The Force is wide awake on this week's episode of Mousetalgia as we celebrate everything Star Wars, from past to present. First, we take a look at Disneyland's "Season of the Force," and discuss Hyperspace Mountain, the Star Wars Launch Bay, Star Tours' new trip to Jakku, and various food offerings - and of course, the new merchandise. Then, we welcome Emmy-Award winning writer Jymn Magon to the show to talk about his role in bringing Lucasfilm and Disney together all the way back in 1978 for th...
Dec 20, 2015•1 hr 28 min
This week Mousetalgia reports from Disneyland's Candlelight weekend and brings you a holiday report from both the resort and D23's "Light Up The Season" holiday event on the Walt Disney Studios lot. At the D23 event, guests celebrated the season as they met Sorcerer Mickey, played carnival games, ate in the commissary and watched holiday shorts in the studio theater. Then, we discuss Candlelight weekend at the park, and Kristen talks about the Club 33 Candlelight event - the delectable menu, the...
Dec 13, 2015•1 hr 32 min
Don Hahn joins Mousetalgia this week to talk about a special PBS SoCal show airing on December 17: "Richard M. Sherman: Songs of a Lifetime." Listen in as we talk about Richard Sherman and this television special, developed and produced by Don Hahn, and also discuss Hahn's latest forays into the preservation and celebration of the art of animation. Next, Jeff reports on a WDFM panel discussion featuring Disney Legend Jack Lindquist and the Disneyland Ambassador program, and we learn how the prog...
Dec 06, 2015•1 hr 35 min
Team Mousetalgia offers a Disneyland Paris trip report this week, hitting the major highlights: Phantom Manor and the bride - does the cohesive storyline give this attraction a leg up on its cousin, the Haunted Mansion? Also discussed: the holidays at Disneyland Paris and how the celebrations compare with the American parks; the European atmosphere and cultural differences; and highlights from the theme parks, including Space Mountain, Crush's Coaster, Ratatouille, Pirates - and that Eyvind Earl...
Nov 29, 2015•1 hr 10 min
This week, Mousetalgia takes you behind the scenes at MouseCon, the first annual Northern California Disney fan convention. We share some exclusive conversations with the special guests - Tommy Kirk on Walt Disney, Floyd Norman on WED and the origins of the Haunted Mansion, and C. Andrew Nelson on putting on the mask of Sith Lord Vader - plus we collect some thoughts from fans at the convention. Then, Dave and Becky report on Disneyland Paris, and offer their first-hand account of Disney's respo...
Nov 22, 2015•1 hr 9 min
Mousetalgia ushers in the Disney holiday season this week with a conversation with Emmy Award-winning writer and director Kevin Deters, who joins us to talk about his Prep and Landing television shows. Deters talks about the show's characters and the other classic holiday television offerings that helped inspire Prep and Landing. Then, Jeff talks about a pair of talks from the Walt Disney Family Museum that hosted director Brad Bird and legendary animator Eric Goldberg. Bird spoke about Walt Dis...
Nov 16, 2015•1 hr 9 min
Mousetalgia gets Muppety this episode, as Kristen visits the Henson Studios in Hollywood with the Disneyana Club and reports from the event. Built in 1917 by Charlie Chaplin, the Henson Studio lot packs in the history, and Kristen shares some of her experiences and some moments from the trip, including Lisa Henson's talk about her father Jim, his early career, and how he related to his most famous creation, Kermit the Frog. Also, we go to the email inbox and answer some listener questions, inclu...
Nov 08, 2015•1 hr 1 min
Mike Van Eaton from Van Eaton Galleries joins Mousetalgia to talk about "Collecting Disneyland," their upcoming Disneyana auction, to preview some of the most outstanding pieces and to discuss the state of collecting memorabilia from Walt Disney's original theme park. Then, Barbara Burnett Brock returns to the show to share some insider tales of being a Disneyland Tour Guide. Barbara talks about the holidays at Disneyland, some of the perks of being a Tour Guide, her experiences traveling as a D...
Nov 01, 2015•1 hr
Double double, toil and trouble, broilers burn and cheese will bubble.. but this is no time to be ordering In-N-Out, because Mousetalgia's Trick-or-Treat Smorgasbord is waiting to be sampled! Recipes both fair and foul, tales aimed to make you howl, secrets hid from prying eye, and audio that makes you cry! Features include: Disneyland's earliest Halloween Time plans unveiled (hayrides and leaves falling on Main Street!) A Halloween Trivia Challenge! Monstrous music - and so much more! Plus, Che...
Oct 25, 2015•1 hr 1 min
Mousetalgia reports on "Disney's Mid-Century Modern - to the World's Fair and Beyond," a panel discussion held at the Walt Disney Family Museum with Garner Holt's Bill Butler, historian Alan Hess, and historian Bill Cotter, the preeminent expert on the World's Fairs. The panelists discussed the influence of modern design on Disney's mid-century productions, including Disneyland and the 1964-65 World's Fair. Clean lines, contemporary material and modern sensibilities influenced both Disney's arti...
