The Mad Chatters Podcast | Walt Disney World and Around the Disney Universe

The restaurants, the live entertainment, the immersive experiences, the nightlife, the pretty atmosphere — Disney Springs is much more than a glorified outlet mall. On this week's show we take a closer look at what this unique complex at Walt Disney World has to offer, from our favorite dining spots to our top reasons to spend a few hours there. Plus, we look back at the many former iterations of...

From a barbershop quartet to a crew of drumming janitors to a pair of Stormtroopers on patrol, characters and performers help bring magic to the streets and lands that make up Walt Disney World. On this week's show we take a closer look at Disney "Streetmosphere," discuss why it's essential to the parks, and talk about our favorite acts on property. In a special round of The Good, the Bad, and the...

The screams! The explosions! The whistles! The sounds of Steven Tyler! On this week's show we talk about some of the most notable noises and sound effects at Walt Disney World. Special guest Aaron Wallace joins us as we go park by park to discuss the sounds you'd be left with if you stripped away the background music and the attraction soundtracks at the Disney parks. To kick off the show, we do a...

For The Walt Disney Company, August went out with a bang! At this year's D23 Expo, Disney fans received a ton of information about the Disney+ streaming service, upcoming park attractions, new Marvel movies, and much more. On this week's episode Jeff DePaoli is here to help us break it all down, from news of Epcot's huge transformation, to sneak peeks of Pixar's upcoming films, to big expectations...

It's all fun and games on this week's episode. No, really! For the fourth year in a row, we've brought together a slew of our former guests—members of The Mad Chatters Podcast Universe—to compete in a series of Disney games. Tune in and play along as we laugh, battle, and stumble our way through Disney-themed rounds of Family Feud, Password, Movie Trivia, and more! This marathon of Disney games wo...

Join us for a virtual stroll around Epcot as we take a closer look at the many signs throughout the park. Attraction signs, restaurant signs, directional signs—they're all up for grabs as guest Marshal Knight helps us break down the best and worst signage in Future World and World Showcase, from our favorite fonts to the best designs to the most questionable shape choices. In another Mad Chatter T...

50 years ago a manned space shuttle touched down on the moon for the first time. But 15 years before that giant leap for mankind, Walt Disney was already working with scientists and engineers in order to communicate to the general public that space travel was not just science fiction; it was a possible reality. On this week's episode we trace The Walt Disney Company's connections with space travel...

We can't guarantee no worries for the rest of your days, but our latest episode delivers plenty of "Lion King" chatter and will have you feeling the love tonight for the classic Disney film. Join us and guest Courtney Guth as we look back on 25 years of The Lion King, including its huge response at the box office, the Broadway show it spawned, the ways it has shown up at the parks, and the lasting...

Patriotic anthems, eerie waltzes, soaring ballads, Broadway-style musical numbers—music plays a key role in making our favorite attractions what they are. Join us on this week's show as we count down our top ten favorite soundtracks and musical moments in Walt Disney World attractions. Plus, hear our thoughts on Toy Story 4, check out our reviews of Jiko and Bongos, and play along in our latest ro...

Come with us to a magical land where you can ride a pirate ship, an elephant, a rocket, and a double-decker omnibus, all on the same day! On this week's episode, special guest Jonathan Harvill joins us for an in-depth look at every attraction vehicle in Magic Kingdom, from its theming to its comfort to its ornate details and beyond. Also on show 223: we play a round of Mad Chatter Jeopardy, share...

From Snow White's Scary Adventures to Frozen Ever After, this week we're discussing a type of ride that has had deep roots with the Disney Parks ever since Disneyland opened in 1955: the DARK RIDE. Join us for a discussion about the history of dark rides, the evolution of dark rides at the Disney Parks, and the reason dark rides have become such an essential element of theme parks today. Plus, we...

This week guest Aaron Wallace joins the show to help us break down some of the Disney-Parks fun we've been able to experience over the last two weeks. First, he and Jeremy discuss the after-hours event Moonlight Magic, which they had the chance to attend at Epcot. Then, he and Derek report on the new attractions they experienced and the big changes they noted during their weeklong trip to Disneyla...

