'Inside The Mouse Castle' Goes on Hiatus

It's time for a break.

After 20 months and 97 episodes, Inside The Mouse Castle is going away. For how long, we're not sure.

Make no mistake, Anthony and I love doing the show and we love all of you who have taken the time to listen to our offbeat and (sometimes) intoxicated musings.

But, in the crowded and competitive world of podcasting--especially Disney podcasting--it's a daily challenge to stand out from the crowd and grow your audience.

Over time, we've discovered that doing a (more or less) weekly Disney news and commentary show might not be the way to go. While our listeners are loyal (thank you), we're not seeing the audience growth we would like. If we were a TV show, you'd call it bad ratings.

So, with that in mind, Anthony and I are taking a step back to assess and retool ITMC. What we'll come up with and when we'll come up with it, we're not sure yet, but you'll definitely read about it right here in The Mouse Castle.

In the meantime, what would you like to hear in a Disney podcast? More park stuff? Movie news? Disney history? Please, be our guides and share your comments with us below.

By the way, for fans of The Mouse Castle Lounge, nothing is changing. We'll still have the same great guest interviews we've always had. Stay tuned...

Thank you all for being a part of Team Mouse Castle!

--Tim

'Inside The Mouse Castle' Gets a Home of its Own

By Tim Callaway

Inside The Mouse Castle is getting a new home. Sort of.

For the 15 months or so that Anthony and I have been doing the show, we've always piggybacked it with The Mouse Castle Lounge on iTunes, Stitcher and the many other mobile apps and podcast directories out there. One podcast channel, The Mouse Castle; two shows.

This has worked out pretty good for a while, but over time we noticed a few things:

• Some of you like The Mouse Castle Lounge more than Inside The Mouse Castle. We're cool with that.
• Some of you like Inside The Mouse Castle more than The Mouse Castle Lounge. We're also cool with that.
• Some of you like both shows. You're our favorites.
• Some of you can't stand either show. You're probably not reading this.

Realizing that each show tends to appeal to a different slice of Disney fan, we decided to spin-off Inside The Mouse Castle into its own listing, which you can now find separately on iTunes, Stitcher or wherever you access your favorite podcasts.

So, what really changes?

Not much. Both shows will still be here on The Mouse Castle blog and on all our social media spots. You'll still be able to search all our shows on your favorite mobile app. If you have a podcast subscription to The Mouse Castle, however, you'll need to also subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle now to keep up with everything we've got going on. It's pretty simple, really. Just make sure you subscribe before November 8. After then, all the ITMC shows will vanish from The Mouse Castle directory, which will once again become The Mouse Castle Lounge.

A note to Mouse Castle app users: on November 8, all the ITMC shows will go away and the app will only play Mouse Castle Lounge shows.

And for our SoundCloud subscribers, good news! Nothing is changing for you. SoundCloud lets us split The Mouse Castle podcasts into two different playlists. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Hopefully, this isn't too confusing. We're changing things up a bit to make it easier for our current and future listeners to find and enjoy both Inside The Mouse Castle and The Mouse Castle Lounge. Thank you so much for your patience and understanding. As always, we love that you're part of Team Mouse Castle.

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

Inside The Mouse Castle 08-24-2015 - Jungle Cruising with Dwayne Johnson, Kind Words for Cinderella, Banksy's Dismaland

By Tim Callaway

Pirates with the lights on.

Pirates of the Caribbean with the lights on, a Haunted Mansion scolding, hard root beer and coconut-flavored vodka. 

And yeah, I guess Anthony and I talk about some Disney news too.

Inside The Mouse Castle this week, we revisit a few more items from the D23 Expo and Anthony's trip to Disneyland with his parents. We also imbibe a few tasty beverages as has become our habit since we started recording the show late at night. Don't judge.

Here's what else is going on:

• The long-rumored Jungle Cruise movie, at one time expected to star Tom Hanks and Tim Allen, is back on track, this time with Dwayne Johnson on board.
• John Lasseter played Jungle Cruise skipper for real last Tuesday, taking guests on a trip through the exotic waterways. And, wouldn't you know? Josh Gad was there to document it.

