Moana and What’s Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: Moana and What’s Making Us Happy

Podcast: Pop Culture Happy Hour (NPR)
Date: July 10, 2026
Host: Stephen Thompson
Guests: Ronald Young Jr., Nikki Burch
Episode Focus: Discussion of Disney’s live-action “Moana” remake and weekly happiness recommendations

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Episode Overview

This episode finds Pop Culture Happy Hour tackling the new live-action remake of Disney’s modern classic Moana. Hosts and guests weigh in on the merits and quirks of this closely adapted retelling, especially when the animated film is still so fresh in the public consciousness. The conversation explores the phenomenon of Disney live-action remakes, Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson’s return as Maui, the music by Lin-Manuel Miranda, and questions of nostalgia versus novelty. Afterward, the panel shares what is making them happy this week, ranging from anime finales to soccer fever.

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The Live-Action “Moana”: Discussion & Analysis

Scene-For-Scene Familiarity

• [01:49] Nikki Burch: “Moana is one of my favorite Disney movies over the last, I don’t know, 15 years... scene for scene, it’s almost exactly the same.”
  • Nikki connects deeply with the emotional core, mentioning that the loss of her grandmother made some parts resonate even more this time.
• [02:23] Ronald Young Jr.: Notes the live-action version “didn’t do anything glaringly wrong with one exception”—the presentation of Dwayne Johnson’s hair and wig as Maui, humorously comparing it to "a very Tyler Perry-esque wig situation."
• Both Ronald and Nikki agree the first 30 minutes are enchanting, but Ronald feels the magic drops off as the story continues.
  • [03:22] Ronald: “By the time she is leaving the island, I’m so emotional and I’m crying in my seat. It was really, really good. And then after that, it wasn’t really the same for me.”

The Live-Action Remake Debate: Why Are We Here?

• [04:26] Stephen Thompson: Expresses a general skepticism about the need for live-action remakes:
  “As somebody who loves animation... I don’t really understand the artistic impetus for these constant remakes... They’re not really adding anything.”
• [05:20] Stephen: Highlights that this remake comes less than 10 years after the original (2016):
  "This film really did not have major flaws that needed to be addressed or reworked..."
• [08:03] Ronald Young Jr.: “I think this is a fine movie. And when I say fine, I just—I think it’s fine that it exists... the original still hits.”
  • Points out that, unlike Aladdin (with a radically new casting), Moana’s remake adds little new other than re-casting Johnson physically as Maui.
  • The visual presence of The Rock as Maui actually broke some suspension of disbelief for Ronald.

Performances & Production Choices

• [09:30] Nikki Burch: Defends the physical performance of The Rock as Maui:
  “I wasn’t mad seeing the Rock with the prosthetics on... And you know what I loved about that too. Is that I thought, how are they gonna keep the little tattoo, Maui? And they did it.”
• [09:54] Stephen Thompson: Muses on the imperative to get Dwayne Johnson in the role before he ages out, comparing the choice to what was possible in Aladdin’s remake.
• [11:06] Nikki Burch: Suggests that live-action versions may help introduce the story to a new generation or appeal to children in a different way—even if the original is readily available.

Animation vs. Live-Action & the Problem of Animal Sidekicks

• [11:51] Ronald Young Jr.: Extends the debate to live-action/CGI sidekicks (Heihei the rooster):
  “If y’all were going to make the chicken around all of these normal people... doesn’t that kind of defeat the purpose?”
  • Suggests the stylized character works in animation but is jarring in hybrid live-action.
  • Draws parallels to lifeless photorealistic remakes like The Lion King.

Music & Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Additions

• [03:54] Stephen Thompson: “This has gotta be Lin-Manuel Miranda’s best film work, right? Like, the original Moana songs are remarkable.”
• [04:04] Ronald Young Jr.: “I was like, this sounds like Hamilton... and then I was like, oh, oh, that’s why.”
• [13:36] Stephen Thompson: Introduces the new end credits song (“Along the Way”):
  • [14:10] Ronald Young Jr.: “Bet you it doesn’t get nominated.”
  • [14:13] Stephen: “Ah, I think it gets nominated. I thought it was catchy.”
  • [14:18] Nikki Burch: “Honestly, I don’t remember it.”
  • The panel generally agrees that while the new song is pleasant, it doesn’t come close to eclipsing unforgettable numbers like “How Far I’ll Go.”
  • [14:28] Nikki: “I sing it every time I go to the beach. I stand and I walk into the water and I sing it at the top of my lungs...”
  • [14:35] Ronald: “Yeah, that hits. This, it did not.”
  • Stephen and Ronald make a playful wager on whether the new song will receive an Oscar nomination.

