Honda to Sponsor Disneyland Autopia

The Autopia, currently being refurbished.

When the Autopia reopens at Disneyland on April 30, it will have a new sponsor.

Honda announced Tuesday that it will take over sponsorship of the classic Tomorrowland attraction. The Autopia will be updated with a new look and storyline and all the vehicles will be "Honda powered." No word on whether that means the cars will be electric like they are at the Autopia in Hong Kong Disneyland, which is also sponsored by Honda.

In a statement, American Honda Motor Co., Inc. president and CEO Takuji Yamada said, "Autopia has brought joy to generations of families and has created lasting memories for millions of Disneyland guests, Honda is proud to sponsor this iconic attraction and continue our alliance with Disneyland Resort."

This will be the latest of several Disneyland sponsorships by the automotive company dating back to 2005. Honda has previously sponsored fireworks shows, Grad Nites and an ASIMO exhibit at Innoventions.

The Autopia has been closed for refurbishment at Disneyland since January.

By Tim Callaway

'The Jungle Book': Bill Murray Thinks Kipling is 'Quite a Guy'

Neel Sethi is Mowgli in The Jungle Book.

If Bill Murray says you're quite a guy, you're quite a guy.

We're talking about you, Rudyard Kipling.

Murray, who provides the voice of Baloo in director Jon Favreau's upcoming live-action reboot of The Jungle Book, shares his admiration for the author of the original story in a new featurette from Disney.  The video looks at the legacy of The Jungle Book, including the 1967 animated film, shining a spotlight on Favreau as well as Murray's castmates Ben Kingsley (Bagheera), Scarlett Johansson (Kaa), Idris Elba (Shere Khan) and Lupita Nyong'o (Raksha),

Disney also released two new clips from the film:

The Jungle Book opens in the U.S. on April 15th. 

By Tim Callaway

'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