The Mouse Castle Lounge 05-29-2018 - Artist Denise Chamberlain Talks About Mary Blair

EDITOR'S NOTE: After posting this interview with Denise Chamberlain, I was contacted by Mary Blair's niece, Maggie Richardson, contesting information in the interview. In an e-mail, Maggie told me Denise is not a blood relation of Mary Blair, never met her, and does not represent the Blair family. I contacted Denise for comment, and she confirmed her relationship to Mary was through Denise's uncle, who married Mary's niece, Jeanne, when Denise was a child. Denise still contends that when she was young, she met Mary at various parties and family functions, and still considers Mary her "great aunt," even if not by blood.

Not clarifying Denise's actual relationship to Mary Blair in the interview was an oversight on my part and I apologize for the confusion. Maggie has asked me to delete the podcast and all related materials due to the inaccuracies she is claiming. I have declined,

What follows is the podcast's show notes as originally posted.

Denise Chamberlain

To say Denise Chamberlain has art in her blood…is a pretty accurate statement. Her great aunt, Mary Blair, is a Disney Legend whose distinct artistic style influenced classic Disney animated films like Cinderella, Peter Pan and Alice in Wonderland as well as perhaps her most famous work, the Disney park attraction It’s a Small World.

Growing up, Denise got to know Aunt Mary and continues to feel her influence even now, 40 years after Mary’s death. Denise is a successful painter and muralist whose work can be seen throughout Colorado and via her website at MagicBrushArts.com. She joins us today to share stories about Mary Blair and talk about the impact art has had on her life. Denise Chamberlain is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

Denise in front of her outdoor mural, The Spirit of Niwot.

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 05-16-2018 - Jungle Cruise Skipper Stories with David Marley

Doctor Skipper David Marley

David Marley is a historian with a PhD from George Washington University, but that's not important today. What matters is for four years he was a Jungle Cruise skipper at Disneyland! In 2016, he wrote Skipper Stories: True Tales From Disneyland’s Jungle Cruise, which contains dozens of interviews with fellow skips past and present. It's an insightful and often very funny look at one of Disneyland’s most popular attractions. The book has proven so popular that volume two of Skipper Stories will be out later this year.

David is going to share some of those stories with us today, so remain seated and keep your hands and arms inside the boat at all times. And don’t worry about that tiger that can jump over 20 feet. We’re 19 feet away—he’ll pass right over us. David Marley is Tim's guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

Skipper Stories is available on Amazon and Theme Park Press.

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 05-01-2018 - The Return of The Mouse Castle Lounge with Disney Historian Jim Korkis

Jim Korkis and Friend

The Mouse Castle Lounge is back! We’ve pulled the dust covers off the furniture and restocked the bar. And Tim is happy to welcome back a good friend of The Mouse Castle Lounge. Tim's guest is a prolific author, especially when it comes to Disney history. His books include The Vault of Walt series, The Secret Stories of Walt Disney World series, Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South and The Book of Mouse. His latest book is Call Me Walt: Everything You Never Knew About Walt Disney. Ladies and gentlemen of Team Mouse Castle, we’re back! So please welcome our guest, Jim Korkis, to The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Enjoy!

Books by Jim Korkis are available from Amazon and Theme Park Press.

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The Mouse Castle Lounge Returns May 1!!!

We're back, baby!

Almost.

One week from today, The Mouse Castle Lounge reopens! We're taking the dust covers off the furniture, restocking the bar and kicking the doors open as we welcome back our good friend, Disney historian and author Jim Korkis. He's the first of our terrific lineup of guests dropping by the Lounge in May. We hope you can join us!

May 1 - Jim Korkis, Disney historian and author; Call Me Walt, The Vault of Walt series.
May 8 - Tammy Tuckey, singer, actress and podcaster; You'll Find Me on Main Street.
May 15 - David Marley, historian, author and former Jungle Cruise skipper; Skipper Stories.
May 22 - Denise Chamberlain, artist, great-niece of Disney Legend Mary Blair.

Watch for more MCL news coming soon!

Hello?...Is This Thing Still On?

In our last episode...

Woody and Bullseye jumped across the Grand Canyon! Will they make it in time to save Jessie and Stinky Pete?!?

Wait...that's not it.

Oh yeah, I quit podcasting. It was about a year and I half ago. And wow, I just listened to the last episode. Damn, it's depressing. Sounds like I'm never coming back.

Surprise!

Hey, I did define the length of my departure as "for the foreseeable future." Welcome to the future, kids.

And by that I mean The Mouse Castle Lounge is coming back!

It's time.

When I shut the doors to the MCL in November 2016, I was embarking on a new, full-time career as a professional voice actor. And after months of hard work, I'm proud to announce...I'm still not where I want to be--but I'm making progress and having the time of my life! You can see a lot of what I've been up to on my voice over website at VegasVoiceActor.com.

