Beyond The Mouse: A Weekly Disney Podcast

Welcome! There is no better time to be a Disney fan than Halloween! We are joined by one of our favorite Disney podcaster Matthew Krul of the Imagineer Podcast. We speak with Matthew about his podcast. How the podcast came to be, his love for the parks and some of his personal favorite episodes. After […]

Welcome! Thank you to our friends at Ravensburger for providing us with copies of the new Hocus Pocus card game! We played it, and we will review it for you. Follow along as we discuss the design of the game, how to play and our overall impressions of this very impressive game. Fans of Hocus […]

Welcome! This week we bring you the second half of our interview with former Imagineer and Disney author Jeff Kurtti. He has written over 40 titles for the Disney company, and his latest book “The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky” was just released earlier this month. Jeff shares so many stories and […]

Thanks for listening! This week we bring you the first half of our interview with former Imagineer and Disney author Jeff Kurtti. He has written over 40 titles for the Disney company, and his latest book “The Disney Monorail: Imagineering a Highway in the Sky” was just released earlier this month. Jeff shares so many […]

Thanks for listening! This week we had an opportunity to speak to Imagineer Tom K. Morris about his work with the Disney company. Tom worked on many projects including Epcot, the castle in Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland and others. We also spoke to Tom about his new book about Imagineering which he is in […]

Thanks for listening! We are so thrilled to bring you this interview with Disney Legend Jodi Benson. We speak to Jodi about her time on Broadway, her work with the late Howard Ashman, her experiences bringing to life the iconic role of Ariel and so much more. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson __________________________________________ […]

Thanks for listening! The Beyond the Mouse crew is here for a special breakdown of the latest Disney live action remake, Mulan. Originally scheduled for release in March, this film had an unexpected journey to premier access on Disney+. This review does include spoilers. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson __________________________________________ FIND US ON […]

Thanks for listening! On this Beyond the Mouse/Classics crossover, the crew discusses the 1954 Disney live-action film, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. This movie has been beautifully restored on Disney Plus. We speak to the production design, the history, the influence on the Disney parks and more (maybe even a great James Mason impression) much […]

Thanks for listening! This week we are joined by two friends who have made the trek to Florida since the reopening of Walt Disney World. Kristen Wolfe speaks to her experience at the Boardwalk and all about the parks. Craig William II lets us know about his stay at the Polynesian and his take on […]

Thanks for listening! This week we return to Walt Disney World. There is one man who has spent numerous hours bringing us live content from the parks for the past fifteen years, host of WDW Radio, Lou Mongello. Lou speaks to us about his love for Disney, his career as a content creator and his […]

Download the Episode This week we are happy to bring to the podcast, Dan Cockerell. Dan spent a twenty-six-year career with the Disney company in multiple roles. Beginning in the Disney College Program and ultimately becoming VP of Epcot Center, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom. This week Dan has released a new book called […]

Download the Episode This week the documentary Howard drops on Disney+. We are celebrating the life and accomplishments of Howard Ashman in the best way possible, by doing a Disney Song Draft! Make sure to follow us on social media for your chance to vote for your favorite team!   Featuring: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, […]

Download the Episode This week on the show we have a wonderful guest! Kaye Malins provides us with insights about Marceline, Missouri. Walt Disney always regarded his time in Marceline as vital to the creation of the Disney Parks, and many of his other projects. Kaye speaks to us about the museum, how it was […]

Download the Episode We had the pleasure of interviewing Kevin Lima, director of so many wonderful Disney films. One such film is Enchanted! Brett, Vanessa and Craig break down their love for the film. Featuring: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson ___________________________________________ FIND US ON NPR ILLINOIS! https://www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network FIND US ON...

Download the Episode We were so excited to speak with Academy Award Nominee Leslie Iwerks. The interview speaks to her entire career as a documentary film director and producer. We also talk about her family’s history in the Disney company. See Leslie’s work The Imagineering Story on Disney+. Leslie’s Article on NPR Illinois: https://www.nprillinois.org/post/filmmaker-leslie-iwerks-tells-stories-a...

Download the Episode We are so excited that Hamilton has arrived on Disney+! To celebrate the occasion we interview a man who has played Alexander Hamilton for the past year. Julius Thomas III speaks about his Broadway career, his words of wisdom to upcoming performers and of course we dive deep into his role in […]

Download the Episode The Beyond the Mouse crew had the extraordinary opportunity to speak with Disney Legend Bob Gurr. Bob is responsible for most everything on wheels at the Disney Parks. He worked directly with Walt Disney to help open Disneyland. It’s an incredible conversation! Featuring: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson ___________________________________________ FIND US […...

Download the Episode Join Craig, Brett and Vanessa as they chat with Disney Legend Floyd Norman. Floyd began his career at the Walt Disney Studios working on Sleeping Beauty in 1956. He continues to work on animation projects today, nearing his 85th birthday. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson with Floyd Norman ___________________________________________ FIND […]

Download the episode. Brett and Vanessa have been trying to convince Craig to abandon hi next WDW vacation and head to sunny California. They decided to bring along expert Disneyland traveler, Craig Williams, II to try the hard sell. The groups talks food, rides and more in this feed only episode. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett […]

Download the episode. Twenty five years ago Goofy and Max set out on the open road and ended up at a Powerline concert. We had the opportunity to sit down with the man who made it all happen. The Beyond the Mouse crew sat down with director Kevin Lima. We talking about his entire career […]

Download the episode. The Beyond the Mouse crew is taking on Pixar! Rankings from 1-22 on this episode. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson and Erin McCabe ___________________________________________ FIND US ON NPR ILLINOIS! https://www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network FIND US ON FACEBOOK – https://www.facebook.com/thefrontrownetwork/ FIND US ON TWITTER – https...

Download the episode. Even in the midst of the coronavirus, #Pixar and #Disney gave us the next in the stable of animated adventures. The whole Beyond The Mouse crew is here to give you their #FullDisclosure review of the magical family adventure #Onward. #BTM #FRN #NPR FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford & Vanessa Ferguson ___________________________________________ […]

Download the episode. It’s been a while since #BeyondTheMouse has a done a good old fashioned #Disney news roundup! We’re discussing the HUGE shakeup as CEO Bob Iger suddenly steps down, do some Disney+ reviews and much more. #BTM #FRN #NPR FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford & Vanessa Ferguson ___________________________________________ CHECK OUT OUR WEBSITE! www.frnpod.com […]

Download the episode. It’s Oscar season once again at the Front Row and #BeyondTheMouse is getting in on the fun. In this special episode, the crew takes a look at some of the biggest moments for the Moues House at the Oscars. #BTM #FRN #NPR FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford, Vanessa Ferguson & Brandon Davis […]

Download the episode. 2019 is in the books and it has been just about as successful as it could have been for Disney. From the biggest movie of all time to a record-breaking haul for a studio at the box office that may never be approached again. From new parks opening to the launch of […]