• Disney's live-action Cinderella comes out on Blu-ray and Digital HD on September 15th. In the spirit of the little cinder girl's upbeat philosophy, fans are encouraged to "have courage and be kind" at www.CinderellaKindness.com. 

George Clooney in Tomorrowland.

• Also available on video beginning October 13th is Brad Bird's Tomorrowland, starring George Clooney, Britt Robertson and Hugh Laurie. I was disappointed the first time I saw it, but not so much that I won't give it a second look.
• Japan's largest airline, ANA, is launching a fleet of Star Wars-themed airplanes (okay, four) featuring droids R2-D2 and BB-8. They'll start transporting passengers, both domestic and international, this fall.
• A federal judge refused to dismiss a lawsuit filed against Disney, DreamWorks and several other animation studios accusing them of collusion and wage fixing. This follows on the heels of a similar suit that was thrown out in April for falling outside the statute of limitations. 
• Graffiti artist Banksy is taking a satirical shot at Disney parks with his new exhibition "Dismaland." This "bemusement park" takes up space at an old public pool in Weston-super-Mare in southwest England. Its centerpiece is a rotting, decrepit castle surrounded by a warped mermaid statue and a crashed police van. The exhibition is, of course, staffed by surly greeters and security guards. Over 50 artists from 17 countries have contributed to the project, which takes swipes, both good-natured and cynical, at not just theme parks, but at immigration laws and 21st-century activism. The exhibition will be open through September 17, 2015. 

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle08-24-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 07-27-2015 - D23 Expo, Marvel's 'Ant-Man' and Disney's 'Descendants'

By Tim Callaway

In this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle, Anthony has an existential crisis. We're attributing it to a cataclysmic combination of Neil deGrasse Tyson, sleep deprivation, Ant-Man shrinking down to a molecular level and the wretched "Be Our Guest" number from Disney's Descendants (debuting this Friday on the Disney Channel).

With Anthony curled up in a fetal position, he and I delve deeply into these thought-provoking topics guaranteed to make you feel insignificant against the infinite backdrop of space:

• For the first time, the D23 Expo will split their traditional motion picture fan presentation into two separate events, one for animation and one for live action. We're hoping for big announcements (or at least some new trailers) for Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Captain America: Civil War and Finding Dory.
• I finally saw Ant-Man and thoroughly enjoyed it. I left the theater totally perplexed, though. Why don't people stay all the way to the end of a Marvel movie to see the post credit-scenes? Have they not learned? The last scene in Ant-Man (and yes, it comes at the very end) is not to be missed. It does an epic job setting up (and raising a few questions about) Captain America: Civil War.

The Sword in the Stone

• Annnd.....The Sword in the Stone is the latest Disney animated classic to go into development as a live-action film. We recap all we know about the full slate of upcoming Disney retreads.

• There's a new trailer for Pixar's The Good Dinosaur. Despite our earlier concerns about production delays, recasting and a new director, we're encouraged by what we see. But, with all the (justified) attention Inside Out has received, will people take to a second Pixar film in the same year?

• Avengers: Age of Ultron will be available on digital download September 8th. Want it in a disc in a box? That's available on October 2nd.
• Michael Jackson as Jar Jar Binks? It almost happened. Well, Michael thought it would anyway.

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle07-27-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 02-23-2015 - The Oscars, Rising Ticket Prices and Walking to Walt Disney World

By Tim Callaway

Oscar winner Big Hero 6.

"Once upon a time, there was a freckle-faced little boy who told his mom and his dad that one day he was gonna work at Walt Disney Animation. And they did something amazing. They supported him and they believed him. And from the bottom of his heart, he thanks them."

--Big Hero 6 co-director Don Hall

It was a good night at the Oscars Sunday for Disney Animation. Big Hero 6 was named Best Animated Feature while Feast claimed the statuette for Best Animated Short Film. There were those other films too: Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel and Whiplash. Anthony and I cover it all in today's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle.

