Book of the Mouse Club

Walt Disney once said "Disneyland will never be completed. It will continue to grow as long as there is imagination left in the world." And Walt was right. Over 60 years later, Disneyland has evolved to include new lands, attractions, and a second park. But what was the park like from 1955-1966 when Walt walked down Main Street and took a Rocket to the Moon in Tomorrowland? David Alpert, host of E...

Hosts Courtney and Emily kick off the new season with an author interview with Matthew Hodge, college professor, award-winning composer, and award winning author of "Cool Cats and A Hot Mouse: A History of Jazz and Disney." The Walt Disney Company and jazz music grew up alongside each other since the 1920s. Follow along on our journey with Matthew through his book and the rich history of both.  Re...

Seize the day and Disney fans rejoice! Dizney Coast to Coast and Book of the Mouse are doing a podcast swap! Host, JeffDePaoli of Dizney Coast to Coast -  that's Disney with a Z - is a friend of the show and enjoys Disney books as much as Courney and Emily. Book of the Mouse Club is excited to share one of Jeff's episodes which features an author interview with Ashley Verela about her book, "Newsi...

"Marley was dead to begin with…" and what a beginning. Who knew a ghost story would be associated with the merriest time of the year? For their seasonal selection, Courtney and Emily are joined by guest reader Dr. Paul Cote to analyze Charles Dickens' classic, "A Christmas Carol". The tale has been adapted for the stage since its publication in 1843, with film and tv adaptations to follow. Disney...

If a collaboration between Walt Disney and Salvador Dali seems surreal, that's because it is, literally. Hosts Courtney and Emily welcome back Dr. Douglas Kern to the podcast to visit a 2015 Walt Disney Family Museum exhibit through its commemorative book titled, Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination, to discuss the friendship between the two artists and, at the time, their unrealized ani...

"We're walking right down the middle of Main Street USAAAA.." and taking time to stop and do some window shopping! In honor of the 50th anniversary of Walt Disney World Resort, Courtney and Emily are honoring Cast Member contributions to the park through Jeff Heimbuch's book "Main Street Windows: A Complete Guide to Disney's Whimsical Tributes." Honoring a Cast Member with a window on Mainstreet d...

She's a supergirl and she's here to save the world...or at least not pass out in her high school debate class.  Twenty years ago, the world met Mia Thermopolis in the Princess Diaries. This film gave Anne Hathaway her royal debut to the silver screen starring alongside the practically perfect Julie Andrews as the Queen, who reveals to her granddaughter that she is no average teenager, but the heir...

Walt's Nine Old Men are known for their iconic artistry and animation, but it takes more than ink and paint to make characters come to life. Step away from the animator's desk and into the sound booth! Courtney and Emily are joined by Spencer Wright to discuss his new book, Voices Behind the Magic, which highlights thirteen actors who gave voice and style to our favorite villains like Yzma, Malefi...

Foolish mortal, you continued to read the "Tales of the Haunted Mansion". Your ghost hosts Courtney and Emily materialize for the second half of their Sinister Summer Series to discuss Volumes III and IV of the "Tales of the Haunted Mansion" box set. Reunited with phantom librarian, Amicus Arcane, readers meet more of the 999 happy haunts that inhabit the Haunted Mansion. So join the jamboree. Ope...

When the crypt doors creak and the tombstones quake, Courtney and Emily come out for a swinging wake. The happy haunts have materialized for the Sinister Summer Series featuring the four book boxset "The Tales of the Haunted Mansion" by John Esposito. In this first of a two part episode, hear the ghost stories of some of the Haunted Mansion's grim grinning ghosts from the librarian, Amicus Arcane....

Celebrating the full availability of the latest Disney animated feature Disney+, Courtney and Emily are joined by Franky to discuss the Art of Disney's Raya and the Last Dragon. The book provides an in depth look at the scenery and character design of Ray's homeland, Kumandra, and its Southeast Asian inspiration. Review Book of the Mouse Club on iTunes and Google Play and send any questions, comme...

If she doesn't scare you, no evil thing will. Hosts Courtney and Emily discuss Maureen Johnson's, "Hello, Cruel Heart," in honor of Disney's latest live action film, "Cruella." Before Cruella became the fur frenzied fashion icon that we know from the 1961 animated film, 101 Dalmatians, Cruella was Estella. "Hello, Cruel Heart" is a young adult novel that takes place before the events of "Cruella"...

