S1E8: Ratatouille

January 28, 2019

Taylor Gaines and Tyler B. Commons study abroad for the eighth episode of “Natural Selection,” diving deep into the recipe book for 2007’s “Ratatouille.”

For Brad Bird’s counter-cleanliness classic, the guys discuss Pixar’s trademark research trips, pet rats, the late Anthony Bourdain’s opinion of the film, making rats cute, and shooting up your own home. They also talk about the strangest split-second of any Pixar movie, vampire food critics, making a movie about rats and humans where the audience is rooting for the rats, and criticism’s presentation in movies.

Featuring: An exciting update to the Natural Selection rankings and a DRAMATIC READING.

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S1E7: Cars

January 21, 2019

Taylor Gaines and Tyler B. Commons ride the highway of life into the year 2006 on this episode to discuss Pixar’s seventh film, “Cars.”

Before diving into the movie, they discuss the word “literally,” the fact that there are three “Cars” movies, the real-life inspiration for its characters and events, and how close Lightning McQueen was to not having eyes. Later, they go deep on the film’s eternal runtime, Lightning being an asshole, the creepiness of John Lasseter directing “Cars,” how little chemistry the romantic leads had, and why Taylor was insulted by the movie’s portrayal of rural America.

Where will it land in the Natural Selection rankings? Stay tuned to the end to find out!

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S1E6: The Incredibles

January 14, 2019

On this week’s episode, it’s super time for another Pixar classic: 2004’s “The Incredibles.”

Taylor Gaines and Tyler B. Commons break down how the creators of the movie saved Bob, Steve Jobs’ insults, where the director got distracted, incest jokes (?), and a murderers’ row of unbelievable characters. They also marvel at how Syndrome precluded the future of internet culture, amazing bits involving capes and bosses, and what truly makes “Incredibles” great. Stay tuned to the end to find out where it falls in the Natural Selection Pixar rankings.

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S1E5: Finding Nemo

January 7, 2019

On the fifth official episode of Natural Selection, Taylor Gaines and Tyler B. Commons dive into the big blue sea for 2003’s “Finding Nemo.”

They discuss the deep research that went into the film, how the story evolved during the movie’s development, their history with and nostalgia for Nemo’s journey, and how the movie feels in 2019. They also examine the saddest, most animalistic Pixar scene to date, the studio’s most complicated character relationship so far, and praise the incredibly expansive underwater world of the film. And, of course, they rank the movie in the Natural Selection categories to see where it winds up.

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