Thanksgiving is almost here, which means it’s time to reflect on what we’re grateful for. Or, at least, try.

If you’ve read any of our other blogs, you’ll know that here at CreativeFuture, we’re actually more comfortable dishing out sarcastic “thank-yous” than warm, honest ones.

Gratitude doesn’t come naturally to us. But, ‘tis the season, so here goes nothing!

This year, we’re thankful for our non-functioning automatic kitchen faucet. We LOVE the fact that it could turn on at any moment, whether we use the handle or simply stand in the same ZIP code as the hyper-sensitive motion detector. Does anyone have the contact information of whoever designed it that way? We want to give them a big HUG! 😊

Next, we’re thankful for our driving skills – a rare and precious gift in Los Angeles, where apparently no one else can read “No Left Turn” signs. Our daily commute has taught us patience, if not outright zen, even as we dodge the left-turn anarchists. In fact, just outside of our office is what appears to be the Bermuda Triangle of fender-benders.

We’re not kidding! This happens, we kid you not, EVERY FEW WEEKS at the EXACT SAME CORNER! What is wrong with people on this corner?!!

Finally, we’re grateful that one of our favorite professional sports teams has been so forgiving toward its head coach. The team’s owners keep paying him millions of dollars and forgiving his … unique coaching strategies. (Full disclosure: the boss made us include this. Apparently, he’s not giving up on the Bears, and neither are we!)

As you can see, gratitude is a journey, and we like to take the scenic route.

Despite this, there’s one holiday tradition that always improves our mood – rounding up amazing works of creativity!

Creation: The Wild Robot

Creatives: Chris Sanders, Peter Brown, Lupita Nyong’o, Kit Connor, DreamWorks Animation

Why We’re Thankful: After crash landing on a forested island, a robot identified as ROZZUM 7134 looks for a function without humans to serve. A newly hatched gosling imprints on the robot, but little in its programming has prepared it to be a mother. Fortunately, the forest’s creatures step up to help their new friend Roz.

Based on the first book in a trilogy by Peter Brown, The Wild Robot is a beautifully animated, funny, and moving fable about the power of relationships to change us. As Roz (Lupita Nyong’o) prepares her son, Brightbill (Kit Connor), to migrate before winter, they both become more than what Man or Nature had intended for them to be. Fair warning – we cried, and you will, too.

Creation: The Fall Guy

Creatives: David Leitch, Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt, Aaron Taylor-Johnson

Why We’re Thankful: Stuntman Colt Seavers (Ryan Gosling) is used to working as the underappreciated double for actor Tom Ryder (Aaron Taylor-Johnson), but new challenges await on the set of “Metalstorm.” The production starring Tom is directed by Colt’s rightfully angry ex-girlfriend, Jody Moreno (Emily Blunt). Unbeknownst to Jody, Tom has gone missing. If Colt wants to find Tom, save Jody’s movie, and perhaps win Jody back, Colt will also need to solve a murder mystery.

This funny yet heartfelt tribute to stunt performers takes inspiration from Glen Larson’s television series The Fall Guy (1981-1986). Director David Leitch knows his subject matter, for he previously did stunts for Brad Pitt and Matt Damon. If you watch Leitch’s Fall Guy this Thanksgiving, you will surely feel grateful for the contributions of stunt performers to the film industry!

Creation: I Saw the TV Glow

Creatives: Jane Schoenbrun, Ian Foreman, Justice Smith, Brigette Lundy-Paine

Why We’re Thankful: Owen (Ian Foreman) and Maddy (Brigette Lundy-Paine), two teenagers from the suburbs, bond over a late-night television show called The Pink Opaque. Its heroines, Isabel and Tara, use their psychic powers to oppose Mr. Melancholy – until the show is abruptly cancelled. Ten years later, Owen (Justice Smith) tries to cope with mundane reality. Maddy still believes that the show was more real than her own life.

I Saw the TV Glow is an allegory for queer experience – Maddy identifies as a lesbian, and various scenes hint that Owen is trans. But since The Pink Opaque offers both the promise of self-affirmation and a dangerous escape from reality, trans writer-director Jane Schoenbrun offers no simple solutions to feelings of alienation. We can’t stop thinking about Schoenbrun’s film – or wondering how stifling realities might be changed.

Creation: The Message

Creatives: Ta-Nehisi Coates

Why We’re Thankful: Ta-Nehisi Coates is a journalist, essayist, novelist, and respected commentator on race in the U.S. He has written articles for The Atlantic, comics featuring Marvel’s Black Panther, a fantasy adventure novel set before the Civil War, and other acclaimed works. This year, he published The Message, a set of essays based on travels to three sites of racial conflict.

In Senegal, Coates reflects on the history of the transatlantic slave trade and the symbolic significance of Africa for the descendants of slaves. Next, Coates takes on the U.S. culture wars by investigating attempts to censor one of his own books, Between the World and Me, in South Carolina. Finally, Coates describes the lives of Palestinians in an essay based on observations made in the Middle East during summer 2023. Read The Message for a great writer’s reflections on how art might make the world a better place!