Anyone who has visited Walt Disney World knows that a trip to a Disney park can take you on a roller coaster of emotions. On this week's show, special guest Vincent from Vincent Vision joins us as we each share the moments, attractions, and places that, for us, spark joy, sadness, fear, laughter, and disgust. From the highest highs to the lowest lows, we discuss the elements of the parks that stir...

This week we're bringing you some of the latest updates from Walt Disney World and around the Disney universe in a hodge-podge series of short segments. Tune in to hear our thoughts on the new on-ride photo on Haunted Mansion, the latest updates on Disney's upcoming streaming service, an in-depth look at Disney's Animal Kingdom Lodge, dining reviews of The Hollywood Brown Derby and Rose & Crown, a...

It's our 20th Mad Q Party! Join us and guest Brandon Hawkins for the 20th edition of our favorite hypothetical questionnaire. This week's questions have us creating challenges for a Walt Disney World edition of "The Amazing Race," discussing the theme park characters we think should have meet and greets, dreaming up the perfect spot in the parks to have a movie night after park closing, and much m...

Disney's Hollywood Studios is turning 30! And if the new logo and the new parking signs are any indication, then characters from Frozen, Toy Story, and Star Wars are to be the official faces of the park, moving forward. But these are just the latest franchises to join the park's deep well of past properties and characters, and on this week's show we're looking back at all of them! Join us and spec...

Sometimes the best details and an entirely different perspective are awaiting you overhead, and all you have to do to see them is look up. On this week's show, guest Jeff Birou joins us for a tour of Walt Disney World, in which we stop in each park to share our favorite architectural details, beautiful artwork, and other features that are above eye level. In another edition of "The Windows of Main...

Not all theme park restaurants are created equal. One of the biggest mistakes first-time guests can make when visiting a Disney park is to stop and eat at the first place they see because they assume every restaurant will serve the same cheeseburgers and chicken nuggets. Walt Disney World actually has a large variety of counter-service options, and many of them are quite good. On this week's show,...

Feel the flow, spread your golden wings, and just make believe you're a tiny little seed, because we're taking a look back at the original songs that debuted throughout Epcot when the park first opened in 1982. On episode 214, guest Guy Selga joins us for a discussion about songs like "Universe of Energy" and "Listen to the Land," why these songs are so fondly remembered by fans today, and why the...

In this bonus episode of the podcast (look for a brand new full episode next week!), we take a closer look at the new Disney offerings that debuted in January of this year. First, we give our take on Mickey and Minnie's Surprise Celebration at Magic Kingdom, as well as "An Incredible Celebration" at Disney's Hollywood Studios. In special editions of "Munchies and Merch" and "Armchair Imagineering,...

2019 marks the 60th anniversary of the very first roller coaster to open at a Disney park: the Matterhorn Bobsleds. Disneyland was open for four years before it got its first coaster, and when the mountain-themed attraction debuted, it was anything but your average, off-the-shelf ride. In fact, it was the first tubular steel coaster in the world! That attraction was the first in an iconic lineup o...

Just about every attraction, restaurant, show, and snack at Walt Disney World has made a Top Ten list at some point, whether it's the best rides to experience at night, the best ways to use a snack credit, the worst places to take your kids, or something else. But what about the experiences that don't get talked about at all? What about the offerings that aren't anyone's favorite or least favorite...

A new land at Disney's Hollywood Studios, a flammable parade float, two Marvel box-office juggernauts, a handful of monorail mishaps —  2018 brought them all! On this week's show we look back at the biggest, the best, and the worst things 2018 gave us. Tune in to find out which events and attractions are going home with Chatties for Best Addition to WDW, Worst Change at WDW, Weirdest Moment, and m...

It's the most wonderful time of the year —  to be at Walt Disney World! (Or at least  we  think it is.) Last week we packed in as many of WDW's Christmas offerings as we could in four days, including Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, the Candlelight Processional at Epcot, the gorgeous decorations at the deluxe resorts, and much more! On this week's show, guest Teri Deel helps us break down all...

Did you know Disney released 16 live-action films between One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) and The Sword in the Stone (1963)? You've probably never met anyone whose favorite Disney film is  Greyfriars Bobby,  but the fact is these films hold a special place in many people's hearts, and they make up a huge portion of the Disney film catalog. On this week's show, Jeff DePaoli of Dizney Coast to...