We cover a few other things too:

• Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales has started filming in Australia and we finally know what the story will be about. Captain Jack Sparrow (Johnny Depp) crosses swords with "deadly ghost pirates" led by an old nemesis (Javier Bardem). Captain Jack's only hope is to obtain the Trident of Poseidon, the key to unlocking all the powers of the sea. POTC 5 will open in the summer of 2017.

Kevin Costner stars in Disney's inspirational sports film McFarland, USA.

• Kevin Costner's latest flick for Disney, McFarland, USA, opened to generally favorable reviews and pretty good box office numbers ($11.3 million) over the weekend. One day, Anthony and I might even be talked into watching it.
• Disneyland and Walt Disney World upped their ticket prices on Sunday. The world did not end.

Lauren Passell wins the Disney Princess Half Marathon.

• A year ago, Lauren Passell thought she might never run again due to a broken hip. Sunday, she beat a field of over 20,000 runners to win the Disney Princess Half Marathon at Walt Disney World. 
• The Cobb family from Houston, Texas, is on a cross-country hike from Disneyland to Walt Disney World to raise money and awareness for cancer treatment and to honor the memory of their daughter, Julia Cobb. In 2013, Julia died of Ewing’s Sarcoma, a rare bone cancer, at the age of eight. The family's 4,000-mile journey began on August 4th last year and they are currently just past the halfway point in east Texas. To find out more about the Cobb family and how you can support their cause, visit www.jucanfoundation.org. 
• Last year on Inside The Mouse Castle, we talked about the frivolous lawsuit filed by author Isabella Tanikumi, who claimed Disney stole the idea for their mega-hit Frozen from Tanikumi's autobiographical book Yearnings of the Heart. Last week, U.S. District Judge William Martini granted Disney's request to dismiss the lawsuit. In his ruling, Judge Martini wrote, "The setting, plot and characters have no close similarities. No lay person could find that Disney improperly appropriated from Yearnings of the Heart."

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle02-23-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 02-16-2015 - Spider-Man Returns to Marvel, Cinderella's Waist Shrinks and Mad T Party Comes Back to DCA

By Tim Callaway

Will Captain America meet
Spider-Man in Civil War?

Spider-Man is finally joining the Marvel Cinematic Universe and we couldn't be happier. Last week, Marvel and Sony announced an agreement to jointly produce films featuring the web-slinger. Sony will retain creative control of the character in a stand-alone film (with more to follow, we're sure) set for release on July 18th, 2017. Marvel, meanwhile, will be able to use Spider-Man in MCU films, which will be critical to the story line in next year's Captain America: Civil War. Anthony and I have the word on how this will affect other upcoming Marvel releases in this week's episode of Inside The Mouse Castle. We also chime in on these tasty tidbits:

• Big Hero 6 has quietly moved into the third place on the list of Disney's highest grossing animated films in the U.S. It now trails only The Lion King and Frozen in domestic box office.
• Is Cinderella looking a little too thin around the waistline to be believed? The latest trailer for Disney's new live-action film has people wondering whether, like mice morphing into horses, the little cinder girl's tiny tummy is a CG effect as well (check 1:11 and 1:54 in the video).

• Will Hermione Granger and Professor Trelawney reunite in Beauty and the Beast? We already know Emma Watson is on board to play Belle, but now Emma Thompson is rumored to be talking with Disney about playing Mrs. Potts in the live-action reboot of the classic animated film. 
• Will Pixar's "Day of the Dead" movie be the studio's first musical? Songwriter Randy Newman let slip a bit of information that has us thinking this is the case for the Lee Unkrich-directed project.
• Pete's Dragon has started shooting in New Zealand. Mickey Rooney, Red Buttons, Shelley Winters and Helen Reddy aren't in it. [sigh]
• We already knew that Frozen was headed to Broadway, but now we've confirmed that the movie's songwriting team of Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez will be penning additional tunes for the stage adaptation.
• Star Wars is headed out to sea. In 2016, select Disney Fantasy cruises will feature a Star Wars Day at Sea with character meet and greets and special activities for adults and kids.