The "godfather of Disney podcasting" is back! Lou Mongello returns to the Book of the Mouse Club to discuss with Courtney and Emily his book, "The Disney Interviews: Volume I." In his career spreading magic to listeners on his podcast, The WDW Radio Show, Lou has had the opportunity to talk to several Disney Legends including Richard Sherman, Julie Andrews, Dave Smith, and Marty Sklar, which are j...

It's elementary our dear listeners! Hosts Courtney and Emily are joined by the co-hosts of Poor Unfortunate Podcast, Conor and Caroline, to discuss Eve Titus' "Basil of Baker Street", the original source material for Disney's 1986 animated feature, "The Great Mouse Detective". Maybe it is not your favorite Disney film, but all four hosts highly recommend the book series for any reader who enjoys a...

Get ready for a Me Party and plan a solo trip to Walt Disney World and other Central Florida destinations! Hosts Courtney and Emily are welcome back to the podcast Nikky J, the founder of ThemeParkHipister.com and author of "The Solo Theme Park Traveler's Guide" to talk about using that solo rider line and traveling to central Florida theme parks by yourself. Traveling alone can often seem dauntin...

Courtney and Emily celebrate Imagineer Kevin Rafferty's retirement after 40 years with the Walt Disney Company and Walt Disney Imagineering. Back on Episode 40 , Courtney, Emily, and Brett from the Notably Disney podcast, discussed Kevin's memoir about his career, "Magic Journey: My Fantastical Walt Disney Imagineering Career". Almost a year later, Kevin agreed to talk to the Book of the Mouse Clu...

For women's history month, Courtney and Emily immersed themselves in the stories of the working women of the Walt Disney Animation studio during its classic and golden age. Often the story of women in the early days of Disney Animation begins in Ink and Paint, but author Nathalia Holt instead focused on the more male dominated work spaces like the story, concept art, and animation departments. Mov...

A little big adventure awaits in your own backyard! Courtney and Emily are joined by Dizney Coast to Coast host Jeff DePaoli to discuss a Disney family film favorite, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and its junior novelization published by Scholastic. In this episode Courtney, Jeff, and Emily discuss how the novel compared to the film while reminiscing about Scholastic Book Fairs and the Honey, I Shrunk...

It's time to play the music; it's time to light the lights. It's time to get things started on the Book of the Mouse Club tonight! In anticipation of The Muppet Show's release to Disney+, hosts Courtney and Emily interview New York Times bestselling author, Brian Jay Jones, about "Jim Henson: The Biography" (along with a dabbling of "George Lucas: A Life). Today, the world knows of the Muppets and...

While it may have started with a Mouse for Walt Disney, for many theme park and film fans, it started with a blog. Our current Instagram and TikTok culture is most associated with content creation, but Disney fans have been spreading the magic over the web since the 1990s. Join your hosts Courtney and Emily for a podcast party about "It All Started With a Blog: Detangling the Wide Web of Disney Bl...

Who is your favorite Disney Princess? This is a common question among Disney fans and rightfully so. Each princess is distinct in her character, story, and art which resonates just as uniquely with every person who follows her on her journey. The Disney Princess is a powerhouse brand of the Walt Disney Company and has created many milestones and magical moments using the art of animation storytell...

One little spark of inspiration...While this is a well known tune for Disney parks fans, Pixar took the idea of the spark and turned to the audience and asked "What's yours? What makes you, YOU?". Disney and Pixar's "Soul" released on Disney+ on Christmas with accolades from both critics and viewers. Thanks to Chronicle Books, your hosts got a sneak peak of the film through the book, "The Art of S...

Hosts Courtney and Emily return to their study of Disney's renaissance man in "Marc Davis In His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Parks Volume 2" by Pete Docter and Christopher Merritt. In this episode, continue to learn about Marc's Imagineering career as he created theme park favorites such as The Haunted Mansion, The Country Bear Jamboree, and America Sings. Also learn of undeveloped projects...

He can do it all; animation, character, story, staging, design, theme park attractions. He is one of Walt's nine old men, his renaissance man, Marc Davis. Marc is well known for classic Disney attractions such as the Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and the Haunted Mansion. And what better way to see the attractions through Marc's eyes than hearing about them in his own words. Pete Doctoer...

The Little Mermaid launched the Disney Renaissance and together, Ariel and Eric defeated Ursula and sailed off into the sunset to their happily ever after. But what if Ursula won? What if Ariel returned to being a mermaid and Eric was left under a spell to marry Vanessa? Your hosts Courtney and Emily along with guest reader, content creator, and podcaster, Vitoria, discuss a twist of the The Littl...