Final Thoughts

• Most agree the story and songs remain strong, but the remake’s main appeal may lie with nostalgic adults and a new generation of young viewers who might prefer—or be intrigued by—the “live-action” format.
• [15:45] Stephen Thompson: “Well, I think we can all agree the songs are still great. The story’s still great. Your mileage may vary on this new one.”

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• On live-action remakes:
  • Stephen Thompson [04:26]: "As somebody who loves animation... I don’t really understand the artistic impetus for these constant remakes. They're not really adding anything."
  • Ronald Young Jr. [03:18]: "If they would have ended the movie right there, I would have been in a puddle of tears and just be like, watch the rest. Animated, you'll be fine."
  • Nikki Burch [13:13]: "We're here. Cause the people want it. And also, you're welcome."
• On Lin-Manuel Miranda's music:
  • Nikki Burch [14:28]: "I sing [‘How Far I’ll Go’] every time I go to the beach. I stand and I walk into the water and I sing it at the top of my lungs."
  • Stephen Thompson [13:53]: “Clearly Oscars eligible song playing over the closing credits. It is a new Lin Manuel Miranda song. Let's hear it.”
• On Dwayne Johnson as Maui:
  • Ronald Young Jr. [09:03]: “When I was watching the animated version and it’s Maui with the Rock’s voice, I believe in Maui as a new character, but when I’m looking at the Rock... it just felt like the Rock trying to be funny, which just wasn't working for me.”

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[17:25] What’s Making Us Happy This Week

Nikki Burch: Bleach Thousand Year Blood War (Anime, Hulu)

• Anticipates the final season of the long-running anime “Bleach.”
• Shares nostalgia: “I started watching it when I was in college because I would catch episodes late night on Adult Swim.”

Ronald Young Jr.: Regular Show—The Lost Tapes (HBO Max)

• Discovers new episodes of “Regular Show”—a cartoon favorite: “It just was presented to me as a ‘You might like’... And now I'm just so excited to have more regular show to watch.”

Stephen Thompson: World Cup Fever

• Celebrates embracing soccer after years of not “getting it” in Washington D.C.:
  “Now I have World cup fever, which means I have been fully assimilated into Washington D.C. and into NPR... Anything that makes the world feel smaller and more united is all right by me, especially this summer.”

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Key Timestamps

• 00:19: Episode foundations and panel introductions
• 01:49: Nikki’s first impressions and emotional connection
• 02:23: Ronald critiques "The Rock's" wig and describes initial enchantment
• 03:54: First deep dive on Lin-Manuel Miranda’s music
• 04:26: Stephen’s skepticism about the purpose of live-action remakes
• 08:03–09:03: Discussion of The Rock’s presence and character immersion
• 13:36: Introduction and critique of the new end credits song
• 17:25: What’s Making Us Happy This Week: Happy Picks
• 23:27: Playful closing as Stephen laments no one said, “You’re welcome.”

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Tone & Style

The conversation is lively, good-humored, and candid—balancing critical skepticism with affection for the Moana story and Disney animation generally. The hosts alternate between personal anecdotes, pointed critiques, pop-culture savvy, and playful banter (including friendly bets about the Oscars and ribbing about “theater kid rap”).

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Summary

The panel gives Disney’s live-action Moana decent marks for pacing and spectacle, though they question the need for such a closely-followed remake of a recent animated film. The performances—particularly Dwayne Johnson’s—spark debate, and the main draw remains the strength of the original story and songs. For many, the animated version still “hits” harder, but for newcomers or those eager for nostalgia, this big-screen revisit may have its appeal.

In the “what’s making us happy” segment, anime finales, unexpected cartoon reboots, and the global thrill of World Cup soccer give listeners a few more things to smile about.

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For listeners: If you love pop culture and thoughtful critique with a side of wit, this episode is a strong exemplification of the NPR PCHH style: respectful disagreement, idiosyncratic favorites, and accessible conversation for casual and passionate fans alike.

