The Mouse Castle Lounge Podcast: Disney News and Interviews, Cocktails and Conversations (Entertainment)
Disney news and interviews, cocktails and conversation. Join hosts Tim Callaway and Anthony Reynolds as they take an irreverent look at all things Disney. Then listen to the MCL’s legacy episodes (2012-2018) as Tim talks with Disney artists, Imagineers, animators, authors and even a few Disney Legends about Disney movies, music, books, television, theme parks and history. From Mickey Mouse to Moana, Disneyland to Walt Disney World, Pinocchio to Pixar, it's always good times and great conversations.

Tim and Anthony review "Jungle Cruise," then take a hard turn into the "Pirates of the Caribbean" and "Jumanji" movies. They also discuss Disneyland's new Magic Key program, Scarlett Johansson's fight with Disney over "Black Widow," and Walt Disney World's upcoming Galactic Starcruiser experience.

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Direct download: MCL_081121.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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What do "Jungle Cruise" starring Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt and the Titanic have in common? Hopefully, not a lot, other than Tim and Anthony talk about them both on today's episode. They also review "Behind the Attraction" on Disney+ and discuss Disney moving 2,000 jobs from California to Florida. 

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Direct download: MCL_072821.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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Star Wars Visions is a new anime anthology series coming to Disney+. Tim and Anthony share their thoughts on it, but not before they bitch about every little change that's happening at Disney theme parks. Also, PCH Grill and Steakhouse 55 are closing at DLR and RunDisney events are returning to Walt Disney World.

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Direct download: MCL_070621.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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For a Disney podcast, Tim and Anthony spend a lot of time talking about Universal Orlando this week. Anthony shares his recent Florida trip including his first ride on VelociCoaster. Also, Scarlett Johansson is making a Tower of Terror movie. Does Steve Guttenberg know (or care)?

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Direct download: MCL_062921.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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Avengers Campus is now open at Disney California Adventure. Is it living up to expectations? Also, Tim and Anthony preview "Loki" on Disney+ and discuss an upcoming "test cruise" on the Disney Dream in Florida to verify Disney Cruise Line is COVID compliant. 

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Direct download: MCL_061121.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:00am PDT
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Anthony has Arby's for lunch while he and Tim talk about "Cruella" with Emma Stone and Emma Thompson (but not Emma Watson) and "Jungle Cruise" with Dwayne Johnson and Emily Blunt. They also share updates on Avengers Campus at Disneyland and take a look at a new Haunted Mansion-themed bar in Oregon. 

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Direct download: MCL_052821.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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It's a cruising episode as Tim and Anthony talk about the upcoming Star Wars-themed Galactic Starcruiser coming to Walt Disney World, and Disney Cruise Line's new ship, the Disney Wish, which will set sail from Port Canaveral in Florida starting next year.

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Direct download: MCL_052121.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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Tim and Anthony discuss whether or not Disney "woke" culture is a bad thing, an Oscar ceremony that was both memorable and forgettable, and an upcoming biopic about Muppet creator Jim Henson.

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Direct download: MCL_042821.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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Tim and Anthony celebrate their 100th podcast episode together with cocktails (of course) and more talk about Disneyland's reopening. Plus, Pixar's Soul bags seven Annie Awards and Marvel releases a new trailer for Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings.

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Direct download: MC_042021.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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Tim and Anthony are back, talking about what to expect when Disneyland reopens at the end of the month. Also, Anthony expresses his undying love for Universal Studios and Tim shares the story of how he should have ended up in Disneyland Jail.

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Direct download: MC041321.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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Tim Callaway and Anthony Reynolds did a thing...five years after they did their last thing together. The Mouse Castle is back (sort of).

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Direct download: MC_040521.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 11:00am PDT
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EDITOR'S NOTE: After posting this interview with Denise Chamberlain, I was contacted by Mary Blair's niece, Maggie Richardson, contesting information in the interview. In an e-mail, Maggie told me Denise is not a blood relation of Mary Blair, never met her, and does not represent the Blair family. I contacted Denise for comment, and she confirmed her relationship to Mary was through Denise's uncle, who married Mary's niece, Jeanne, when Denise was a child. Denise still contends that when she was young, she met Mary at various parties and family functions, and still considers Mary her "great aunt," even if not by blood.

Not clarifying Denise's actual relationship to Mary Blair in the interview was an oversight on my part and I apologize for the confusion. Maggie has asked me to delete the podcast and all related materials due to the inaccuracies she is claiming. I have declined, 

What follows is the podcast's show notes as originally posted.


To say Denise Chamberlain has art in her blood…is a pretty accurate statement. Her great aunt, Mary Blair, is a Disney Legend whose distinct artistic style influenced classic Disney animated films like Cinderella, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland as well as perhaps her most famous work, the Disney park attraction It’s a Small World.

Growing up, Denise got to know Aunt Mary and continues to feel her influence even now, 40 years after Mary’s death. Denise is a successful painter and muralist whose work can be seen throughout Colorado and via her website at MagicBrushArts.com. She joins us today to share stories about Mary Blair and talk about the impact art has had on her life. Denise Chamberlain is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-29-2018.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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David Marley is a historian with a PhD from George Washington University, but that's not important today. What matters is for four years he was a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland! In 2016, he wrote Skipper Stories: True Tales From Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise, which contains dozens of interviews with fellow skips past and present. It's an insightful and often very funny look at one of Disneyland’s most popular attractions. The book has proven so popular that volume two of Skipper Stories will be out later this year. David is going to share some of those stories with us today, so remain seated and keep your hands and arms inside the boat at all times. And don’t worry about that tiger that can jump over 20 feet. We’re 19 feet away—he’ll pass right over us. David Marley is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-16-18.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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Tammy Tuckey is living the dream. Tammy is a singer, actress and lifelong Disney fan who has just recorded and produced a musical album called You'll Find Me On Main Street. a collection of Tammy's favorite songs from Walt Disney World. It's an eclectic mix of tunes ranging from "Two Brothers" from The American Adventure to "Tomorrow's Child" from Spaceship Earth to "The Great Outdoors" from The County Bear Jamboree Vacation Hoedown. Tammy has a great voice and an obvious love of the material. The passion she brings to the project makes You'll Find Me On Main Street the Disney cover album you need to download right now.

Recording the album gave Tammy the opportunity to work with some of the original artists who created the songs for Disney. They include singer Ali Olmo ("Two Brothers"), fiddler Byron Berline ("The Great Outdoors") and the vocal group Sounds of Blackness ("Celebrate the Future Hand in Hand"). In The Mouse Castle Lounge today, Tammy talks with Tim about what it was like to make the album, what songs you can and can't get permission from Disney to record, and what it takes to get Bob Iger's attention.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-08-2018.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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The Mouse Castle Lounge is back! We’ve pulled the dust covers off the furniture and restocked the bar. And Tim is happy to welcome back a good friend of The Mouse Castle Lounge. He is a prolific author, especially when it comes to Disney history. His books include The Vault of Walt Series, The Secret Stories of Walt Disney World series, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South and The Book of Mouse. His latest book is Call Me Walt: Everything You Never Knew About Walt Disney. Ladies and gentlemen of Team Mouse Castle, we’re back! So please welcome our guest, Jim Korkis, to The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-01-2018.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00pm PDT
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The Mouse Castle Lounge has been absent for a few months. Tim explains where he's been and what lies ahead.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge11-01-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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Comic-Con International kicks off Thursday in San Diego and I will be there along with Team Mouse Castle and about 150,000 of our closest nerdy friends as we pack the San Diego Convention Center. It will be my first visit ever to Comic-Con, and I'm super excited to finally be a part of all the craziness. I’m also super excited about my guest today, a gentleman who will co-host a presentation at Comic-Con at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. He’s one of the previsualization supervisors with Halon Entertainment, Tefft Smith. Tefft will be joining visual effects editor Ed Marsh to present “Feed Your Head: The VFX of Alice Through the Looking Glass.”

Halon Entertainment is a visual effects studio in Southern California that specializes in motion picture previsualization—and what that is, I’m going to let Tefft explain. Halon has done effects work on an impressive list of films including Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Jurassic World, Ghostbusters, Tomorrowland, and Birdman. Their most recent collaboration with Disney, Alice Through the Looking Glass was a visually stunning return to Wonderland, directed by James Bobin and starring Johnny Depp, Mia Wasikowska and Helena Bonham Carter. To tell us all about that experience, as well as his best advice on how to survive Comic-Con is Tefft Smith, my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-20-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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A few weeks ago, we previewed the Collecting Disney auction with Mike Van Eaton from Van Eaton Galleries. This past weekend, over 700 items of Disney history and memorabilia went under the hammer at this successful auction event. Two of those items were a sweater and a pair of mouse ears that belonged to Disney Legend Annette Funicello. Proceeds from the sale of those items went to benefit the Annette Funicello Research Fund for Neurological Diseases.

Annette founded the Research Fund in 1993 to research the cause, treatment and cure of Multiple Sclerosis and other neurological diseases. In 1987, Annette had been diagnosed with MS, a chronic and often debilitating disease that attacks the central nervous system. Annette had the most severe type of MS, which eventually left her unable to walk or to speak. In 2013, Annette passed away at the age of 70 from the complications of MS.

Her legacy, however, will always be that of an actress, singer and eternal Mouseketeer. At the age of 12, Annette was the last child cast for Walt Disney’s original Mickey Mouse Club TV series in 1955. Fueled by her talent, good looks and girl-next-door charm, Annette’s popularity quickly skyrocketed, and soon she was receiving more than 6,000 fan letters per month—an astounding figure in a pre-Internet age. She appeared in numerous other Disney TV and movie projects, including Zorro, The Shaggy Dog and Babes in Toyland.

In the mid-1960s, her Disney contract behind her, she appeared in a series of popular “Beach” movies with singer Frankie Avalon. In 1965, Annette married talent agent and casting director Jack Gilardi, gradually distancing herself from show business to raise a family. The couple divorced in 1981. In 1986, Annette married her long-time friend, rancher and horse-trainer Glen Holt, who I’m happy to say is with us today in the Lounge. Glen was married to Annette until her death and helped care for her throughout her illness. Theirs is a story of great love, friendship and courage in the face of adversity. Also joining us today is Dave Mason, the director of development with the Annette Funicello Research Fund. Prior to the Van Eaton Galleries Disney auction, the three of us talked about how Annette’s personal items are benefitting the Research Fund, but most importantly, we talked about Annette herself: her life, legacy and place as one of Disney’s most iconic stars. We’re remembering Annette Funicello today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge06-21-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:00pm PDT
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It’s always a pleasure when Mike Van Eaton from Van Eaton Galleries drops by the Lounge, because that means he’s got some really cool Disney stuff up for auction. Today is no different. Now through June 17, you can visit Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California and see their Collecting Disney collection, over 700 items dating back to the earliest days of Mickey Mouse in the late 1920s. The collection includes over 40 years-worth of Walt Disney Studio related merchandise and collectibles. The items are priced for all budgets and tastes, so you can bid $50 on a vintage Sword in the Stone book all the way up to $60,000 for a complete set of studio office furniture. And there are plenty of other surprises in the collection, I guarantee. Of course, if you can’t make it to Sherman Oaks, you can still see the entire collection online at www.vegalleries.com. The entire collection goes up for auction on June 18.

