(Spoiler Section Length - 14min 50sec)

What starts as a simple story about a group of schoolchildren learning to live together and communicate ends up being a galaxy-spanning adventure where those same kids go to the dark side of the moon, ride a lizard catbus, and stop a megalomaniacal villain from remaking the universe to suit his desires. But while that last thing is important, it's the visit to the moon and riding the catbus and visiting a planet of dog people that is the real heart of the movie. In short: it's about the journey, not the destination. Does that focus still make it worth watching, or does it make it a slog that's not worth sitting through? Listen to find out!

When it comes to star characters for media creators, fame can be a tricky thing. It can often result in the dulling down of a once vibrant character, a sanding of the edges so the character can conform to the role of company mascot. Perhaps no character is more indicative of this than Mickey Mouse, once an adventurous little rascal, now often considered synonymous with a lumbering behemoth of a company rather than a character in his own right. But when did that change happen? Well, it was gradual, but by the late 30s, it was definitely already happening, resulting in the famous Mouse appearing in fewer and fewer cartoons while his costars Donald, Goofy, and even his own dog Pluto took center stage. But before his own cartoon short series became, essentially, a second place to put Pluto cartoons, there was one last hurrah, one last big cartoon to put Mickey in the spotlight. But was it actually good? Let's find out!

(Spoiler Section Length - 4min 24sec)

We've watched several Russian films on this podcast before, but most of them were fantasy in nature, rather than sci-fi. This is an off-beat sort of sci-fi, but nonetheless is full of aliens, spaceships, laser guns and robots! Debuting a few years after Star Wars, this film still seems more rooted in older depictions of spaceships and more groovy sensibilities, despite releasing in the 80s. At just under 50 minutes, is this odd little movie worth the time investment? Listen to find out!