Beyond The Mouse

“When you’re doing something you love, and you’re passionate about, there is nothing like it in the world.” We are so excited to bring you a special interview with Cara Menzel and her sister, Disney Legend Idina Menzel. These two have teamed up to write a wonderful new children’s book called Loud Mouse: How a […]

“This looks like it was made for me.” Thanks to Walt Disney Animation Studios, Craig had the opportunity to speak to many of the creators behind the upcoming Disney film Strange World. This film will be coming to theaters on November 23, starring Jake Gyllenhaal, Dennis Quaid, Jaboukie Young-White, Gabrielle Union and Lucy Liu. Join […]

The one where Brett and Craig argue about Harmonious again…. Wow! This past weekend brought us a ton of Disney announcements from D23 Expo 2022. On this episode, Craig, Brett and Bea will break down some of the announcements they were the most excited about from the whole weekend of panels and events. You’ll get […]

“I have a gift, but I don’t necessarily get to choose how that gift is shared…” We are incredibly excited to welcome back to the podcast, Disney Legend Jodi Benson. She has written, for the first time, some of her thoughts and feelings about her life. It’s less an autobiography and more a conversation that […]

It is D23 Expo Week! Are you ready for D23 Expo? Join BTM Brett with special guests Cari and Jacqueline as they get ready for their D23Expo 2022 adventures! Questions will be answered and excitement abounds! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford __________________________________________   Named one of the top 50 Disney Podcasts by Feedspot! blog.feedspot.com/disney_podcasts   FIND US ON NPR ILLINOIS! https://www.nprillinois.org/programs/front-row-network  […]

“It’s just one beautiful land of opportunity we are in…” This week Craig and Vanessa had a wonderful opportunity to speak to Brad Forenza about the upcoming second season of Around the Sun. “A scripted, episodic audio drama that explores human connections, made and missed, with an existential flare.” Brad is also joined by Around […]

Boo to you! This week Craig and Anna talk all about their recent trip to the first night of Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. That’s right! Halloween in Disney World starts on August 12 and we were there for it. We also chat about Wilderness Lodge and Epcot’s Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind. […]

Quick– you’re stuck in the parks with Topanga and Andre Johnson, what you gonna do? It’s ladies week on Beyond the Mouse! This week on the show Vanessa is joined by special guest Bea Bonner as they talk about TV sitcoms that have filmed episodes in the Disney parks. FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford and […]

Don’t Hate Us! Don't hate us.  Yes, we don't always love everything about Disney. Sometimes we notice things that we think could better. Join us this week as we discuss our most unpopular opinions with special guest Zoey Zara.  FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford and Vanessa Ferguson  __________________________________________   Named one of the top 50 Disney […]

Welcome home! This week we bring you our conversation with Paul and Amy Kreiger of DVC Rental Store and Monora Financial. They bought into DVC in 2019, and quickly have become a leading resource for DVC members. Both are heavily active in the DVC Fan Facebook group, as well as making frequent appearances on The […]

Let’s be real– Walt Disney World is hot! This week we bring you our top ten (OK we didn’t keep count and there are way more than ten) places to stay cool at Walt Disney World. It’s sweltering in Orlando this summer, and we want to look out for you if you have a trip […]

“He wanted to share the vision he had and make you a part of it…” Really excited to bring to the show this week our interview with artist Guy Gilchrist. Craig had the chance to meet Guy at Fan Expo St. Louis. Guy has drawn dozens of childhood favorites including The Muppets, Teenage Mutant Ninja […]

“Sweet child of mine!” On this multi-show crossover we dive into the latest addition to the MCU, Thor: Love and Thunder. Craig, Jeremy and Brett share their thoughts on the film and attempt to predict the impact it may have on the rest of phase four. We start the episode with a spoiler-free first take, […]

“I think you’re going to be hooked…” We are excited to welcome back Panda as he is straight off the christening cruise for the Disney Wish. This was a media event cruise, which was sponsored by Disney. As such, John isn’t going to review the cruise, but give us some insights into the newest ship […]