Please welcome Mike Van Eaton, my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

The Mouse Castle Lounge has been nominated for a People’s Choice Podcast Award. And we are super excited about it, but we really need your support. People’s Choice means podcasting fans choose who wins, so you can show your support of The Mouse Castle Lounge by going to www.podcastawards.com and casting your vote for us the Society-Culture category. You can vote once per day every day now through June 12 and we would really appreciate it if you did. Thank you so much for being part of Team Mouse Castle.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge06-02-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 3:00pm PDT
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Long before Walt Disney World opened--and later closed—an elaborately themed entertainment district, there was a Pleasure Island. Before Six Flags operated a hillside full of thrill rides in Southern California, there was a Magic Mountain. These theme parks were nothing like their contemporary namesakes and their lifespans were frustratingly short. But, along with their often-forgotten sister park, Freedomland in New York, they hold a special place in theme park history and provide a direct line connecting the game-changer that was Disneyland with Universal, Six Flags, Disney and other popular theme parks of today.

In March, historian Todd Pierce was my guest in the Lounge and he told us about C.V. Wood, the colorful entrepreneur who was instrumental in the design and development of Disneyland. My guest today, Robert McLaughlin, picks up where Todd left off. Because, after departing Disney, it was C.V. Wood and his company that designed the Disneyland-wannabe parks of Magic Mountain in Colorado, Pleasure Island near Boston and Freedomland in New York. They were ideas that looked great on paper, but fell short dramatically when it came to financing and attendance. They were pretty good for what they were, but they were no Disneyland.

Bob has written books about all three of these theme parks and his latest, Magic Mountain, was just released by Arcadia Publishing. Please welcome Bob McLaughlin, my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-26-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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So you want to be a Disney historian? A lot of peple aspire to the title, even though it doesn't pay well--if at all--and pretty much no one is going to hire you to fill the job vacancy of "Disney Historian."

Still, it's a noble field with many esteemed names, a number of whom it's been my pleasure to welcome to The Mouse Castle Lounge: Jim Fanning, Sam Gennawey, Didier Ghez, J.B. Kaufman, Jeff Kurtti, Todd Pierce and Paula Sigman Lowery. And those are just the people who have contributed to Jim Korkis' new book, How to Be a Disney Historian. It's a collection of tips, tricks and anecdotes about the world of Disney history research. It's an incredibly useful and informative book even if Disney history isn't your thing, because there's plenty of advice about writing and research in general, regardless of your particular topic of interest.

Jim Korkis is a great friend of The Mouse Castle Lounge and it's always a pleasure to have him as my guest. The lengthy list of Disney history books Jim has written includes The Book of Mouse, Secret Stories of Walt Disney World, and four volumes of his Vault of Walt series.

Today, Jim shares with us his best advice on how to become a Disney historian and what separates the contenders from the pretenders. Together, he and I tell our own real life stories about how to make an interview go horribly wrong. Please welcome Jim Korkis, my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-17-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:00pm PDT
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For the first time in way too long, the Food and Wine Festival has returned to Disney California Adventure. It’s going on this month every Friday, Saturday and Sunday ending on May 1st. It’s a celebration of the tastes of California and an opportunity to sample an assortment of beverages and tasty treats you can’t otherwise find at DCA. You can eat and drink your way from Carthay Circle to Paradise Pier at 8 different Festival Marketplaces, plus there are a number of beverage seminars and culinary demonstrations happening throughout the event.

In Hollywood Land, they’ve set up a celebrity kitchen. For $99 per person you can enjoy presentations by famous chefs like Andrew Sutton, Guy Fieri, Keegan Gerhard, G. Gavin and Graham Eliot--and no, not all those presentations are sold out yet. You can find out more by visiting https://disneyland.disney.go.com/events-tours/disney-california-adventure/food-and-wine-festival.

Last weekend, Team Mouse Castle dropped by the Food and Wine Festival and, oh yes, we sampled as many culinary offerings as we could. Saturday night, we all got together at Napa Rose inside the Grand Californian Hotel and shared our thoughts about Food and Wine, how it compares to similar past events at DCA and especially how much of a value it is for guests. Team Mouse Castle overindulges in food and wine—what could possibly go wrong? 

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-09-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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There’s been a lot written about the birth of Disneyland and how Walt’s eponymous theme park emerged from the Anaheim orange groves in the 1950s. We’ve all heard the myth-making official version: Walt visualizing his dream from a Griffith Park bench, the struggles to finance Disneyland, the struggles to build it, and especially the chaotic, near-disastrous opening day. But, have we ever really gotten the complete story? Disney historian Todd James Pierce sets out to do that in his fascinating new book, Three Years in Wonderland: The Disney Brothers, C.V. Wood, and the Making of the Great American Theme Park.

Todd’s book digs deep to chronicle the evolution of Disneyland from its humble early concept as a family park adjoining the Walt Disney Studios to its ultimate success as a one-of-a-kind themed destination. Along the way, we meet the people who made Disneyland a reality: Walt and Roy Disney certainly, but also an often overlooked character, C. V. Wood, or “Woody” as he was known to his friends. Woody was Disneyland’s first general manager and a key player in the park’s development. He was a shrewd and energetic entrepreneur, but also a charlatan of questionable ethics. His approach to business would help guarantee Disneyland’s success, but would also ensure Wood’s personal downfall with the Disney brothers a mere six months after grand opening.

Todd spent nine years researching his book, with much of the content culled from more than 150 interviews. He’s an English professor and co-director of the creative writing program at Cal Poly University. A long-time Disney fan, Todd is a contributor to the Disney History Institute website as well as the Walt’s People book series. He’s published a number of fiction and non-fiction works that have nothing to do with Disney and you can find out more about them at his website, www.ToddJamesPierce.com.

Please welcome Todd Pierce, my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-22-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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A few weeks ago, it was my pleasure to have filmmaker Pamela Tom in the Lounge to talk about her documentary Tyrus, the story of Chinese-American artist and Disney Legend Tyrus Wong. Last Thursday, I had the opportunity to finally see Tyrus on the big screen. The film opened CAAMFest, an annual film festival in the San Francisco Bay Area that supports and celebrates Asian art and culture.

It was a delightful evening, with the screening held at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre. It was followed by a gala at the Asian Art Museum. On display at the event was an 80-year old watercolor masterpiece by Tyrus Wong called "Chinese Jesus." It depicts an ethereal Christ-like figure floating in a partially clouded sky. For decades, the painting was thought to have been lost, only to be rediscovered a few years ago stashed away in a San Francisco church. The painting came full circle on March 9, when, during a ceremony designating the day as “Tyrus Wong Day” in San Francisco, Tyrus Wong, at 105-years old, signed the painting.

Last Friday, since I was in the neighborhood, I dropped by the Walt Disney Family Museum and spent time with Michael Labrie, the museum’s director of collections. In 2013, Michael curated Water to Paper, Paint to Sky an exhibition of Tyrus Wong’s work. In our conversation, Michael and I talked about Tyrus, as well as a contemporary of Tyrus’s at Disney, Mel Shaw. Mel is the subject of a current retrospective at the Museum, Mel Shaw: An Animator on Horseback

After talking with Michael, imagine my surprise to run into none other than Tyrus Wong at the Museum. He was the guest of honor at a member event later that evening, but he had arrived early to take in the Mel Shaw exhibition. We only chatted briefly, but as always, Tyrus was charming, good humored and an absolute pleasure to talk with.

CAAMFest runs through March 20, so if you’re in the San Francisco Bay Area this week, I highly recommend seeing one of the many fascinating films screening during the festival. In fact, the Walt Disney Family Museum, in celebration of Tyrus Wong, is showing Bambi this Saturday and Sunday. Plus, you can catch an encore showing of Tyrus at the New Parkway Theater in Oakland also on Sunday. For times and ticket information, visit caamfest.com/2016/schedule.

Michael Labrie is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-16-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 4:00pm PDT
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I first learned about Scott Zone from a recent article in the Orange County Register detailing his 20-year association with the Walt Disney Family Foundation and the Disney family. Through Scott’s work as a film archivist, he has restored and preserved 18 hours of home movies shot during Walt Disney’s lifetime. That in itself is an interesting topic of conversation. But, when I finally sat down to talk with Scott, I quickly learned that his Disney connection is just a small part of his successful career in the motion picture industry, a career that Scott began as a special effects cameraman on The Empire Strikes Back and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

Scott also has close ties to the Golden Age of Hollywood. His Aunt, Beryl Wallace, was the headline performer at the Earl Carroll Theatre, a renowned supper club on Sunset Boulevard in the 1930s and 40s. It was a Hollywood landmark with a 20-foot high neon portrait of Beryl proclaiming, “Through these portals pass the most beautiful girls in the world.”

Scott and I met at the Off Vine Restaurant, not far from where the Earl Carroll Theatre used to be. This converted craftsman-style home also has a connection to Beryl Wallace and Earl Carroll, but I’ll let Scott explain that story. It’s Walt Disney, Star Wars and Old Hollywood with my guest Scott Zone in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-05-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 2:00pm PDT
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This week, Team Mouse Castle didn't make our usual trek to the red carpet in Hollywood to preview the Academy Awards. We found a pretty suitable substitute venue though, Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. Give a listen to Christi Andersen and me for our annual vague and highly suspect predictions on who will win at Sunday's Oscars.

Joining us will be Carolyn with an award-worthy edition of Adventure Thru Liquid Space. What are you wearing? Who cares? What you're drinking on Oscar night is what really matters.

Here are the major categories we'll be taking a stab at on today's show. We apologize in advance for how you score on your Oscar pool.

Best Picture

The Big Short

Bridge of Spies

Brooklyn

Mad Max: Fury Road

The Martian

The Revenant

Room

Spotlight


Best Actor

Bryan Cranston, Trumbo

Matt Damon, The Martian

Leonardo DiCaprio, The Revenant

Michael Fassbender, Steve Jobs

Eddie Redmayne, The Danish Girl


Best Actress

Cate Blanchett, Carol

Brie Larson, Room

Jennifer Lawrence, Joy

Charlotte Rampling, 45 Years

Saoirse Ronan, Brooklyn


Best Supporting Actor

Christian Bale, The Big Short

Tom Hardy, The Revenant

Mark Ruffalo, Spotlight

Mark Rylance, Bridge of Spies

Sylvester Stallone, Creed


Best Supporting Actress

Jennifer Jason Leigh, The Hateful Eight

Rooney Mara, Carol

Rachel McAdams, Spotlight

Alicia Vikander, The Danish Girl

Kate Winslet, Steve Jobs


Best Animated Feature

Anomalisa

Boy and the World

Inside Out

Shaun the Sheep Movie

When Marnie Was There


Best Animated Short Film

Bear Story

Prologue

Sanjay's Super Team

We Can't Live without Cosmos

World of Tomorrow

Chris Rock hosts the Oscars on ABC Sunday, February 28 at 4:00 p.m. PT. 

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-26-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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Tyrus Wong is a Disney Legend. Though his time at the Disney Studios was brief—only three years from 1938-1941—his contributions there were profound. It was Tyrus’ artistic vision that gave Disney’s Bambi it’s lush impressionistic forest backgrounds, a look that still influences and inspires artists and animators nearly 75 years after the film’s release.

Tyrus’ work on Bambi represents only a small portion of his life’s prolific artistic output. Tyrus was part of the “Orientalist” art movement popular in the U.S. in the 1930s. After leaving Disney, Tyrus would spend over 25 years at Warner Bros. as a production illustrator and concept artists on such films as The Sands of Iwo Jima, Rebel Without a Cause, Harper and The Wild Bunch. He designed menus for restaurants and greeting cards for Hallmark. Today, at 105 years old, he still creates art, most notably ornate kites that he flies once a month on the beach at Santa Monica.