Oct 18, 2015•1 hr 5 min
Disneyland admission prices - how does the increased cost reflect on the park and its community? We share some thoughts from Disney expert Jeff Kurtti, and share our own reactions to the recent annual pass price increases at the Disney parks. Plus, Mousetalgia reports on Halloween Time - the tricks, the treats, and the differences from years prior. From Pumpkin Flan to Banana Fritters, we discuss which seasonal treats were worth trying, and which didn't pass Kristen's taste test. From fall-flavo...
Oct 12, 2015•1 hr 28 min
It's a week of Mousetalgia book reports! First, Lynn Barron and Ken Pellman, authors of "Cleaning the Kingdom: Insider Tales of Keeping Walt's Dream Spotless" join Mousetalgia to talk about their new book, which is all about the duties and experiences of the custodial team at Disneyland. Discover the perks to working as a sweeper, the best lands to keep clean, meeting Disney Legends, walking through attractions... and what happens when guests throw up in the park. Then, Disney historian and auth...
Oct 04, 2015•52 min
Let's talk CHOC: it's not too late to get involved with the 2015 CHOC Walk in the Park, the time-honored fundraiser coming to Disneyland Resort Oct. 11. Zach Abrams from CHOC joins us to talk about the upcoming event and describes some of the features of this 25th anniversary stroll through Disneyland before it opens to the public. Then, we hear a detailed description of the first Jungle Cruise Sunrise Safari Breakfast hosted at Disneyland Park, which provided a few lucky guests the chance to ea...
Sep 27, 2015•1 hr 6 min
Team Mousetalgia discusses "American Experience: Walt Disney," and we offer our first impressions and questions - then we welcome Disney historian Joseph Titizian back to the show for a balanced critical perspective on the documentary from a friend of the Disney/Miller family. Titizian discusses new information from the Walt Disney Archives on Walt's own words about his childhood and his relationship with his father; the truth about Lilian Disney; Walt's feelings about Snow White and the Academy...
Sep 20, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Mousetalgia jumps to the Outer Rim this week to talk about Star Wars Land, and we offer our take on the recent news about the planned 14-acre galactic space port. We discuss how guests will enter the land, and wonder "What about Star Tours?" We compare the "orange crates" from 2013's D23 Expo (which suggested upcoming Tattooine-based attractions) vs. the current plans for an unknown planet. Kristen still wants Star Wars out of Disneyland altogether, and we ponder whether Marvel is destined for D...
Sep 13, 2015•1 hr 7 min
This week, Mousetalgia offers an Emporium of topics, including: More D23 Expo tales from the floor, including an encounter with Dick Van Dyke and Kim Possible; a review of the new Disney Animation "Short Films Collection" on Blu-ray; a return to the Lucasfilm theater for a presentation from Disney Legend Tony Baxter and Imagineer Josh Shipley on Vintage Disneyland; and a conversation with Pixar animator Mike Wu. Wu discusses his years at Walt Disney Feature Animation during the studio's second g...
Sep 06, 2015•1 hr 32 min
Join Team Moustalgia on another in-depth look at the 2015 D23 Expo, including a closer look at the Walt Disney Archives exhibition and a few of the panels and presentations. First, we talk about "Disneyland: The Exhibit," an extensive display of memorabilia, props and ephermera from Disneyland's 60 year history. We also have exclusive commentary on the exhibit from Disney Legend Tony Baxter and Walt Disney Archives Director Becky Cline. Next, Dave and Kristen talk us through the "Magic Behind th...
Aug 30, 2015•1 hr 35 min
Join Team Mousetalgia on a tour of the floor of the 2015 D23 Expo, where we'll examine the various pavilions and attractions scattered throughout the enormous biannual Disney fan convention. We take a look at the various queues, and examine the StagePass and StorePass systems D23 has in place to attempt to ease the pain of standing in lines. We'll visit the Disney Dream Store, Mickey's of Glendale, and the Disney Store to see what went right in retail, and what went wrong. We visit the Imagineer...
Aug 23, 2015•1 hr 36 min
Team Mousetalgia answers your email this week as we recover from the D23 Expo weekend. Topics include: places to find a drink at the resort; the best way to search the Mousetalgia archives; Haunted Mansion Holiday facts; the Disneyland Legacy Collection CD set discussed; CV Wood's Heritage Square; "When You Wish" - a Disney stage show currently performing in Utah; D23 - is the gold membership worth the cost; a listener reviews DCA's "Disney Calfornia Story Tour"; touring Disneyland through the e...
Aug 16, 2015•1 hr 5 min
This week, Team Mousetalgia offers some Expo prep as we welcome Kevin Kern from the Walt Disney Archives to the show to discuss the Archives exhibit at this year's D23 Expo, and what you can expect to see at the exhibit. Kern also talks about his role at the archives, as well as his work helping to develop the presentations to occur on the Archives stage at the D23 Expo. Next, we welcome author and historian J.B. Kaufman back to the show to talk about Walt Disney Records/Fairfax Classics' latest...