Brett, take the wheel! Join Brett as he shares behind the scenes recollections of Magic Kingdom 4th of July castle show Spectaculars! Let the fireworks fly along with Disney memories that include Disney's all-star casts including Tommy Tune, Carol Channing and Rita Moreno! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford __________________________________________  Named one of the top 50 Disney Podcasts […]

“You have to listen to people tell their story.” Howard Berger is an Oscar winner and an Emmy winner for his work in make-up over a forty year career in Hollywood. One of his first projects was Aliens and since then had has become a fixture in special effects make-up especially in the area of […]

“I liked you better as a rabbit, Charlie.” We are excited to dive into the 1971 live action film, Bedknobs and Broomsticks. It wouldn’t be right to talk about this classic film without inviting on Brandon Davis from Front Row Classics to give us a bit of credibility. In addition to Brandon, Anna joins us […]

Welcome back, friend! We finally tracked down John Saccheri, Big Fat Panda, and put him in front of a Zoom screen to catch us up on his rollercoaster year! We chat about his new role with The Dis as well as his recent trips to Aulani, Disneyland and Disney Cruise Line. We here at Beyond […]

“We get to have a very unique Mexican-American superhero.” Craig had an excellent opportunity to catch up with the showrunners behind the new Disney Channel series Ultra Violet and Black Scorpion, Leo Chu and Eric Garcia. This team has been creating together for a decade going back to their time developing Afro Samurai. They open […]

“I have been very very lucky…” This week we are thrilled to bring you our discussion with Jeffrey R. Epstein, Vice President of Corporate Communications for the Walt Disney Company. Jeffrey has been involved with the official Disney fan club, D23, since its inception. He is also a vital part of the team that brings […]

“Brett– you fancy!” Brett pulled a fast one and snuck his way out to California for Star Wars Celebration. Of course, he could just visit the convention without also stopping in his happy place. Craig and Brett recap some of the news out of Celebration along with some of Brett’s experiences. Then they dive into […]

Welcome to the ’90s! Chip ‘n Dale are back and better than ever in this new film brought directly to Disney+. We were excited to sit down and tell you all about it. Craig and Vanessa from Beyond the Mouse were also joined on this review by Mike Wennmacher, known locally to the Springfield area […]

“Everybody got help from someone…” We were recently invited to a press junket where Academy Award Nominee Donald Mowat was talking about his recent hair and make-up design for Moon Knight on Disney+. We had a few minutes to chat with Donald about his process, and how he went about preparing for his opportunity in […]

“Literally we can’t let Brett keep winning these. Please, help.” This past weekend, we were LIVE on the Creator Stage at Fan Expo St. Louis. We decided what is geekier then three hosts doing a 90’s character draft. The rules are simple, the character had to appear in a Disney property in the 90s. Three […]

“We don’t talk about Chapek… no no no” Vanessa is working hard on school work this week, so the boys talk all things Disney. Brett follows up on his starcruiser experience, Craig fills everyone in where he’s at with DVC and we might get slightly political (sorry). FEATURING: Brett Rutherford, Craig McFarland __________________________________________  Named one […]

May the Fourth be with you! The Halcyon Five are back in the thrilling conclusion to their Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser journey. We hope you celebrate this Star Wars Day responsibly, by booking a stay off world near Walt Disney World! FEATURING: Brett Rutherford, Alexa Giacomini, Brittney McLaughlin, Tyler Dobson and Beckham Stewart __________________________________________  Named […]

Together as one! The Halcyon Five were among the first to voyage on the Star Wars Galactic Starcruiser which blasted off from Walt Disney World in early March. The group has come back together to discuss the trip in this first of two parts. In this episode we hear about their first experiences onboard the […]

We are finally back! Craig and his family finally made it back to Walt Disney World! Anna and Craig speak about their trip overall. We also discuss recent changes to Disney Genie+ as well as discussing some new dining options throughout the park. There is also a follow up to Jordan Fisher’s offer to purchase […]

“What can you do, just to make them smile?” We are beyond thrilled to welcome Pete Werner to Beyond the Mouse. Pete is the host of the Dis Unplugged, he also co-owns Dreams Unlimited Travel and the real estate company Moving to Orlando. Pete is one of the main content creators that inspired us to […]