Transcript

[Ronald Young Jr.]

This message comes from NPR sponsor Raymond James, a firm where wealth management, banking and capital markets solutions start with the connections between people. That's the power of personal disclosures. @raymondjames.com.

[Stephen Thompson]

The animated Disney feature Moana was a blockbuster with an enduring soundtrack full of songs by Lin Manuel Miranda. Now, now, less than 10 years later, Disney is already giving it a sort of live action remake. Dwayne the Rock Johnson returns to his role as the demigod Maui and appears in the flesh this time around. I'm Stephen Thompson. Joining me today on NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour is Ronald Young, Jr. He's the host of the Film and Television Review podcast Leaving the Theater.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Hey, Ronald. Hello, Stephen.

[Stephen Thompson]

Good to have you. Also with us is Nikki Burch. She's a video producer for NPR Music and Visuals and also a co host of the PODC A Thousand Eyes and One. Welcome back, Nikki. Hey, it is great to have you both. So the plot of Moana should be fresh in the minds of anyone who's seen it in the last decade, which is to say everyone who has ever seen Moana. It's the story of a brave girl who ventures out beyond her home in the hopes of restoring balance to her island ecosystem. Here, Moana is played by Catherine Longaya. If the wind in my sail on

[Ronald Young Jr.]

the sea stays behind me one day

[Stephen Thompson]

off now how far I'll go. The story, beats and plot points are repeated pretty much verbatim, albeit with a new Lin Manuel Miranda song over the closing credits. Moana is in theaters now. Nikki Burch, I'm gonna start with you. What'd you think?

[Nikki Burch]

Moana is one of my favorite Disney movies over the last, I don't know, 15 years. And I was really, really excited to see it. Like you said, scene for scene, it's almost exactly the same. And yeah, I didn't expect to get emotional because I haven't seen it since my grandmother passed and there was a

[Stephen Thompson]

lot of like, oh, grandmother feels are big. This one and Coco both hit the grandmother feels.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah. So I'm really excited about this live action also because I'm skeptical of live action adaptations. But I was not disappointed.

[Stephen Thompson]

This one worked for you.

[Nikki Burch]

This one worked for me.

[Stephen Thompson]

All right. How about you, Ronald?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

You know, this movie really didn't do anything glaringly wrong with one exception. And it's all going to be about Dwayne Jones and his hair, which I'm sure we'll get into. Lace, front failure, 100% very Tyler Perry esque wig situation going on in here. Yeah, I'm Just. I'm going straight in. But no, I feel like, like Nikki said, the first maybe 30 minutes of the movie, I was enchanted away. I felt as good as I felt when I was watching the live action Lilo and Stitch, which I did not expect to like, but I really liked. And this one, the first 30 minutes, I'm locked very good. Up until the part where Moana goes out to see. As a matter of fact, if they would have ended the movie right there, I would have been in a puddle of tears and just be like, watch the rest. Animated, you'll be fine.

[Stephen Thompson]

Had they ended the film without resolving

[Nikki Burch]

anything, everything fades to black and crumbles.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

All I'm saying is I would have trusted she would have figured it out, because by the time she is leaving the island, I'm so emotional and I'm crying in my seat. It was really, really good. And then after that, it wasn't really the same for me. It didn't hit the. The animated original hit for me. And I think a lot of it has to do with the ways in which the live action elements interact with the animated elements, which, again, I'm sure we'll get into. But if you like Moana and I think Nikki, you're the prime example of this, you will likely like this movie as well.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah, the music's great.

[Stephen Thompson]

Oh, my gosh. Yeah. I mean, this has gotta be Lin Manuel Miranda's best film work. Right? Like, the original Moana songs are remarkable. And we'll get to the new song in a moment.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I just want to say this. I didn't know that Lin Manuel or I forgot that he did the music, but I remember listening to this early on and being like, this sounds like Hamilton.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

And then I was like, oh, oh, that's why. Not that.

[Announcer]

That's a problem.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah. My friend's always like, hamilton is theater kid rap. And I'm like, that must be mean.

[Stephen Thompson]

But also, that's exactly what it is.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

There's a fact, anyway.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah.