Creation: Yellowstone

Creatives: Taylor Sheridan, Kevin Costner, Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, Wes Bentley

Why We’re Thankful: Yellowstone came back this month to finish its fifth and final season! We’re excited for the final chapter in the story of the Duttons, a wealthy family of ranch owners from Montana. Although we’ll miss the head of the family, John Dutton (Kevin Costner), we’re eager to watch the Dutton children (Luke Grimes, Kelly Reilly, and Wes Bentley) take their feuds off the rails in the absence of their father.

We have enjoyed this Western soap opera since it aired in 2018. Therefore, we were thrilled when showrunner Taylor Sheridan explored the Dutton family’s history in two prequel series, 1883 and 1923. Now, we’re relishing all the episodes as we anticipate a grand finale.

Creation: Shogun

Creatives: Justin Marks, Rachel Kondo, James Clavell, Cosmo Jarvis, Hiroyuki Sanada

Why We’re Thankful: In seventeenth-century Japan, feudal warlords vie for power after the previous ruler dies, leaving an underage heir. Five govern as a Council of Regents, but each secretly plots to claim the throne. When an English sailor named John Blackthorne (Cosmo Jarvis) stumbles into the political intrigue, the council member Yoshii Toranaga (Hiroyuki Sanada) moves quickly to turn the stranger’s arrival to his own advantage.

We were enthralled by the epic scope, beautiful cinematography, and historical details of Shogun, adapted from James Clavell’s novel by show creators Justin Marks and Rachel Kondo. Sanada, who was not only a lead actor but also a producer, worked diligently to ensure Shogun portrayed Japanese culture authentically. After translation from English into Japanese, the scripts were revised by a Japanese playwright so that they would match the literary style of the period. Thanks to such careful craftsmanship, Shogun earned a record-making 18 Emmys®!

Creation: Fallout

Creatives: Geneva Robertson-Dworet, Graham Wagner, Ella Purnell, Walton Goggins, Bethesda Softworks

Why We’re Thankful: Over 200 years after a nuclear apocalypse, Lucy Maclean (Ella Purnell) emerges from a fallout shelter called Vault 33. What she beholds is the Wasteland, where monsters prowl and human survivors scavenge among the wreckage of 1950s America. If Lucy wants to see her father again, she will need to brave many dangers – most notably, the mutant cowboy Cooper Howard (Walton Goggins).

We never know what to expect from film and television adaptations of video games, but show creators Geneva Robertson-Dworet and Graham Wagner turned the franchise from Bethesda Softworks into a fascinating, action-packed, and often funny television series. You’ll love it regardless of whether you’ve played the Fallout games. If the show inspires you to try one for the first time, Variety recommends Fallout 3.

Creation: Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter

Creatives: Beyoncé

Why We’re Thankful: This year, we enjoyed new music by Sabrina Carpenter, Chappell Roan, Taylor Swift, and Charli XCX. But we were especially fortunate to receive an innovative new album from an artist who has already won a record-making 32 Grammys® and an additional 11 nominations for the 2025 awards! Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter challenged and inspired us all to reimagine country music.

The album’s 27 tracks include both original songs and covers of classics like Dolly Parton’s “Jolene.” The raucous love song “Texas Hold ‘Em” makes us want to leap out of our office chairs and line dance down the hallway, to the horror of employees at the bank near our suite. We can’t wait for the official music videos! More are certain to follow the recently released “Beywatch,” where Beyoncé performs “Bodyguard” while dressed up as Pamela Anderson for Halloween.

That’s our roundup! We hope you will appreciate these works of creativity as much as we did.

Now that we’re warmed up, we’re ready to let go of pet peeves and set jokes aside so that we can express our sincere gratitude to everyone who supported us this year. You know who you are, but we are still going to name some names.

First, we want to thank the guests who traveled with us to D.C. for panel discussions with the Creative Rights Caucus, including filmmakers from Wonka and Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Doris Kearns Goodwin. We also want to thank the creatives who traveled with us not for panel discussions, but to simply advocate on behalf of the millions of people working in the creative industries. (You know who you are!)

Thank you, as well, to the Members of Congress and entertainment industry professionals who joined us for season 3 of our podcast, OffScript with Ruth and Mitch.

We remain deeply grateful to the Congressional Creative Rights Caucus (CRC) for advocating on behalf of the creative community. Special thanks to the CRC Co-Chairs – Representative Judy Chu, Representative Drew Ferguson, Senator Mazie Hirono, and Senator Thom Tillis – who are also our dear friends.

Finally, we want to thank our readers and all the members of our coalition. With your support, we have been able to make a difference in the fight to stem online piracy and save jobs for the creative community.

Until next time, find some creativity wherever you can. Stay safe – and be well!

Happy Thanksgiving!