Two and a half years ago, I had the pleasure of meeting and speaking with Tyrus Wong for an episode of The Mouse Castle Lounge. We were at the opening of an art exhibition at The Walt Disney Family Museum--Water to Paper, Paint to Sky—that celebrated Tyrus’ life’s work. Our interview remains one of my all-time favorites as I was charmed by the man’s modesty, good humor and immense talent. It was also at this exhibition where I first met filmmaker Pamela Tom, who was in the middle of shooting a documentary about Tyrus. Today, that film is complete and Pamela is my guest.

Her film, appropriately titled Tyrus, is a moving and inspiring story of a man who overcame the hardships of poverty and racism to succeed as both a popular and fine artist. Completing this film has been a labor of love for Pamela as she met Tyrus Wong and conducted her first interview with him over 15 years ago.

Pamela is an award winning producer and director who has been involved with numerous film projects on PBS including WW2: Behind Closed Doors, Wired Science and the short film Two Lies. She is a respected educator who has taught at UC Santa Barbara, Loyola Marymount and UCLA Extension. 

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-21-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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After 3 ½ years, two full seasons and 40 episodes, Disney XD’s Gravity Falls is about to air its final show—and we're a little bummed by this. Gravity Falls is our favorite thing on Disney television right now, ranking right up there with Phineas and Ferb, another great Disney animated series that came to an end.

The summer adventures of Dipper and Mabel Pines at their great uncle Stan’s Mystery Shack in the Oregon backwoods has been consistently funny, irreverent, exciting and even a little sweet. There have been mysteries solved, monsters defeated and life lessons learned in a show that is as entertaining for kids as it is for adults.

The show’s final episode, “Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back the Falls,” will air on Disney XD Monday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. In it, we'll find out the fate of the Gravity Falls townsfolk at the hands of Bill Cipher, the one-eyed, triangle-shaped being from another dimension hell-bent on ruling—and possibly destroying—the entire known universe. It’s going to be fun, really.

This week, Tim attended a press event in Burbank with some of the cast and creative people of Gravity Falls. On hand was the show’s creator and voice of Grunkle Stan, as well as the lovable handyman Soos, Alex Hirsch. Joining him were the actors who voice Dipper and Mabel Pines, Jason Ritter and Kristen Schaal. And finally, we heard from the composer of Gravity Falls' catchy, mysterious and whimsical music, Brad Breeck.

Drew Taylor with the Disney Insider moderated the panel discussion, which was followed by questions from the press. Alex, Jason, Kristen and Brad shared their favorite moments from the show, how the Gravity Falls characters developed and grew, and why it made sense to end the series when they did.

Adventure Thru Liquid Space

In a move inspired by Garry Apgar, our guest in the Lounge last week, Tim challenged our resident mixologist Carolyn to devise a cocktail worthy of Mickey Mouse's arch-nemesis Black Pete. We're happy to report she came through with flying colors (or maybe she was just Plane Crazy).

Black Pete

1 1/2 oz. Scotch
1/2 oz. Cherry Heering
1/2 oz. Ramazzotti Amaro
1 1/2 oz. Coca Cola

In a shaker, combine the Scotch, Cherry Heering, and Ramazzotti, fill with ice, and shake to chill. Strain into an ice-filled rocks glass. Top with Coke. Garnish.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-13-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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It’s our pleasure to welcome back Garry Apgar to The Mouse Castle Lounge. In 2014, Garry compiled the book A Mickey Mouse Reader, an impressive collection of essays and articles spanning more than 80 years that bore witness to the immense popularity of Mickey Mouse and the impact Walt Disney’s creation had on popular culture. Garry revisits the eternal mouse once again in his latest book, Mickey Mouse: Emblem of the American Spirit. It’s a worthy companion to A Mickey Mouse Reader and an educated and thoughtful study--in words and pictures--not only of Mickey’s life within the Walt Disney Studios, but also his ever-evolving presence as a uniquely American cultural icon.

After Tim's conversation with Garry, stick around for a new segment in the Lounge with our friend Carolyn. She knows a lot about cocktails and is going to start sharing her wisdom with us on a regular basis. Mickey Mouse and booze, what could be better? They're all in today's episode of The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-06-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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In our last show, historian Sam Gennawey and journalist Mark Eades shared their thoughts about Disneyland’s upcoming Star Wars Land expansion. We had some lively conversations and after the dust settled, Mark stuck around. He’s back today to tell us about his fascinating career, not only in his current role as multimedia reporter with the Orange County Register, but also as a 20-plus year veteran at the Walt Disney Company.

In 1972, Mark started out bussing tables at the River Belle Terrace at Disneyland before becoming a ride operator in Tomorrowland. After graduating from college, he interned at the Walt Disney Studios and eventually worked his way into WED Enterprises, later known as Walt Disney Imagineering. Mark had his hand in developing attractions for the openings of Epcot and Tokyo Disneyland, attractions that included Magic Journeys and Horizons. He worked on the Circle-Vision 360 film American Journeys for the Magic Kingdom and researched the use of motion simulators for what would become Star Tours.

Mark left Disney and a few years after that, began working at the Orange County Register. He’s now a multimedia reporter for the Register and Disneyland is his beat. Today, Mark shares with us what it was like to be inside Disney Imagineering and what you can learn by camping out on Main Street U.S.A. for an entire day. Mark Eades is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-28-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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Star Wars Land is officially under construction at Disneyland. This week, to make way for the 14-acre addition to the park’s northwest corner, several sections of the park were closed—some temporarily, some permanently. The Rivers of America will be drained and rerouted, resulting in a shorter trip around a smaller Tom Sawyer Island. That project will take at least a year, which means no Mark Twain, no Columbia, no canoes, no island rafts and no Fantasmic! during that time. The Disneyland Railroad will also take a hiatus so the track around the river can be reconfigured. Big Thunder Ranch and the Big Thunder BBQ: gone forever, their footprints expected to become the gateway to Star Wars Land.

What will we get when the dust finally settles? The largest single-themed land expansion in Disneyland history, featuring two E-ticket attractions: one that puts you in the middle of a battle between the First Order and the Resistance, another that puts you behind the controls of the Millennium Falcon.

The changes don’t come without controversy, though. While many hail the arrival of a galaxy far, far away at the Happiest Place on Earth, others are less than enthusiastic, feeling this is a sea change that alters the very core of what makes Disneyland Disneyland--what my first guest, Disney historian Sam Gennawey, calls the park’s historic DNA. I spoke with Sam a week ago, when guests were still clamoring for one final float around the river and one final grand circle tour. I also spoke with multimedia reporter Mark Eades with the Orange County Register. Mark has written extensively about Disneyland and is a former Imagineer himself. He knows his stuff.

Sam Gennaway and Mark Eades offer two distinct viewpoints about what may be the most significant expansion in Disneyland history. They’re my guests today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-15-2016.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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When you know as much stuff about Disney history as Jim Korkis does, you get asked a lot of questions. Sometimes it’s pretty basic like “When did Disneyland open?” Other times it’s more obscure like “When did Mickey Mouse start wearing gloves?” Then there’s the question that’s totally off the wall like “How much does Walt Disney World weigh?” No, really, someone asked him that once.

By the way, the answers are July 17, 1955, in the 1929 cartoon The Opry House, and haven’t got a clue. But, I digress.

Jim is back in the Lounge once again, finishing up a conversation we started last week. We heard all about his latest book, Secret Stories of Walt Disney World. Today, we take a look at his other recent publication, The Vault of Walt: Volume 4. Jim always has terrific stories to tell about Disney. Today is no different.

Earlier this month, I took a trip up to the San Francisco Bay Area and paid a visit to my friends at the Walt Disney Family Museum. I finally got to see their special exhibition Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination. By all means, go see it. It runs through January 3. While I was there, I was also invited to drive an hour down the road to San Jose to visit the Winchester Mystery House. Now, unless you’ve lived in the Bay Area, like I once did, you may not be familiar with the Winchester Mystery House. It’s a sprawling Victorian mansion in San Jose once owned by the widow Sarah Winchester. Sarah’s late husband, William Winchester was heir to the Winchester firearms fortune. Sarah was quite well off financially.

In 1884, Sarah purchased an unfinished farmhouse in the Santa Clara Valley and commenced adding onto it--for the next 38 years. At the time of Sarah’s death in 1922 the house spread over six acres and contained 160 rooms, 2,000 doors, 10,000 windows, 47 stairways, 47 fireplaces, 13 bathrooms, and 6 kitchens. Why Sarah kept building all those years remains a mystery. Was she distraught over the deaths of her husband and a daughter in infancy? Did she believe that continually building would somehow appease evil spirits? Was she just a kindly woman who chose to spend her money supporting local builders, carpenters, landscapers and artisans? Whatever the reason, the continuous construction resulted in a labyrinth of rooms and hallways, staircases running into ceilings, doorways leading to nowhere and all manner of building oddities.

You can still tour the house today and marvel at its mind-boggling construction and design. Visit during the holidays and you can see the house decorated in Christmas finery with over 20 custom designed Christmas trees. On select nights you can enjoy, like I did, the Spirit of Christmas with carolers, festive beverages and holiday treats. Don’t be surprised if you see some snow fall too. Here to tell us more about the Winchester Mystery House is Janan Boehme.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-20-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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We are just days away from the release—finally—of Star Wars: The Force Awakens, the seventh episode in the Star Wars saga and the first since Disney plunked down $4 billion to buy Lucasfilm and its assorted intellectual properties. It’s been ten years since we saw a new Star Wars film in theaters and—let’s be honest—32 years since we saw a really good one. The Force Awakens comes with ridiculously high expectations from older fans who grew up with Star Wars as well as generations of younger fans gearing up for the next wave of new Star Wars films that will be coming out every year until at least 2019.

No pressure, but the future success of the franchise really hinges on how good a film director J.J. Abrams delivers this week. Certainly $100 million in advance ticket sales and early positive reviews aren’t hurting The Force Awakens one bit. We’ll see if the fan base embraces it as well. I’m catching it Thursday night and I cannot wait. I especially can’t wait until you see it so we can have dorky conversations without worrying about spoilers.

Anyway, flashback to Monday night for this special edition of The Mouse Castle Lounge. We are eavesdropping on the red carpet on Hollywood Boulevard for the world premiere of Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Now, in the annals of Hollywood world premieres, this ranks up there as one of the biggest if not the biggest ever. The red carpet stretched about four blocks—a quarter of a mile—in front of the El Capitan, Dolby and Chinese theaters, all three of which screened the film for celebrities, invited guests and lucky fans. The majority of the red carpet was covered by tents which housed an after-party following the screenings. It was an epic night for the latest installment of the epic Star Wars saga and we’re about to hear from the cast right now in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-16-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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This week, the Walt Disney Studios in Burbank unveiled and rededicated the restored office suite of Walt Disney. It was a painstaking labor of love by Disney studio employees and archivists to recreate Walt’s office exactly as it appeared at the time of his death. It was authentic down to the actual furniture and personal items that were there in 1966. On hand for the dedication were Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger, Walt’s granddaughter Joanna, and Disney Legends Richard Sherman and Dave Smith. We’ll be hearing from all of them in today's show.