[Stephen Thompson]

So, I mean, my initial reaction to this film was somewhat similar to my reaction to a lot of Disney kind of pseudo live action remakes, which is, man, they should make an animated version of this. Like, as somebody who loves animation thinks animation is a terrific vehicle for storytelling that allows you to kind of hand wave past a lot of the boring parts of being a human being in the world. I don't understand other than kind of wanting to refresh your IP and make a whole boatload of money. I don't really understand the artistic impetus for these Constant remakes. They're not really adding anything. So I sort of sat there through a lot of it, like, why are we doing this? I think this is very well made.

[Nikki Burch]

Honestly. That's how I feel about all live adaptations of these Disney movies. I'm like, but we did it already, right?

[Stephen Thompson]

Well, and this one, we did it less than 10 years ago. It was late 2016 when the first film came out. So I definitely had the like, why are we here? In response to this film? But I will say, if we've decided that we're notionally open to these remakes, one data point that I am always going to look for is the difference in run times. Because I think sometimes what you with these remakes is you're trying to recreate these animated spectacles, but using kind of live action mechanics. And what that sometimes does is it greatly slows down action scenes. It was actually one of my beefs. I know, Ronald, you said you loved the Lilo and Stitch remake, but the Lilo and Stitch remake is much longer. It is. And one of the reasons for that is that when you're trying to duplicate these things, there's a little bit of a clunkiness to it and ends up adding quite a bit to the runtime. I think it is to this film's credit that it's only adding a few minutes to the runtime. And I think some of that is a byproduct of the fact that so many of these action scenes take place on water, and water does give you, no pun intended, a certain fluidity in action scenes where the action scenes still felt really quick and lively and well paced. And I think it is to the credit of the director, Thomas Kael. This is his first feature, but he is the Broadway director who brought Hamilton and In the Heights obviously has a relationship, you know, working with Lin Manuel Miranda. And I think he does a really, really nice job telling this story. For me, the issue is, why are we here?

[Nikki Burch]

Right?

[Stephen Thompson]

This film is so recent. This film really did not have major flaws that needed to be addressed or reworked or rewritten. It's not like you're sitting there like they really needed to take that pig off that boat. You know, there wasn't anything about the first film that I thought really needed to be changed. The reason this film exists, beyond refreshing IP and beyond making a boatload of money, or so they hope, is that if you're gonna do a live action version, they wanted Dwayne the Rock Johnson, and he's only really going to be able to credibly play this part for a little while longer. Death comes for us all.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah, that's true. I thought that the pacing was really good. It's one of the things that caught my att. I was like, oh, man, please don't let us drag on with, like, extra backstory. I can't take it. Please, God, no. And they didn't. And I think that, to your point, a lot of the action scenes on the water, especially when it comes to te fitis, like, they didn't have to reinvent the wheel for that. It looked exactly like it did in the animated version.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Like I said originally, I think this is a fine movie. And when I say fine, I just. I think it's fine that it exists. All of the why am I here? All of the why am I here? Is kind of embedded in there. The comparison I make is to how to train your drag, where I'm sitting in there watching it, wondering why I'm here. Because I just watched the original and the original still hits. This Moana. The original still hits. So when I get here, I think about a movie like, let's say Aladdin, where Robin Williams is dead, so obviously he can't play the genie. So they bring out Will Smith, which brings a whole new interpretation to the genie. And you could go back and forth to say whether that movie landed with folks or not, but you can say that they took it in a different direction. Which is my biggest quibble with casting the as Maui. Because when I was watching this, I remember thinking, he is executing this role well. If I did not have to look at him, the fact that I had to. I'm not saying that as an insult. This is not about how he looks. The point is, when I'm looking at the Rock in that hair with his prosthetics on, I am taken out of him being Maui. When I was watching the animated version and it's Maui with the Rock's voice, I believe in Maui as a new character, but when I'm looking at the Rock and his face and he's supposed to be someone different, it just felt like the Rock trying to be funny, which just wasn't working for me. Every time I saw him.

[Nikki Burch]

I like that he leaned into just like how self centered he was. I thought that was really cute. And I don't know, ladies, if you'll disagree with me or not, but I wasn't mad seeing the Rock with the prosthetics on. I was like, ooh, muscle body. Okay, okay, okay. And you know what I loved about that too. Is that I thought, how are they gonna keep the little tattoo, Maui? And they did it.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah, they did.

