Notably Disney

Author Jim Fanning (The Disney Book) joins me on a two-part edition of Notably Disney that celebrates the long legacy of Disney music. In particular, we unearth Disney songs that have been forgotten, whether due to existing in the shadow of more popular hits from their specific films or shows, or even across the wide spectrum of tunes. From pieces found in rare shorts to those cut from hit motion...

From composing the score for Illuminations: Reflections of Earth, the renowned Epcot spectacular that played for two decades, to conducting popular films like Mary Poppins Returns and Captain America: Civil War, the reach and influence of Gavin Greenaway is profound. For three decades he has conducted or composed scores for film, television and theme park projects. He is currently conducting The W...

Author Dave Bossert (also known as David A. Bossert) is a legendary modern figure in the world of Disney animation and books. He joined the company during the nascence of the Disney Renaissance, working on projects like The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective in effects animation, to eventually becoming a visual effects supervisor for Fantasia 2000. Over recent years Dave has translated h...

Author Dave Bossert (also known as David A. Bossert) is a legendary modern figure in the world of Disney animation and books. He joined the company during the nascence of the Disney Renaissance, working on projects like The Black Cauldron and The Great Mouse Detective in effects animation, to eventually becoming a visual effects supervisor for Fantasia 2000. Over recent years Dave has translated h...

Journey to a galaxy far, far away on Notably Disney as Star Wars connoisseur Trent Vactor joins Brett Nachman in discussing the John Williams score for Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. The two discuss their interpretations of the last installment of the Skywalker saga before diving into the Oscar-nominated score.  Follow Trent Vactor on Twitter ( @Vactor ) and Instagram ( @Vactor ). Feel free to...

If you have watched The Imagineering Story six-part documentary series on Disney+, produced by the fantastic Leslie Iwerks, then you are already familiar with the stirring score by Jeff Kryka. Jeff is a well-regarded orchestrator and composer who has worked on a number of Disney film projects, including Incredibles 2, Coco, Tomorrowland and John Carter, among others. In The Imagineering Story, Jef...

Author Christopher Merritt has been a Disney Imagineer since 1996, and most recently co-wrote Marc Davis in His Own Words: Imagineering the Disney Theme Parks with Pete Docter (Director, Monsters, Inc., Up, Inside Out). On this episode of Notably Disney, Chris discusses with Brett Nachman the process of developing a massive, two-volume set of books about Marc's life once he became a Disney Imagine...

2019 has represented a fantastic year for dozens of new Disney books. On this episode of Notably Disney, host Brett Nachman walks you through more than 40 titles that have been released by, or are centered on, The Walt Disney Company. Feel free to reach out to Brett via Twitter @bnachmanreports , subscribe to the podcast, and send your feedback at notablydisney@gmail.com   New episodes of Notably...

You have heard Valerie Vigoda's tunes across Walt Disney Parks and Resorts and even in film, and now is your chance to learn about her as the songwriter. Vigoda and her collaborator Brendan Milburn, who has been featured in a previous episode of Notably Disney, crafted songs for the Tinker Bell films and stage shows in the Magic Kingdom, Disneyland and the Walt Disney Studios park in Paris. Perhap...

Podcasters Len Testa, Courtney Guth and Emily McDermott brave a new set of questions on Disney music in film and the theme parks, in addition to Disney theme park quotes, in this second edition of Disney Tunes and Quotes Trivia! We cover the gamut of Disney songs and reveal some fun facts along the way, as well as recall some hilarious and heartfelt quotes from Disney attractions, past and present...

Author and podcaster Aaron Wallace returns to conclude the Notably Disney series of episodes on Epcot Essentials. In this episode, we veer off the beaten path by not exploring the music or books of the park, but rather the future of Epcot more generally. Based on new information we gleaned from D23 Expo, we talk about everything from the new attractions like Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind...

Songwriter Brendan Milburn is responsible for co-writing many tunes for The Walt Disney Company for more than a decade. Along with his musical partner Valerie Vigoda, Brendan co-wrote songs for Toy Story: The Musical, which ran on the Disney Wonder on Disney Cruise Line from 2008-2016. Their music has also entered the film space with the Tinker Bell movies and the Disney theme parks, including cro...