Before that, though, we welcome the return of Disney historian Jim Korkis to the Lounge. Jim is a meticulous researcher and a marvelous storyteller and his two most recent books, Secret Stories of Walt Disney World and The Vault of Walt: Volume 4, belong in your collection, as do Jim’s many other books. Please welcome Jim Korkis, Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-11-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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On December 17, PBS SoCal will air the musical special Richard M. Sherman: Songs of a Lifetime. It’s a one-hour studio performance by the songwriter and Disney Legend. Just him, a piano, and a few friends to sing along. It celebrates the decades-long musical collaboration that was the Sherman Brothers and it’s certain to include tunes from such classic Disney and non-Disney films like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and so many others.

Richard M. Sherman: Songs of a Lifetime is produced by Tim's guest today, a gentleman who’s also made significant contributions to the Disney legacy. Don Hahn’s producer and executive producer credits include Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, The Emperor’s New Groove, Waking Sleeping Beauty, Frankenweenie, Maleficent, and the Disneynature films Oceans and African Cats. Don is a respected author, whose latest book, Before Ever After, recounts in exquisite detail the history of the artists’ training program at the Walt Disney Studios in the 1930s and ‘40s. Don is also a tireless supporter of preserving animation and film history. You know, someone should probably give him an award for that. Don Hahn is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-04-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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Disney is returning to the Pride Lands for a new Disney Channel animated series based on The Lion King called The Lion Guard. The series itself will get underway in January, but you can get your first look at the next generation of Lion King characters when The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar debuts on Disney Channel on November 22 at 7:00 p.m. It’s a one-hour movie that introduces us to Kion, the second-born son of Simba and Nala—if you’ve ever seen the direct-to-video Lion King 2: Simba’s Pride, you might recall Kion already has an older sister, Kiara.

Kion is tasked with forming the Lion Guard, a group of young animals responsible for protecting the Pride Lands. And while the Lion Guard has traditionally been an all-lion team, Kion opts to include a variety of animals with their own special strengths. So you have Bunga, a brave honey badger; Ono, an intellectual egret; Fuli, a confident and very fast Cheetah; and Beshte, a good-humored and well-connected hippo.

The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar is voiced by a mostly youthful cast, but there are some returning veterans. Just as he did in the original Lion King, Ernie Sabella will voice Simba’s loyal warthog friend Pumbaa and James Earl Jones will be heard once again as Simba’s wise father Mufasa. Simba is voiced by The Grinder’s Rob Lowe and Gabrielle Union provides the voice of Nala.

On Saturday, I got to hang out at the Walt Disney Studios for the premiere of The Lion Guard: Return of the Roar and chatted with members of the cast, including Max Charles, Joshua Rush, Dusan Brown, Atticus Shaffer, Ernie Sabella, Eden Riegel, Sarah Hyland, Madison Pettis, Jonny Rees and Khary Payton. They are all my guests today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge11-17-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:00pm PDT
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If you’re a collector of rare and unique Disney memorabilia, or even if you just want to see some pretty amazing stuff, November is the perfect month for you. There are two auctions scheduled for later this month that you really need to check out. On November 21, Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California, is auctioning off a massive assortment of Disneyland items, some dating back to the park’s opening in 1955. This is the second time this year that Van Eaton Galleries has had a Disneyland auction of this magnitude. Looking for a Space Mountain ride vehicle? They’ve got one. A Skyway bucket? Yep. How about a PeopleMover car? Tim might fight you for that one.

This auction isn’t just big-ticket items either. There are plenty of more affordable things like Disneyland brochures, menus, ticket media, park guides and maps to satisfy any collector’s curiosity. All told, there are over 800 items in the collection.

Also this month, the auction house Bonhams is partnering with Turner Classic Movies to present Treasures from the Dream Factory. It’s a collection of nearly 400 items of movie memorabilia, with some pretty amazing pieces like Judy Garland’s dress from The Wizard of Oz, a replica Rosebud sled from Citizen Kane and an authentic golden ticket from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. For Disney fans, though, the prize of this collection is an assortment of original signed photos of Walt Disney taken in Europe during his Red Cross service at the end of World War I. Included among these items is a scrapbook of signed cartoons drawn by Walt around the same time. It’s believed that never before have this many items with this much historical significance in Walt’s early life ever been sold at auction. Not surprisingly, they come with a heavy price tag too. The photos are priced as high as $60,000 each and the scrapbook between $250,000 and $300,000. It will surprise no one if these items end up selling significantly higher.

Joining Tim in the Lounge today from Bonhams is Catherine Williamson, director of entertainment memorabilia. Following her we’ll hear from Mike Van Eaton with Van Eaton Galleries. It’s all about history, auctions and vintage Disney collectibles today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge11-08-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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MCL 10-23-2015 - Disney Author and Historian Jim Fanning, 'The Disney Book'

You’d be hard pressed to find a more prolific Disney writer than Jim Fanning. For over 30 years, Jim has written countless articles for publications ranging from Disney News to Disney Magazine to Sketches to Disney twenty-three. He’s contributed stories to The Hollywood Reporter, Disney Newsreel and Persistence of Vision. His work internally at Disney has spanned nearly every division including Feature Animation, Home Video, Publishing, Interactive, Online, Educational, Character Voices, Disney Stores and Consumer Products. Not bad for a kid who started his career at Disney in the mail room.

Jim has written a number of books and his latest is a compendium of Disney history called The Disney Book: A Celebration of the World of Disney. It reads like a greatest hits package, spotlighting the many watershed moments of Disney animation, live-action film, television, theme parks and merchandising. It takes us from Walt’s humble beginnings as a cartoonist and animator in Kansas City all the way to the gargantuan construction of the Walt Disney Company’s latest resort enterprise, Shanghai Disneyland.

Pretty much everything in the book is the glossed-over “official” version of Disney history, which is unsurprising given the book was published by DK, an official licensee of Disney. Nevertheless, it’s an enchanting read with plenty of photos and artwork that serve as a perfect introduction for those new to Disney, and a nostalgic reminder to the rest of us of how Disney magic hooked us in the first place. Today, Jim talks about the creative efforts it took to bring The Disney Book to life, the many Disney Legends he’s gotten to know over the years, and why some of his projects you may never quite understand. Jim Fanning is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge10-23-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 3:06pm PDT
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MCL 10-16-2015 - Disney Historian Didier Ghez, 'They Drew as They Pleased'

Disney historian Didier Ghez is once again paying a visit to the Lounge—this will be his fourth time. He just can’t get enough of us.

It’s always a pleasure to have Didier on the show and today he’s here to talk about his latest project, They Drew as They Pleased, a book series celebrating the great concept and story artists of Disney’s past. 

Before an animator begins to work magic with a character, he or she draws inspiration from the sketches and designs of concept artists. The Disney Studios set the standard for this artistic collaboration beginning in the 1930s, bringing aboard major talents such as Albert Hurter, Ferdinand Horvath, Gustaf Tenggren and Bianca Majolie. Didier’s first volume shines the spotlight on these artists, whose influences can be seen in numerous Mickey Mouse and Silly Symphony short cartoons of the era as well as feature films like Snow White and Seven Dwarfs, Pinocchio, and Fantasia.

Much of the art Didier has compiled comes from rarely seen private collections or from deep inside the vaults of the Disney Animation Research Library. It’s a genuine treat to be able to see them publicly for the first time. Just as fascinating are the book’s biographical notes, which give a compelling look not only at the talent and temperament of the artists profiled, but also insight into what it was like to work for Walt Disney at the beginning of the studio’s first golden age. We cannot recommend They Drew as They Pleased enough and we cannot wait to see what the future volumes hold.

Here today to talk as he pleases is Didier Ghez, Tim's guest in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge10-16-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 7:07pm PDT
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MCL 10-03-2015 - Tom Sito, Part Two, and the CHOC Walk in the Park

For over 50 years, the Children’s Hospital of Orange County has provided state of the art pediatric care to children throughout Southern California. Walt Disney himself was among the many community leaders who championed the need for an area children’s hospital in the early 1960s and helped make it a reality. CHOC Children’s, as it’s known today, has grown from a 62-bed children’s hospital into a complete pediatric health care system with numerous facilities serving multiple counties. CHOC Children’s has been recognized nationally for both its critical care and nursing excellence.

Each year, the Disneyland Resort partners with CHOC Children’s to put on the CHOC Walk in the Park, the largest single pediatric fundraising event in the country. It’s a three-mile stroll through Disneyland, Disney California Adventure and Downtown Disney that draws thousands of participants annually. Since 1990, the CHOC Walk has raised over $24 million to support the health and well-being of children. Joining Tim in The Mouse Castle Lounge today is Zach Abrams, director of special events and corporate relations for the CHOC Children’s Foundation. He’s going to tell us everything we need to know about this year’s event coming up on October 11th.

Before we get to Zach, though, Tim wraps up part two of his fascinating conversation with author, historian and former Disney animator Tom Sito. Last week, Tom shared stories about his memorable animation career, where he worked alongside many of the greats including Richard Williams, Shamus Culhane, Art Babbitt, Glen Keane and Eric Goldberg. Tom appeared recently on the PBS American Experience documentary “Walt Disney” and last week he talked at length about the documentary and its portrayal of Walt, his life and his legacy. Tim and Tom pick up that part of the conversation by looking at one of more persistent—and false—rumors that continues to dog Walt Disney’s reputation. 

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge10-03-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:51am PDT
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MCL 09-27-2015 - Author, Historian and Disney Animator Tom Sito, Part One

Tom Sito has devoted his life to creating animation and preserving the animation profession’s rich history. Tom was an animator and story artist at Disney during the studio’s second golden age, contributing his talents to classic films such as Who Framed Roger Rabbit, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin and Pocahontas. In the years that followed, Tom spent time at both DreamWorks Animation and Warner Bros. His credits at those studios include The Prince of Egypt, Antz, Shrek, Osmosis Jones and The Looney Tunes Movie.

Tom served three terms as president of the Hollywood Animation Guild and his fascination with union history, particularly the 1941 Walt Disney Studios strike, resulted in Tom’s 2006 book Drawing the Line: The Untold Story of the Animation Unions from Bosko to Bart Simpson. Tom is a former vice president of ASIFA/Hollywood, the International Animated Film Society, and in 2010 he received one of the organization’s highest honors, the June Foray Award, in recognition of his significant lifetime contribution to the animation industry.

Tom is currently professor chair of the School of Animation and Digital Arts at USC and he recently appeared in the PBS American Experience documentary, Walt Disney. Tom is a consummate storyteller and in part one of our two part conversation, he shares with us some of the highlights of his animation career. Tom Sito is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge09-27-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:39pm PDT
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MCL 09-19-2015 - 'The Muppets' on ABC and 'The Emperor's New Groove'

Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Fozzie Bear, Gonzo the Great, the whole gang is back for a new show on ABC. The Muppets premieres this Tuesday at 8:00 p.m. And the thing that has us really excited about the show is it’s taking the behind-the-scenes antics that were part of the original Muppet Show and bringing them up to date. So, instead of seeing what goes on backstage while the Muppets desperately attempt to put on a theatrical review, we get to see what goes on behind the scenes as the Muppets attempt to produce a night-time TV talk show, Up Late With Miss Piggy.

 

The Muppets is a reality show—well, as much of a reality show as a show about the Muppets can be. It comes complete with handheld camerawork, celebrity guest stars, and intimate one-on-one conversations with the cast. In fact, we’re going to get a little taste of that in today's show. Joining Tim today are some of the cast of The Muppets, starting with the green guy himself, Kermit the Frog.