• Arrivederci, Luigi's Flying Tires. The Cars Land attraction in Disney California Adventure closed for good on Monday. We'll miss it, but even we admit it wasn't that great a ride.
  
• Freeze the Night will do what nighttime entertainment does in summer: make way for the return of Mad T Party at DCA on May 22nd. Any chance we'll ever get ElecTRONica back? Any chance the Hollywood Land "backlot" will be anything else in the daytime other than cluttered access to Mike & Sulley to the Rescue? Hey, who misses Superstar Limo?

• The Walt Disney World Speedway along with the Richard Petty Driving Experience is going away. Buh bye.
• Now open at the Walt Disney Family Museum is Lights! Camera! Glamour! The Photography of George Hurrell. The exhibition runs through June 29th and includes over 50 prints and items from the renowned celebrity photographer and artist.

Walt Disney in 1940. Photograph by George Hurrell.

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle02-16-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 02-09-2015 - Tom Staggs, Shanghai Disneyland and Trader Sam's Grog Grotto

By Tim Callaway

Another week, another trip to Disneyland.

Anthony and I both paid a visit to the Happiest Place on Earth last week. He zoomed in for a day trip last Wednesday. I joined our friends at MiceChat over the weekend to help celebrate their 10th anniversary.

Inside The Mouse Castle this week, we talk about our trips, why it's kind of cool to fly solo at Disneyland and Anthony's strange fascination with wayward Baymax balloons.

We also touch on these fascinating and thought provoking topics:

• Business is booming at the Walt Disney Company. They reported record first quarter revenue last week and then announced the promotion of Tom Staggs to chief operating officer, making him the heir apparent to succeed Bob Iger when he retires in 2018. 
• Our obsession to figure out a way to get to Shanghai Disneyland in 2016 continues, especially after seeing these crazy awesome pics from the resort's upcoming Pirates of the Caribbean attraction. 

• Trader Sam's Grog Grotto will open this spring at Walt Disney World's Polynesian Village Resort. Yeah, we want to get there too.
• New for Disney Infinity 2.0: Sam Flynn and Quorra from Tron: Legacy. But they're virtual characters only, and only available in the iOS version (for now).

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle02-09-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 02-02-2015 - The Patriots Go to Disneyland, the Annie Awards and Disneyland's Diamond Celebration

By Tim Callaway

Malcolm Butler and Julian Edelman
cruise Main Street with Mickey.

Disneyland and the Super Bowl go together like bacon and eggs, Chip and Dale...

Tim and Anthony.

New England Patriots star players Julian Edelman and Malcolm Butler were feted on Main Street, USA at Disneyland Monday after appearing in the traditional "I'm Going to Disneyland" commercial following Super Bowl XLIX. Edelman caught the touchdown pass that gave the Patriots the lead for good and Butler made the goal line interception against the Seahawks in the closing seconds that secured the win. Edelman and Butler were given a ceremonial ride down Main Street accompanied by Mickey Mouse and were showered with confetti as fans cheered them on.

This was the 48th time the "I'm Going to Disneyland/Walt Disney World" promo has been aired. It has traditionally followed major entertainment and sporting events (especially the Super Bowl) since 1987 when New York Giants quarterback Phil Simms first uttered the famous line following Super Bowl XXI.

Anthony and I talk about the Super Bowl, Disneyland and a few other things in this week's edition of Inside The Mouse Castle.

• We got a new look at Tomorrowland during the Super Bowl. The sci-fi action-adventure starring George Clooney, Hugh Laurie and Britt Robertson opens May 22nd.

• Chris Pratt (Guardians of the Galaxy) and Chris Evans (Captain America: The Winter Soldier) made a little Super Bowl bet about who was going to win the game. And it really didn't matter who won after all because, in a classy move, both guys have agreed to pay up. Pratt will visit Christopher's Haven, a cancer care center for children in Boston dressed as Star-Lord while Evans will visit Seattle Children's Hospital dressed as Captain America. You guys are awesome!
• Honoring the best in animation, the Annie Awards were handed out Saturday night in Los Angeles. How to Train Your Dragon 2 and Disney Mickey Mouse were the big winners, but we loved the special award presented to the Walt Disney Family Museum and the tipsy acceptance speech given by Gravity Falls creator Alex Hirsch.

