Mousetalgia! - Your Disneyland Podcast

This week, Jeff welcomes special guest co-host Kristen back to the show to talk about cruising! Jeff reports on his recent cruise aboard the Disney Destiny, which sailed from Fort Lauderdale into the Bahamas to Nassau and Disney's Castaway Cay. We discuss the food, the onboard shows and attractions, and excursions along the way. Kristen compares Disney cruising with other companies' cruises, with...

This week, Jeff shares some memories and stories about Margaret Kerry, who passed away on June 11 at the age of 97. Margaret spent her childhood and youth adulthood as a performing artist, and she is best known among Disney fans for being the reference model used by Marc Davis to create and animate Tinker Bell for the 1953 film Peter Pan. Jeff spent a bit of time working with Margaret Kerry in the...

This week, Jeff welcomes author and professor Roland Betancourt to the show (41:31) to discuss the history of technology at Disneyland and his new book "Disneyland and the Rise of Automation." We discuss the nature of post-war automation and the mid-20th century, and how Walt Disney took many influences and distilled them into his automated verion of themed entertainment. Also - Jeff reviews "The...

May the Fourth be with you! On today's special surprise episode of Mousetalgia, Jeff takes you on a tour of nearly two decades of recorded history of Star Wars as heard on this podcast. Starting with a look at Star Tours and then going back to the beginning of these iconic films, we will hear from Imagineers, special effects artists, voice actors and celebrities who will share special insights int...

In this episode, Jeff welcomes frequent co-host Julia back to the show to discuss a recent talk about the development of Disneyland's Indiana Jones Adventure by Disney Legend Tony Baxter at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Tony led the project and tells stories about interactivity, Harrison Ford, and dealing with hungry rats. Then, we review Disney books - "The Art of Hoppers" and "From Disneyland's...

This week, Jeff answers your burning questions about the Disney universe and Mousetalgia, including topics about Disney parks, rides, treats, food, Disney history, and (of course) lots of squirrel trails along the way. We also take a fresh look at Darby O'Gill and the Little People, and talk about its making, Walt's intentions for the film, and its impact on audiences since its release in 1959.

On this special edition of Mousetalgia, we are joined by recent traveler Missy who visited Disneyland with her family, which includes two children with disabilities who were aided by the use of Disneyland's DAS (Disability Access Service) Pass. Missy describes the process of obtaining the DAS Passes for her family, talks about how they are used in the park, and then shares broader information usef...

This week, Jeff and Julia (from the Pal Around Podcast) go back in time to 2001 and take a stroll through the opening days of Disney's California Adventure in celebration of its 25th anniversary. Listen to our memories, anecdotes, and a few rare sound bytes as we pay homage to Anaheim's second Disney gate. As a special bonus, we take a quick trip back to the 2013 PNW Mouse Meet to revisit a classi...

This week, Jeff reports on the holidays at Disneyland and Candlelight weekend, and talks about the holiday eats and treats, experiencing the park during the Christmas season, and trying to find an opportunity to view this year's Candlelight Processional, which featured Benjamin Bratt as the guest speaker. Also - a look at the Christmas Fantasy on Parade from 1965, and a recipe for Walt Disney's "f...

This episode, Jeff and co-host Julia discuss two events held recently at the Walt Disney Family Museum celebrating Disneyland's 70th anniversary and the new exhibit titled "The Happiest Place On Earth: The Disneyland Story." Curated by Don Hahn, the new display at the museum features a number of rarely seen artifacts and photos from the development and design of Walt Disney's original Magic Kingdo...

Happy Halloween! On this week's special spooky episode, Jeff welcomes Julia back to the show to discuss a few frightningly fun topics, starting with Jeff's review of Disneyland's new Happiest Haunts Tour ("The Villains' Trail"), and we look at the new features for this year and compare it with tours in years past. Then, we discuss Ray Bradbury and his relationship with both Walt Disney and the Dis...

This week, Jeff welcomes music editor, conductor and arranger Shawn Degenhart to the show to discuss his book "Walt Disney's Cinderella in Full Score," a huge tome which celebrates the history of Cinderella with essays, images, lost songs and that incredible score. Degenhart also shares about his experience working on a Sherman Brothers musical. Plus - Jeff gives a collectibles update, we talk abo...

This week, Jeff and his pals Julia and Tina talk about 70th birthday week at Disneyland - and what an eventful week it was! Jeff was on property Monday through Friday and has a plethora of reports and reviews, and Tina and Julia were at the resort much of the week as well, so we have a lot to talk about. Jeff's family utilized Lightning Lane Premier Pass for their first full day in the parks, and...

