Moana 2 And What's Making Us Happy

Summary

Pop Culture Happy Hour: "Moana 2 And What's Making Us Happy" Summary

Released on November 27, 2024

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Introduction

In this episode of NPR's Pop Culture Happy Hour, hosts Linda Holmes, Aisha Harris, Stephen Thompson, and guest Ronald Young Jr. delve into the latest installment of Disney's beloved franchise, "Moana 2," and explore various elements that bring joy to their lives. The conversation offers a balanced mix of enthusiasm and critical analysis, providing listeners with insightful perspectives on contemporary pop culture.

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Moana 2: A Deeper Dive

Overview of "Moana 2"

The discussion begins with a brief overview of Disney's "Moana 2," where viewers catch up with the titular character, now a celebrated explorer and community hero. The sequel sees Moana embarking on a mission to reconnect her island with distant lands, aiming to mend bonds disrupted by a lingering curse. The film features returning voices from Auli'i Cravalho as Moana and Dwayne Johnson as the demigod Maui, alongside new songwriters Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Opetaia Fuwai, and Mark Mancina.

Hosts’ Perspectives and Critiques

• Ronald Young Jr.’s Take ([03:51]):

  Ronald offers a nuanced critique, highlighting the film's structural challenges. "With three directors attached, it seemed like 'Moana 2' started off as a series, and parts of the movie felt more like a television episode than a cohesive film," he observes ([03:51]). He notes that this resulted in a pacing that didn't quite transcend the medium, leaving his experience "right down the middle" ([03:51]).

• Linda Holmes on Storytelling and Songwriting ([04:29] & [07:42]):

  Linda comments on the film's narrative complexity, stating, "The plot wanders in this one quite a bit more than it wanders in the first one," ([14:21]) suggesting that the sequel may feel like ticking off a checklist rather than delivering a seamless story. She also critiques the songwriting, noting similarities to Lin Manuel Miranda’s work and questioning whether the creators had the freedom to innovate: "If you're very familiar with some of his other work, you hear these little intervals and pieces of phrasing where it's like, yeah, this is him" ([07:42]).

• Aisha Harris’s Insights ([05:15] & [16:44]):

  Aisha appreciates the film's visual beauty, remarking, "It is one of the pinnacles of animation," ([05:15]) particularly praising moments like Moana envisioning her future with muted colors and strategic pops of color. However, she expresses reservations about the film's overall execution, drawing parallels to Disney's reliance on sequels: "Disney is constantly... but now it's stuck. And when you look at what they have coming for the next few years, most of them are sequels" ([15:23]).

• Auli'i Cravalho’s Performance ([02:53] & [08:06]):

  Auli'i delivers a reprise of Moana's character with added depth, though Aisha and Linda critique the similarity of Moana's new "I Want" song to the original, emphasizing a lack of originality: "It is kind of wild how similar they are" ([08:21]).

Character Dynamics and Animation Quality ([09:29] & [17:04]):

Ronald comments on the synergy between the voice actors and their characters, stating, "Dwayne Johnson as this character... he is electric," ([12:00]). Meanwhile, Linda lauds the animation's quality, particularly the realistic portrayal of Moana's hair, though she notes that despite the visual appeal, the narrative feels disjointed.

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What's Making Us Happy This Week

Ronald Young Jr.: Pie Making and Kendrick Lamar's "gnx"

Ronald shares his recent joys, highlighting pie-making as a relaxing pastime: "When I'm making pies, it's very relaxing, very nice" ([20:18]). He also expresses excitement over Kendrick Lamar's new album, gnx, particularly praising the track "Dodger Blue": "If you're like, I don't wanna listen to the GNX album, which you probably should listen to... If you only can have time for one song, check out Dodger Blue" ([20:44]).

Aisha Harris: Stevie Wonder Podcast and Culinary Inspirations

Aisha discusses her passion for music, specifically a podcast series titled The Wonder of Stevie on Audible, hosted by Wesley Morris. She praises the in-depth exploration of Stevie Wonder's classic albums and their cultural contexts: "He is one of our national treasures... such a great listen" ([21:16]). Additionally, she mentions her enjoyment of a Slate article on the "25 Most Important Recipes of the Past Hundred Years," appreciating the blend of classic and contemporary culinary creations: "Eric Kim's cookie recipe from New York Times Cooking Gochujang Caramel Cookies, which are so good" ([22:44]).