 

 

On Monday, September 21st, one of our favorite modern-era Disney animated films is going to be celebrating its 15th anniversary with a special screening at the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood. The Emperor’s New Groove will be shown at 7:00 p.m. and will be introduced by an esteemed panel of artists: the film’s executive producer Don Hahn, director Mark Dindal, producer Randy Fullmer and screenwriter David Reynolds. In May of last year, Don Hahn was Tim's guest in The Mouse Castle Lounge and among the many things they talked about was The Emperor’s New Groove. Return with us, if you will, to that show and hear what Don had to say about this extremely funny, irreverent and unlikely fan favorite.

For our friends in the Los Angeles area, tickets are still available to see The Emperor’s New Groove on the big screen (and Don Hahn and Mark Dindal and Randy Fullmer and Mark Reynolds). Just call 1-800-Disney6 or visit www.ElCapitanTickets.com. The doors open at 6:00 Monday night and the screening starts at 7:00. We highly recommend you get there early for trivia, a costume contest and a whole lot more. 

 

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge09-19-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 3:49am PDT
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MCL 09-11-2015 - 'Walt Disney' Producer and Director Sarah Colt

Nearly 50 years after his death, Walt Disney continues to fascinate us. A giant entertainment and media company that he co-founded thrives under his name, and dozens upon dozens of fansites, blogs and podcasts—including this one—exist because of what Walt created: a universe of fantasy and adventure where wishing on stars makes dreams come true and anything is possible with a little faith, trust and pixie dust. While many respect, even idolize Walt, he wasn’t without his detractors—no one who achieved as much success as he did is beyond reproach. For all his talent, creative vision and charisma, he could also be stubborn, short-tempered and distant. In other words, human.

 

Much has been documented of Walt’s myriad accomplishments in animation, live-action film, television and themed entertainment. That’s the easy part. More complicated is understanding what made Walt tick. What fueled his ambitions? Was his true nature that of the avuncular host TV viewers saw every week, or did he just use it to hide a deeper, darker persona? Many a historian and researcher has attempted to answer these questions with varying levels of success. Filmmaker Sarah Colt is the latest person to join the conversation. Her four-hour documentary, Walt Disney will air over two nights September 14th and 15th on PBS as part of the network’s American Experience series.

 

Sarah has worked in public television for nearly twenty years. She’s an Emmy Award winner whose directing and producing credits include the documentaries Henry Ford and The Polio Crusade, both for American Experience. In their conversation today, Tim and Sarah talk about how her Walt Disney project came to be and how she managed to make her film with the cooperation--but without the interference--of the Walt Disney Company. We also explore Walt Disney’s legacy and discuss how best to judge his 20th century persona through a 21st century filter. Sarah Colt is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge09-11-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:43pm PDT
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MCL 09-04-2015 - Disney Legend Bill "Sully" Sullivan, Part Two

We hope you're having a great Labor Day weekend. Tim is at the Disneyland Resort this weekend, not only for Force Friday--did you get any cool Star Wars Merchandise?--but also here for the 10th anniversary of the Disneyland Half Marathon. His guest in the Lounge today has nothing to do with either of those events, but you're really going to like him. He's Disney Legend Bill "Sully" Sullivan and you're going to hear part two of Tim's conversation with Sully about his nearly 40 years with Disney.

 

Sully started out as a ticket taker on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland in 1955 and finished his career in 1994 as vice president of the Magic Kingdom in Florida. Between those times, he got to know both Walt and Roy Disney. He worked at the Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley in 1960 and the New York World's Fair in 1963 and '64. Last week, Sully told us much about those adventures and in part two of our conversation, he picks things up in October 1971 as Walt Disney World is closing in on its Grand Opening.

 

Sully also shares some of his fondest memories of both Walt and Roy, as well as the day he got the biggest surprise of his career: the letter from Michael Eisner telling him he'd been named a Disney Legend. It's part two of Tim's conversation with Sully Sullivan in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

 

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Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:34pm PDT
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In the summer of 1955, William “Sully” Sullivan got a job at Disneyland, just days after he watched the park’s grand opening on television. It was the beginning of a career with Disney that lasted nearly forty years. Sully started out as a ticket taker on the Jungle Cruise before becoming a Jungle Cruise skipper. And that was just the beginning. Sully moved up the ranks at Disneyland, with side trips to the 1960 Winter Olympics in Squaw Valley and the 1964-65 World’s Fair in New York. He got to know both Walt Disney and Roy Disney. He even met his future wife in Adventureland. Sully ended his career as vice president of the Magic Kingdom in Florida, and in 2005 was named a Disney Legend.

 

In his memoir, From Jungle Cruise Skipper to Disney Legend: 40 Years of Magical Memories at Disney, Sully talks about the many adventures he had during his lengthy career, and he’s going to share a few of them with us today. In part one of our two-part conversation Sully tells us about Walt, the early days of Disneyland, and the four principles that guided Sully throughout his career. Sully Sullivan is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

 

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge08-28-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:19pm PDT
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MCL 08-21-2015 - Inside the Disney Marketing Machine, the Walt Disney Hometown Museum and the Walt Disney Birthplace

Another D23 Expo has come and gone. Hopefully you caught our slightly inebriated recap of the festivities on Inside The Mouse Castle. Today, we’re going to sit down in the Lounge with some of the people who were part of the Expo. Tim's got Kaye Malins and Peter Whitehead with the Walt Disney Hometown Museum in Walt’s boyhood home of Marceline, MO. They’re going to talk about their ambitious fundraising efforts to restore the Midget Autopia, which was relocated from Disneyland to the city of Marceline in 1966. It operated in Marceline for a number of years before falling into disrepair and now the Museum wants to bring it back…and you can help.

 

Another great cause to support is the Walt Disney Birthplace in Chicago. It’s the actual home designed and built by Walt’s parents in 1893 and the very place Walt was born in 1901. The Birthplace is undergoing an extensive restoration and Todd Regan will be here to bring us up to date on how it’s progressing.

 

Before we get to that, though, we’ll be joined by the former director of corporate synergy with Disney, Lorraine Santoli. She’s also an author who’s had a long time association with the original Mouseketeers. In fact, Lorraine hosted a celebration of 60 magical years of the Mickey Mouse Club at the D23 Expo. She was joined on stage by the likes of Sherry Alberoni, Sharon Baird, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Darlene Gillespie, Cubby O’Brien and Doreen Tracey. It was a delightful presentation.

 

Before the Expo, Tim and Lorraine chatted on the phone about her latest book, a memoir of her 22 years at the Walt Disney Company, Inside The Disney Marketing Machine. In it, Lorraine recalls the many memorable events she was part of in the 1970s, 80s and 90s including Mickey Mouse’s 50th birthday, Donald Duck’s 50th birthday and Disneyland’s 30th anniversary. She also talks at length about the leadership styles of Disney’s top executives during that time, Michael Eisner and Frank Wells. It’s an insightful look behind the scenes of an entertainment company on the verge of becoming the media giant it is today. 

 

Enjoy!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge08-21-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:25pm PDT
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MCL 08-14-2015 - The Making of 'Pinocchio' with Disney Historian J.B. Kaufman

Pinocchio is arguably Walt Disney's most triumphant achievement in animation. The charming, perilous and ultimately heroic story of the wooden boy who wanted to be real has delighted movie audiences for 75 years. It's a film that represents the absolute peak of Disney animation artistry and storytelling. How the movie came to life is as compelling as the story of Pinocchio himself, and author J.B. Kaufman has written an exquisitely detailed book about it: Pinocchio: The Making of the Disney Epic.

 

J.B. is always a welcome guest in the Lounge. You may recall a conversation Tim had with him a few years ago about two of his other amazing works of Disney history, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: The Art and Creation of Walt Disney's Classic Animated Film and its companion volume, The Fairest One of All. These are must-reads for any Disney enthusiast, just like J.B.'s meticulously researched book on Pinocchio. He's at the D23 Expo this weekend, but not because of Snow White or Pinocchio, mind you. Because of Silly Symphonies.


In 2006, J.B. wrote a comprehensive history of Walt Disney's Silly Symphonies with co-author Russell Merritt. Drawing on that expertise, both historians were asked to contribute liner notes to the upcoming release of the Silly Symphony Collection on vinyl from the Disney Music Emporium. Tied to that release, you can catch both J.B. and Russell at the D23 Expo along with music producer Randy Thornton. They'll be inside the Anaheim Convention Center at the Disney Dream Store today at 4:30 p.m. and Sunday at 3:45 p.m. They'’ll also be at the Expo’s Autograph Central Saturday at 1:00 p.m..

 

For now, however, let's wish upon a star and go behind the scenes for a look at the making of Pinocchio with J.B. Kaufman, Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

 

Enjoy!

 

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge08-14-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 1:48am PDT
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MCL 08-07-2015 - Randy Thornton and Disney's Music Legacy

Randy Thornton is a long-time producer and restorer of Disney music. In his nearly 29 years with Walt Disney Records, he has received numerous recording industry awards including ten Gold Records, four platinum records, six Grammy nominations and one Grammy win. Randy is the producer of the "Lost Chords," a collection of songs originally written for classic Disney animated films like "Peter Pan" and "Cinderella" that never made it into the final productions. Some of those "Lost Chords" found their way into one of Randy’s other projects, "The Legacy Collection."

"The Legacy Collection" is a series of collectible CDs celebrating the anniversaries of great Disney films like "Fantasia," "Pinocchio," "Lady and the Tramp" and "The Lion King." They’re available online from Amazon and at www.DisneyMusicEmporium.com. Currently available only at the Disneyland Resort is the "Disneyland Legacy Collection" set, three CDs celebrating 60 years of Disney theme park magic. Can’t make it to Disneyland? No worries. The set will be available online later this month. Each "Legacy Collection" set is handsomely packaged with original cover art by Disney artist Lorelay Bove. The sets also contain song lyrics, concept art and extensive liner notes rich in Disney history.

Randy Thornton is an artist who takes great pride in his work. In his conversation with Tim Callaway, he talks at length about his career and his passion for preserving Disney’s great music legacy. Randy is Tim's guest today in "The Mouse Castle Lounge."

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge08-07-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:11pm PDT
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MCL 07-31-2015 - Snow White, Silly Symphonies and the Disney Music Group
The D23 Expo is coming up August 14-16 at the Anaheim Convention Center. At a Disney fan gathering where the Walt Disney Studios and Disney Parks and Resorts typically get the lion's share of attention, the Disney Music Group this year will have a much higher profile. DMG oversees the various Disney recording labels like Walt Disney Records and Hollywood Records and also runs Disney Music Publishing. In addition, they manage a very cool website where you can purchase all manner of Disney collectible music items, the Disney Music Emporium.
 
At the D23 Expo, the Disney Music Group and the Disney Music Emporium will present a concert called Disney in Concert: A Silly Symphony Celebration. They’ll screen a selection of Walt Disney’s famous musical cartoons backed by a 32-piece live orchestra. How cool is that? The concert will tie in with the release of an epic musical boxed set—on vinyl—called The Silly Symphony Collection. Contained in the set will be remastered audio recordings of all 75 Silly Symphony cartoons released between 1929 and 1939. Expo attendees will be the first people able to pre-order the Silly Symphony set. After that, it can be ordered online at the Disney Music Emporium beginning on August 17. The set will list for $399.98 and will include a free digital download. If you pre-order it, you’ll also receive a 10” vinyl single with "The Skeleton Dance" on Side A and the "Three Little Pigs" on Side B.
 
