Mousetalgia! - Your Disneyland Podcast

Team Mousetalgia talks Star Wars on this special stellar-sized May 4th episode as we recount the highlights of a weekend of galactic adventure at the recent Star Wars Celebration convention held April 16-19 at the Anaheim Convention Center. From JJ Abrams and his stunning new teaser trailer to Princess Leia making out with a fan onstage in the Celebration Arena, we cover the moments and events fro...

In this special episode recorded live from Star Wars Celebration Anaheim on April 17, 2015, Mousetalgia welcomes writer/director/puppeteer/creature artist Kirk Thatcher to the show to talk about his work for ILM on Return of the Jedi creating creatures and aliens, and then bringing them to life for the film. Television producer Joseph Freed also joins our roundtable to discuss living la vida Star...

Mousetalgia continues our own 24/7 Newsies cycle with another Newsies-inspired episode today as we welcome session musician Derek Young to the show to talk about his experience as the "unsung Newsie" from the original Disney film, released 23 years ago. Derek talks about working with composer Alan Menken and arranger Danny Troob on the soundtrack album, for which he was hired to dub a line for one...

Join Team Mousetalgia as we take a look back at the release of star wars in 1977 with Lucasfilm's director of fan relations at the time, Craig Miller. Miller takes us for a look inside the inner workings of Lucasfilm as Star Wars was released, which caught everyone by surprise with its overwhelming success. Miller talks about starting the official Star Wars Fan Club, George Lucas's early plans for...

Mousetalgia welcomes Barbara Burnett Brock to the show to talk about her incredible career as a tour guide at Disneyland. Enjoy stories about touring with Ozzy Osbourne, Stephen King and Michael Jackson, and learn about the grand opening of Star Tours and Liz Taylor's amazing 60th birthday fête, which Barbara helped manage. As Kristen notes, it's really all about that tour guide outfit - and we di...

Mousetalgia visited the Walt Disney Company Annual Shareholder meeting at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco on March 12, and Jeff reports on the experience. From sneak peeks at upcoming films to an open mic for shareholders to speak to CEO Bob Iger directly, we cover all the bases and describe the interesting experience of hearing the company's leaders speak about the future of the Walt Dis...

This week, Mousetalgia reviews Cinderella, Disney's latest live-action version of one of its classic animated films. How does Kenneth Branagh's new film compare to Disney's other live action remakes? We offer our two cents, and share our opinions of the new movie. The music, the meaning, and the mythology are all discussed in detail as we take a closer look at this crowd-pleasing new film. We also...

It's back to the Mousetalgia inbox! We read and respond to recent email, and topics include: favorite cast member costumes; favorite parades through Disneyland history; Disneyana collecting 101; Mousetalgia's dubious lyrical memory skills and questionable theme song; remembering the Empire's 501st; Fantasmic dining Fastpasses; the proper care and feeding of Disney antenna toppers; and the upcoming...

Mousetalgia carries the banner and reviews the current touring production of Newsies, which landed recently in San Francisco. We discuss the differences between the film and the touring production, and even some differences between the Broadway show and the current tour. Souvenirs, dancing, the music - we cover it all. Then, Dave and Becky review Disney on Ice: "Let's Celebrate," and describe the...

The Mousetalgia 3-day Disneyland trip: our own methods, secrets, and ideas for making the most of the standard 3-day trip to Disneyland Resort. When is it better to spend a little more, and where can you save a little? How should you approach meals during a day at the park? We offer our opinions on attractions, fastpasses, drinks, breaks, and a general plan of attack for enjoying the resort during...

Mousetalgia investigates the ways of the force this week as Kristen goes to the recently opened "Star Wars and the Power of Costume" exhibit which premiered in Seattle's EMP Museum, and shares her opinions of the new nine-part exhibition of costumes from all six Star Wars films. Covering everything from Darth Vader's armor to Princess Leia's slave outfit, the exhibit promises insight regarding the...

D23's Kristin Rodack joins Mousetalgia this week to discuss D23's events and features for 2015, many of which were just announced in the past week. From studio events and chances to meet Disney Legends to gatherings spread across the country, 2015 looks to be the best yet for D23 members. We discuss the recently announced features in detail, which include a radical new approach to the Fanniversary...

Team Mousetalgia discusses the hobby of collecting Disneyana this week as we talk with Mike Van Eaton, the proprietor of Van Eaton Galleries, about his current exhibition titled "The Story of Disneyland," a massive auction of a single collector's treasure trove of nearly 1,800 pieces including Disneyland props, ephemera, souvenirs and memorabilia. Van Eaton discusses the exhibition, and also share...