Linda Holmes: Celebrating Animation and Family Time

Linda reflects on the enduring appeal of animated characters, particularly Maui, noting, "With all this said, I think the kids in the theater with me had a pretty good time. They laughed at Maui" ([17:52]). She appreciates the charm and expressive animation that resonate with younger audiences, reinforcing the show's ability to connect across generations.

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Conclusion

The episode of Pop Culture Happy Hour provides a comprehensive and thoughtful examination of "Moana 2," balancing critical analysis with appreciation for its artistic achievements. Additionally, the hosts share personal sources of happiness, from culinary pursuits to musical explorations, enriching the conversation with relatable and varied content. Whether you're a Disney enthusiast or simply interested in diverse cultural insights, this episode offers valuable perspectives and engaging discussions.

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Notable Quotes:

• Ronald Young Jr. ([03:51]): "With three directors attached, it seemed like 'Moana 2' started off as a series..."
• Linda Holmes ([07:42]): "If you're very familiar with some of his other work, you hear these little intervals..."
• Aisha Harris ([05:15]): "It is one of the pinnacles of animation."
• Ronald Young Jr. ([12:00]): "Dwayne Johnson as this character... he is electric."
• Ronald Young Jr. ([20:44]): "...if you only can have time for one song, check out Dodger Blue..."
• Aisha Harris ([21:16]): "...He is one of our national treasures."

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Connect with Pop Culture Happy Hour:

• Facebook: @facebook.com/PCHH
• Letterboxd: @letterboxd.com/NPRpopculture
• Newsletter: npr.org/popculture

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Produced by Liz Metzger and Huff Sapathama. Edited by Jessica Reedy and Mike Kasif. Theme music provided by Hello. Thank you for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR.

Transcript

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[Stephen Thompson]

Hey, it's Stephen Thompson. Before we start the show, I want to take a quick step back and talk about what makes Pop Culture Happy Hour and everything you hear from NPR possible. It's you. NPR is public media, which means we're here to serve you. And, and we've had a bold vision from the start to create a more informed public. Think of it as civic infrastructure freely available to everyone. That includes covering communities that haven't always had their voices heard. And we serve places all across the country, big, small, rural and urban, many of which have seen their other news sources diminish. We can do this, all thanks to your support. So on behalf of all of us at Pop Culture Happy Hour, I wanna say how grateful we are for listeners like you. Thanks so much for joining our conversations this year about all the movies, TV shows and music we loved or not. Whether you're listening to us predict which reality TV shows we'd win or talking about what makes a great sex scene, we are so glad to be in your company. And a huge thank you. If you already support this, work through NPR or by donating to your local station, your generosity fuels one of the most trusted news sources in America today. If you haven't made the leap to contributing yet, Giving Tuesday is almost here, so it's the perfect time to support what you love. Sign up for perks across more than 25 podcasts with NPR today. It's a tax deductible donation that helps make the world a more curious place so you can feel good about it while you enjoy. Sponsor free listening to this show. Join us at plus.npr.org or you can always make a gift at donate.npr.org thank you.

[Linda Holmes]

In the Disney film Moana, a girl who had always yearned to go exploring got her chance to see more of the world. And now in Moana 2, she's older and has a new purpose.

[Aisha Harris]

With the help of her chicken, her pig and her demigod pal, Maui, Moana wants more than just exploration. She wants to connect with people from new places. I'm Aisha Harris.

[Linda Holmes]

And I'm Linda Holmes. And today we're talking about Moana 2 on Pop Culture Happy Hour from NPR. Also with us is Ronald Young, Jr. He is the new host of Pop Culture Debate Club from Lemonada and the BBC. Hello, Ronald welcome back.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Hello, Linda. Hello, Aisha. I'm happy to be back.

[Linda Holmes]

You are back. So Moana was a big hit for Disney in 2016. It was also nominated for best Animated feature at the Oscars. And it's no surprise that we are back for another round.

[Auli'i Cravalho]

Finally, we're back to who we're meant to be. Who I'm meant to be. Voyaging the sea.

