This episode aired on November 10th, 2025 at 12:00pm.
Most kids have a cartoon that is their absolute favorite. Even if you’re not a kid anymore, you can probably remember what that cartoon was for you. Whether we were watching Adventure Time or Bugs Bunny, we probably weren’t thinking of cartoons as animation or an art form, but they are. They’re a unique form of media and animation is often the first art form that we feel connected to as kids. But animation goes far beyond cartoons. It makes us laugh and cry, it can make us reflect on social issues, it can shed light on sensitive issues that might not be as accepted with realistic live action people, or it might just be weird. On this episode of Media Inside Out, we explore the trends in animation. How is this unique form of media being used to stretch our imaginations and sometimes just wonder? Let’s go inside.
Guests
Ava Haitz
Ava Haitz is a Philadelphia-based artist and educator. They create animation, sculpture, immersive video installations, and interactive books & zines. Ava is a Zine Librarian at The Soapbox Community Printshop and Zine Library as well as a member of both the Philadelphia Animation Ensemble and Davinci Art Alliance. She holds a BFA from the University of Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts and was previously a Project Coordinator and Artist for Mural Art’s Printmaking by the People. Their art practice is focused on building bridges through vulnerability, encouraging play and a belief that a better world is possible. Ava is a founding member and Director of The Philadelphia Animation Festival as well as an artist for Historic Philadelphia’s 52 Weeks of Firsts– a public art project launching in 2026.
Meaghan Dunn
Meaghan Dunn is a South Korean born adoptee, Philadelphia-native traditional animator who co-created the animated tv pilot ‘ A Kitty Bobo Show’ that aired on Cartoon Network. Meaghan is a multimedia instructional designer and animator teaching animation & storyboarding at Philadelphia universities. Meaghan will focus on digital archiving, reviewing & editing submissions for the festival, outreach, & graphic design.
Amy Lee Ketchum
Amy Lee Ketchum is a Philadelphia-based artist, animator, and educator. She creates poetic narratives and abstract worlds in her animations which draw from personal and collective memory, folklore, and dance. Amy is the co-founder of the Animation Ensemble, a Philadelphia collective of animators bonded by a commitment to animation as a fine art and a member of the artist-run exhibition space, Tiger Strikes Asteroid.
This episode we also celebrated our 80th and final episode of Media Inside Out for the semester!
