The Disney Dish with Jim Hill
The Disney Dish Podcast with Jim Hill and Len Testa
Dive into the fascinating world of Disney with theme park historian Jim Hill and Len Testa as they uncover the stories behind the magic. From breaking news and in-depth analyses to quirky historical tidbits and behind-the-scenes secrets, The Disney Dish offers a unique blend of humor, expertise, and insider knowledge.
Whether you're a die-hard Disney fan, a theme park aficionado, or just curious about the history and future of Disney parks and resorts, this podcast has something for everyone.
What to Expect:
- Breaking Disney News: Stay up to date on the latest happenings at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney's global parks.
- Historical Deep Dives: Learn how classic attractions were created, the stories behind Disney's biggest decisions, and the Imagineering ingenuity that brought it all to life.
- Listener Q&A: Get answers to your burning questions about the parks, attractions, and Disney culture.
- Exclusive Insights: Gain access to insider details and stories you won’t find anywhere else.
- Fun & Humor: Enjoy the wit and camaraderie of two Disney enthusiasts who know how to make even the most technical details entertaining.
With decades of combined experience and an unmatched passion for all things Disney, Jim and Len guide you through the parks, the stories, and the magic in a way only they can.
Your journey to the happiest podcast on earth starts here. Subscribe today!
426
Episode 137 - Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland, ...
Jim continues talking about how Toontown was formed, including what happened after it just opened.
29 min
427
Episode 136 - Mickey's Toontown in Disneyland
Jim starts telling us the story of how Mickey's Toontown came to Disneyland. It all started - and who'd believe this? - when Disney found itself in need of a quick attraction to boost short-term attendance numbers. And by "short term" we all know it was 20 years. Here's how it got started.
27 min
428
Episode 135 - The History of Fantasmic, Part 3 ...
Jim finishes the history of Fantasmic at Disneyland. After the initial success of the show, Disney faced challenges in updating it and in rolling it out to Walt Disney World. Jim tells those stories, as well as what we can expect from the next version of the show.
32 min
429
Episode 134 - Remembering Marty Sklar
Jim and Len look back at the career of Disney Imagineer Marty Sklar, who passed away on July 27. Marty started his career editing the Disneyland newspaper in 1955, working directly with Walt. Over the years he was responsible for crafting the scripts, messaging, and themes of some of Disney's best attractions, from the 1964 World's Fair, to Epcot and beyond.
43 min
430
Episode 133 - The History of Fantasmic! Part 2
Would you believe that Maleficent's flames involve non-dairy coffee creamer? In this episode, Jim and Len continue the history of Fantasmic, talking about how Disney Imagineers came up with some of the show's iconic effects and scenes. Jim also explains the pressure that Disney was under as the show's debut got closer and closer.
46 min
431
Episode 131 - The History of Fantasmic!
With the impending re-opening of Disneyland's Fantasmic!, Jim walks us through the history of the attraction.
20 min
432
Episode 132 - What DID and DID NOT Get Announce...
Jim is back from D23 where he interviewed lots of people attached to lots of projects, some of which got announced and some that didn't. Jim tells why the things that didn't get talked about, didn't get talked about.
46 min
433
Episode 130 - The History of Pixar in Disney's ...
Jim walks through the history of Pixar's involvement in Disney's theme parks, from inspiring films, to parades, and rides.
29 min
434
Episode 129 - History of Character Greetings pl...
Jim also updates us on the Star Wars hotel idea that's being considered for Disney's Hollywood Studios.
38 min
435
Episode 128 - Is "Tapu Tapu" Samoan for "Openin...
Jim attends the opening day ceremonies at Universal's Volcano Bay water park, then flies across the country for the debut of Guardians of the Galaxy at DCA.
28 min
436
Bonus Episode - Pandora Food and Merchandise, p...
Jim and Len walk through the food and merchandise to tell you what's interesting and what's tasty.
36 min
437
Episode 127 - We review Pandora - The World of ...
It's been almost 6 years in the making, but Disney's Animal Kingdom has finally opened Pandora - The World of Avatar, based on James Cameron's film franchise. Jim and Len walk through the land and rides to tell you how it turned out.
54 min
438
Episode 126 - When Harrods Almost Came to Disne...
Back in the late 1980s and early 1990s, Disney wanted to build malls as part of its Downtown Disney strategies. In order to get elite, anchor stores like Harrods into Florida, Disney supposedly offered them a two-for-one deal that involved Florida and ...
19 min
439
Episode 125 - The Master Plan for Disney Seas C...
Jim talks about how Imagineer Kim Murphy's aquarium-centered career at SeaWorld and Epcot's The Seas leads to the ideas for another of Disney's nautical-themed second gates for California - Disney Seas.
20 min
440
Episode 124 - When Disneyland's Second Gate was...
Jim tells the story of how back in the early 1990's, when Disneyland was looking to expand, it considered the Queen Mary in Long Beach Harbor as part of its expansion plans.
33 min
441
Episode 123 - Disney World stories we'll tell i...
Every spring, Jim and Len get together to talk about the mini-stories that go into the Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World. It's how the podcast got started, in fact. This show is our actual conversation about what's going in to the 2018 edition.
31 min
442
Episode 122 - The First Second Gate (Chronologi...
Back in 1990, Disneyland was ready to invest in a second theme park in Anaheim. It wasn't the first time, though, that the Disney corportation looked to expand its footprint in California. In fact, Walt had an ambitious plan way back in 1962. Here's that story.
30 min
443
Episode 121 - Caribbean Beach, Coronado Springs...
Jim and Len recorded this show a couple of days before the Caribbean Beach and Coronado Springs news hit last week. Also Jim talks about why Disney just bought the other half of Disneyland Paris.
34 min
444
Episode 120 - Epcot's Festival of the (mostly c...
Len visits Epcot's newest seasonal fling, the Festival of the Arts. Jim explains how Caribbean Beach's new DVC buildings might look, and we talk rumors of Evening Extra Magic Hours' demise at the Studios.
33 min
445
Episode 119 - Rockettes and Restaurants
In our main two segments, Jim talks about the time Michael Eisner picked a fight with Radio City's Rockettes, and lost. Len talks about the best restaurants in Walt Disney World as voted on by you.
38 min
446
Episode 118 - Jim Wraps Up the History of O Can...
23 min
447
Bonus Episode #2 - Discovery Bay, Hawaii
26 min
448
Bonus Episode - Jim and Len review Rogue One **...
Jim and Len review Rogue One **with spoilers**
19 min
449
Episode 117 - Len gets to see Rivers of Light a...
Hear Len's review of Rivers of Light's Castmember Preview performances, and the new drone show over at Disney Springs. Spoiler alert: Jim was right months ago when he said that creative issues were just as much a part of Rivers of Light's delays as were technical problems.
31 min
450
Episode 116 - The Muppets Restaurant That Never...
This is part of our Unbuilt Disney series, with additional shows at DisneyDish.bandcamp.com
34 min