[Linda Holmes]

Auli Cravalho once again plays Moana, who's a few years older than she was when we left her. Dwayne Johnson is back as Maui, the demigod who talks to his tattoos. But while in the first film, Moana was trying to establish herself, she's now a hero to her community and a well known explorer. So she takes on the task of figuring out how to reunite her island with people from across the ocean, reestablishing bonds that were broken by a curse. There's a new batch of songs, although Lin Manuel Miranda didn't work on this one. Songwriters Abigail Barlow, Emily Bear, Opetaia Fuwai and Mark Mancina worked on this one. Moana 2 is in theaters now. Ronald, I'm going to start with you. How did you like Moana 2?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Before I even stepped into the theater, I looked up the details as I often do, and I saw that there was three directors. And if you look at the history, you walk in with three directors, you're automatically saying, what was the history of this movie? And it turns out that it started off as a series and there were parts of this movie in the beginning that felt like a television series more than it felt like an actual film. And while it got bigger as it moved on, kind of the tone and the pacing didn't really go beyond television for me. So watching it just kind of felt like just a straight shot right down the middle where I wasn't super excited. I also wasn't super, like, I didn't hate it. So it was like kind of right down the middle for me.

[Linda Holmes]

It's interesting that you mentioned that because if you take out the very long credits that these kinds of films always have as a result of the amount of work that goes into them, this is roughly an hour and a half long, and it takes about a half an hour for her to even really kind of start the journey that she's gonna go on, and I felt like that was a little slow at the beginning. I kind of had that same feeling that, like, okay, I, you know, especially since she's starting out in this position of kind of being beloved by everyone and she's everyone's hero. That to me is a lesson. Compelling setup on its own than somebody who is kind of your traditional I want song. Aisha, what did you think?

[Aisha Harris]

Well, I do want to say that having three directors for an animated film isn't that unheard of. I mean, a lot of these films tend to have at least two. I think of like, Frozen. That's not that uncommon. But to your point, Ronald, I do agree it was giving kind of like the Little Mermaid, the series, which I that kind of vibe. But overall, you know, I thought, like, again, just like the first film, it is beautiful to watch. It is gorgeous. Like, as far as animation goes, this is, I think, one of the, like, the pinnacles of animation. As it stands right now, there's a moment where we have like a vision of Moana's future. Like, she's looking at what the future could hold for her. And at one point, the colors get sort of muted gray, like grayscale, but then there's a little hint of color here and there, and it's just like, it looked great. I loved it. I loved that aspect of it. But I'm sure we'll get into this. But Lin Manuel, people like to clown on him all day for various reasons. And he can be a lot. He can be. He's big theater kid energy.

[Linda Holmes]

Yes.

[Aisha Harris]

But you know what? He is a huge reason why the first Moana might be like exactly what a Disney animated film should be. That is what I hope for. And while when that movie came out, there were a lot of comparisons to the Little Mermaid, and yes, yes, it's similar, I do think it stands on its own. And here we've got a sort of almost not a carbon copy, but like a light copy and paste of its direct predecessor, Moana. I was very kind of mixed on this overall.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah. I think this misses the songwriting, I think, and I want to be fair to these songwriters, one thing that can happen is sometimes you get either directly or indirectly the message that they want the music to kind of be just like the music in the first one, if you're coming into something. It had a very well loved set of songs in the first one. And the truth of the matter is, like, you know, he writes in a very specific way that if you like it, you like it, and if you don't like it, you don't like it. But it's very particular and it's really funny to me. If you're very familiar with some of his other work, you hear these little there intervals and pieces of phrasing where it's like, yeah, this is. This is him. This is him. I am not sure whether they really had free reign to create. Cause you noticed, Aisha, some similarities between these songs and the songs in the first one that sort of mapped one to one.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah. I mean, there are a few songs that map pretty closely to the first movie, either sonically or thematically, or even both. Here in Moana 2, we have finding the Way, and in Moana, we had. We Know the Way Away.

[Auli'i Cravalho]

We set a course to find A brand new island Everywhere we roam and.

[Aisha Harris]

Then Moana's big I Want song in Moana 2 is beyond what lies beyond.

[Auli'i Cravalho]

Under skies I never seen Will I lose myself between my home and what's unknown? If I go beyond.

[Aisha Harris]

Which is basically just how far I'll go from the first movie.

[Auli'i Cravalho]

And no one knows how far it goes if the wind in my sail on the sea Stays behind me One day I'll know if I go, there's just no telling how far I'll go.