“We failed the Bechdel test.” Sometimes the boys of the pod leave for Disney World. Sometimes that means the true foundation of BTM, Vanessa Ferguson, has to come in and make sure the show will go on. This week, Vanessa chats with her NPR Illinois Community Voices Co-host Bea Bonner about the 1998 Disney animated […]

“Genie+ terrifies me” Just before leaving for Disney, Craig had a chance to speak with Justin Suiter of DDP Today (formerly Disney Dads Podcast) about the new paid service, Genie+. Justin was able to provide insights into the new service, where it might make the most sense to use and some general tips and tricks […]

“We are waiting for the pity bus…” We are excited to be joined by Tristan and Sean from Of Mice & Main Street Men. We follow the Disney marathon path and go through each of the parks to pick our favorite attraction, food, and show. We hope we can make it through before the Disney […]

“The Great Gonzo!” We are excited to interview Muppet legend, Dave Goelz. Dave has been responsible for creating and portraying Gonzo on The Muppets, as well as numerous other characters including Floyd and Professor Bunsen Honeydew. We talk to Dave about his career. We also focus on his direct work with Jim Henson. Lots of […]

“We need kindness, y’all.” We are excited to bring you our conversation with Jordan Fisher! A mainstay in all things Disney, Jordan has been featured in the parks and in many Disney television and film properties. Today we bring you a conversation with Jordan primarily about his role in the new Pixar film, Turning Red. […]

Time to get into the madness! We are so excited to bring back a 32 team tournament to determine the best Disney attraction on the west coast! We are joined by Matthew Krul of the Imagineer Podcast and David Alpert of E-Ticket to Broadway to breakdown both Disneyland and Disney California Adventure sides of the […]

Time to travel to a galaxy far far away… Join Brett and his intrepid group, the Galactic 5, as they prepare to blast off world on the Halcyon as part of the Star Wars Galactic Star Cruiser experience at Walt Disney World. The group discusses what they are looking forward to as they prepare to […]

“Find your park bench” This week Craig and Vanessa speak to Jeff Barnes, who has written two books on The Wisdom of Walt. Recently Jeff has left a career in Higher Education in order to bring his college course on Disneyland to the masses through an online platform. We chat about the history of Disneyland,Continue reading "Ep. 145 – Jeff Barnes on the Wisdom of Walt and all things Disneyland!"

Running 48.6 miles is pretty Dopey This week Craig is joined by Kimmy and John to chat about their experiences at the recent WDW Marathon Weekend. Both have experience in RunDisney races. The group breaks down the marathon and the Dopey challenge. They also speak about their training routine as well as their thoughts onContinue reading "Ep. 144 – RunDisney and Marathon Weekend with Kimmy and John"

She’s back, baby! It has been a few minutes since Vanessa has been in a Disney Park, but recently she had the opportunity to visit Walt Disney World. She speaks about her experience being sick on property. She also had a chance to experience the new Drawn to Life show at Disney Springs. We discussContinue reading "Ep. 143 – Vanessa Returns to Walt Disney World! Trip Report"

Preparation meets opportunity Ashley Brown is a Broadway superstar. She stepped into the lead role of Belle in Beauty and the Beast before originating the titular role of Mary Poppins. We had a chance to speak with her just as she’s heading to Walt Disney World to perform in the Disney on Broadway series asContinue reading "Ep. 142 – Disney on Broadway with Ashley Brown"

“Our research on this film started with our own families, thinking about where we came from…” We are so grateful this week to have a chance to speak with the filmmakers behind Disney’s 60th animated feature, Encanto. Since arriving in theaters in November and Disney+ in December, this movie has really struck a cord withContinue reading "Ep. 141 – An Interview with the Directors of Encanto"

Draft Time! This week we dive into our fifth draft, all on the attractions of Walt Disney World. Each team will draft seven attractions. Then it is up to you on the BTM social media pages to vote for who will win this round. Brett won the previous draft, so he chose the order thatContinue reading "Ep. 140 – Walt Disney World Attractions Draft!"

“I always felt like, I know this world…” We are so thrilled to bring you our first episode of the New Year, and it is a big one. Don Hahn is prolific throughout the Disney company. As the producer of such beloved Disney classics as Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King and The HunchbackContinue reading "Ep. 139 – An Interview with Don Hahn"