There are a lot of newsletters out there, but this is our own: Re:Frame has hit a whopping #43 sends (this being the 44th) since we launched in August and the excitement hasn't faded yet. Which is a relief, the aim of this wasn't quite to make another job for ourselves but more so find an outlet for a lot of the animation writing which won't quite find purchase elsewhere. That could be either because it doesn't so much have an "angle" as it does a "vague notion," which is fair enough, but also because people are still figuring out how to talk about animation to a wider audience. This is more specific – you signed up for this – so it's a bit easier. 

But that also doesn't mean I'm taking it easy or that I don't have work here I'm proud of. Quite the opposite! Beyond this, I'm hoping that we can grow our audience a little more (tell your friends!) and maybe work on a way to keep this longterm and more sustainable. More than any of that though, I'm hoping that the good work we've done here can 1) lead to even more interviews and 2) maybe even benefit some other writers too (we've had a couple of guest letters, and I'm very happy with both). Here's to an estimated 104 sends in 2026, including this one! We're moving right along. — Kambole

2025 is done, and with it so too is Re:Frame's first calendar year. Not full calendar year, mind, given we only started this thing up in August, but an accomplishment nonetheless. It's only natural to navel gaze a bit at the start of a new year regardless of the creative medium, and while I'm certainly biased, I couldn't be prouder of the work myself, Kam, and Tous have done in the last four months.

The whole purpose of Re:Frame's existence in the first place was to have somewhere to hang our digital hats, an outlet to publish what we wanted and when under no financial burden or incentive. Between Buttondown's monthly hosting cost, the domain name purchase, and the logo design, trust me when I say we have certainly not made money and we continue to dig the hole deeper. We don't do any sort of paid subscription or affiliate links, at least not yet, in part because of the legal headache that being an actual business entails on top of the professional entanglements it can cause.

We're just out here blogging for now. And the blogs are good. — Rollin

"An inhuman appetite" - an interview with the makers of Vorace, and "La Petite Mort et la Renaissance de 'Vulvine Reine d'Extase'" - an interview with the makers of Vulvine

I've worked with Toussaint and admired his work (and phenomenal taste) for a long time now and so it wasn't a massive surprise how he brought along that same erudition from his former role at [REDACTED]. But also it felt really special to read these two pieces, focusing on two freaky and boundary-pushing gothic animated shorts which I think would escape the attention of a lot of other people. — Kambole

"Going back in (Bullet) Time" and "Boys Go to Jupiter to avoid walk cycles"

Beyond the two already chosen by Kam, these are maybe my favorites from Tous this past year. The Boys Go to Jupiter interview is an early one for us and really set the tone for the kind of work we wanted to do while the Bullet Time spotlight became indicative of what I love most about Tous's work: highlighting something I'd love if only I knew about it. — Rollin

"Let's get physical (media)" and "Where the hell is My KPop Demon Hunters art book"

Not to pigeonhole Rollin as the guy yelling about archiving, ownership and tactile interactions with animation art but also I think his personal examinations of two rather definitive issues of how we engage with media also highlights the fun of this newsletter. It's also illustrative of a simple but valuable quality in Rollin's work here which one day I hope to emulate: to be able to talk so personally about how art has situated itself within one's life. Plus, both pieces are more relevant with each passing day, as Netflix's business practices and attempts to eradicate the idea of home media threaten to become the definitive approaches of American studios. — Kambole

"Delicious in Dungeon's official soundtrack is a meal of its own" and "It's time to abolish streaming jail"

Wow, I really did hammer home on physical media in 2025, didn't I? This wasn't a particularly conscious decision, but it's definitely reflective of how I view the overall landscape of media more broadly — and especially animation. I'm always happy to talk about the benefits of materials you can actually hold in your hand, so I can only imagine 2026 will be similar. — Rollin

"How to Redesign an Animated Batman" 

Our first guest piece! I would credit Eric Vilas-Boas with getting me into writing about animation as often as I do now, having worked with him back at Hyperallergic and now Vulture, so it was nice to show some sort of small reciprocity by hosting this wonderful interview with the legendary Bruce Timm (!) on Batman: Caped Crusader. — Kambole

"To These Knights" 

We had a second guest piece courtesy of Coop Bicknell! Unlike with Eric, who came to us with the piece pretty much already complete, this one we actually worked on from the beginning. The process was a delight, as was the result – a piece which gets at the heart of Knights of Guinevere, which is one of the highlights of the past year in animation. –– Kambole

"Guys Talking Women Wearing Shoulder Pads" ; "The Elephant in the room"; "The Future of Indie Animation"

I'm pretty proud of almost everything I've written for Re:Frame because doing shit for free is no small thing between freelancing gigs, but I'm happy that I've put in effort on stuff I care about. I'm happy I put something in the opening and closing of our first year, but more than anything I'm happy that I get to do this with the guidance and collaboration of two guys I admire a lot – a lot of why I can be proud of this stuff is because of their input. — Kambole

"CITY animates everything, everywhere, all at once" and "Hype moments and fauna"

Beyond what Kam has already highlighted, these are two pieces that represent something I feel he's quite excellent at crafting: crystallizing specific moments or elements into broader trends or themes. He hones in on something small to inspire much bigger thoughts, and both of these are great examples. — Rollin