NBC's new summer event series "Surviving Earth" chronicles the creatures and major changes of the planet over thousands of years — and the impact today. It premieres Thursday June 11th at 8pm (and begins streaming on Peacock the next day). Joining me to discuss the show are VFX supervisor He Sun ("The Lion King") and animation supervisor Joe Tarrant ("Ex Machina").

Reza Memari is the director of the new animated feature "The Last Whale Singer", in theaters nationwide on June 5th. It's about a Humpback Whale named Vincent who, a decade after losing his parents, must find his song in an effort to protect the oceans.

It's my preview of the most anticipated movies of Summer 2026 on WAMC-FM. For the text of this commentary, visit the Jackson Murphy page on WAMC.org. (Aired May 19, 2026)

"Sofia The First: Royal Magic" is the highly anticipated new sequel series to the popular Disney animated program. It premieres Monday May 25 on Disney Jr. and Tuesday May 26 on Disney+. Joining me to talk about this revival are creator and EP Craig Gerber and supervising director Kris Wimberly.

Fellow Critics Choice Association member and iHeart Radio film critic Jason Black ("Jason at the Movies") joins me to preview over 30 major theatrical and streaming releases of the Summer 2026 Movie Season. Find out what we're most looking forward to seeing and what we think will be the biggest box office hits.

Kyle Balda has had a great career in VFX and animation, including directing and co-directing four Illumination features — "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax", "Minions" (for which he was BAFTA nominated), "Despicable Me 3" and "Minions: The Rise of Gru". Now he's the director of the live-action / animated murder mystery family dramedy "The Sheep Detectives", in theaters nationwide this Friday May 8th.

Director Olivia Newman ("Where the Crawdads Sing") shares insights on making her latest film, "Remarkably Bright Creatures" (premiering May 8th on Netflix), including bringing to life the central CG character of Marcellus the Octopus.

Nathan Greno ("Tangled") is the director of the new Skydance Animation feature "Swapped", premiering this Friday May 1st on Netflix. Greno discusses the personal aspects of the story, the importance of the film's nature themes, and working with Oscar-winning star Michael B. Jordan.

He's played some of the most iconic characters in cinema — Gollum, Caesar and King Kong. Now he's the director of the animated feature adaptation of George Orwell's iconic "Animal Farm", in theaters May 1st. Emmy and BAFTA winner Andy Serkis joins me on this LCJ Q&A Podcast episode.

"My Brother the Minotaur" is a new animated series premiering this Friday April 24th on AppleTV. Lorcan is a boy... who also happens to be a minotaur. His younger brother Charlie and their friends join him to learn more about his true self. Joining me are the creative team of Donal Morgan, Dog Ears' Fionnuala Deane & John McDaid, and Cartoon Saloon co-founder and Oscar nominee Nora Twomey.