Ep. 745: Disneyland's Happiest Haunt Tour, Something Wicked This Way Comes, Tron: Ares

Happy Halloween! On this week's special spooky episode, Jeff welcomes Julia back to the show to discuss a few frightningly fun topics, starting with Jeff's review of Disneyland's new Happiest Haunts Tour ("The Villains' Trail"), and we look at the new features for this year and compare it with tours in years past. Then, we discuss Ray Bradbury and his relationship with both Walt Disney and the Disney Company, including a closer look at The Halloween Tree, his book that inspired the Halloween Tree in Frontierland. We also dive into "Something Wicked This Way Comes," Bradbury's cult-ish film produced by Walt Disney Productions in 1983 and we look at its inspiration, the story of its production, its genre (horror? Dark fantasy?), and its place in horror story culture. Finally, we give a quick review of Tron: Ares, while wishing it was doing better at the box office. 

This week, Jeff welcomes music editor, conductor and arranger Shawn Degenhart to the show to discuss his book "Walt Disney's Cinderella in Full Score," a huge tome which celebrates the history of Cinderella with essays, images, lost songs and that incredible score. Degenhart also shares about his experience working on a Sherman Brothers musical. Plus - Jeff gives a collectibles update, we talk about collecting and framing artwork, Jeff reports on a talk by historian Michael Campbell at the Walt Disney Family Museum about Walt's trains - and more!

This week, Jeff and his pals Julia and Tina talk about 70th birthday week at Disneyland - and what an eventful week it was! Jeff was on property Monday through Friday and has a plethora of reports and reviews, and Tina and Julia were at the resort much of the week as well, so we have a lot to talk about. Jeff's family utilized Lightning Lane Premier Pass for their first full day in the parks, and Jeff reviews the experience, the value, and the important questions to answer before you consider this pricey option. We all were able to watch "Walt Disney - A Magical Life," and we break down the controversy surrounding this brand new show which features an Audio-Animatronic Walt Disney, and offer our own reviews of the attraction. We all also tried the latest version of the World of Color dessert party, and we review the dessert experience as well as the latest World of Color show, "Happiness." All this - and more! I'd love to hear from you! To contact Jeff, email [email protected].

In this week's loaded Mousetalgia, Jeff welcomes former Skipper and Mansion Maid Emma Mosier back to the show to discuss the past 7 decades of Disneyland. We also welcome two special guests this week: Andrea Roberts joins us to talk about her father, Larry Lifchis Roberts, who was an Imagineer with MAPO who worked directly with Walt Disney on Audio Animatronics for Disneyland; and Genevieve Buchanan joins us along with her grandmother Yvonne, who is a Disneyland '55er (an original employee from Disneyland's opening year.) Yvonne worked for Disneyland before the park even opened and shares some stories. Plus - we review the Disneyland 70th walking tour ("A Story of Celebration,") and we have a Haunted Mansion moment. 

This week, we take a look at the collapse of Elio at the box office and discuss the circumstances that may have led to its failure to grab family movie-goers, and then Jeff (and wife Julia) offer our own review. Plus, Jeff welcomes Kurt Pfeifer back to the show to talk about his role developing the interactive elements in the Walt Disney Family Museum's ongoing Mary Blair exhibit; and Jeff gives a recap of a celebration of 70 years of the Jim Henson Company held on the Lucasfilm campus.  Stay tuned for our super-special DIsneyland 70 episode coming July 13! Reach us at [email protected].

This week, Jeff invites Julia Layne and Tina Biles to the show to discuss the recent D23 Gold Member preview tea and preview of "Mary Blair: Mid Century Magic" at the Walt Disney Family Museum. We also talk about our Star Wars Day adventures at the LEGO Store and at a special orchestral performance by Alphabet employees, and Jeff takes a deep dive into the "problem" with Mary Blair. Keep in touch - [email protected].

Welcome to the Return of the... Mousetalgia potpourri! This week, Jeff and guest co-host Julia Layne welcome the first week of May with some Star Wars talk, including a review of Disneyland's Season of the Force (29:00) and the new show "Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga." We also talk about a new exhibit coming to the Walt Disney Family Museum (15:35) called "Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic," and discuss some of the latest things we've been watching (shout out to Bluey!) Jeff also gives a brief Knott's Berry Farm trip report (35:35), and welcomes Chris Merritt back to the show to discuss his new book "Knott's Bear-y Tales: The Complete History of the Whimsical Attraction" (49:55). We talk about the history of the ride, the story of '70s Knott's, and how Rolly Crump developed the story of the beloved experience. Contact us at [email protected]

Ep. 738: Don Hahn and Chris Merritt on Disneyland at 70, authors and historians on Snow White '25 This week, Imagineer Chris Merritt and Disney producer and director Don Hahn join Mousetalgia to talk about "The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney's Disneyland," their upcoming book scheduled to be released to celebrate Disneyland's 70th birthday (8:55). They discuss Disneyland's origins, its place in popular culture, some of the people you might not know who were important to the park's beginnings, and the things that will set this book apart from your other shelf of other Disneyland books. Then, Jeff will share some public social media postings about Snow White (2025) which outline some of the historical controversies which have been brought into the spotlight about the creation of the animated classic (1937) (53:50). Contact us at [email protected]

This week, Tina and Julia from the Pal Around Podcast join Jeff to talk about the new Snow White live action film starring Rachel Zegler. Jeff caught an early screening and discusses this much-debated release from the Walt Disney Company. We talk about the music - old and new, the changes from the original animated classic to create a new story, those animated dwarfs, and the new film's possible impact on the public perception of Disney remakes. Then, Julia and Tina talk about "Directing at Disney: In Conversation with Director Brenda Chapman and Historian Mindy Johnson" at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Brenda opened up about her career in animation, both for Disney and outside of the company, and shared stories about her collaborations, her history in the industry, and creating and co-directing Brave for Pixar. 

This week, Jeff welcomes special guest Violet Bird to the show to talk about her recent holiday Disneyland road trip with her husband and their 5 children. Violet shares some anecdotes and stories about her trip, with tips for a successful family vacation inserted along the way. Then, Jeff talks about Sleeping Beauty in honor of the 66th anniversary of the film, and ponders the work Maila "Vampira" Nurmi did to help create the character of Maleficent. Plus - Ron Howard signings... and more.