One milestone I have reached is being satisfied enough with my career efforts to return to podcasting, not only as an extension of my VO work, but also for the sheer fun of it. You know I love Disney and have always been thrilled to talk with so many creative folks within the Disney arena. As much as I love the world of VO, hardly a day goes by that I don't miss getting my Disney fix and sharing it with you.

So this week I got to work. E-mails were sent, conversations were had and appointments were made. Specific details are still being ironed out, but you can expect the first episode of the new Mouse Castle Lounge by the end of this month! I'll keep you up to date via this blog and our various social media channels (which are still hanging in there). I'm super excited to reopen the MCL and I hope you are too!

Which brings up one more thing: while my VO career continues to make strides, the term "struggling voice actor" is still not entirely foreign to me. And as podcasting costs money, I'm generating some cash flow by selling items from my personal Disney collection. The first pieces are listed here and I'll be adding more later. Please take a look and send me a message if you see something you like. I've enjoyed owning these pieces and it would please me greatly to see them in the hands of true Disney fans like you.

Also, if you have a company, organization or product in need of a mature, energetic, conversational voice, I know a guy.

Watch Tim and Cheer for the MCL on Tonight's Podcast Awards!

The People's Choice Podcast Awards will stream live tonight at 5:00 p.m. PT. The Mouse Castle Lounge is honored to be nominated for Best Society-Culture Podcast. Please tune in right here to see if we take home the trophy. Also, I'm happy to say I'll be presenting awards in two categories (Entertainment and Games & Hobbies) with emcee Jason Bryant (Mat Talk Online). I hope you can join us.

Society - Culture

CoasterRadio.com [url] [rss]

Disney Parks Podcast [url] [rss]

Life of Caesar [url] [rss]

Mousetalgia [url] [rss]

Mysterious Matters [url] [rss]

The Budget-Minded Traveler [url] [rss]

The Catacombs of Halloween Horror Nights [url] [rss]

The Mouse Castle Lounge [url] [rss]

The Phileas Club [url] [rss]

Those Conspiracy Guys [url] [rss]

For a complete list of all nominees, please visit www.podcastawards.com.

By Tim Callaway

The Mouse Castle Lounge 07-24-2015 - Disney, Dali and 'Destino' with Ted Nicolaou

By Tim Callaway

Salvador Dali and Walt Disney, 1957.
Photo courtesy Walt Disney Family Museum.

It was inevitable—call it destiny if you will--that the creative paths of Walt Disney and Salvador Dali would one day cross. Both men were born in the early 1900s, and although they were continents apart, they shared similar upbringings. Both had artistic ambitions, and both would eventually become the standard-bearers of their respective mediums: Walt in animation and visual storytelling, Dali in fine art and the surrealist movement.

Their personalities could not have been more different. Dali was the flamboyant eccentric, Walt the more reserved, but no-less driven, filmmaker. Each saw the other as a kindred spirit, though. And what began as a distant mutual admiration, evolved into a creative collaboration and later a lifetime friendship.

In the late 1940s, Dali would come to the Disney Studios to help craft Destino, a surreal short film intended to push the limits of animation and storytelling. It was not to be, however, What Dali called “a magical exposition of life in the labyrinth of time,” Walt called “a simple love story—boy meets girl.” It was there the two artists remained at odds. After less than a year’s work on the project, Destino was shelved. Decades later, the Walt Disney Studios would resurrect the film from more than 150 surviving story sketches by Dali and Disney artist John Hench. The resulting film would be released in 2003 to critical acclaim, winning numerous film festival awards and being nominated for an Academy Award.

Ted Nicolaou

The Walt Disney Family Museum in San Francisco is hosting an exhibition about the two friends and showmen. Disney and Dali: Architects of the Imagination explores the artistic collaboration between the two men, showcasing not only original works of Dali, but also that of Disney artists Mary Blair, John Hench, Eyvind Earle and Kay Nielsen. ,

Ted Nicolaou is curator of the exhibition. As a filmmaker, Ted has directed a number of horror films including cult favorites Terrorvision and Subspecies. He’s also created a number of DVD and Blu-ray bonus documentaries for Walt Disney Home Entertainment, most notably Dali & Disney: A Date with Destino, which was included on the 2010 Blu-ray release of Fantasia 2000. 

Ted Nicolaou is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 05-28-2015 - 24 Hours of Disneyland in 40 Minutes

By Tim Callaway

We survived 24 hours at Disneyland!

Anthony and I recapped it earlier this week, but now you can relive Disneyland's 24-hour party with Team Mouse Castle. Throughout the resort's 60th anniversary Diamond Celebration kickoff on Memorial Day weekend, My friends and I recorded as much of the craziness as we could, sharing our thoughts and experiences. Hear us take on the Hatbox Ghost, Harold the Abominable Snowman, parades, fireworks and crowds, crowds, crowds.