Recently, Tim paid a visit to the Walt Disney Studios and sat down with Jon Heely, director of music publishing and concert licensing at the Disney Music Group. They talked about Silly Symphonies, of course, but they also talked about an amazing limited edition book release from the Disney Music Legacy Libraries. It’s the Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs Master Score. And by master score I mean a reproduction of every piece of sheet music from "Snow White" illustrating how the music synchronized with the film. The printed score even includes notations by numerous artists and technicians that helped bring the movie to life. Only 400 of these are being released. The first 200 are available now at the Disney Music Emporium. Another 200 will be available at the D23 Expo.
 
Jon Heely is my first guest in The Mouse Castle Lounge today. I also chat with Randy Thornton with the Disney Music Group and Kevin Augunas, Neil Schield and Jesse Obstbaum with Fairfax Recordings.
 
It's a great time to be a Disney music fan. Enjoy!
 
CORRECTION 8/5/15: When I originally posted this story, I indicated that the notations to the Master Score were made by "Snow White's" original composers, i.e., Frank Churchill, Leigh Harline and Paul Smith. That may be a possibility, but since this was a working document, the truth is a number of artists and sound technicians would also have made notations to the score to assist with the recording and audio synchronization including (possibly) studio engineer Bill Garity and director Wilfred Jackson. We can't be exactly sure who made what notations--but doesn't that make it even more interesting?

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-31-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 7:39pm PDT
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MCL 07-24-2015 - Disney, Dali and 'Destino' with Ted Nicolaou

It was inevitable—call it destiny, if you will--that the creative paths of Walt Disney and Salvador Dali would one day cross. Both men were born in the early 1900s, and although they were continents apart, they shared similar upbringings. Both had artistic ambitions and both would eventually become the standard-bearers of their respective mediums: Walt in animation and visual storytelling, Dali in fine art and the surrealist movement.

Their personalities could not have been more different. Dali was the flamboyant eccentric, Walt the more reserved, but no-less driven, filmmaker.  Each saw the other as a kindred spirit, though. And what began as a distant mutual admiration, evolved into a creative collaboration and later a lifetime friendship.

In the late 1940s, Dali would come to the Disney Studios to help craft "Destino," a surreal short film intended to push the limits of animation and storytelling.  It was not to be, however, What Dali called “a magical exposition of life in the labyrinth of time,” Walt called “a simple love story—boy meets girl.” It was there the two artists remained at odds. After less than a year’s work on the project, "Destino" was shelved. Decades later, the Walt Disney Studios would resurrect the film from more than 150 surviving story sketches by Dali and Disney artist John Hench. The resulting film would be released in 2003 to critical acclaim, winning numerous film festival awards and being nominated for an Academy Award.

The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco is hosting an exhibition about the two friends and showmen. “Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination” explores the artistic collaboration between the two men, showcasing not only original works of Dali, but also that of Disney artists Mary Blair, John Hench, Eyvind Earle and Kay Nielsen. Ted Nicolaou is curator of the exhibition. As a filmmaker, Ted has directed a number of horror films including cult favorites "Terrorvision" and "Subspecies." He’s also created a number of DVD and Blu-ray bonus documentaries for Walt Disney Home Entertainment, most notably “Dali & Disney: A Date with Destino” which was included on the 2010 Blu-ray release of "Fantasia 2000."

Ted Nicolaou is Tim's guest today in "The Mouse Castle Lounge."

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-24-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 4:29pm PDT
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MCL 07-17-2015 - Disney Historian Didier Ghez Talks About Disney Legend Eric Larson

Eric Larson was truly one of the greats of Disney animation. He was one of Walt's Nine Old Men and was best known for animating Figaro in "Pinocchio," Friend Owl in "Bambi" and Peg in "Lady and the Tramp." He also worked on other classics including "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs," "Fantasia," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland," "Peter Pan" and "Sleeping Beauty."

His greatest legacy, however, may be as the teacher and mentor to an entire generation of young animators that joined Disney in the 1970s and '80s. He had a passion for his art and a commitment to uphold the standards established by Walt Disney. Eric's memoir, "50 Years in the Mouse House," is a fascinating and heartfelt testament to that passion.

His book, however, was almost lost forever, and the story of Didier Ghez's search for the missing manuscript is nearly as compelling as Eric Larson's life itself. 

Didier edited Eric Larson's original manuscript and combined it with material taken from interviews Larson gave and lectures he presented at the Walt Disney Studios. Didier adds "50 Years in the Mouse House" to his impressive output of historical Disney works including all 16 volumes of "Walt's People" and his upcoming tribute to Disney concept artists, "They Drew as They Pleased." Didier Ghez is my guest today in "The Mouse Castle Lounge."

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-17-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:44pm PDT
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MCL 07-10-2015 - Ron Diamond and the Animation Show of Shows

Ron Diamond is passionate about animation. He’s executive producer of Acme Filmworks, a commercial animation studio that utilizes the talents of gifted filmmakers and animators from both the U.S. and abroad. Ron’s pet project, though, is the Animation Show of Shows. For over 16 years, Ron and his show have had one purpose: to bring the best animated short films from around the world to the attention of major animation studios like Disney, Pixar and DreamWorks. It’s an opportunity for independent filmmakers, with otherwise limited reach, to have their work seen by respected and influential artists and industry leaders. The Animation Show of Shows has largely been a private enterprise over the years, limited to animation professionals and mostly unseen or heard of by the general public. That’s about to change.

 

Earlier this month, Ron completed a successful Kickstarter campaign, raising over $100,000 to fund the Animation Show of Shows and help it reach an even larger audience. The Animation Show of Shows is now a registered non-profit organization with the long-term goal of being seen by audiences around the world while still honoring its mission to showcase the best work of animators everywhere. Ron Diamond is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-10-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 4:07pm PDT
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MCL 06-25-2015 - Doug Lipp Talks About Disney University and Disney Legend Van France
The Summer 1967 issue of "Disney News" magazine contained an article entitled, “University of Disneyland: An Institution of Smiles.” The story told of the park’s in-house training of more than 5,000 cast members each year, cast members who were taught to “welcome each guest with a smile that’s sincere” and ensure every new employee became a “people specialist” before he or she actually set foot on the job. This progressive, people-centric approach to training was the brainchild of Van Arsdale France, who joined Disney in March 1955, just months before Disneyland’s grand opening. With the support and encouragement of Walt Disney, Van France created the University of Disneyland, which would soon become the gold standard of employee training programs. Over the decades, the program would evolve into what is now called Disney University and to this day it takes its cues from the principles and standards France developed 60 years ago.

Doug Lipp was hired by Disney in the late 1970s and would later work with and be mentored by Van France. Fluent in Japanese, Doug was part of the start-up team at Tokyo Disneyland in preparation of the resort’s grand opening in 1983. Since leaving Disney, Doug has gone on to become a renowned speaker and training consultant with Fortune 100 companies. He’s written eight books, including his most recent, “Disney U.: How Disney University Develops the World's Most Engaged, Loyal, and Customer-Centric Employees.” He has a lot of stories to tell about Walt Disney, about Van France and about the guest experience at Disney Parks worldwide. Doug Lipp is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge06-25-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:58am PDT
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MCL 06-07-2015 - Former Disney Animation Story Man Steve Hulett, Part Two
Two weeks ago in the Lounge, Tim began a two-part conversation with Steve Hulett. In the 1970s and 80s, Steve was a story man at Disney Animation, following in the footsteps of his father, longtime Disney artist Ralph Hulett.  In part one, Steve shared how he started his career at Disney—working for writer Larry Clemmons—and ten years later, how his Disney career ended. Today, in part two, Steve tells more behind-the-scenes stories about some of the Nine Old Men including Woolie Reithermann, Ward Kimball, Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas. 

Steve talks candidly about the departure of Don Bluth and a group of other Disney animators to form their own studio in 1979, the challenge of working for animator and future Disney Legend Ken Anderson, the arrival of Michael Eisner and Jeffrey Katzenberg in the mid 1980s, and finally, the notorious internal memo that incited the wrath of Disney Feature Animation president Peter Schneider. Steve Hulett is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

You can read more about Steve Hulett's Disney exploits in his book "Mouse in Transition: An Insider's Look at Disney Feature Animation," available from Amazon.com and Theme Park Press.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge06-07-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:50am PDT
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MCL 05-28-2015 - 24 Hours of Disneyland in 40 Minutes

Relive Disneyland's 24-hour party with Team Mouse Castle. Throughout the resort's 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration kickoff on Memorial Day weekend, Tim and his friends recorded as much of the craziness as they could, sharing their thoughts and experiences. Hear them take on the Hatbox Ghost, Harold the Abominable Snowman, parades, fireworks and crowds, crowds, crowds. What did they think of "Disneyland Forever" and "Paint the Night"? Did they get trapped in Disney California Adventure? It's an incredible day and night of good friends and insane Disney fun in The Mouse Castle Lounge. 

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-28-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:38am PDT
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MCL 05-25-2015 - Former Disney Animation Story Man Steve Hulett, Part One

 

For ten years in the 1970s and 80s, Steve Hulett was a story man at Disney Animation, following in the footsteps of his father, longtime Disney artist Ralph Hulett. Steve was with the company during the most unique of times, the period after Walt Disney’s death--when his company was struggling to find its identity--until it came back in a big way under the leadership of Michael Eisner, Jeffrey Katzenberg and Frank Wells. It was a time when the old guard of Disney animation, the Nine Old Men, were making way for the new blood of Disney Animation, people like Glen Keane, Don Bluth, John Lasseter and Tim Burton. 

In his book, "Mouse in Transition," Steve Hulett tells candid tales about his years at Disney where he worked on such films as "The Fox and the Hound," "The Black Cauldron" and "The Great Mouse Detective." In addition to recalling the creative work, Steve shares plenty of stories about the office politics and ego clashes that went on behind the scenes. In part one of Tim's conversation with him today, Steve touches on a few of those stories, as well as a memorable encounter with Hollywood legend Mickey Rooney. 

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-25-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:42pm PDT
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MCL 05-15-2015 - Saving Walt's Garage with Bob Bowman

In 1923, Walt Disney's first California animation studio had the humblest of beginnings in a small garage owned by Walt's Uncle Robert. Decades later, efforts to save the garage from demolition were undertaken by a determined former Disney employee, Arthur Adler. He wrote a book about the experience, "Walt Disney's Garage of Dreams." Sadly, Arthur passed away last year at the age of 82, just prior to the book being published, but not before he befriended another former employee of Disney, Bob Bowman. Bob spent 25 years as a merchandising executive and wrote the Foreward for Arthur's book. He also contributed a chapter recounting his own experiences with the Walt Disney Company. In "The Mouse Castle Lounge," Tim Callaway talks with Bob about his career and about the persistent efforts of one man, Arthur Adler, to save a seminal piece of Disney history.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-15-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:36pm PDT
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MCL 05-07-2015 - Haunted Mansion Expert Jeff Baham

After a 45-year hiatus, the legendary Hatbox Ghost is returning to Disneyland's Haunted Mansion this weekend. Talking about the new arrival is Tim's guest, Haunted Mansion expert Jeff Baham. Jeff runs the popular Mansion fansite DoomBuggies.com and is author of the book "The Unauthorized Story of Walt Disney's Haunted Mansion." Kindly step all the way in please, and make room for everyone. There's no turning back now.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-07-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:01pm PDT
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MCL 04-30-2015 - Disney Artist Dave Avanzino

Disney artist Dave Avanzino is Tim's guest today in "The Mouse Castle Lounge." Dave's dimensional art and fanciful letter designs sold in the Disney parks have made him very popular with fans. Dave talks about his work, who and what inspires him and what we might expect from him during Disneyland’s upcoming 60th anniversary celebration.