[Nikki Burch]

They did. It was so cute.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I think.

[Stephen Thompson]

Ronald, you bring up an interesting point, though. They clearly were at some sort of crossroads here, right. Where it's like, we can make this film too soon and get Dwayne the Rock Johnson in the part he was born to play. Or we can kind of do what they did with Aladdin, wait 15 or 20 more years and get somebody else to do it and change the story accordingly. And to the extent, I did not find the Aladdin remake particularly compelling, but to me, making the exact same movie for the benefit of, I guess people who hate animation does not, for me, constitute a particularly compelling reason to be here.

[Nikki Burch]

I didn't know that they were making a live action. And when I saw it, I was like, you know what? No matter what, I'm gonna go see it. And I think that because I love the story so much, I'm not mad that they didn't really stray from what was originally created. And I thought about as an opportunity to introduce younger audiences to a movie that older audiences already love. Like, I brought my nephew yesterday, and he loved it. He's seen the animated version, but I feel like he was a little bit more compelled by some of the stuff that he saw on screen this time.

[Stephen Thompson]

Interesting. Do the kids hate animation? I don't understand.

[Nikki Burch]

They don't like.

[Stephen Thompson]

That's baffling to me because the original's on streaming. Like, you know, if you have young kids and you have Disney, your kid has probably seen the original Moana and does not need to be reintroduced to it like it's some sort of lost treasure.

[Announcer]

Yeah.

[Nikki Burch]

I looked around the room and people seemed really happy. I think the stuff that they did nail, even though Heihei the rooster was really kind of weird looking sometimes, was his slapstick. Like, I call him Donut. Donut laughed every time Heihei was on screen. And anytime he walked into the water, I was, like, pecking at stones. That's when he got the most laughs.

[Stephen Thompson]

He does the exact same thing in the other movie.

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah. So it still works.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I feel like that's one thing that gets me is like. And I understand the nature of the chicken doing what it's doing. It is slapstick, and it is fun in the original and in the new one. But this is where I still. When I watched the air quote, live action remake of the Lion King, one of my biggest beefs. One of my biggest beefs with that was that they were Using photorealistic clients who I can't really get into them because their expressions aren't doing what I need them to do. So it would have been better if they animated more to Steven's point of saying, wow, this movie should have been animated. So then you talk about the Sonic movie and all of this backlash that comes when they make Sonic look more humans. Yeah. With the human teeth. So they make him look more animated. So I remember watching this and thinking, if y' all were going to make the chicken around all of these normal people, these, you know, regular looking people, you're going to make the chicken look more animated. Then doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?

[Nikki Burch]

I like the whimsy.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

A live action remake. I mean, I understand that, but I'm saying like in terms of if you're doing a remake and you're just only animating the chicken to still look as silly as it does in the animation, that at some point it only contributes more to the Than why am I here? I could just turn this on on Disney and I don't really need to be in a theater for this.

[Nikki Burch]

We're here. Cause the people want it. And also, you're welcome.

[Stephen Thompson]

I mean, I did have the same reaction to the extended scene with the crab where you're watching an animated remake of an animated scene.

[Nikki Burch]

Truly.

[Stephen Thompson]

With Jemaine Clement doing the voice in both.

[Nikki Burch]

And so I gotta say, I loved SHINee. It's my favorite song.

[Stephen Thompson]

It is a great song.

[Nikki Burch]

It's my favorite song. But yeah, it is the same with a little extra.

[Stephen Thompson]

Speaking of the songs, though, one of the few things that is added in this film, there is a new song along the way. Clearly Oscars eligible song playing over the closing credits. It is a new Lin Manuel Miranda song. Let's hear it.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Along the way, Along the way along the way.

[Stephen Thompson]

So what'd y' all think?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Bet you it doesn't get nominated.

[Stephen Thompson]

Ah, I think it gets nominated. I thought it was catchy.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I'll take a friendly way to remember it, Steven.

[Nikki Burch]

Honestly, I don't remember it.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Agree, Nikki. I remember the rock was rapping. I don't remember that song was not catchy enough for me to be singing it right now. I'll still sing how far I go.