What did we think of Disneyland Forever and Paint the Night? Did we get trapped in Disney California Adventure? Who stole my magic on the Mark Twain? It's an incredible day and night of good friends and insane Disney fun in The Mouse Castle Lounge.

Anthony and me making podcast magic at Disneyland.

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 04-30-2015 - Disney Artist Dave Avanzino

By Tim Callaway

Dave Avanzino

Artist Dave Avanzino admits that he is in awe of Walt Disney and all his accomplishments. Dave also admits that he marvels at being able to make a living because Walt Disney lived. To enjoy Dave’s art is to immerse yourself in detailed multi-dimensional shadowboxes full of fanciful lettering and iconic Disney images: the Fab Five, the Haunted Mansion, the Enchanted Tiki Room, castles, train stations and princesses have all found their way into Dave’s work, sometimes mashed together in exciting and original ways.

Dave works with a variety of materials, including paper, wire, wood and metal to create his art. He continues to produce numerous limited and open-edition pieces for all manner of Disney collectors and budgets.

I spoke with Dave this week about his work, who and what inspires him and what we might expect from him during Disneyland’s upcoming 60th anniversary celebration. Dave Avanzino is my guest today in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!

All images courtesy of Dave Avanzino Designs.

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To see more of Dave's art or to find out about his upcoming appearances, go to www.disneyparksmerchanidise.com or follow Dave Avanzino Designs on Facebook.

The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-12-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part One

By Tim Callaway

Floyd Norman

Growing up, Floyd Norman fell in love with Disney animated films. He familiarized himself not only with the name “Walt Disney,” but also with the names of the many talented artists and directors who created the films. Floyd was determined that one day he would become an artist at the Walt Disney Studios.

As is the case with many a Disney success story, it took a combination of talent, perseverance and luck to make that dream a reality. Floyd joined Disney in 1956 and was, in fact, the first African American artist ever hired by the studio. It was the beginning of a long career as an artist, animator, cartoonist, story writer and film maker both in and outside of Disney.

Floyd contributed his talents to animated features that include Sleeping Beauty, The Sword in the Stone, The Jungle Book and Robin Hood. His career spanned into the CG era where he created storyboards for Toy Story 2 and Monsters, Inc., making him one of the rare individuals to work for both Walt Disney and John Lasseter. Today, at age 79, Floyd still consults for Disney and recently oversaw the production of “The Further Adventures of Thunderbolt,” a bonus feature on the recent 101 Dalmatians Blu-ray release that answers the gnawing questions, “What happened to the Wonder Dog after he fell over the cliff with Dirty Dawson?” You know you've been dying to know.

Floyd Norman is my guest today for part one of our two-part conversation in The Mouse Castle Lounge. Enjoy!

Related: The Mouse Castle Lounge 03-19-2015 - Disney Legend Floyd Norman, Part Two

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The Mouse Castle Lounge 11-17-2014 - Walt Disney's Trains

A dapper Michael Campbell celebrates Walt's trains.

Michael Campbell showed up at the presentation in a train conductor's uniform. Being president of the Carolwood Pacific Historical Society, I suspect he's done this before. 

He came to the Walt Disney Family Museum to talk about Walt Disney, trains and the museum's new exhibition he curated, All Aboard: A Celebration of Walt's Trains. It contains over 200 artifacts from Walt's railroad loving past. 

Michael, along with the museum's executive director Kirsten Komoroske, are my guests in The Mouse Castle Lounge. They talk at length about how the exhibition came together and the many unique items that make it up, Michael also shares a delightful and touching story of how Disney animation legend Ollie Johnston--who shared Walt's passion for trains--had the train ride of his life at Disneyland with the help of John Lasseter. 

Enjoy!

Michael Campbell looks on while Kirsten Komoroske speaks at
the Walt Disney Family Museum.

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MCL 01-26-2014 - More 'Saving Mr. Banks' and Disney History Made Difficult with Jim Korkis

Jim Korkis

Author and historian Jim Korkis is back in The Mouse Castle Lounge this week because sometimes an interview really clicks. In last week's show, Jim and I talked about his latest book, The Book of Mouse, a detailed and entertaining memoir of Disney's iconic rodent, Mickey. After that ground was covered and the episode was put to rest, Jim and I just kept talking--over an hour and a half--and it was great fun. So this week's show is a big chunk of our conversation after the conversation. We spent a lot of time talking about the true stories behind Saving Mr. Banks, what P.L. Travers was really like, what made Mary Poppins such a special film, and why it's not always easy being a Disney historian.

Jim is as knowledgeable a guy there is when it comes to Disney history. He's a tireless researcher and you're certain to learn something new at the turn of every page of his books. His Vault of Walt series is required reading for any Disney enthusiast and I also recommend Who's Afraid of the Song of the South? for Jim's balanced insight into what has become Walt Disney's most (unjustly) infamous film.

So, join me if you will as we delve into a little Disney history with Jim Korkis. Enjoy!

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For more information about The Book of Mouse, visit www.themeparkpress.com.

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