• Disneyland announced some of their plans for the upcoming 60th anniversary celebration. New parade...check. New fireworks...check. New World of Color...check. New Hatbox Ghost...wait, what?

Elena of Avalor

• Disney is introducing a new Latina princess. Elena of Avalor will make her debut on the Disney Junior show Sofia the First in 2016 before spinning off into a series of her own.
• We love the new Disney coffee mugs that are blowing off the shelves at Starbucks locations at Disneyland and Walt Disney World, but a purple mug featuring Epcot's Spaceship Earth and the Monorail has disappeared entirely. We explain why.
• Want to own a piece of Disneyland history? Van Eaton Galleries in Southern California is auctioning off over 1,000 items from Disneyland's early days. The collection is astounding and includes an original skeleton animatronic from Pirates of the Caribbean, an animatronic bird from Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, a doll from it's a small world, plus all manner of vintage artwork and ticket media. Items will go on display at the gallery on February 7th and the online and live auction will occur on February 28th and March 1st. Get out your credit cards.

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle02-02-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Nominate 'The Mouse Castle' for This Year's Podcast Awards!

By Tim Callaway

THE DEADLINE HAS BEEN EXTENDED UNTIL FEBRUARY 6TH. PLEASE GET THOSE NOMINATIONS IN! THANK YOU!

Okay, gang, we need your help. Please take a few minutes to support Team Mouse Castle.

On April 14th, New Media Expo (NMX) will host the 10th Annual People's Podcast Awards in Las Vegas (my hometown). It's one of the most prestigious awards handed out in online media and we'd really like to be in the running for one.

What am I saying? We'd like to win the damn thing.

Accomplishing this requires a lot of help, because you're doing the nominating. So, yeah, no pressure.

If you've listened to and enjoyed our two podcasts, The Mouse Castle Lounge and Inside The Mouse Castle, we hope you'll nominate them for Podcast Awards. It's very easy to do.

First, visit www.podcastawards.com for the nomination ballot.

Next, please enter The Mouse Castle Lounge in the "People's Choice" and "Cultural/Arts" categories. Enter Inside The Mouse Castle in the "Best Produced" and "Entertainment" categories.

Use www.TheMouseCastle.com as the URL for each nominee.

If there are other podcasts you like in other categories, by all means enter them, but please limit The Mouse Castle podcasts only to the categories I named above. It will improve our chances of being recognized and keep us within the rules.

Finally, enter your name and e-mail address, then click "Submit." You're done.

Nomination ballots are limited to one per person only and must be entered before February 2 6, 2015. If we're fortunate enough to make the final ballot, then you can go crazy with voting. We'll let you know when and how.

Thank you for helping us out. You're awesome!

Inside The Mouse Castle 01-19-2015 - Trader Sam's, Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend, Oscar Nominations

By Tim Callaway

Jabba's got the right idea. Meet us at Trader Sam's.

We recorded the latest episode of Inside The Mouse Castle at Trader Sam's Enchanted Tiki Bar at the Disneyland Hotel. Drinks were served. Hilarity ensued.

We also learned what falernum is, proving that Inside The Mouse Castle is both entertaining and educational.

But, don't take my word for it. Give a listen as we rate the drinks at Trader Sam's, recap the Star Wars Half Marathon Weekend, prepare for a night of Frozen Fun at Disney California Adventure and talk about some of the movies that made the cut (and others that didn't) at last week's Oscar nominations.

And while you're at it, meet some of the new members of Team Mouse Castle. Our friends Susie, Tina and Becky sat in with Anthony and me, and they did such a spectacular job on the show I'm sure you'll be hearing from them again soon. As soon as they sober up.

