This month, I made a new friend! John Morena joined me to talk all the most taboo topics: religion, and the tristate pizza wars.

Morena is a Bronx-born animator and art director, currently living in Brooklyn. His films have been selected by such prestigious festivals Annecy, Ottawa, Hiroshima, Anima Mundi, Animafest Zagreb, and the International Children's Festival. He is currently working on an anthology piece Films for No One which you can keep stay up-to-date with on Instagram.

Links to points of discussion:

• Di Fara Pizza
• Creepshow 2
• Animation Speak/Easy
• Alphabet by David Lynch
• I'm Okay by Elizabeth Hobbs
• Martina Scarpelli
• Area 52 by John Morena
• 25 Ways to Quit Smoking by Bill Plympton
• Your Face by Bill Plympton
• Beauty in the Grime: An Interview with Independent Animator John Morena by ASIFA-East

The Animator's Friend is hosted by India Lombardi-Bello, an animation educator at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. In this new series, India creates a platform where animators get to talk about themselves outside the context of their work. A questionnaire format, inspired by the 24 frames per second of animation, allows for lighthearted and unexpected conversation.

Credits:

• Recorded and edited by India Lombardi-Bello
• Produced in part with facilities provided by SVA MFA Computer Arts
• Music by Crankin' Cloutmeyer Evans
• Design and branding by Sawyer Rippon
• Special thanks to Lisa LaBracio for recommending John Morena, Jose Vargas, Michael Dondero, and Nikolas Fortune Hagen