[Aisha Harris]

It is kind of wild how similar they are.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I agree with you. I also think for everything that you say about Lin Manuel Miranda, like, I feel like that style that he has fits Disney movies almost perfectly between him and then Robert Lopez and Kristin Anderson Lopez, who did Frozen. I feel like there's a certain type of energy and type of, like, flow that you have as a songwriter that fits perfectly for Disney movies. And I feel like if you're not the top of that, then you're kind of writing in the shadow of those songs, and that's what these songs felt like to me.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, I felt like these songs had a little trouble being as playful as I wanted them to be. I want Disney songs always not to be Lin Manuel Miranda playful, but just to be playful. The songs, you know, a lot of the songs in the Lion King are really playful. A lot of the songs in Aladdin are playful when they really go for that. There's one number that Moana does, you know, that's sort of supposed to hype up everybody who's traveling with her.

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We're starting to hit a stride I'm.

[Linda Holmes]

In for a crazy ride we'll be.

[Auli'i Cravalho]

There for no time because we're in this together Whoa.

[Linda Holmes]

Nothing is better than this it was fine. I didn't think it really took off as a playful song. And then there's inevitably. You know, it's interesting because I think the kids in the theater when I saw this, sort of lit up when Maui showed up, which doesn't happen until about halfway through the movie.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Oh, it's late.

[Linda Holmes]

It felt late to me. And he then has a song, which, of course, he had, you're welcome in the first movie. I did not think the song that they had him do in this was as successful. And I also think they pushed him farther. You know, Aisha mentioned this kind of distinction between, on the one hand, what's like, really rapping and what's kind of the music, man, rhythmic talking patter thing. But I feel like this pushed him more towards trying to rap, which he is not a rapper, and you can really feel that he's not. And I listen. I think he has a lot of charm. I think he did surprisingly well. Like, when I heard him do youo're Welcome, I was like, okay, this is, like.

[Aisha Harris]

This is not bad.

[Linda Holmes]

It's pretty okay. When they get into the kind of thicker, more rap type parts of this song, I felt concerned.

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You've got greatness inside and you just gotta believe.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

You think you don't have the tricks.

[Linda Holmes]

But they're right up your slip.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

These waters are threatening but you bring the reckoning so drop all the fear and the questioning.

[Aisha Harris]

I need a.

[Capital One Ad]

Can I get a Chihuahua?

[Aisha Harris]

That song. Can I get a Chihu? This is one of the songs that doesn't neatly map onto Moana. He's kind of trying to give Moana confidence here. And so while this is happening, we've got this, like, American Gladiators or, like, Rocky montage sort of thing happening where she's, you know, jumping over various objects. And it also kind of reminded me of, like, I'll make a man out of you from Mulan. It's like, that's what we're trying to do here.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

And that song slaps.

[Aisha Harris]

That song is a banger.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

You can play it right now. I'm ready to go.

[NPR Sponsor]

Yes.

[Aisha Harris]

Let's get down to business. Maui does not really get down to business here. And I'm sorry, no. He does show up somewhat early in the film. But then he's like. And then he doesn't come back until later. And it's like, okay, what are we doing here? Not that we need to, like, Urgle this. He doesn't need to take over the entire thing, but we do need to give the people what they want, especially the what they want. And the kids clearly want Maui. He was the breakout. And say what you will about Dwayne Johnson as this character. He is electric. He can be electric.

[Linda Holmes]

This is a great match of character and voice actor.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah. And that's what gets lost Here, despite. I haven't said too many nice things about this film, but I did find it charming. There were little jokes here and there. I think one of my favorite new characters is Kele. He's the grumpy farmer voiced by David Fane. He joins Moana on this voyage, and he's just like. He had some really fun. He also just has, like, a really expressive face. He does, and I just enjoyed having that, like, those little sides. Like, there are little moments here and there that I think are really kind of just, like, fun and tossed off in a way that made it feel a little bit lighter than it might have otherwise.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Charming. Yes. Fine is kind of like the word that jumps out of my head. Like, this was fine when I left. And I feel like maybe there's kids that will enjoy this more than I will. I think the problem with something like Moana2 is that in my mind, I'm not comparing it against Gladiator 2 or Wicked. In my mind, I'm not comparing it against those. I'm comparing it against the Wild Robot, which is also like, a children's movie. And I walked out of that movie changed, you know? And I feel like, in terms of what animated movies were doing during this surge of animation, basically, let's call it the Pixar dreamwork surge of animated movies. They were proven to us that animated movies can be both topical and funny and enjoyable for adults, while also maintaining the line for kids, telling a story with the beginning, middle, and end, with conflict and all of that. And I feel like in a world where the best of these movies are at the top, and in our. In best picture conversations, when you come with something like Moana 2, my question is, hey, y'all can crank this out. And yes, it is merchandising, and yes, it looks like you might be setting up for Moana 3. But, like, do y'all really care about being the best anymore, or do you just care about just getting the movie out to, like, capitalize on the wave and the holiday and all of that?

