The Hyperion Hub

Don Ballard is the premier expert in the history of the Disneyland Hotel. What started as a hobby has produced two books looking at the hotel's changes over the years. In this episode, we'll talk with Don about the early days of the hotel and find out why Disney didn't actually own it until three decades after it was first built. Plus John, John and Shawn are playing armchair Imagineers as they de...

A war, a strike, and more financial struggles are the challenges Walt and his studio face in the turbulent 1940s. Through it all they continue to produce time tested films that break creative barriers. They also explore the world of live action and documentary filmmaking. Plus we're talking about the upcoming Disney+ documentary looking at the life of another famously creative leader, Jim Hens...

Disney100: The Exhibition is a celebration of the company's first century and it's on the move. John, John, and Shawn were all able to visit the exhibit in Chicago. There are several detailed galleries with actual items on display from the Disney archives. John Alois and family take you on a tour. We'll share our thoughts as it heads west. For information on the exhibition's next stop at Union Sta...

It's always great to hear how other people vacation. Listener Carrie McBeath sent in a great report from her recent trip to Walt Disney World. She and her husband stayed at the Dolphin, hit EPCOT, resort hopped and tried a new restaurant at Disney Springs! We'll share our experiences at those locations as well. Plus there's a new DVC Lounge at Disney Springs and a nighttime drone show...

Producer and Director Ted Thomas is back on the show to talk about his beloved documentary "Frank and Ollie" which is now streaming on Disney+. It's the story of Ted's father Frank Thomas and fellow animator Ollie Johnston. We'll discuss some of their amazing accomplishments at the Walt Disney Studio. They were there from the 1930s into the 1980s. We'll also talk about th...

Author and historian JB Kaufman is back on the show to talk about some Disney classics! JB was part of Disney Fest 2024 held at the Peoria Riverfront Museum in Peoria, Il. We talk with him about two of Walt's features, 101 Dalmatians and Lady and the Tramp plus some Silly Symphonies. Learn more about JB and the many books he's written at jbkaufman.com Learn more about the Peoria Riverfront...

Time to find out who our big winner is this year! It might be Cars Land! It could be Frozen! Will Cinderella live up to her name and shock the field! Listen to find out! Play along. We shared the tournament bracket. Plus we share how we keep the magic going after the Disney vacation is over. Thanks for joining us at The Hub! We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio mes...

It's March, which means it's time for our Disney Madness Tournament! The 4 regionals or categories this year are Disney Lands, Animated Features, Live Action Features and EPCOT World Showcase Pavilions. We'll announce the brackets. We'll also talk about Disneyland expanding and we have a report from a listener. Let the madness begin! We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded...

We have a packed show with a variety of topics. The new Haunted Mansion themed lounge on the Disney Treasure cruise ship will feature a tribute to the late Disney Legend, Rolly Crump in a unique way. John Alois has discovered Bluey craze. Walt Disney Motion Picture Studios has a new president. We're talking about Disney comic books, the upcoming Disney board vote and we even venture over to th...

We're wrapping up our 4-part series on the Once Upon A Studio with Composer Dave Metzger. He has stories about working on this short and the theatrical film, Wish. Plus Disney has a new perk for Walt Disney World guests. We'll discuss. We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast@thehyperionhub.com. Find us on social media. The Hyperion Hub i...

Composer, conductor, arranger and orchestrator Dave Metzger has worked on many Disney films including Frozen, Frozen 2, Moana, Wreck-It Ralph, Tarzan, Brother Bear and more. His latest work includes scoring the newest animated feature film, Wish and the spectacular short, Once Upon A Studio. Dave shares his unique story. It all started with a teacher who saw the spark he possessed back in junior h...

We have part 2 of our conversation with Directors Dan Abraham, Trent Correy, and Producer Brad Simonsen who helped to create Disney's outstanding short, Once Upon A Studio. More behind-the-scenes stories and they'll talk about Easter eggs from the short. Also, we get to share our favorite moments with the creators. Plus Shawn, John, and John play a game of "Leave It/Change It!" w...

