Music Behind the Magic

If you have been keeping up with the summer movie news, you know that the live action remake of Lilo & Stitch has been the runaway hit of the year. Building on the legacy of the much beloved 2002 animated original, the live action version takes everything people loved from that original film and adds new layers of emotional nuance and depth, humor, terrific acting, and a truly, ridiculously ad...

Starting with the Disney Renaissance, Disney decided to take hit songs from its films and add re-recorded versions to the end-credits from a wide array of pop and rock stars. This started with Beauty and the Beast and continues on today. Are any of those versions better than the originals in the film? Well, that is a great and highly subjective topic for discussion, and we attempt to tackle it tod...

Disney is such a complex, multifaceted company that there are all manner of topics and subtopics that fans can joyfully discuss and debate—music, the parks, movies, TV shows, the cruise line, books…you name it. And a lot of that discussion revolves around our own opinions, preferences, and passions. But, Disney is not just a provider of magical memories, it is a cornerstone of American culture and...

With the news of Disney opening up a theme park in Abu Dhabi, we are very fortunate to be joined in this episode by Ron Fish, an award winning composer who has experience writing music for theme parks at both Walt Disney World in Florida as well as Warner Brothers World in Abu Dhabi.  Ron has also written amazing music for huge video game franchises, including God of War 1-3 and Batman: Arkham Cit...

As we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Disneyland, It’s no wonder that it is called “The Happiest Place on Earth.” And, a lot of that happiness comes from the music that surrounds us when we visit. What songs come to mind when you think of Disneyland? I’m guessing that “It’s a Small World (After All)” and "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" are high on the list. And those songs of course were written by...

Today is May the 4th, and as we celebrate Star Wars Day and all the joy the franchise has brought us, it is also a good time to reflect upon the importance of John Williams and the intense emotional bond he has created between the Skywalker Saga and the audience through his music. However, the Maestro's legacy goes well beyond Star Wars and is responsible for the soundtrack of many of our lives: S...

Disney inspires us--to dream, to believe, to dare, to do...and to create. We are joined today by one of the original Disney podcasters and content creators, Lou Mongello of WDW Radio, who inspired me to start this very podcast. Lou shares his incredible Disney journey from New Jersey attorney to Podcast Hall of Famer. We also discuss our shared East Coast upbringings, legal careers, love for Disne...

There are so many different eras of Disney history--The Golden Age, The Silver Age, and the Renaissance. But what about the periods of transition that ushered in those new eras? We are joined by Steve Anderson, the director of the Disney animated classics "Meet the Robinsons" and "Winnie the Pooh" to discuss his new book "Disney In-Between: The Lost Years 1966-1986." We learn about the importance...

We love Disney music because it is capable of producing so many emotions—happiness, wonder, fear, and laughter--whether it is in a movie, on an attraction, or during a nighttime spectacular. And while it is so much fun to discuss and debate our favorite songs and themes at the “fan” level, it is easy to take for granted the creativity, ingenuity, and talent required to actually bring that music to...

We love Disney music because it is capable of producing so many different emotions. And on the surface, it is great to just sit back and let the music make you feel. But, the amazing songwriters who craft these songs utilize different elements of music theory to pull those emotional strings. In this episode, we bring back Tim Foster from Celebrations Press to discuss some armchair music theory bet...

After returning from a week in Walt Disney World, I wanted to provide a trip report to give some insight into Disney After Hours, a surprise at the Disney on Broadway Concert Series at EPCOT, and a few restaurant reviews (including The "controversial" Cake Bake Shop). And, there is a LOT of Disney music news to catch up on--Snow White, The Sherman Brothers, and Hercules!

We all know that Disney music has incredible emotional power. It can make us laugh, it can make us cry, it can make us scared and nervous, and it can make us excited. But, no matter what the emotion, it makes us feel . And that is a beautiful thing.  One of the wonderful things about Disney movies is that is helps inspire us and bring out the best of what we can and should be. And a lot of that is...

Walt Disney Imagineering is the creative force that imagines, designs and brings to life all Disney theme parks, resorts, attractions and cruise ships worldwide through creativity, technology, and pixie dust. We are privileged to be joined today by Bob Weis, who was an Imagineer for over 40 years as well as President of Walt Disney Imagineering. He has written a new book “Dream Chasing: My Four De...