[Nikki Burch]

I sing it every time I go to the beach. I stand and I walk into the water and I sing it at the top of my lungs no matter which way speech I've had.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah, that hits this. It did not. I mean, we're not talking. We don't talk about Bruno here, Steven, we talking about, like, sing the song to me. Stevie, you remember the lyrics?

[Nikki Burch]

Yeah, I need to hear it.

[Stephen Thompson]

I cannot. But keep in mind, I mean, give me melodies. We've heard the song once. We just had our memories refreshed on like half a dozen of the catchiest movie songs of the 21st century. I think it had a very, very high bar to clear as far as, you know, being as good as other Moana songs. But I think being as good closing credits songs intended as Oscar grabs, I thought it was catchy.

[Nikki Burch]

I'll give it a fair shake if

[Ronald Young Jr.]

it gets Oscar nominated. Steven, I will buy you a Funko pop of your choice. Put some skin in the game.

[Stephen Thompson]

I will take that wager.

[Nikki Burch]

I want to bet now, too.

[Stephen Thompson]

Yeah, I will take that wager, offering nothing in return.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

That's fine with me. The thrill of being right is enough.

[Nikki Burch]

There's that. I mean, your welcome didn't disappoint me either. I think that Donut got annoyed because I was poking him as I was singing it lyric for lyric. He was like, I was like, don't mess with Maui when he's on the breakaway. And he's looking at me like, please, Auntie Nick, will you stop?

[Stephen Thompson]

My aunt's being cringe again. Well, I think we can all agree the songs are still great. The story's still great. Your mileage may vary on this new one. Up next, what's making us happy this week?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

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[Announcer]

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[Nikki Burch]

on the latest NPR Politics podcast. We are unpacking the downfall of a candidate once seen as a standard bearer for Democrats. Plus, what Platner's exit from the Maine Senate Race could mean for the balance of power in Congress. Listen to the NPR Politics podcast every afternoon to stay a step ahead of all the latest political news wherever you get your podcasts.

[Stephen Thompson]

Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week? Nikki Burch, I'm gonna start with you. What's making you happy this week, buddy?

[Nikki Burch]

Can I cheat and say I'm in anticipation of something that comes at the end of the month?

[Stephen Thompson]

Absolutely. You can be made happy by anything you want.

[Nikki Burch]

Bleach Thousand Year Blood the final season. I went to the theaters cause they released the first three episodes in theaters and it was so good. And I've been watching Bleach since it came out.

[Stephen Thompson]

Tell me what this is. Cause I. Oh.

[Nikki Burch]

Oh. So Bleach is an anime?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah. I thought you were talking about Clorox.

[Stephen Thompson]

I thought you were talking about Nirvana's first album.

[Nikki Burch]

Oh, no. So Bleach is an anime that has been on for 20 plus years. I started watching it when I was in college because I would catch episodes late night on Adult Swim. And one day I was like, what is this show? There's swords that have, like, personalities and superpowers, and there's this guy, Ichigo, who every time you think he's gonna lose, he just gets stronger because he doesn't want to let his friends down and he wants to save the world. And the show finished and there was a huge gap, and then suddenly they announced that they were making the final arc. So I'm really excited to see what happens in the last season because now they say that this is actually the end. So Bleach Thousand Year Blood War is the thing that's making me happy this week. And people can watch it on Hulu.

[Stephen Thompson]

Nice. Thank you. Nikki Burch, Ronald Young Jr. What's making you happy this week?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

All right, so I've been in a Love island for a while, just watching it. You just. I mean, I got out of the NBA playoffs immediately, started watching Love island,

[Stephen Thompson]

and, you know, you needed something that takes even longer.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah, I just had to. Something else that I had to really commit to. So I've been watching Love Island. The NBA finals and the Love island are both making me happy. But what happened next is really what's making me happy is I was looking for something else to watch. Turned on HBO Max, and I see the new episodes of Rick and Morty are there. And so I'm sure that you think I'm talking about Rick and Morty, but I'm Not. I watched those episodes of Rick, Rick and Morty. And HBO recommends to me something that I did not know had happened this year. And I'm talking about regular show, the Lost Tapes. I don't know if y' all know this, but they rebooted regular show. Regular show is back, and there's a whole new season available right now to watch. Regular show is about two. Essentially, I would call them stoner, like young 20 year olds. One is a jaybird and one is a raccoon. And they are in this kind of. Of chaotic world where there are humans and animals and anthropomorphic objects and they are working at this park. And they are also slackers. So they always are getting into hijinks and shenanigans. It's a great show. And they started on Cartoon Network and I watched all of them during the pandemic. Really enjoyed it. Then it was over. And I remember hearing rumors that it might come back, but I missed it completely. And it just was presented to me as a. You might like, because I had watched it. And now I'm just so excited to have more regular show to watch. It's a great show, great palette cleanser. I would recommend it to most folks who just want something to just enjoy and laugh a little bit at. And that's what's making me happy right now. Regular show, the Lost Tapes.