[Linda Holmes]

I think in an effort to get out from sort of under the shadow of the first one and, you know, try to do something new? What they did is they just complicated the plot in a bunch of ways. I think the plot of this is pretty messy. There's a lot of, like, you have to do this to do this, but then there's a thing where you gotta go on a kind of a side quest, and then you gotta go over here and you have this character who is played by Akumai. Fraser, who is kind of the baddie. And I don't think they really resolve that story very successfully. And she kind of seems like she drops into the movie and it's not clear entirely why except to provide some plot. I think the plot wanders in this one quite a bit more than it wanders in the first one. And quite a bit more than I prefer for the plot to wander in a Disney movie, which I think really can be fairly straightforward. It makes me sort of feel more like things are sort of getting checked off a list. Like we wanted to have a number like this and this is how we fit it in.

[Aisha Harris]

Yeah, I mean that was one of my big takeaways after getting out of this film, was like that. I still am not entirely sure what they had to do to accomplish their goal. And the thing is they explain it multiple times. But like I can imagine being a six year old kid and being like, I don't know what just happened here, but Maui was cool. So I do think, I think every empire eventually falls or just has ebbs and flows. I think Disney is constantly. Part of its legacy is constantly being at the top for a very long time and then falling off. And Disney has been in that stage for quite some time now of having some. They had the sort of the tens had its period. Frozen, Moana, Zootopia, Big Hero 6. You have those films doing pretty well at critically and commercially reaching new heights, I think for the company. But now it's stuck. And when you look at what they have coming for the next few years, most of them are sequels. Even on the Pixar end, we've got Toy Story 5 coming. It's very, very rare that we get like a Toy Story 2 that justifies its exit or even a Toy Story 3, which I think is, yes, that happened. And then they got really confident. They're like, oh, Toy Story 3. People loved it also. It did really well. Let's just go all in now. So it's like, oh no, you're taking the wrong lessons here.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

I feel like what gets me about somebody like a Disney or anyone doing animated films is you have to know what exists now and what people are getting excited about. And we're getting excited about Spider Verse, we're getting excited about mutant mayhem from the Ninja Turtles, we're getting excited about those. So you have to take this seriously and not just put out a movie.

[Linda Holmes]

I think there was a time when people felt like the really adventurous and wonderful animated films were coming out of Disney or Pixar and they were really doing wonderful and exciting and different things with animated films. They made a lot of the leaps in the animation itself people first saw. I agree with Aisha. I think the animation in this film is really stunning. You can tell they have a lot of fun animating her hair, which there are things in this that have become so realistic looking that I think it's, it's just a great thing to sit back and look at. But I listen. With all this said, I think the kids in the theater with me had a pretty good time. They laughed at Maui. They love. They love Maui. They love Maui and more power to them because I loved characters like that when I was a kid too.

[Aisha Harris]

Agreed.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yeah.

[Linda Holmes]

All right, well, tell us what you think about Moana too. Find us on [e-mail] PCHH and on [e-mail] NPRpopculture we'll have a link in our episode description for that. Up next, what's making us happy this week?

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[Linda Holmes]

Now it's time for our favorite segment of this week and every week. What's making us happy this week, Ronald Young Jr. What is making you happy this week?

[Ronald Young Jr.]

It is pie season, and for me, that means that I just make a bunch of pies between November and January 1st.

[Linda Holmes]

Yeah, buddy.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

When I'm making pies, it's very relaxing, very nice. But what has made it even better recently was that famed rapper Kendrick Lamar came out with a new album called gnx. And I'm not a huge Kendrick Lamar fan. I've been team Kendrick throughout this entire beef.