Finally, a shout out to our friend Caitlin (@cpdevlin on Twitter), who stealthily captured us in action while we were recording this weekend. Thanks, Caitlin!

https://twitter.com/cpdevlin/status/556968338132201474

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle01-19-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 01-12-2015 - The Golden Globe Awards, the Walt Disney World Marathon and Disneyland Measles

By Tim Callaway

Anthony and I took a little post New Year break (Anthony even squeezed in a day trip to Disneyland) and now we're back Inside The MC with a full slate of hugely fascinating stories that will inform, amuse and astound you. We hope you've all been vaccinated.

• The Golden Globe Awards were handed out Sunday night in Beverly Hills and Disney came up a goose egg as neither Into the Woods nor Big Hero 6 took home any awards. Not that the Mouse was favored in any category, but I digress. The biggest surprise for me was How to Train Your Dragon 2 beat out a strong Animated Feature category that included BH6, The Boxtrolls, The Book of Life and The Lego Movie. 

Into the Woods

• Nominations for the 87th Academy Awards will be announced early Thursday morning. The Mouse Castle will be streaming the announcements live at www.TheMouseCastle.com. Watch for the link later this week. In a rare move, the Academy will announce live the nominees in all 24 categories--in past years they've limited it to the major categories only. Actor Chris Pine (Into the Woods), Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs, and directors Alfonso Cuarón (Gravity)  and J.J. Abrams (Star Wars: The Force Awakens) will make the announcements beginning at 5:30 a.m. Pacific. Which films are you rooting for this year? Boyhood? Birdman? Big Hero 6? Into the Woods? 
• The Walt Disney World Marathon had a distinctly Brazilian flavor Sunday as the top four finishers in the men's division hailed from that country and the women's division winner did as well. As for me, I have no aspirations to run a marathon (yet), but I am set to run the Star Wars 5K and 10K races this weekend at Disneyland. 
• In breaking news, thousands of people did not contract measles at Disneyland at the end of December BECAUSE THEY WERE VACCINATED. In other news, at least 20 people caught the virus because most of them were not. Vaccinate your kids.

Fireworks over Sleeping Beauty Castle

• At the parks, Disneyland is offering special discounts in the off-season for Southern California residents; Fantasy in the Sky fireworks have returned to the Happiest Place on Earth; and you can win a trip to Walt Disney World by visiting www.disneyflipside.com. Also, Disney Vacation Club is selling new timeshares at the Polynesian Village Resort, but what we're most excited about at the Poly is you can now get a Dole Whip at the new Pineapple Lanai quick-serve restaurant. Oh, and a Trader Sam's is opening there soon (we hope it's bigger than the one at the Disneyland Hotel--love the drinks and atmosphere, hate the small size). At Disney's Hollywood Studios, you can catch a sneak preview of Disney's new live-action Cinderella as well as get a gander at the little cinder girl's golden coach used in the film. It opens in U.S. theaters on March 13th.
• It disturbs us greatly that Michael C. Hall is joining the cast of Pete's Dragon, Disney's reboot of the 1977 film. It's nothing against Hall. We loved him in Dexter and Six Feet Under. What's disturbing is that a Pete's Dragon reboot even exists. 
• We feel much better that this movie exists:

• Even better about this one:

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsideTheMouseCastle01-12-2015.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Happy Holidays From The Mouse Castle!

It's been a wonderful year for The Mouse Castle. Thank you for being a part of it.  Have a happy and safe holiday season and an even better 2015!

Click to enlarge.

Inside The Mouse Castle 08-12-2014 - Remembering Robin Williams

Robin Williams on the cover of
Disney Magazine, Winter 1997-98

We still haven't gotten over the shock of Robin Williams' tragic suicide at his California home on Monday. Perhaps we never will. The Mouse Castle sends its deepest sympathies to Robin Williams' family, friends and all those affected by his death. His fans were many and we count ourselves among them. He is irreplaceable will be greatly missed.

In the latest episode of Inside the Mouse Castle, Anthony and I devote the entire show to looking back at Williams' stellar career. We celebrate his incredible and unique talent, his rapid-fire wit as a stand-up comedian, and his surprising depth as a serious (and Oscar-winning) actor.

