Distory with Kate & Kirk

There are a few things everyone seems to believe about the layout of Mr. Toad's Wild Ride--but none of them are true.  On this episode of Distory, we're merrily on our way to nowhere in particular  to understand the English countryside in Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in a greater historical context. After we encounter a few bobbies (and discuss their manners and wardrobe), we dig deep into the con...

Even if you’ve been on Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride a thousand times, we guarantee you’ve missed at least one of these details. In this episode of Distory, we slow down our motorcar to a snail’s pace to analyze all of the elements inside Toad Hall in Disneyland’s Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. After looking over the toadally fun bookshelf puns, we speed away into the attraction, pausing to look at the decorations,...

What do priest holes, artichokes, and old grape vines have to do with the current version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride? On this episode of Distory, we drive along down the road to the 1983 remodel of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride in Disneyland. Along the way, we take a detour to Storybookland Canal Boats, learn about the design influences of Toad Hall, and discover some details that many people miss in the newl...

With teetering tea trays, lazy signalmen, and dangerous rogue props, the first version of Disney's Mr. Toad was a wild ride, indeed. In this episode of Distory, we continue merrily on our way to somewhere in particular, and that would be 1955 to take a ride on Disney’s original version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. As we hop in a hot rod and speed our way through Toad Hall, we discover through some...

Mr. Toad’s ending wasn’t always as shocking as the one we know today. In this episode of Distory, we continue merrily on our way through this series featuring Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. We start off by highlighting Mr. Toad’s first pre-opening appearance in a 1954 Disneyland prospectus, before exploring a rare early Bruce Bushman “Motor Mania” concept that heavily influenced the original Mr. Toad. Kirk...

What do gremlins, sweet potatoes, rivets, and Sherlock Holmes have to do with Mr. Toad? In this episode, we find ourselves merrily on our way to a new series featuring Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride as we dive into our fourth season of Distory! In order to fully understand the only “Mister” in Disneyland, we begin with exploring the making of the package film that started it all: The Adventures of Ichabod a...

Why are there so many random lawn ornaments in the new Haunted Mansion queue? On this episode of Distory, we use our knowledge of the history of the Haunted Mansion to try to make sense of the new expanded queue in Disneyland. We start with some discussion about why Disneyland’s queue is so drastically different than Disney World’s interactive one before inching our way past each gargoyle, owl, fa...

There’s more to the new Haunted Mansion extended queue than meets the eye.  In this episode of Distory, we return to Disneyland’s Haunted Mansion to find some hidden secrets and stories woven throughout the new extended queue area. We wind through this area one small step at a time to analyze each detail, including meaningful foxes, menacing cats, watchful ravens, spooky owls, repurposed props, an...

What do oscilloscopes, Swiss cheese, and Barack Obama have to do with Disney’s defunct Skyway ride? On this episode of Distory, we fly up above the Disney parks like a tea-tray in the sky as we board a bucket for the Skyway in both Disneyland and Walt Disney World. This gondola ride not only provided a picture-perfect view of the parks, it carried history with it from some unique places in Europe...

When it comes to obscure Disney history, there is so much to be thankful for. From tiny pants to exploding sewer pipes, this episode truly has it all. In this episode of Distory, we each bring three unique stories from Disney history that people rarely talk about but we are thankful for. Kate kicks it off with what Lillian Disney thought of Walt’s food habits. Kirk then discusses a bizarre wardrob...

How did Epcot evolve from an experimental prototype community to a theme park with an identity crisis? In this episode of Distory, we wrap up our exploration of the evolution of EPCOT by discovering what happened to Walt’s concept of a futuristic community after he passed away. To get some context of how the team was trying to make it happen despite the loss, we review some rare WED 1973 inter-off...

Why did Walt Disney have Herb Ryman's E.P.C.O.T.'s concept art altered from the original version? In this episode of Distory, we go back in time to explore the E.P.C.O.T. that never was, Walt Disney's original vision for the Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. After exploring the influence of Victor Gruen on Walt's plans, we move through the city step-by-step, finding noo...