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-30-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:19pm PDT
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MCL 04-20-2015 - 'Star Wars' Celebration 2015 Recap

What happens when a group of "Star Wars" nerds swap stories over cocktails about Star Wars Celebration? This episode of "The Mouse Castle Lounge." Join us as we relive the memorable moments from last weekend's fan event at the Anaheim Convention Center: the new Episode VII trailer, J.J. Abrams, Kathleen Kennedy, Carrie Fisher, "Star Wars Rebels," "The Clone Wars," cosplay, parties and booze, oh my!

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-20-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 11:31am PDT
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MCL 04-17-2015 - 'Star Wars' Celebration, Day One

The Mouse Castle Lounge invades Star Wars Celebration at the Anaheim Convention Center. This four-day event devoted to a time long ago in a galaxy far, far away has all manner of celebrity guests, presentations, costumes, vendors and exhibits. The biggest news from day one on Thursday was the appearance of "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" director J.J. Abrams and producer Kathleen Kennedy. They premiered the film's news teaser trailer which delighted fans worldwide. In the Lounge, host Tim Callaway joins with his good friend Scott Linder in a recap of yesterday's activities and what there is to look forward to this weekend. It's not a trap. It's Star Wars Celebration in The Mouse Castle Lounge. 

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Direct download: MouseCastleLounge041715.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:12pm PDT
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MCL 03-19-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part Two

In part two of his conversation with Tim Callaway, Disney artist, animator and cartoonist Floyd Norman talks about what it was like to work for Walt Disney, John Lasseter and Steve Jobs, what makes a successful leader and why he respects Michael Eisner to this day. Floyd also shares how he saved Thunderbolt the Wonder Dog from certain death in the Blu-ray release of "101 Dalmatians."

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-19-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:58pm PDT
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MCL 03-12-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part One

Floyd Norman is a rare artist who had the opportunity to work for both Walt Disney and John Lasseter. Floyd's career began at Disney in 1956 when he was hired as an in-betweener for television and short theatrical cartoons. He eventually moved to feature animation, contributing his talents to "Sleeping Beauty," "The Sword in the Stone" and "The Jungle Book." He left Disney in 1966, shortly after Walt's death, and became an independent filmmaker. He returned to Disney in the 1970s to work on "Robin Hood" before spending many years in TV animation. Floyd discusses his early career in part one of a two-part conversation with host Tim Callaway. 

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Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-12-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 4:31pm PDT
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MCL 03-05-2015 - Disney Animator James Lopez, Part Two

James Lopez has spent over 25 years in animation, including many years at Disney where he worked on films including "The Lion King," "Pocahontas" and "Hercules." In part two of Tim's conversation with him, James shares stories about the making of "The Emperor's New Groove," which began inauspiciously as "Kingdom of the Sun." He also talks about his current project, a series of crowd-funded films called "Hullabaloo," which combines two of James' favorite things: 2D animation and steampunk. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-05-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 4:26pm PDT
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MCL 02-26-2015 - Disney Animator James Lopez, Part One

James Lopez is a master of 2D, hand-drawn animation and has been in the business for over 25 years, including a lengthy stint at Disney. He worked on classic animated films such as "The Lion King," "Pocahontas," "The Emperor's New Groove" and "The Princess and the Frog." In part one of a two-part conversation, James tells host Tim Callaway about his early career working for Disney and Don Bluth and how he learned much of his craft on the job. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-26-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:33pm PDT
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MCL 02-19-2015 - At the 87th Academy Awards

Team Mouse Castle is in Hollywood previewing the Oscars. Or, as we like to put it, just another excuse to get together and drink wine. Tim Callaway and the Mouse Castle crew take over Trastavere at Hollywood and Highland and give their predictions on who'll be the big winners Sunday. Will it be "Boyhood" or "Birdman"? Keaton or Redmayne? Julianne Moore or Julianne Moore? It's a Mouse Castle Oscar party and you're invited. And did we mention there's wine? www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-19-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 2:10pm PDT
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MCL 02-07-2015 - The Story of Disneyland Collection at Van Eaton Galleries With Bob Gurr

You can own a piece of Disneyland history this month when Van Eaton Galleries in Sherman Oaks, California, auctions off more than 1,000 items from an extensive private collection of unique Disneyland vintage memorabilia. An audio-animatronic skeleton from Pirates of the Caribbean, original dolls from it's a small world, panels from early Monorail trains, and a miniature pot-bellied stove handcrafted by Walt Disney himself are among the big ticket items to be bid on. More reasonably priced items include all manner of artwork, shopping bags, guidebooks and other souvenirs. On hand to discuss the significance and history of many of these items are Mike Van Eaton with Van Eaton Galleries and Disney Imagineering Legend Bob Gurr. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-07-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 2:53am PDT
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MCL 01-29-2015 - 'Walt Before Mickey' Author Tim Susanin

Tim meets Tim when Tim Callaway interviews Disney historian Tim Susanin, author of "Walt Before Mickey: Disney's Early Years, 1919-1928." The 2011 book is a detailed account of Walt Disney's early career in art and animation from the time he returned from France after World War I until the birth of Mickey Mouse in 1928. It was a period of Walt's life that Susanin says had not been previously explored in detail, yet it was arguably the most critical ten years in Walt's life, a period when the would-be filmmaker found some success but also experienced a series of career failures and life lessons. It's a great story that would make for an interesting movie, and it's about to do just that. "Walt Before Mickey," the film, will be released this April. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-29-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:54pm PDT
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MCL 01-14-2015 - Animator and Disney Legend Glen Keane

Glen Keane is a gifted animator, filmmaker and Disney Legend. Most importantly, though, the man who brought to life such great characters as Ariel, the Beast, Tarzan, Pocahontas and Ratigan is an artist. After 40 years in animation, he remains passionate and humble about his craft and takes no time to rest on his laurels. Still championing hand-drawn animation while embracing new animation technology, Glen has animated and directed "Duet," a short film that's been nominated for an Annie Award and could be nominated for an Oscar. Tim Callaway talks to Glen about "Duet" and his legendary career at Disney. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-14-2015.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 5:25pm PDT
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MCL 12-26-2014 - A Walt's Barn Holiday With Margaret Kerry, Sam Gennawey and Bill Barbe

We're celebrating the holidays at Walt's Barn in Griffith Park, Los Angeles, with Tim's guests Carolwood Foundation president Bill Barbe, author Sam Gennawey and Margaret Kerry, the live-action model for Tinker Bell in Walt Disney's "Peter Pan." The Carolwood Foundation operates Walt's Barn, which originally stood next to Disney's sprawling 1/8 scale train layout in the backyard of his Holmby Hills home in the 1950s. Today, the barn is a museum with numerous train artifacts, many used by Walt himself. Other items are from the collections of train enthusiasts including Disney animators Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston. Next to the barn, the Carolwood Foundation has restored an original combine car from the Santa Fe & Disneyland Railroad and is working on other restoration projects including original buildings from Disneyland's Storybook Land Canal Boats and a train from the Mine Train Thru Nature's Wonderland. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-26-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:59pm PDT
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MCL 12-18-2014 - 'Universal vs. Disney' Author Sam Gennawey

The theme park rivalry between Disney and Universal Studios has gone from non-existent in the 1960s to the competitive battle over tourist dollars that it is today. Author Sam Gennawey's new book, "Universal vs. Disney: The Unofficial Guide to American Theme Parks' Greatest Rivalry" explores the sometimes supportive, sometimes contentious relationship between the two entertainment giants. Sam is Tim's guest today in "The Mouse Castle Lounge." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-18-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00am PDT
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MCL 12-11-2014 - 'A Mickey Mouse Reader' with Garry Apgar

"A Mickey Mouse Reader" is an extensive compilation of articles and essays written about Walt Disney's illustrious rodent from 1928 to the present day. It chronicles the arc of Mickey's legendary career from overnight sensation to Hollywood superstar to theme park greeter to corporate icon. The book's contributors are a who's who of writers and essayists past and present that include E.M. Forster, Maurice Sendak, John Updike, John Canemaker, Irving Wallace, Jim Korkis, Charles Solomon and Walt Disney. Garry Apgar edited the book and discusses it with Tim Callaway in "The Mouse Castle Lounge." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-11-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:02pm PDT
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MCL 12-03-2014 - Disney Imagineer Terri Hardin Jackson, Part Two

Tony Baxter, Herb Ryman and Blaine Gibson were just a few of the Imagineering greats Terri Hardin Jackson knew and worked with during her lengthy career at Disney. In part two of her conversation with Tim Callaway, Terri talks about the "Golden Age of Imagineering" in the 1980s and '90s and her favorite Disney project, the Dragon's Lair at Disneyland Paris. She also offers her advice for aspiring Imagineers. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-03-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 9:00am PDT
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MCL 11-26-2014 - Disney Imagineer Terri Hardin Jackson, Part One

Terri Hardin Jackson is a woman of many talents. The former Disney Imagineer is an artist and sculptor, not to mention a puppeteer, an actress and a writer. Her creative output spans from Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Dragon's Lair at Disneyland Paris to the films "Ghostbusters," "Men in Black II" and "The Flintstones." In "The Mouse Castle Lounge," Terri talks about her Imagineering career, how she ended up at Disney and how she almost became the voice of Figment at Epcot. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge11-26-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 3:10pm PDT
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MCL 11-17-2014 - Walt Disney's Trains

"All Aboard: A Celebration of Walt's Trains" explores Walt Disney's lifelong love of railroading. It's the newest exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco. Tim Callaway interviews the museum's executive director Kirsten Komoroske and the exhibition's curator Michael Campbell. They talk about how trains influenced Walt's personal life, films and theme parks and how he shared his passion with Disney animators Ward Kimball and Ollie Johnston. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge11-17-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 7:22pm PDT
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MCL 09-03-2014 - Running Disney with Sean Astin, Jeff Galloway, Jennifer Berry and Terri Hardin Jackson

The Disneyland Half Marathon was held this past weekend and is one of many events hosted year round by runDisney at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. In "The Mouse Castle Lounge," Tim Callaway talks with race participants Sean Astin, Jeff Galloway, Terri Hardin Jackson and the winner of the women's division half marathon, Jennifer Berry. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge09-03-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 1:42am PDT
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MCL 08-10-2014 - Marceline Historian Kaye Malins

Walt Disney once said of his boyhood home in Missouri, "More things of importance happened to me in Marceline than have happened since--or are likely to in the future." In the Lounge today is Marceline historian and director of the Walt Disney Hometown Museum, Kaye Malins. Kaye talks about Walt's childhood in this midwest farm town and why every Disney fan needs to pay a visit to Marceline. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge08-10-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 1:48am PDT
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MCL 08-03-2014 - Mouseketeer Bobby Burgess