Author and podcaster Aaron Wallace, host of  On Main Street with Aaron Wallace  (formerly known as Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Pod), joins me as we continue exploring Epcot with the Epcot Essentials series. On this episode, we highlight many of the books that have given great context to the history, evolution and behind-the-scenes perspectives of the community-turned-theme park. Aaron represents a valuable voic...

This is a special edition of Notably Disney, in that we are experimenting with a new type of episode: staging a Disney tunes and quotes trivia game show! I welcome back some fantastic guests (Dr. Amy Osatinski, Aaron Wallace and Kyle Burbank) to engage in many rounds of trivia related to Disney music (including examining songs and lyrics), as well as quotes and tunes from the Disney theme parks. T...

On this episode of Notably Disney - a new series that celebrates Epcot Essentials, or the pieces of Epcot that are most worth celebrating - we center on its music over nearly four decades. Who else to discuss Epcot Essentials than Aaron Wallace, author of The Thinking Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World: Epcot and podcaster best known for the Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Pod podcast (now called On Main Street)? He...

Ever wonder what it is like to work as a custodial Cast Member? Lynn Barron, co-author of the Cleaning the Kingdom books, as well as co-host of The Sweep Spot podcast, sheds some light on what this role entails on this episode of Notably Disney. He discusses what's new and exciting in the second edition of the Cleaning the Kingdom book series, as well as relays some of his own experiences in worki...

On this episode of Notably Disney, we head off to a galaxy far, far away and examine the new book  Star Wars After Lucas: A Critical Guide to the Future of the Galaxy by podcaster and author Dr. Dan Golding . Dan is also a senior lecturer in Media and Communication at Swinburne University. He explains how he crafted this book that unravels not only a brief history of the entire franchise, but also...

Our D23 Expo 2019 recap continues on Notably Disney with an additional set of perspectives. First up is a conversation with musician Matt Grinke, who leads The Happiest Big Band on Earth , based out of Vancouver and plays various renditions of Disney songs. He discusses what it was like to meet many talented performers, including Randy Newman (Toy Story, The Princess and the Frog) and Auli'i Crava...

Though the D23 Expo 2019 has now conclude, a flurry of perspectives about the official Disney fan event are emerging. Among the individuals who lend valuable insights are writer and YouTube personality Mr. DAPs from DAPS Magic, as well as author Kyle Burbank of The E-Ticket Life and LaughingPlace.com. Mr. DAPs discusses much of the cool programming at D23 Expo he was able to attend, whereas Kyle s...

Welcome back to Notably Disney. There are five more emotional categories to explore in this second part of our examination of Emotional Walt Disney World music. Matt Parrish, co-host of WEDway Radio and the Thirty20Eight podcasts, returns as we highlight evocative tunes, including the saddest and most calming pieces of music. Spoiler alert: we are in agreement for both categories! We also focus on...

Does listening to particular songs or scores from the Walt Disney World Resort evoke specific emotions? Well then, this episode is for you. Matt Parrish from the WEDway Radio and Thirty20Eight podcasts joins me as we begin our discussion of the tunes that give us the feels. From the hilarity of the Country Bear Jamboree and It's Tough to Be a Bug, to the triumphant scores from Soarin' Around the W...

The world-famous Jungle Cruise has hosted many exciting expeditions for more than six decades, and one author has traversed these waters, both as a skipper and an authority on the history of the attraction. Dr. David John Marley is a lecturer in history at California State Fullerton and the author of the Skipper Stories book series. He joins Notably Disney to talk about some of the attraction's fu...

D23 Expo 2019 is just around the corner, and D23's very own Jeffrey Epstein joins us on Notably Disney to provide a preview of the exciting programming in store, from the concert celebrating the 25th anniversary of Disney on Broadway, to presentations commemorating new books by Disney Imagineers like Kevin Rafferty and the late Marty Sklar. Jeffrey also offers tips on how to best plan for D23 Expo...

You know him as the co-host of Disney Dish with Jim Hill, one of the original personalities behind WDW Today, the man behind TouringPlans.com, and the co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. On this episode of Notably Disney, none other than Len Testa joins me to discuss the new The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2020.  This special bonus episode of Notably Disney highlights...

Dr. James Mason, author of the new book series  Disney Connections & Collections  (published by Theme Park Press ), joins Notably Disney to talk about the first volume centered on movies. James relays how his dissertation provided him with the foundation of exploring adult audiences' perceptions of and connections to Disney films, helping lead to the creation of this book that highlights nearly 40...