Beyond The Mouse: A Weekly Disney Podcast

Brett, take the wheel! Join Brett as he shares behind the scenes recollections of Magic Kingdom 4th of July castle show Spectaculars! Let the fireworks fly along with Disney memories that include Disney’s all-star casts including Tommy Tune, Carol Channing and Rita Moreno! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford __________________________________________  Named one of the top 50 Disney Podcasts […]

“You have to listen to people tell their story.” Howard Berger is an Oscar winner and an Emmy winner for his work in make-up over a forty year career in Hollywood. One of his first projects was Aliens and since then had has become a fixture in special effects make-up especially in the area of […]

“I liked you better as a rabbit, Charlie.” We are excited to dive into the 1971 live action film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It wouldn’t be right to talk about this classic film without inviting on Brandon Davis from Front Row Classics to give us a bit of credibility. In addition to Brandon, Anna joins us […]

Welcome back, friend! We finally tracked down John Saccheri, Big Fat Panda, and put him in front of a Zoom screen to catch us up on his rollercoaster year! We chat about his new role with The Dis as well as his recent trips to Aulani, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line. We here at Beyond […]

“We get to have a very unique Mexican-American superhero.” Craig had an excellent opportunity to catch up with the showrunners behind the new Disney Channel series Ultra Violet and Black Scorpion, Leo Chu and Eric Garcia. This team has been creating together for a decade going back to their time developing Afro Samurai. They open […]

“I have been very very lucky…” This week we are thrilled to bring you our discussion with Jeffrey R. Epstein, Vice President of Corporate Communications for the Walt Disney Company. Jeffrey has been involved with the official Disney fan club, D23, since its inception. He is also a vital part of the team that brings […]

“Brett– you fancy!” Brett pulled a fast one and snuck his way out to California for Star Wars Celebration. Of course, he could just visit the convention without also stopping in his happy place. Craig and Brett recap some of the news out of Celebration along with some of Brett’s experiences. Then they dive into […]

Welcome to the ’90s! Chip ‘n Dale are back and better than ever in this new film brought directly to Disney+. We were excited to sit down and tell you all about it. Craig and Vanessa from Beyond the Mouse were also joined on this review by Mike Wennmacher, known locally to the Springfield area […]

“Everybody got help from someone…” We were recently invited to a press junket where Academy Award Nominee Donald Mowat was talking about his recent hair and make-up design for Moon Knight on Disney+. We had a few minutes to chat with Donald about his process, and how he went about preparing for his opportunity in […]

“Literally we can’t let Brett keep winning these. Please, help.” This past weekend, we were LIVE on the Creator Stage at Fan Expo St. Louis. We decided what is geekier then three hosts doing a 90’s character draft. The rules are simple, the character had to appear in a Disney property in the 90s. Three […]

“We don’t talk about Chapek… no no no” Vanessa is working hard on school work this week, so the boys talk all things Disney. Brett follows up on his starcruiser experience, Craig fills everyone in where he’s at with DVC and we might get slightly political (sorry). FEATURING: Brett Rutherford, Craig McFarland __________________________________________  Named one […]

May the Fourth be with you! The Halcyon Five are back in the thrilling conclusion to their Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser journey. We hope you celebrate this Star Wars Day responsibly, by booking a stay off world near Walt Disney World! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford, Alexa Giacomini, Brittney McLaughlin, Tyler Dobson and Beckham Stewart __________________________________________  Named […]

Together as one! The Halcyon Five were among the first to voyage on the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser which blasted off from Walt Disney World in early March. The group has come back together to discuss the trip in this first of two parts. In this episode we hear about their first experiences onboard the […]

We are finally back! Craig and his family finally made it back to Walt Disney World! Anna and Craig speak about their trip overall. We also discuss recent changes to Disney Genie+ as well as discussing some new dining options throughout the park. There is also a follow up to Jordan Fisher’s offer to purchase […]

“We failed the Bechdel test.” Sometimes the boys of the pod leave for Disney World. Sometimes that means the true foundation of BTM, Vanessa Ferguson, has to come in and make sure the show will go on. This week, Vanessa chats with her NPR Illinois Community Voices Co-host Bea Bonner about the 1998 Disney animated […]

“Genie+ terrifies me” Just before leaving for Disney, Craig had a chance to speak with Justin Suiter of DDP Today (formerly Disney Dads Podcast) about the new paid service, Genie+. Justin was able to provide insights into the new service, where it might make the most sense to use and some general tips and tricks […]

“We are waiting for the pity bus…” We are excited to be joined by Tristan and Sean from Of Mice & Main Street Men. We follow the Disney marathon path and go through each of the parks to pick our favorite attraction, food, and show. We hope we can make it through before the Disney […]

“The Great Gonzo!” We are excited to interview Muppet legend, Dave Goelz. Dave has been responsible for creating and portraying Gonzo on The Muppets, as well as numerous other characters including Floyd and Professor Bunsen Honeydew. We talk to Dave about his career. We also focus on his direct work with Jim Henson. Lots of […]

“We need kindness, y’all.” We are excited to bring you our conversation with Jordan Fisher! A mainstay in all things Disney, Jordan has been featured in the parks and in many Disney television and film properties. Today we bring you a conversation with Jordan primarily about his role in the new Pixar film, Turning Red. […]

Time to get into the madness! We are so excited to bring back a 32 team tournament to determine the best Disney attraction on the west coast! We are joined by Matthew Krul of the Imagineer Podcast and David Alpert of E-Ticket to Broadway to breakdown both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure sides of the […]

Time to travel to a galaxy far far away… Join Brett and his intrepid group, the Galactic 5, as they prepare to blast off world on the Halcyon as part of the Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser experience at Walt Disney World. The group discusses what they are looking forward to as they prepare to […]

“Find your park bench” This week Craig and Vanessa speak to Jeff Barnes, who has written two books on The Wisdom of Walt. Recently Jeff has left a career in Higher Education in order to bring his college course on Disneyland to the masses through an online platform. We chat about the history of Disneyland, […]

Running 48.6 miles is pretty Dopey This week Craig is joined by Kimmy and John to chat about their experiences at the recent WDW Marathon Weekend. Both have experience in RunDisney races. The group breaks down the marathon and the Dopey challenge. They also speak about their training routine as well as their thoughts on […]

She’s back, baby! It has been a few minutes since Vanessa has been in a Disney Park, but recently she had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World. She speaks about her experience being sick on property. She also had a chance to experience the new Drawn to Life show at Disney Springs. We discuss […]

Preparation meets opportunity Ashley Brown is a Broadway superstar. She stepped into the lead role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast before originating the titular role of Mary Poppins. We had a chance to speak with her just as she’s heading to Walt Disney World to perform in the Disney on Broadway series as […]