once more with Forgotten Island stars Liza Soberano and H.E.R., plus Dave Franco, now that we’ve finally seen the finished film, to dig deeper into the secrets of DreamWorks Animation’s newest release.

Two animated characters face each other closely in a lush, sunlit tropical cove -- one wearing a shell headdress and gem ornament, the other covered in vines and wearing glasses, in a scene from Forgotten Island.

Reviews Animation Movies

September 4, 2026 Michael Lee

‘Forgotten Island’ is an Unapologetically Filipino Adventure with Plenty of Heart

Directed by Joel Crawford and Januel P. Mercado, Forgotten Island may draw inspiration from The Hangover, Everything Everywhere All at Once, and even Turning Red, but it never feels content to simply imitate them.

Liza Soberano, Manny Jacinto, Januel Mercado, and Joel Crawford laugh together on stage at a Forgotten Island screening, with the film's colorful poster projected behind them.

Animation Interview Movies

August 31, 2026 Mike Manalo

‘Forgotten Island’ Hosts an Unforgettable Celebration of Filipino Pride

DreamWorks Animation’s first film rooted in Filipino culture and mythology, Forgotten Island, is a triumph. We caught up with directors Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado, and stars Liza Soberano and Manny Jacinto, at a special screening ahead of its September 25 release.

A side-by-side image of Forgotten Island and KPop Demon Hunters, showing two friends riding on a jeep and the three lead singers of the Huntrix group.

Animation Movies Opinion

August 25, 2026 Lauren Lola

‘Forgotten Island’ Deserves the ‘KPop Demon Hunters’ Treatment

As Forgotten Island nears its theatrical release, we make the case for why DreamWorks’ Filipino-led animated film deserves the same excitement and cultural moment that KPop Demon Hunters got.

Bane looms over a caped Batman, seen from behind, in Batman: Knightfall – Part 1.

DC Comics Animation Reviews

August 24, 2026 Swara Ahmed

‘Batman: Knightfall – Part 1’ is a Superb Adaptation of the Iconic Comic

In the first film of the Batman: Knightfall animated trilogy, director Jeff Wamester and screenwriter Jeremy Adams, with Warner Bros. Animation, have crafted one of the greatest Batman films of all time.

An armored rider on horseback, sword raised, looks out over a vast smoke-filled battlefield in a still from Laika’s Wildwood.

Animation Movies Stop Motion

August 20, 2026 Mike Manalo

Why Laika’s ‘Wildwood’ Needs to Be On Your Most Anticipated Films List

Laika’s Wildwood is a bold, big-swing stop-motion epic — and a defiant statement about handcrafted artistry in an industry increasingly tempted by AI shortcuts.

An animated Wile E. Coyote sits between Kevin Avery (Will Forte) and Paige Avery (Lana Condor) in a car at night, both looking startled, in Coyote vs. Acme.

Animation Movies Reviews

August 19, 2026 Michael Lee

‘Coyote vs. Acme’ Finds the Heart Beneath the Anvils and Explosions

Coyote vs. Acme is a film whose own against-the-odds journey to theaters mirrors its underdog hero’s refusal to quit.

Marvel Animation Reviews

August 14, 2026 Swara Ahmed

NOCs of the Roundtable Review ‘X-Men ’97’ Season 2

Swara, Mike, and Michael review the second season of X-Men ’97, discussing what worked and what didn’t work, how behind the scenes issues affected the quality of the season, why it’s still teh best of Marvel TV and especially on Disney+, and where they hope the show goes in Season 3.

Composers The Newton Brothers, John Andrew Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart, composited over animated X-Men '97 characters including Professor X, Magneto, and Storm.

Marvel Animation Music

August 13, 2026 Nikita Francois

‘X-Men ’97’ Composers The Newton Brothers on Emotional Scoring

Composers The Newton Brothers — John Andrew Grush and Taylor Newton Stewart — open up about scoring X-Men ’97 Season 2, from character-driven musical motifs to knowing when silence hits harder than a score.