Book of the Mouse Club

During the Disney100 centennial celebration of the Walt Disney Company, Disney's animated films and theme parks have been getting a lot of attention. But what about its live action legacy? Many may associate Disney live action with recent remakes or Marvel and Star Wars, but with over 300 films , Disney has 70+ years producing live action films. To celebrate this medium, hosts Courtney and Emily w...

What's better than one podcast episode? Two podcast episodes! It's a Disney Leadership Duo crossover between Book of the Mouse Club and Notably Disney. Courtney and Emily welcome Brett Nachman of the Notably Disney podcast back to the show to talk about Disney Legend Jim Cora's memoir, "Not Just a Walk in the Park: My Worldwide Disney Resorts Career." Cora started his career as a park operations t...

Consider yourself at home with this final installment of the British Invasion Summer Series. Hosts Courtney and Emily welcome back Dr. Doug Kern and Dr. Paul Cote as guest readers to compare Charles Dickens' 1838 novel, Oliver Twist, to Disney's 1988 animated film Oliver and Company. Drastically different, you will not recognize Billy Joel's beloved portrayal of Dodger from the Artful Dodger in Di...

Curiouser and Curiouser! Caroline from the Poor Unfortunate Podcast joins Courtney and Emily's unbirthday  party in this next installment of the Book of the Mouse Club's British Invasion Summer Series. Follow your hosts down the rabbit hole to compare Disney's 1951 film Alice in Wonderland to Lewis Carrol's original work. And if you lose your head over our hot takes about Alice, it's okay - we are...

Tally Ho! Courtney and Emily are merrily merrily on their way to discuss their second selection for the British Invasion Summer Series, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. Your hosts welcome back Conor Perkins, one half of the The Poor Unfortunate Podcast, to compare this children's classic novel to Walt Disney's 1949 adaptation of The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad and the classic Dis...

It's time for another summer reading series! The start of the British Invasion Summer Series has Courtney and Emily traveling across the pond to the second star to the right and straight on 'til morning! Your hosts welcome back guest reader, Leeann, to discuss J.M. Barrie's "Peter Pan". The Boy Who Never Grew Up was the source material for the 1953 Disney animated film by the same name and the ins...

"You Must Be This Tall" to ride, but there's no height requirement to listen! Consider this your "Keys to the Kingdom" backstage tour of this fun theme park novel, inspired by the experiences of a former Disney Cast Member. Courtney and Emily interview Natalie Keller Reinert about her book "You Must Be This Tall," a fictional story set in America the Beautiful theme park featuring a cast of Patrio...

Drama, romance, runaway teenagers, and…Walt Disney World? Believe it or not, Walt Disney World was featured as a setting in a Harlequin Romance novel in 1986. Courtney and Emily finally got their hands on this out of print novel by Clare Richmond and are spilling the tea on the book that fascinates Disney Twitter. Detective Daniel McGuinn and Barbara Emerson are searching for Barbara's step-daught...

Courney and Emily are joined in this episode by guest reader, Eric, the host of Synergy Loves Company Podcast. What if you had the chance to live forever? Would you take it? That is the dilemma facing young Winnie Foster when she meets the Tuck family while wandering lost in the woods. Tuck Everlasting by Natalie Babbitt is considered part of children's classic literature selling millions of copie...

Courtney and Emily are joined by journalist, podcaster, and now author, Michael Lyons, to discuss his book "Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance". The Disney Renaissance contains several film favorites including The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and the Lion King. In this discussion Michael explains why these fan favorites stand out from their animated predecessors t...

It's the last show of 2022! Courtney and Emily discuss Walt Disney Animation Studios' latest release, Strange World, with the book The Art of Disney Strange World by Juan Pablo Reyes Lancaster Jones and Kalikolehua Hurley. The concept art and design commentary provides a deeper look into the film's design and character development. Did you know that the Windy Jungle was inspired by bronchial trees...

Ghouls and ghosts of every age wouldn't you like to see something strange? Come with Courtney and Emily and you will meet Sally Skellington the Pumpkin Queen of Halloween. In the episode, your hosts discuss the Disney Press fiction release "Long Live the Pumpkin Queen" by Shea Ernshaw. The story begins right where the Nightmare Before Christmas left off, with Jack and Sally pursuing their relation...