With almost 550 Disney characters featured, Once Upon A Studio is one of the most ambitious animated shorts ever produced. It's a treat to have the creators of that short joining us this week. Directors Dan Abraham and Trent Correy and Producer Brad Simonsen share behind the scenes stories on what it was like to work on this beloved project. Plus the original Country Bear Jamboree has completed it...

A short time ago in a galaxy near by we attended the annual S.T.E.A.M. Into Star Wars event held at Washington Community High School in Washington, IL and we had a blast! Special guests Dan Zehr from Coffee With Kenobi, organizer Tom Gross, Zak Kalina from Zeek's Comics and Games and super fan Jesse Mann all joined us at the podcast table. You'll hear our conversations with these guests pl...

The voice of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Mark Silverman is back for part 2 of his conversation with us. We'll hear more about his voice over work including other things he's done in the Disney parks. He also fills in as the voice for other actors and shares some more imitations with us us. Plus our resident runner, John Redlingshafer covers the recent runDisney event at Disneyland. Thanks f...

You are about to discover what lies beyond the fifth dimension as you enter The Hyperion Hub. Voice over artist Mark Silverman joins us this week. You may have heard him at Disney's Hollywood Studios as the voice of Rod Serling the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. He'll share his story about that experience and how he got started in the business. Plus I'll review a couple of new shows on Disney+. On...

We're closing out 2023 by hearing from our many wonderful guests. Here's the list of people we welcomed on the Hyperion Hub this year! Tom Gross, Wyatt Briney, Dan Zehr, Palmer Snell, Christa Kuster, Ross Hollebon, Camron Johnson, Jeremy Berkley, Olivia J Bennett, J. Lawson, Martin Mathews, Andy Zach, Kristen and Kurt Pfeifer and Julia Locus-Baham and Jeff Baham, Philo Barnhart, Tim Davies...

It's that tinsel time of year! What's on Disney+ this holiday season? John A will talk about some of the highlights. Shawn looks at a Disney classic short film called The Small One. John R is exploring the World of Frozen in Hong Kong Disneyland. We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast@thehyperionhub.com. Find us on social media on Faceb...

There are plenty of topics to cover this week! Coffee With Kenobi's Dan Zehr joins us to talk about hot Star Wars news, Disneyland Paris lights up the sky with another awesome looking drone show, The Marvels hits theaters and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is honored with a well deserved award. We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast@thehype...

Imagine a private tour of Walt's Park. Guest host and huge Disney fan, Chip Joyce recently experienced a VIP tour of Disneyland and shares his experience with us this week! We'll also compare attractions between Disneyland and Walt Disney World. Plus we're marching along talking about our favorite Disney Park Parades. We're thankful you're joining us on The Hyperion Hub! We&#39...

We're looking back at Disney's 2nd decade. Walt pushes the boundaries of animation at the studio with color and quality. The shorts take a huge leap forward and Disney is ready for feature length films. Plus Lightning McQueen hits the soccer pitch in Rocket League. We'll explain. We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast@thehyperionhub.com. Find us on...

There’s a new and extremely popular collectible card game called Disney Lorcana and we’re visiting the local game store to learn more. Zeek’s Comics and Games employee and gamer, Palmer Snell joins and teaches us. Plus we’ll discuss our favorite interactive games we’ve played in the parks. We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast@thehyperionhub.com....

Catching up on our Disney Views from Disney news. We're talking about the new Haunted Mansion lounge on the upcoming Disney Treasure cruise ship, some wonderful events happening at the Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco, our bucket list Disney Parks, and more. Thanks for joining us at the Hyperion Hub! We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast...

Dave Bossert is back and we’re talking about another one of his recent books, Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas Visual Companion from Disney Editions. We’re celebrating 30-years of the spooky holiday classic! Plus Mickey’s Not So Scary Party kicks it up a notch as we head into Halloween week. No tricks. Just treats on this week’s Hyperion Hub! We'd love to hear from you! You can email or...

We're celebrating the Disney company's first 100-years by breaking down its history decade by decade. We start things off where everything begins in the 1920s. Highlights include Oswald, Mickey the HYPERION Studio, and the Silly Symphonies. Plus we'll talk about the brilliant new short Once Upon A Studio. We'd love to hear from you! You can email or send us a recorded audio message at podcast@theh...