Beyond The Mouse: A Weekly Disney Podcast

Wow! This past weekend brought us a ton of Disney announcements from D23 Expo 2022. On this episode, Craig, Brett and Bea will break down some of the announcements they were the most excited about from the whole weekend of panels and events. You’ll get to hear about some of the film studio properties, video games, TV shows coming to Disney+ and of course we cover all the Disney Parks news. Let us...

We are incredibly excited to welcome back to the podcast, Disney Legend Jodi Benson. She has written, for the first time, some of her thoughts and feelings about her life. It’s less an autobiography and more a conversation that we all get to take part in. Part of My World will be available online and at independent bookstores everywhere on September 13. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford...

Are you ready for D23 Expo? Join BTM Brett with special guests Cari and Jacqueline as they get ready for their D23Expo 2022 adventures! Questions will be answered and excitement abounds! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford __________________________________________ Named one of the top 50 Disney Podcasts by Feedspot!  blog.feedspot.com/disney_podcasts  FIND US ON NPR ILLINOIS!  https://www....

This week Craig and Vanessa had a wonderful opportunity to speak to Brad Forenza about the upcoming second season of Around the Sun . “ A scripted, episodic audio drama that explores human connections, made and missed, with an existential flare ,” premiering in fall 2022. Brad is also joined by Around the Sun cast member, Adassa. We also speak to her about her role as Delores in Encanto , and part...

This week Craig and Anna talk all about their recent trip to the first night of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. That’s right! Halloween in Disney World starts on August 12 and we were there for it. We also chat about Wilderness Lodge and Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford and Vanessa Ferguson, _________________________________________...

It’s ladies week on Beyond the Mouse! This week on the show Vanessa is joined by special guest Bea Bonner as they talk about TV sitcoms that have filmed episodes in the Disney parks. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford and Vanessa Ferguson __________________________________________ Named one of the top 50 Disney Podcasts by Feedspot!  blog.feedspot.com/disney_podcasts  FIND US O...

Don’t hate us. Yes, we don’t always love everything about Disney. Sometimes we notice things that we think could better. Join us this week as we discuss our most unpopular opinions with special guest Zoey Zara. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford and Vanessa Ferguson __________________________________________ Named one of the top 50 Disney Podcasts by Feedspot!  blog.feedspot.com/dis...

This week we bring you our conversation with Paul and Amy Kreiger of DVC Rental Store and Monora Financial. They bought into DVC in 2019, and quickly have become a leading resource for DVC members. Both are heavily active in the DVC Fan Facebook group, as well as making frequent appearances on The DVC Show podcast. We speak to them about the process of renting, buying and financing DVC. Then we ge...

This week we bring you our top ten (OK we didn’t keep count and there are way more than ten) places to stay cool at Walt Disney World. It’s sweltering in Orlando this summer, and we want to look out for you if you have a trip scheduled. We are joined by Bea Bonner from NPR Illinois, and she gives us some great perspectives. Where do you go to stay cool in WDW? Come to the Beyond the Mouse Podcast...

Really excited to bring to the show this week our interview with artist Guy Gilchrist. Craig had the chance to meet Guy at Fan Expo St. Louis. Guy has drawn dozens of childhood favorites including The Muppets , Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles , Pink Panther and so many more. He speaks about his work with Jim Henson, and his experience taking over the Nancy comic strip. This is a fun conversation abou...

On this multi-show crossover we dive into the latest addition to the MCU, Thor: Love and Thunder . Craig, Jeremy and Brett share their thoughts on the film and attempt to predict the impact it may have on the rest of phase four. We start the episode with a spoiler-free first take, then dive into all the spoilers we can fit in your ears. Don’t worry, we do give you a fair warning. Join us as we dis...

We are excited to welcome back Panda as he is straight off the christening cruise for the Disney Wish. This was a media event cruise, which was sponsored by Disney. As such, John isn’t going to review the cruise, but give us some insights into the newest ship in the Disney fleet. He also talks about his experiences covering the event for The Dis! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford, Craig McFarland, Vanes...

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 […]