Aug 09, 2015•1 hr 11 min
Walt Disney's fascination with steam locomotives takes center stage this week as Mousetalgia visits Walt's Barn in Griffith Park to learn more about Disney's love of trains. From his childhood chasing trains in Marceline, through his home steam engine at Carolwood, to the trains his studio built for the Disney parks - you'll get a crash course on why Walt was so moved by the notion of live steam from docent Doug Marsh from the Carolwood Society about Disney's trains and the current exhibition at...
Aug 02, 2015•1 hr 16 min
Visit to Disneyland on July 17, 2015 with Jeff and Kristen as they report from the park on its 60th birthday with location recordings as well as thoughts about the day. We listen in on Michael Colglazier's speech, visit New Orleans Square to catch Queenie and the Royal Street Bachelors, and even catch the new Disneyland Band in one of its first day performances. Also - Kristen does a rain-soaked VIP Tour, Jeff attends a D23 panel with a host of Disney Legends to learn even more about Disneyland'...
Jul 26, 2015•1 hr 30 min
Join Team Mousetalgia live from the Pacific Northwest Mouse Meet as Jeff and Kristen report on the annual event. First, take a tour of the show floor and experience the Mouse Meet from the guests' perspectives, then go behind the scenes with Mousetalgia and special guest Imagineer Joe Herrington, and Disney voice artists Mark Silverman, Margaret Kerry and Pete Renaday. Joe Harrington talks about creating soundscapes and audio for some of the parks' most beloved attractions, and the voice panel d...
Jul 20, 2015•1 hr 24 min
Happy 60th, Disneyland! Team Mousetalgia offers our advice for dealing with the crowds at Disneyland on its 60th birthday, and then we take a look back at Disneyland's origin story to see how different (and similar) things were back in 1955. We'll take you back to opening day (when four-person-wide lines stretched a mile down Harbor Boulevard) on a brief tour of the original attractions that are no longer with us. Learn why the New York Times called the park "everything exciting and wonderful to...
Jul 12, 2015•1 hr 5 min
Everything D23 Expo: This week, Mousetalgia talks to Kristin Rodack, a director with D23, to learn more about the upcoming D23 Expo to be held at the Anaheim Convention Center August 14-16. Get tips and hints straight from the source as we learn about some of the magic in store for Expo attendees. StagePass, StorePass, the massive Hall D23, and the Expo floor are all examined and explained. Plus, we get personal and describe our goals and thoughts about the weekend - Kristen hopes for a single s...
Jul 05, 2015•1 hr 8 min
Jeff does Disneyland's Diamond celebration and reviews the Matterhorn updates, Paint the Night, World of Color - Celebrate, the T Party Diamond Edition - even breakfast at Flo's. Also, Disneyland goes 101: How much downtime is acceptable for new attractions and effects? We also discuss new merchandise, summer trip planning, and more! Plus, Mousetalgia attends Fathom Events' "Insider Access to Inside Out," and we discuss the nationwide event, then Mousetalgia reviews the groundbreaking film. Also...
Jun 28, 2015•1 hr 31 min
Team Mousetalgia shares Disneyland travel tips and more in this week's listener email show. Topics include: Disneyland's 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration; using Fast Passes at Disneyland; tips on visiting Aulani from an Oahu resident - including comments on the weather, eating offsite, taking day trips and more. Also - confessions of a self-labeled Disney hater; The Running of the Hoods is explained in detail; Disney World regulars have questions about an upcoming trip to Disneyland regardin...
Jun 21, 2015•1 hr 2 min
Pixar's Pete Docter and Jonas Rivera appeared at the Seattle International Film Festival to introduce "Inside Out," and Kristen reports from the screening and discusses the filmmakers' inspirations, motivations, and obstacles that were overcome in the making of Pixar's latest film. Jeff reviews "Animation Anecdotes," a book by Disney historian Jim Korkis, and TEA reports that while Disneyland's attendance dipped in the first part of 2015, profits continued to rise. What does the future hold for ...
Jun 14, 2015•1 hr 13 min
Author and historian J. B. Kaufman joins Mousetalgia this week to discuss Pinocchio, Walt Disney's second animated feature film. Our conversation covers the Disney adaptation's diferences from Carlo Collodi's original Italian morality tale, Walt's vision for the film and his unique characters, and Kaufman's new book, "Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic." Learn about Walt's struggle to create the story adaptation, the film's anthropomorphized characters, and the different animation styles a...
Jun 07, 2015•1 hr 6 min
Are diamonds anyone's best friend? Disneyland launches its spectacular Diamond anniversary with a 24-hour party at the parks which was by turns fun, chaotic, thilling and frustrating to the tens of thousands of guests who descended on the Anaheim resort on May 22. Team Mousetalgia welcomes Beci Mahnken, owner of Mouse Fan Travel, to the show to report on her experiences at the media preview, the 24 hour party, and the grand opening of Disneyland's new 60th anniversary nighttime spectaculars, inc...
May 31, 2015•1 hr 40 min
