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From Venice to Toronto: Festival Favorites and Fall Film Buzz (Ep. 323) Sep 09, 2025

Show notes

Awards season is heating up, and Jim Hill and Drew Taylor are here to break it all down. From the Venice Film Festival and TIFF premieres to box office shocks and studio shakeups, this episode dives into the films and animated projects making headlines around the globe.

Highlights include:

Venice Film Festival winners and early buzz from TIFF
“The Conjuring: Last Rites” breaking horror records
Updates on “The Bad Guys 2” and Aaron Blaise’s hand-drawn short “Snow Bear”
Disney’s new animated feature “Hexed” and “Ice Age: Boiling Point”
What’s ahead for “Zootopia 2,” LEGO Disney Princess, and Bluey’s big-screen debut

Whether you’re tracking festival favorites, the latest box office trends, or Disney’s evolving animation slate, this episode offers insights, context, and commentary you won’t want to miss.

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Dinosaur’s Last Ride, Tron Goes Red, and the Cars That Saved California Adventure (Ep. 548) Sep 08, 2025

Show notes

Len Testa and Jim Hill return with a Disney Dish full of hard-hitting questions like: is a popcorn bucket a collectible, a food container, or proof of life’s absurdity? Along the way, they tackle Disney’s latest surveys, new overlays, and a franchise that almost stalled out before becoming a billion-dollar juggernaut.

Disney sets the closing date for Dinosaur at Animal Kingdom and spruces up Carousel of Progress with a new Walt Disney animatronic
Tron Lightcycle Run trades neon blue for Nine Inch Nails red in a Tron: Ares overlay
Disneyland Paris ticket pricing hints at when World of Frozen may open in 2026
Universal ponders the true meaning of souvenir popcorn buckets, from Aristotle to social media influencers
Jim explains how Pixar’s Cars almost didn’t get made — and how Radiator Springs ended up saving Disney California Adventure

From castle cake flashbacks to Schrödinger’s popcorn, this episode mixes history, news, and a little bit of existential dread — all with the usual Testa-Hill banter.

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Who Stole It Better? Disney, Universal, and the Battle of Borrowed Rides (Ep. 67) Sep 05, 2025

Show notes

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with a loaded episode of the Epic Universal Podcast, blending Halloween Horror Nights buzz with theme park history and rumors.

Opening weekend reactions to HHN 2024, including Terrifier, Five Nights at Freddy’s, and the controversial “deathly afraid” lanyards
RIP Ride Rockit demolition updates and Ghostbusters speculation for Universal’s front gate
Could Back to the Future replace Fast & Furious? The latest whispers from insiders
The Tooniversal deal that almost brought Looney Tunes and DC to Universal — and how its failure led to the Lost Continent
Who really stole what? Disney borrowing from Knott’s, Universal borrowing from Disney, and the chain of “borrowed” ideas that shaped Dueling Dragons

From HHN news to the “battle of borrowed rides,” Jim and Eric serve up insider scoops, history, and plenty of banter.

Follow Eric on X and Instagram @EricHersey Follow Jim on X and Instagram @JimHillMedia

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Disney Princess Week, Villains Merch, and Disney Cereal Saga (Ep. 63) Sep 04, 2025

Show notes

Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey return with a new episode of I Want That Too, diving into Disney Princess Week, new merchandise drops, and the latest Disney history feature. From LEGO sidekicks to Bath & Body Works villains, they’ve got the stories (and opinions) Disney fans will want to hear.

Highlights from Disney Princess Week, including merchandise, sidekick collections, and special events
The “Meant to Be” adult rom-com book series reimagining Disney Princesses in modern settings
Early fan reactions to Bath & Body Works’ Disney Villains collaboration
EPCOT Food & Wine Festival merch, featuring Muppet Labs, Figment, and Chef Mickey collections
Jim and Lauren revisit the story of Kay Kamen and continue their Disney cereal history deep dive

From modern merch drops to classic collectibles, this episode blends Disney history, fan culture, and insider stories from Jim and Lauren.

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Inside Netflix’s Biggest Animated Hit and What’s Next for Aardman & Pixar (Ep. 322) Sep 02, 2025

Show notes

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor kick off September with a packed episode of Fine Tooning, covering the biggest stories in the world of animation:

The record-shattering success of KPop Demon Hunters on Netflix and what’s next for the franchise
Updates on Big Mouth, its Emmy legacy, and the upcoming series Mating Season
Aardman’s latest projects, including Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl and Shaun the Sheep: The Beast of Mossy Bottom
Pixar’s Elio and how its international release stood out in unexpected ways
30 years of Toy Story returning to theaters, plus collectibles and nostalgia
Bill Plympton and “Weird Al” Yankovic team up for a one-of-a-kind animation retrospective

Jim and Drew also revisit classic shorts once shown at Disney-MGM Studios, share news from Studio Ghibli Fest, and look ahead at Gabby’s Dollhouse: The Movie and more.