Magic mirror on the wall, summon Ridley Pearson to the Book of the Mouse Club we call! The much awaited interview with the award-winning author of suspense and young adult adventure novels is finally here. Courtney and Emily are joined by Ridley to discuss his new book "Cautionary Tales: A Collection of Scary Stories Starring Favorite Disney Villains." Just in time for the spooky season, readers f...

Courtney and Emily are excited to welcome author and Disney historian, Marcy Carriker Smothers, back to the podcast to discuss her new book "100 Disney Adventures of a Lifetime: Magical Experiences from Around the World." In this first collaboration between Disney Editions and National Geographic, readers will find one hundred adventures from all over the world inspired by Disney theme parks, anim...

It's been 29 years, right down to the day but the witches are back and there's so much to say. Courtney and Emily celebrate the new release of Hocus Pocus 2 on Disney+ with a review of the 2018 book Hocus Pocus and the All New Sequel . Released four years apart, the book and the film take different paths to tell the ongoing story of the Sanderson sisters' haunting of Salem. Courtney and Emily comp...

Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair! Courtney and Emily return to their ongoing series, Fairytale Favorites, with a comparison of Grimm's Fairytales "Rapunzel" and Disney Animated Studios' 50th animated feature, "Tangled." Like most fairytales, the original source material left Disney a lot of room for interpretation but did you know that the story actually moved from Italy, to France, then to...

Courntey and Emily wrap up the Legendary Summer Series with Dame Julie Andrews' second memoir "Home Work: A Memoir of My Hollywood Years." Andrews' memoir takes place from 1962-1986 starting with her Hollywood debut in Disney's "Mary Poppins" and ending with her second husband's semi autobiographical film, "That's Life!" Andrews reflects on the work and self discovery it took to balance a new care...

Courtney and Emily continue their Legendary Summer Series with "From Disneyland's Tom Sawyer to Disney Legend: The Adventures of Tom Nabbe" by Tom Nabbe. A Disney 55er, Tom Nabbe was a newspaper boy hired as a young teenager by Walt Disney himself to personify the youthful adventurer, Tom Sawyer, at Disneyland's Tom Sawyer's Island. However, his Disney career wasn't limited to the shores of Rivers...

Let's get together yeah yeah yeah…for a Legendary Summer Series! This summer, Courtney and Emily are reading memoirs of Disney Legends. This episode kicks off the summer with "Forever Young" by Hayley Mills. Most known for her performances in Pollyanna(1960) and The Parent Trap (1961), Hayley made six films for Disney and grew up on the silver screen right before the eyes of her audience. Her memo...

Courtney and Emily are joined by Nebraska State Poet, Matt Mason, to discuss his book "At the Corner of Fantasy and Main: Disneyland, Midlife, and Churros." This book is a rare genre in theme park literature and a must have for every park goer who has ever wanted to recite an ode to Mr. Toad's Wild Ride or Space Mountain. Disneyland holds memories for a lifetime and with every visit, you relive th...

Reach out and find your happily ever after…on Happily Ever Island. Courtney and Emily are joined by Crystal Cestari to discuss her young adult novel, Happily Ever Island , in which best friends, "Disney Adult" Madison and "Disney what?" Lanie, win a full week vacation to Disney's newest immersive island resort.  Here, they step into the stories of their favorite Disney characters to live out their...

Walk down the middle of Mainstreet USA and have a corndog with Walt Disney himself! At least you can imagine you are when you read Marcy Carriker Smothers' books "Eat Like Walt: The Wonderful World of Disney Food" and "Walt's Disneyland: A Walk in the Park with Walt Disney." In a follow up to episode #70, Courtney and Emily are joined by the author to discuss her books that take you into Disneylan...

Happy Women's History Month! Courtney and Emily discuss Disney Editions' recent publication, "Women of Walt Disney Imagineering: 12 Women Reflect on Their Trailblazing Theme Park Careers." This is a collaborative work by twelve former Imagineers who share their stories of designing themed experiences for park guests as well as the uphill battles they faced working in male dominated professions. Co...

It was all started by a …rabbit? The rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit were reacquired by Walt Disney Company in 2006, but prior to his homecoming, few people knew about Walt's first cartoon character. Oswald was left to a few  paragraphs or the footnotes of Disney history books, until David Bossert came along. In celebration of Oswald's 95th birthday, hosts Courtney and Emily are joined by the au...