Bobby Burgess has spent over sixty years in show business, getting his big start in 1955 as an original Mouseketeer in "The Mickey Mouse Club." In 1961, he would begin a 21-year run as a dancer on "The Lawrence Welk Show." Bobby's new book, "Ears & Bubbles" recounts his many years in entertainment. In "The Mouse Castle Lounge" today, Bobby talks about his book and shares special memories of working with Walt Disney, Annette Funicello and Lawrence Welk. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge08-03-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 6:00pm PDT
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MCL 07-28-2014 - Disney Imagineer Alan Coats Part Two

Disney Imagineer Alan Coats is back in "The Mouse Castle Lounge" for part two of his conversation with Tim Callaway. Alan talks more about his father, artist, Imagineer and Disney Legend Claude Coats. Alan also takes you deeper into his career at Disney, where he did lighting design for most of the opening day attractions at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom. He went on to partner with is father in designing the Eastern Airlines attraction,"If You Had Wings." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-28-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 9:55am PDT
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MCL 07-21-2014 - Disney Imagineer Alan Coats Part One

The Mouse Castle Lounge is back! Tim Callaway interviews retired Disney Imagineer Alan Coats. Alan is the son of artist, Imagineer and Disney Legend Claude Coats. Alan enjoyed a long career at Disney, working among some of the biggest names at the studio and in the theme parks including Walt Disney, Roy Disney, Annette Funicello, Marty Sklar and Yale Gracey. Alan manages a website dedicated to his father's memorable career, www.claudecoats.com. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge07-21-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 2:42pm PDT
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MCL 05-12-2014 - 'Maleficent' Executive Producer Don Hahn

Don Hahn has produced so many great films at Disney: "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "Beauty and the Beast," "The Lion King," "The Hunchback of Notre Dame," "The Emperor's New Groove," "Waking Sleeping Beauty" and many more. On May 30th, 2014, his latest project "Maleficent," starring Angelina Jolie, will hit U.S. theaters. Tim Callaway talks with Don about the film and his 35 year career in motion pictures. www.TheMouseCastle.com.

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge05-12-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 1:03am PDT
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MCL 04-28-2014 - Disney Animator Andreas Deja

Andreas Deja was an animator at Walt Disney Animation for 30 years and a bona fide master of villains. His rogues gallery of characters include Gaston in "Beauty and the Beast," Jafar in "Aladdin" and "Scar" in "The Lion King." His versatility as an artist is further represented by his work on "The Black Cauldron," "Oliver and Company," "Who Framed Roger Rabbit," "The Little Mermaid," "Lilo and Stitch," and "The Princess and the Frog." Tim Callaway talks with Andreas in this very special episode of "The Mouse Castle Lounge." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-28-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 9:00pm PDT
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MCL 04-22-2014 - Michael Labrie Talks Marc Davis at the Walt Disney Family Museum

Walt Disney called artist and Imagineer Marc Davis his "Renaissance Man." Beginning April 30th, the Walt Disney Family Museum will showcase art from the man who animated Tinker Bell, Maleficent and Cruella de Vil in the exhibition "Leading Ladies and Femme Fatales: The Art of Marc Davis." Tim Callaway interviews the curator of exhibition, director of collections and exhibitions at the Museum, Michael Labrie. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-22-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 7:00am PDT
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MCL 04-14-2014 - Animation Historian and Author John Canemaker

 

John Canemaker's name is synonymous with animation. This Oscar-winning animator, historian and author has taught animation at New York University for over 30 years. He's written more than ten books, including "Walt Disney's Nine Old Men and the Art of Animation," "Before the Animation Begins: The Art and Lives of Disney Inspirational Sketch Artists," and "Treasures of Disney Animation Art." He is curator of the current exhibition at the Walt Disney Family Museum, "Magic, Color, Flair: The World of Mary Blair." In The Mouse Castle Lounge, Tim Callaway talks with John about his accomplished career in animation, the artists that have inspired him, and what lies in store for the future of the industry. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge04-14-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:00am PDT
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MCL 03-31-2014 - Disney Animator Ruben Aquino, Part Two

Disney animator Ruben Aquino is back for part two of his interview with Tim Callaway in "The Mouse Castle Lounge." Ruben discusses how a voice actor can inspire an animator, and the layoffs at Walt Disney Animation last year that effectively shut down 2D animation at the studio. Ruben also shares his advice to young artists looking to make a career in animation. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-31-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:14am PDT
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MCL 03-24-2014 - Disney Animator Ruben Aquino, Part One

Ruben Aquino was an animator at Disney for over 30 years, giving life to characters ranging from Ursula in "The Little Mermaid" to Adult Simba in "The Lion King" to Captain Shang in "Mulan." In part one of a two-part conversation, Tim Callaway talks with Ruben about his career and how he became an animator without really setting out to do so. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-24-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:02pm PDT
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MCL 03-18-2014 - The World of Mary Blair at the Walt Disney Family Museum

Mary Blair was an incredibly gifted and original artist whose work has influenced and inspired the Walt Disney Studios for decades. Classic Mary Blair designs and color schemes can be seen in animated films like "The Three Caballeros," "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland" and "Peter Pan." Her signature project, though, remains "it's a small world" a visually exciting celebration of childlike joy. The Walt Disney Family Museum is honoring Blair's great talent with their new exhibition "Magic, Color, Flair: The World of Mary Blair." In The Mouse Castle Lounge, Tim Callaway interviews the exhibition curator John Canemaker along with WDFM executive director Kirsten Komoroske and members of Mary Blair's family. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-18-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 7:10am PDT
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MCL 03-10-2014 - Sean Astin Talks 'Lord of the Rings' and 'Vox Populi'

Tim interviews actor Sean Astin about his lengthy Hollywood career and his work in "The Lord of the Rings," "Rudy," and "The Goonies." Sean also talks about his voicework at Disney and other studios as well as his latest podcast project "Vox Populi." Also, be sure to listen for how you can win some "Goonies" artwork autographed by Sean and artist Jim Ferguson. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge03-10-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 11:58pm PDT
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MCL 02-28-2014 - Previewing the Oscars with Tim Callaway and Christi Andersen

It's Oscar week and Tim Callaway is joined by his good friend Christi Andersen as they preview the major nominees for this Sunday's Academy Awards. Who will be the big winners this weekend: "12 Years a Slave"? "Gravity"? "American Hustle"? Will Tim ever get over his disdain for "Frozen"? Get a horse and ride on over to the Mouse Castle Lounge and find out. Drinks are now being served. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-28-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:59pm PDT
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MCL 02-25-2014 - A Spoonful of Sherman with Robbie Sherman

In part two of Tim's interview with Robbie Sherman, the son of Disney songwriting legend Robert Sherman, they continue talking about Robert's memoir "Moose: Chapters From My Life," as well as Robbie's musical retrospective of Sherman Brothers music, "A Spoonful of Sherman." Tim also comments about the issues Robbie raised last week concerning his family and the Sherman Brothers documentary "The Boys." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-25-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 3:00pm PDT
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MCL 02-17-2014 - Robbie Sherman Talks About Robert Sherman and 'Moose'

Tim interviews Robbie Sherman, the son of the late songwriter and Disney Legend Robert Sherman. Robbie has just published his father's memoir "Moose: Chapters From My Life" and talks candidly about Robert's life, the Sherman Brothers, Robbie's take on the Sherman Brothers documentary "The Boys' and his own strained relationship with his family. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-17-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 9:41am PDT
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MCL 02-10-2014 - Tom and Tony Bancroft Interview Part Two

Animators Tom and Tony Bancroft return for part two of their interview inside The Mouse Castle Lounge. They share what it's like to work in-studio with voice talents Eddie Murphy ("Mulan"), Patrick Warburton ("The Emperor's New Groove") and Gilbert Gottfried ("Aladdin"). Tony also talks about his latest book, "Directing for Animation: Everything You Didn't Learn in Art School." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-10-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:02am PDT
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MCL 02-03-2014 - Tom and Tony Bancroft and the Annie Awards

Tim welcomes animators Tom and Tony Bancroft to the Lounge. These identical twins each worked for Disney during its second golden age on such films as "Beauty and the Beast," "Aladdin," "Pocahontas" and "Mulan." The brothers discuss what attracted them to animation, the people who influenced and inspired them and the state of 2D animation. Tim also recaps this past weekend's Annie Awards. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge02-03-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 1:06am PDT
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MCL 01-26-2014 - More 'Saving Mr. Banks' and Disney History Made Difficult with Jim Korkis

Author Jim Korkis is back in "The Mouse Castle Lounge" to talk about the real stories behind "Saving Mr. Banks," why "Mary Poppins" is such a stand out film, where you can hear the original story meeting sessions with P.L. Travers, and why it's not always easy being a Disney historian. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-26-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:39pm PDT
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MCL 01-20-2014 - Jim Korkis, Mickey Mouse and the Tinker Bell Half-Marathon

Mickey Mouse is 85 years old, still going strong, and Disney historian/author Jim Korkis has written a biography about him, "The Book of Mouse: A Celebration of Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse." Tim Callaway chats with Korkis about the ubiquitous rodent and also spends time with Darrell Fry from RunDisney as they recap the events from this past weekend's Tinker Bell Half-Marathon. www.TheMouseCastle.com.

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-20-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:48am PDT
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MCL 01-12-2014 - Didier, Meryl and Walt, Oh My!

Tim Callaway continues his conversation with Didier Ghez, author of "Disney's Grand Tour," an interesting look at Walt and Roy Disney's trip to Europe in 1935. Tim will also talk about the hubbub over Meryl Streep's insensitive and inaccurate comments about Walt Disney's attitudes towards women and minorities. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-12-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 12:30am PDT
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MCL 01-06-2014 - 'Disney's Grand Tour' with Didier Ghez

"Disney's Grand Tour" is a detailed and fascinating book about Walt and Roy Disney's 1935 trip to Europe that would end up influencing their studio for decades. Author and historian Didier Ghez ("Walt's People") talks about his new book and the long, sometimes frustrating, but ultimately rewarding journey he took to make it happen. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge01-06-2014.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 8:06am PDT
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MCL 12-24-2013 - 'Saving Mr. Banks' and Saving Walt's Birthplace

Tim Callaway reviews "Saving Mr. Banks" starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson, and interviews Brent Young and Dina Benadon, owners of the Chicago home where Walt Disney was born. They're attempting to raise money on Kickstarter to help pay for the cost of renovating the home and to restore it to its 1901 grandeur. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-24-2013.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 2:31am PDT
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MCL 12-08-2013 - 'The Disneyland Story' with Author Sam Gennawey

Disneyland is not just a thing or a place. It's a living, breathing creation of Walt Disney and scores of talented artists, designers and Imagineers. Historian Sam Gennawey has written not just a history, but a biography of the Happiest Place on Earth and he shares with us some of the fascinating details that make up his book "The Disneyland Story: The Unofficial Guide to the Evolution of Walt Disney's Dream." www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge12-08-2013.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:23pm PDT
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MCL 11-26-2013 - The Cast of 'Frozen' and Remembering Diane Disney Miller

Tim previews "Frozen," the 53rd feature film from Walt Disney Animation Studios. The film opens this weekend and in the Lounge we'll hear from the voice cast including Kristen Bell (Anna), Idina Menzel (Elsa) and Josh Gad (Olaf). Also chiming in are "Frozen's" directors Chris Buck and Jennifer Lee. Tim also pays tribute to Diane Disney Miller, Walt's daughter and co-founder of the Walt Disney Family Museum, who passed away last week at the age of 79. www.TheMouseCastle.com

Direct download: TheMouseCastleLounge11-26-2013.mp3
Category:Entertainment -- posted at: 10:51pm PDT
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