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Birds, Booze & The Beak & Barrel: Magic Kingdom’s New Pirate Lounge Sets Sail (Ep. 547) Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

Len Testa and Jim Hill return with a packed episode of The Disney Dish to discuss Magic Kingdom’s brand new Beak & Barrel Lounge, an immersive pirate-themed bar near Pirates of the Caribbean. Len shares firsthand impressions of the decor, the elusive animatronic pirate Rummy, and why it’s already drawing Trader Sam’s comparisons.

Also in this episode:

Why Disney villains might be the next big meet and greet trend
Early entry’s 70 million dollar cost-cutting math
Len’s thoughts on all-inclusive dining plans (and horrifying Gold Key memories)
A hard truth about Jungle Cruise’s future in the Magic Kingdom
The story behind Cars Land’s origins and how an unrealized DCA parade inspired it

Plus: shoutouts to Surrey bike designers, a blood alcohol calculator for Food & Wine, and ashtray trauma from the 1970s.

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The Case For (and Against) Park Hopping at Walt Disney World (Ep. 1) Sep 01, 2025

Show notes

Is park hopping the best way to squeeze every drop of Disney magic out of your vacation - or just an overpriced bus pass with extra steps? In this first episode of The Case For with Chris Cox, mind reader and performer Chris Cox squares off against theme park expert Len Testa, while Disney historian Jim Hill dons judge’s robe to deliver a verdict.

What’s on trial this week:

The strange history of park hopping at Walt Disney World (including a giant ticket costume)
Costs, trade-offs, and whether that money is better spent on Dole Whip or dinner
The joy - or misery - of buses, monorails, and the Disney Skyliner
How Lightning Lane, rope drops, and UK vs. US vacation styles change the debate
Why some families say “yes” to more rides, while others say “slow down and enjoy the parks”

The verdict? You be the judge. Tell us if park hopping is your go-to Disney strategy - or just a fast pass to frustration.

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Chris Cox – https://www.magiccox.com
Instagram - @magiccox
Twitter/X - @bigcox

Len Testa – https://www.touringplans.com
Instagram - @len.testa
BlueSky - lentesta.bsky.social

Jim Hill – https://jimhillmedia.com
Instagram - @jimhillmedia
Twitter/X - @jimhillmedia

Next case: rope dropping at Disney Parks - because nothing says “vacation” like a 5 a.m. wake-up call.

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Manufacturing the Magic: Disneyland’s sister parks – Part One Aug 30, 2025

Show notes

In the 21st installment of this educational series, Shelly and Noe Valladolid talk about what happened when C.V. Wood (the original president of Disneyland) went off in 1956 and set up his own theme park design company. This episode takes a close look at Freedomland & Magic Mountain

Over the course of this episode, listeners will learn about:

How many theme park designers did C.V. Wood take with him when he exited Disneyland
What was the first theme park that Wood worked on after he stopped working for Walt
How was Freedomland’s opening day much like the one that Disneyland experienced back in 1955
What similarities did Magic Mountain have with Walt’s original family fun park
Who were some of the stars that performed at Freedomland

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Deathly Afraid Necklaces and the Origins of Dueling Dragons (Ep. 66) Aug 29, 2025

Show notes

Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with another packed episode of the Epic Universal Podcast, diving into the latest Universal news, fan reports, and theme park history.

Highlights this week include:

Firsthand impressions of Universal Horror Unleashed in Las Vegas, thanks to listener John T. – from house walkthroughs to surprisingly short wait times.
A look at Universal Orlando’s new “Deathly Afraid” necklace option at Halloween Horror Nights and the debate it’s sparked online.
News from the West Coast, including the Slash Bar pop-up at HHN Hollywood and the arrival of Chainsaw Man.
Updates on the new Museum of Antiquities Tribute Store packed with Easter eggs for longtime fans.
Breaking down NBC’s Inside the Worlds of Epic Universe TV special and Steven Spielberg’s surprising connection to Dark Universe.
Jim kicks off a new multi-part feature on the history of Dueling Dragons and whether Disney’s never-built Beastly Kingdom really influenced Universal’s iconic coaster.

As always, Jim and Eric mix news, rumors, and personal stories—including Eric sending his son off to college and Jim recalling how he helped break Disney’s Animal Kingdom news decades ago.

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The Man Who Sold Mickey: Kay Kamen’s Merchandising Magic (Ep. 62) Aug 28, 2025

Show notes

Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey dig into the world of Disney merch and history with a mix of spooky snacks and fascinating backstories:

Why Jim bought Count Chocula, Boo Berry, and Franken Berry cereal he can’t eat—thanks to new Jim Henson puppet designs
The launch of Bath & Body Works’ Disney Villains collection, from Maleficent’s plum scents to the Evil Queen’s apple blends
Disney cracking down on resellers and what that means for collectors
New Muppets merchandise teased for Destination D23, plus the latest on the Muppet redo of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
The untold story of Kay Kamen, the salesman who turned Disney into a merchandising powerhouse - before his career ended tragically

From collectible cereal boxes to multi-million-dollar licensing deals, Jim and Lauren explore how Disney’s merchandising magic has shaped everything from your breakfast table to the theme parks.

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