We'll talk about Williams' great films like Dead Poets Society, Good Morning, Vietnam and The Fisher King. We'll even touch on a few clunkers like Toys and Death to Smoochy--I'm sorry, Anthony. It's just not a good film.

And, of course, we'll journey to Agrabah and remember Williams' sublime voice work as the Genie in Aladdin. We've never had a friend like him before or since.

It's a very special episode devoted to an entertainment genius the likes of which we may never see again. Enjoy.

Genie (and friends) in Aladdin

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsidetheMouseCastle08-12-2014.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Related:
Robin Williams at His Best: 'Vietnam' and 'Poets' on Blu-ray

Inside the Mouse Castle 08-08-2014 - The Haunted Mansion at 45, Star Wars at Disneyland and the D23 Expo

Saturday marks the 45th birthday of Disneyland's Haunted Mansion. Come out to socialize with Tim and Anthony as they share a little Mansion history and talk about what makes the home of 999 happy haunts such an incredible attraction all these years later.

Also, in this episode:

• CEO Bob Iger got the interwebs buzzing this week with his comment that Disney's plan to "grow Stars Wars' presence significantly" in the parks. We'll look at what it means and what it doesn't and why everyone just needs to settle down.
• Tickets to the 2015 D23 Expo, Disney's ultimate fan event, go on sale on August 14th at 10 a.m. PT. We take a look back at past Expos and try to justify why spending $2,000 for a Sorcerer Package ticket might actually be a pretty good deal.
• Disney is opening the video vault and releasing Tarzan, Hercules and The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad on Blu-ray for the first time. A newer home video release is Disneynature's Bears and Tim offers his review of the Alaska nature doc. It's a beautiful film, but does is really benefit from being narrated by Wreck-It Ralph?

Enjoy!

Disneyland's Haunted Mansion marks its 45th year.

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsidetheMouseCastle08-08-2014.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss

Inside The Mouse Castle 07-25-2014 - Comic-Con, Marvel, 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5' and Disney Infinity

In this edition of Inside the Mouse Castle, Anthony and I do a lot of whining about not being in San Diego for Comic-Con. We talk about a few other things too:

• Marvel has marked release dates for 11 films through May of 2019. Most of them we don't even know the titles of yet, but there's a lot of speculation about an Avengers meets Guardians of the Galaxy crossover being one of them. We expect to find out more Saturday when Marvel has its panel at Comic-Con.
• Disney will release a fifth Pirates of the Caribbean movie with Johnny Depp (we assume) returning as Captain Jack Sparrow. It's set to hit theaters on July 7, 2017. Remember when a new Pirates film was something to be excited about? After On Stranger Tides, this is not one of those times.
• Steve Carell will produce and star in Brooklyn Family Robinson for Disney, a family-friendly comedy about a family that relocates from the big city to a tropical island. People seem to be more excited about this film than we expected. Are we missing something?
• Toy Story will return to TV with a new holiday special, Toy Story That Time Forgot, on December 2nd. We're just glad that Tim Allen is still finding employment.
• Disney Infinity is exceeding all expectations as Disney's biggest video game title ever. Just wait until September 23rd when Disney Infinity 2.0 comes out with a slew of Marvel characters.
• Walt Disney World is giving Downtown Disney a face lift as it expands to become Disney Springs. Looks like they finally figured out what to do with all those old Pleasure Island buildings.
• The Walt Disney Family Museum will celebrate its fifth anniversary (already?) on October 1st. Many special events are planned for the month including a members-only Tinker Bell Tea with author Mindy Johnson (Tinker Bell: An Evolution). Mindy will also do a book signing that's open to everyone.

Enjoy!

Download: http://traffic.libsyn.com/insidethemousecastle/InsidetheMouseCastle07-25-2014.mp3

Listen and subscribe to Inside The Mouse Castle on iTunes, Stitcher and SoundCloud.

RSS Feed: http://insidethemousecastle.libsyn.com/rss