In this week's loaded Mousetalgia, Jeff welcomes former Skipper and Mansion Maid Emma Mosier back to the show to discuss the past 7 decades of Disneyland. We also welcome two special guests this week: Andrea Roberts joins us to talk about her father, Larry Lifchis Roberts, who was an Imagineer with MAPO who worked directly with Walt Disney on Audio Animatronics for Disneyland; and Genevieve Buchan...

This week, we take a look at the collapse of Elio at the box office and discuss the circumstances that may have led to its failure to grab family movie-goers, and then Jeff (and wife Julia) offer our own review. Plus, Jeff welcomes Kurt Pfeifer back to the show to talk about his role developing the interactive elements in the Walt Disney Family Museum's ongoing Mary Blair exhibit; and Jeff gives a...

This week, Jeff invites Julia Layne and Tina Biles to the show to discuss the recent D23 Gold Member preview tea and preview of "Mary Blair: Mid Century Magic" at the Walt Disney Family Museum. We also talk about our Star Wars Day adventures at the LEGO Store and at a special orchestral performance by Alphabet employees, and Jeff takes a deep dive into the "problem" with Mary Blair. Keep in touch...

Welcome to the Return of the... Mousetalgia potpourri! This week, Jeff and guest co-host Julia Layne welcome the first week of May with some Star Wars talk, including a review of Disneyland's Season of the Force (29:00) and the new show "Shadows of Memory: A Skywalker Saga." We also talk about a new exhibit coming to the Walt Disney Family Museum (15:35) called "Mary Blair: Mid-Century Magic," and...

Ep. 738: Don Hahn and Chris Merritt on Disneyland at 70, authors and historians on Snow White '25 This week, Imagineer Chris Merritt and Disney producer and director Don Hahn join Mousetalgia to talk about "The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney's Disneyland," their upcoming book scheduled to be released to celebrate Disneyland's 70th birthday (8:55). They discuss Disneyl...

This week, Tina and Julia from the Pal Around Podcast join Jeff to talk about the new Snow White live action film starring Rachel Zegler. Jeff caught an early screening and discusses this much-debated release from the Walt Disney Company. We talk about the music - old and new, the changes from the original animated classic to create a new story, those animated dwarfs, and the new film's possible i...

This week, Jeff welcomes special guest Violet Bird to the show to talk about her recent holiday Disneyland road trip with her husband and their 5 children. Violet shares some anecdotes and stories about her trip, with tips for a successful family vacation inserted along the way. Then, Jeff talks about Sleeping Beauty in honor of the 66th anniversary of the film, and ponders the work Maila "Vampira...

This week, Jeff welcome's Julia Layne back to the show to cover a broad range of topics. We discuss Disneyland's 70th anniversary announcements and the return of Paint the Night, and talk about a brief Haunted Mansion PR gaffe (and that $35 Bride sipper!) Next, we review some new books and talk a bit about the new Star Wars Beastiary, and then we talk about Disney collecting in general, including...

Happy holidays! This week, we look at the history of Disneyland's holiday traditions, and then take a look at how Disney has invented their own notion of holiday celebrations both at Disneyland and Walt Disney World. NPH shares some thoughts about Haunted Mansion Holiday, Skipper Emma joins us to discuss Jingle Cruise jokes, and Diana joins us to talk about holiday cruising on the Disney Magic (an...

Celebrate the Holidays at Disneyland Resort with Mousetalgia! Topics include the incredible holiday atmosphere, Fantasmic dining at Zocalo, the rainy-day Christmas cavalcade, and Disneyland premium dining experiences - yea or nay? Also - Marc Davis' pet bat is back in Haunted Mansion Holiday; our adventures in trying to ride Tiana's splashy Bayou Adventure; holiday dining moments and treats (inclu...

This week, Jeff is joined by Julia Layne to talk about Disney gift giving, and we make a list of some themes and gift ideas to help you become a Disney gift-giver-extraordinaire this holiday season! But first, we talk to author Sunny Chanel about her brand new book "Bring the Magic Home" from Disney Editions. Sunny talks to us about her background as a Disney fan, her history as a writer, and she...

This week, Jeff and Julia report on the inaugural Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon weekend, which Jeff participated in (spoiler alert - a Haunted Mansion-themed 10K medal was involved in his decision.) Plus - it's Halloween Time at Disneyland, and we have some food reviews of the Lamplight Lounge brunch, Red Rose Taverne's Halloween Time offerings, and the off-campus Orange Hill steakhouse (if y...