Few things inflame the passions of fans more than a ranked list, particularly when it comes to Disney. We are joined today by Liz Shannon Miller of Consequence, who published "A Definitive Ranking of Every Disney Song, Ever," which covers 317 songs across Disney's animated canon. I invite you to read the list, listen in, and join the discussion! You can find the article here . And please follow Li...

As we celebrate the New Year, this week we go back to the very beginning of Disney's feature films. Music was a critical part of the foundation that brought Disney success during it's first few groundbreaking films, known as the company's "Golden Era." To discuss the music and composers that helped contribute to this legacy, we are honored to be joined by Disney historian Ross Care. Please check o...

With the 75th Anniversary of the Walt Disney classic Cinderella approaching, we are joined by Shawn Degenhart, who has published--for the first time--the complete musical score of that movie. We learn about that project as well as his other Disney musical pursuits. We also explore the soundtrack to Mufasa and talk a bit about next year's Disney Music Festival in Disneyland Paris. You can find Shaw...

It's the Holiday season, which is magical in so many different ways, no matter which holiday you celebrate. And what is more central to the holidays than music? Whether its traditional Christmas Carols, holiday standards, or more modern songs, music is the foundation and backdrop for the emotions of the holidays. And as you can imagine—or have been fortunate enough to see for yourselves—there are...

The history behind how Disney started its own record label and music business is often overlooked, but fascinating. We are joined today by Greg Ehrbar, author of Mouse Tracks: The Story of Walt Disney Records to discuss that history. Greg is also an expert on Hanna Barbera, and just released a new book, Hanna Barbera, The Recorded History: From Modern Stone Age to Meddling Kids. We discuss the par...

We are joined by former VP of Music for Disney Television Animation Bambi Moe, who discusses her new book "Part of the Magic: A Collection of Disney-Inspired Brushes with Greatness." Bambi shares her amazing story, her strong lifetime ties to Disney, and her experience producing music for many much-loved animated shows and movies. You can buy Part of the Magic on Amazon and follow her on Instagram...

In this special Halloween episode, I reveal YOUR favorite Halloween/Spooky songs, as gathered from our social accounts. Which songs are most associated with the holiday, and what are some honorable mentions? Grab some full-size candy bars (none of that bite-sized trick-or-treating nonsense) and enjoy--Happy Halloween!!

There are two things I love in life more than anything (outside of my family)--rock guitar and Disney. And if you put them together, I am in full blown Nerd-vana. D-Metal Stars and Disney Super Guitar are two albums that combine classic Disney songs with hard rock and heavy metal stylings, and the results are incredible. I was so fortunate to have connected with Mike Vescera, the legendary heavy m...

Creativity and Innovation are two of the hallmarks of The Walt Disney Company. We are joined today by Lee Kitchen, a 32 year Disney veteran and one of the founding members of the company's in-house marketing agency, Yellow Shoes Creative Group. Lee shares a lot of his tips on driving innovation, as well as stories from his Disney career and how music is used throughout Disney's business operations...

We are joined today by Jim Spangler, host of The Goofy Guy Podcast and the Magic Music Review, to discuss our mutual love of music, of Disney music, and to try and pick our Top 5 saddest and happiest Disney songs. Join us on this emotional musical rollercoaster and let us know what your picks would be. Please follow Jim at thegoofyguy.com and check out The Goofy Guy Podcast at https://thegoofyguy....

The Disney Renaissance Era (1989-1999) comprises some of the most important years in The Walt Disney Company history, with commercial and critical hits starting with The Little Mermaid and ending with Tarzan. We are joined today by Michael Lyons, author of "Drawn to Greatness: Disney's Animation Renaissance," for a fascinating discussion about how the Renaissance era came to be, and the role that...

In our 10th (double digits!) podcast episode, we speak with Lee Cockerell, the former Executive Vice President of Operations for Walt Disney World as well as the author of many best-selling books on management, including Creating Magic: 10 Common Sense Leadership Strategies from a Life at Disney. I also provide a full trip report from Disneyland Paris as well as break down all the music-related ne...