[Aisha Harris]

We have a whole episode about it on pchha. Just go listen to it.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

That's even better. Yes. Reference yourself. There you go. Go to the PCHCH episode on Kendrick vs Drake. You could get your primer there. What's important to know is that he released the album. Obviously, he has the super bowl. And this album is so good. And there's one song that, while I'm making pies, I've been listened to over and over again. It's called Dodger Blue.

[Linda Holmes]

She's sick. Got their stomach in her comics.

[Aisha Harris]

I was wondering how you were gonna connect this to pie.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Let me tell you, Aisha, if you've been following me on Instagram, I keep posting videos of me, like, whipping up chocolate, like, kneading dough, all of that to this song because it is smoother than butter. I'm telling y'all right now. If you're like, I don't wanna listen to the GNX album, which you probably should listen to the whole thing. But if you only can have time for one song, check out Dodger Blue from Kendrick Lamar's new album, gnx do it now.

[Aisha Harris]

I love it. That's one of my faves on the album.

[Linda Holmes]

Yes, I love it too. It sounds like pie making music to me.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Yes.

[Linda Holmes]

All right. Thank you very much, Ronald. Aisha Harris, what is making you happy this week, my friend?

[Aisha Harris]

Well, staying sort of in the music lane. If you know me at all, or even a little bit, you know that Stevie Wonder has been a huge part of my life since birth. Basically, he is one of our national treasures. We should all honor him and honor him. This podcast does. I have been obsessed with the wonder of Stevie. It is a audible podcast hosted by Wesley Morris. Here's where I have to insert that Audible is part of Amazon, so Amazon supports NPR and pays to distribute some of our content. End of obligatory comment there. But it's hosted by Wesley Morris and he is an amazing critic. He's at the New York Times. He is one of our foremost thinkers on all things cultural and pop culture related. And in this series he is going in depth into Stevie's imperial era. So basically he's examining the classic albums he released between 1972 and 1976, from music of My Mind to Songs in the Key of Life. And sonically, he's just weaving in so many interesting points and really focusing on these songs and getting into the context of what, like what was happening in the world, what was happening in Stevie's life at the time. He has interviews with Barack Obama, Smokey Robinson, Questlove. The Obamas do. Actually, their Higher Ground company is also a producer on this, so that's why they're involved. But it's just such a great listen. So that is the wonder of Stevie the podcast. And find it wherever you get your podcasts.

[Linda Holmes]

Amazing. Thank you very much. Aisha Harris. This week slate published the 25 most important recipes of the Past Hundred Years. Now, with all such things, please understand it's just 25 important recipes. I don't think it's important to get into the absoluteness of this kind of list. However, with that said, this is a really, I think, pleasurable read. They did a really interesting job, I think, of picking, you know, both things that you might think of as kind of like classic Toll House cookies and Caesar salad and stuff like that. But they've also, I think, tried to come all the way up to very kind of contemporary recipes that people have really gotten into. They talk about the Kenji Lopez alt reverse seared steak, which is one of those things that if you make steak, you will run into as a, as an idea. He helped popularize it. They include Helen Rosner's soup recipe Roberto, which if you are on Instagram and you were to search for like the Roberto hashtag, you would see a whole bunch of people making soup with sausage and beans and greens. And it's because Helen did a really beautiful job at one point of like posting a recipe that's not exactly a recipe. It's like this is sort of how you make this and it's just written in this really friendly, lovely style. And much to my my delight, they included Eric Kim's cookie recipe from New York Times Cooking Gochujang Caramel Cookies, which are they're so good and I was so delighted to see it on there. So that made me happy this week reading all about the 25 most important recipes of the past 100 years, which you can find at Slate. And 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] popculture newsletter that brings us to the end of our show. Ronald Young Jr. Aisha Harris, thank you so much for being here.

[Ronald Young Jr.]

Glad to be here.

[Aisha Harris]

You're welcome.

[Linda Holmes]

This episode was produced by Liz Metzger and Huff Sapathama and edited by Jessica Reedy and Mike Kasif. Hello. Come in. Provides our theme music. Thanks for listening to Pop Culture Happy Hour from npr. I'm Linda Holmes and we'll see you all on Friday.

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