Disneyland just announced details of the 60th anniversary celebration, and Mousetalgia's special correspondent Mady reports on Disneyland's media night describing the festivities, which will include new dancing fountains; a focus on Walt Disney, the man; new Richard Sherman music and fireworks; a new nighttime parade; lots of diamonds and... swans? Mousetalgia also looks back at Disneyland's previ...

This week, we run to a galaxy far, far away to talk about Disneyland's recent Star Wars Half Marathon weekend. With Dave or Becky participating in each race, we have a full report on the goings on, the galactic hoohah, the out-of-this-world costumes, and the too-few character photo opportunities. Was this a good start for the Star Wars races, or did it miss the Hammill -er, the mark? Also, Disneyl...

It's back to the email inbox, as Team Mousetalgia answers your questions. The topics include a list of our favorite exhibits at the Walt Disney Family Museum; Disneyland dining with a baby; sharing a love for Disney with people who don't share your passion; antenna ball tips when you don't have an antenna on your car; a special Small World birthday party report; Keila leaves for the WDW College pr...

Mousetalgia goes Into the woods to discuss the latest film from Walt Disney Pictures. Kristen, a long-time Sondheim enthusiast and performer, offers her take on the show's merits and musings, while Jeff questions the message underneath the music. Is this movie a good match for the Disney catalog? Next, Becky talks about a lecture given by Bobette Buster, a professor, screenwriter and story consult...

From our favorite flicks to our most memorable experiences, Team Mousetalgia gets personal and discusses our personal highlights and memories from 2014. At the movies - did Captain America conquer Maleficent, or did a little puppy take the cake - and the meatballs? Jeff is over the fog-shrouded moon at the opportunity to host a Haunted Mansion panel at ScareLA, while Kristen takes pride in providi...

Team Mousetalgia welcomes Disneyland vocal artist Drew Tablak to the show to talk about his performances at the park. Whether you've seen him singing on Main Street as a Dapper Dan, as a member of the Voices of Liberty, as the featured soloist for Disneyland's Candlelight Processional, or onstage with Alice at a T Party, Drew always brings his own personal story and Disney magic to every performan...

Mousetalgia welcomes Disney historian Joseph Titizian to the show today to celebrate the season with us. From the original Disneyland Circus Christmas Parade to the star atop the Matterhorn, we talk about Disneyland's Christmas celebrations over the years from the park's opening year to today. Parades evolved and the famous Disneyland Candlelight Processional was developed as Walt Disney honored t...

Disney and the World's Fair - Disney Legend Alice Davis talks to Jeff about attending the 1964 World's Fair, and she shares some personal recollections of her time visiting the Fair with Walt Disney and her husband Marc Davis, one of Walt Disney's "Nine Old Men." We also discuss the Walt Disney Family Museum's second recent presentation of "Walt Disney: A Giant at the World's Fair," and recap some...

Spencer Lacey Ganus, the voice of Teen Elsa from Frozen, joins Mousetalgia to bring some holiday cheer to the show. Also this week, Jeff discusses two new exhibitions being hosted at the Walt Disney Family Museum; one titled "All Aboard," which is about Walt Disney's history with and passion for locomotives, and one about Herman Schultheis and his notebooks, which documented many special effects a...

Walt Disney's birthday special edition! This week, Mousetalgia welcomes director/producer Don Hahn back to the show to help us celebrate the 113th anniversary of Walt's birth. First, Hahn discusses "Christmas with Walt," his film about Walt Disney's personal holiday celebrations with his family and his studio, which is screening this month at the Walt Disney Family Museum. Next, Jeff discusses a 1...

Dave and Becky report on the Avengers Half Marathon weekend at Disneyland, and describe the inaugural Marvel runs and the courses, costumes and characters they came across during the races, as well as the Expo associated with the event. Team Mousetalgia also discusses the official opening of the holidays at the Disneyland Resort, and we talk about the decor, the new Frozen-enhanced World of Color...

Touring the parks with a 7-year-old: this week, Team Mousetalgia discusses Jeff's recent trip to the park with his daughter as the parks unveil their holiday spendor. The decorations are up, the Frozen Christmas Day special has been filmed, and the Christmas Fantasy Parade is now showing at Disneyland Park. Jeff discusses a magic moment with Peter Pan, meeting Hiro and Baymax from Big Hero 6, hitt...