How did Walt’s past impact his decision to create an experimental community of tomorrow? In this episode of Distory, we begin a new series exploring the origins of EPCOT, beginning with Walt Disney’s Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow. But before we dive into the details of this utopian city, we have to give some context behind WHY Walt would want to create a city when he had spent most...

What three unexpected characters show up inside of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train? In this episode of Distory, we hop aboard Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World to ride through Disney’s newest Snow White attraction. On our way, we spot some recycled pieces from an old ride we’ve seen before, hear about how Dopey got his ear wiggle, get mad about sticking tommies, and discove...

What hidden stories can be found in the trees in Disneyland? In the Distorian's Lounge with Kate this week, we return to Disneyland to tell 10 more tree-mendous tales of unique trees in Disneyland that all have stories to tell. From condolence trees to ones that trick your perception of the park, these stories include some obscure details that even the biggest Disney history fans may not have...

What untold stories from Snow White’s history are hidden in the queue of Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train? In this episode of Distory, we walk the queue of Walt Disney World’s Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train to discover not only some fun interactive features that the Imagineers added for guests to discover, but also some hidden secrets you may not even realize are nods to the classic 1937 animation. Kirk takes u...

WDW’s new fantasyland was not planned to look like the one we have today. In this episode of Distory, we visit the dilapidated Fantasyland of the Magic Kingdom of the late 90s and early 2000s to watch how Imagineering’s major overhaul of this land evolved over time. Along the way, we find some lost concepts of major areas that were scrapped, including a Cinderella attraction that is not *quite* li...

Is this the most unhinged attraction that Disney has ever created? In this episode of Distory, we head back to the 1971 version of Snow White’s Adventures in Walt Disney World. We start by finding ourselves in a dark dwarf’s cottage (with a bizarre guest) before encountering many MANY jump scares by the terrifying witch, whose hands have a secret. We race through the mine before discovering a craz...

What made the WDW 1971 version of Snow White’s Adventures the most scary version of them all? In this episode of Distory, we head to Walt Disney World’s Fantasyland to be terrified by the 1971 attraction Snow White’s Adventures. We start by discussing the Towering Talent of Claude Coats and his influence in these classic attractions, and do a quick tour of some lost Fantasyland ride concepts befor...

How did Imagineering fix a major flaw in Snow White's Scary Adventures? In this episode of Distory, we head back to Snow White's Enchanted Wish to discover some details that no one notices in the attraction. As we ride through the second half of this iconic ride, we compare and contrast the previous iteration of Snow White's Scary Adventures with the changes that were made to make the...

What tiny detailed changes did Imagineering make to this iconic ride that most people miss? In this episode of Distory, we do a side-by-side comparison of Snow White’s Scary Adventure and the first half of Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, going over all of the many changes between the two versions of this attraction. Along the way, we hear from Imagineering about how they respected the history of this...

Why does the Evil Queen have such a large collar? And how did guest behavior change the way this ride was structured? In this episode, we dig dig dig into the history of Disneyland's Snow White's Scary Adventures, including the meaning behind some significant scenes. Throughout our ride through this terrifyingly delightful attraction, we encounter some obscure animation history, discover t...

What was the real reason Disneyland’s Fantasyland rides were expanded in 1983? In this episode of Distory, we time travel to Disneyland in the early 1980s to look at some original WED Imagineering documents that tell the story of New Fantasyland’s construction, including Snow White’s Scary Adventures. From demolition to the inspiration for the new design, we discuss the changes from Walt’s Fantasy...

Why do Disney’s Snow White rides have so many dungeon scenes? In this episode of Distory, we continue our Snow White series by braving the original Disneyland Snow White ride called Snow White and Her Adventures (or Snow White’s Adventures, it didn’t seem to matter much back then, so pick your favorite). After seeing some concept art that doesn’t stray too far from the feature film, we hear from A...

Who was Snow White's mother? And what other critical information is missing from the feature film? In this episode of Distory, we start a new series on the history of the Snow White attractions of the Disney parks. But before we can discuss the rides, we have to pay homage to the first-ever full-length feature animation that made it all possible: Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. In this episod...