[Nikki Burch]

That just made me happy because I think you might like it, Steven, because it's very. It's very bingeable. It's very bingeable. And like, the situations in which they find themselves are always a little bit absurd.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Completely absurd.

[Nikki Burch]

You're like, how did this happen and how does it keep getting worse? They can't fix anything worth watching.

[Stephen Thompson]

So that is regular show, the lost tapes on HBO. Max, thank you so much, Ronald Young Jr. What is making me happy this week is kind of a full circle moment. I started at NPR almost exactly 20 years ago, and when I first moved out to Washington, D.C. from Wisconsin, one of the first things that made me feel alienated was that everyone was in the grips of World cup fever. And my friends back home would be like, oh, how are you adjusting to dc? And I'd be like, I don't know, man. Everybody here is an arugula chomping soccer watcher. And I. And I don't understand it and what

[Ronald Young Jr.]

happened to real football, blah, blah, blah, blah.

[Stephen Thompson]

Now I have World cup fever, which means I have been fully assimilated into Washington D.C. and into NPR. Obviously, this take of having World cup fever has taken a few hits this week as the US Team got absolutely dog walked by Belgium. And FIFA, you know, demonstrated that it has not come a super long way from the time that it financed a lavish film about itself that made $918 at the US box office. But I have found this World cup extremely moving. Give me a story of Scottish fans drinking the city of Boston dry. Give me the story of Algeria and Lawrence, Kansas finding this incredible bond. I'm not made of stone here. I love this sort of thing. And I've even started to finally, thanks in part to my soccer knowing partner, to figure out how the game works and started to figure out when somebody is offsides, when something is clearly a yellow card versus a red card. These things that, like new fans are constantly adjusting to. I've started to finally pick up on. Is there too much flopping? Is there too much corruption? Did that France Paraguay game drive me absolutely nuts with all the, like the Egypt game with all the. Yeah, but like anytime they're kind of grabbing at each other instead of playing the beautiful game the way it was meant to be played. I get to sound like a soccer curmudgeon now. Sure, that stuff frustrates me, but anything that makes the world feel smaller and more united is all right by me, especially this summer. That is what is making me happy this week. If you want links for what we recommended, plus some more recommendations, sign up for our [e-mail] popculturenewsletter that brings us to the end of our show. Nikki Burch, Ronald Young Jr. Thanks so much. Much for being here.

[Nikki Burch]

Thanks for coming.

[Stephen Thompson]

Neither one of you said you're welcome. Come on, man.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Oh yeah, that's my bad. It's funny because I normally say I've said that on other episodes. I don't know why I didn't think about it today.

[Stephen Thompson]

This episode was produced by Lennon Sherburne, Hafsa Fathoma and Mike Katsif and edited by our showrunner, Jessica Reedy. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to pop Culture Happy hour from npr. I'm Stephen Talbot Thompson and we will see you all next week.

[Announcer]

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[Ronald Young Jr.]

President Trump says the ceasefire with Iran is over this week. On Consider this a former high ranking US Department Matt shares his thoughts on what could happen next. The rulers in Tehran clearly believe they

[Stephen Thompson]

have a stronger will than the United States. I don't think there are any good options.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

That's this week on Consider this. You can get the full story behind the headlines every afternoon. Listen on the NPR app or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Nikki Burch]

Hi, it's Terry Gross, host of Fresh Air. Hey, take a break from the 24 hour news cycle with us and listen to long form interviews with your favorite authors, actors, filmmakers, filmmakers, comedians and musicians. The people making the art that nourishes us and speaks to our times. So listen to the FRESH AIR podcasts from NPR and whyyy.