Disney Magic Hour

The live action remake of MULAN has come to Disney+ and this week we will be giving our thoughts on the film, where it falters and where it soars.

Where have we been and where shall we be going. The future of DMH.

Beci Mahnken of MEI Travel joins me this episode to discuss all the details surrounding the reopening of Walt Disney World to address some concerns you may have or just general questions. Tons of great info here coming from the best. Hope you enjoy and feel better informed about the upcoming events.

Kevin Massey, who has played the lead role in Disney's TARZAN on Broadway and overseas while also appearing annually at Disney's Broadway Concert Series at EPCOT, joins us this week to discuss himself, his family and three of his favorite musicals!

It's Newsies vs Newsies as we pit the original film up against the stage adaptation of NEWSIES! Which version comes out on top? Which songs hit best? Why in Robert Duvall playing the role bigger than the planet Earth? All that and more this week on Disney Magic Hour!

Lots to cover this week with Disneyland planning on opening, Star Wars Celebration being cancelled and then we review the D+ release of Artemis Foul, another YA attempt by Disney.

This week we get to discuss 1991's Beauty and the Beast which we are extremely excited to have a special introduction to that portion of the show by none other than Disney producer, Don Hahn! We also discuss our experience going back to Universal Orlando since the events that shut it down for the past few months. Lots to do! Lets go! It's showtime!

This week we will rank all 11 major theatrical releases of the STAR WARS Universe while also discussing the reopening of Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and also the Snyder Cut? Sure!

This week we list off the Best Star Wars Moments! From the Original Trilogy to the recent finale of The Clone Wars, what will make our mentions? Answer : A lot...it's a lot. As a bonus this week we also are including what is normally exclusive to our Patreon members, the Pre Show Chatter! There is also a bunch of news at the top of the show so let's get to work!

This week we discuss updates on the opening of Shanghai Disney, Disney Springs and CityWalk before discussing our favorite memories of Star Wars The Clone Wars as the series saw it's finale just a week ago.

This week we look into the production history of 1990's Dick Tracy and also discuss the latest episode of The Clone Wars as we near the finale!

This week we discuss the potential re-opening outlook for Walt Disney World, review Clone Wars The Phantom Apprentice and answer your FB questions!

Two fantastic people are back to join us this week as we review Disney's The Rocketeer and discuss this week's HUGE episode of The Clone Wars!

This week we talk about the follow up to 1977's The Rescuers, The Rescuers Down Under! Plus further updates on the Disney movie release slate.

First we have news with shifting Disney theatrical dates, Clone Wars talk and then our dive into Who Framed Roger Rabbit? Does it hold up? How did it all come together? What's the iconic shot? Let's go! It's showtime!

The Disney Renaissance is upon us as we take a look The Little Mermaid. We will dive into the production history of the film and then discuss the film itself and whether it stands the test of time.

Last week it was the men who fought to the death and never to be outdone, this week the women of Disney and PIXAR look to be the last woman standing as we continue our DEATHMATCH TOURNAMENT! On with the show!

Ever wonder who would win in a fight to the death between Pinocchio and Prince Eric? Wonder no more! On this week's episode we pit Disney Heroes against PIXAR heroes in a deathmatch bracket. We get detailed so maybe keep the kids away this week. We are talking murder. It's great.

We review PIXAR's latest, ONWARD and also give our impressions of Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway debut at Hollywood Studios!

This week we review HONEY, I SHRUNK THE KIDS, which, I enjoyed but you won't hear me this week as I was traveling so Melyssa, Adam and Bryan are here to bring you through our latest movie adventure PLUS there is a good deal of news to discuss including a new CEO for Disney as Bob Iger had decided to finally hang it up. LOTS to discuss, lets go, it's showtime!

Our Patreon members get to enjoy some exclusive pre show chatter each week and this week we have decided to give everyone a free preview of what that is all about as we discuss things outside of the Disney bubble before jumping into the actual "real show". When that starts up we have a few pieces of news to cover before we get to this week's review of OLIVER AND COMPANY! UPTOWN CAT!!

Having just returned from our recent Disney Cruise aboard the Magic, me and Melyssa talk about our experience with a focus on the Marvel Day at Sea. Following that we all give our Top 5 Marvel MCU Characters which, surprisingly, we never did before. Lots to do! Let's go! It's showtime!

Melyssa's been on a Star Wars Clone Wars binge and after finally finishing the entire series through Season 6 in preparation for Season 7 in February, we decided to list our Top 5 Star Wars characters. In addition, we have news on Bambi, Captain Marvel 2, and Obi-Wan on Disney+

We travel back to 1986 then 1978 then BACK to 1986 as we review this week's film, Flight of the Navigator and see if it still holds the charm we remember it having in our younger years. That plus some movie news including Taika Waititi and Star Wars!

This week we are joined by Alicia Stella of Theme Park Stop to preview a slew of films being offered up by Disney in the 2020 calendar including some Fox releases!

To pair along with our previous week's episode celebrating our Top 3 Disney Films of 2019 we are joined by Andrew Claudio to list our Top 10 NON Disney Films of 2019 to shine a light, as we like to do, outside of the Disney bubble because there is a world of cinema out there and you should dive in as many times as possible. Hopefully you hear about a film you previously did not while listening and find some more films to fall in love with as we did over the last calendar year.

This week we list our individual Top 3 Disney Films of 2019 PLUS discuss the season finale to THE MANDALORIAN!!!

This week we are joined by Stan Solo as we review the final piece of the Skywalker Saga, STAR WARS Episode IX THE RISE OF SKYWALKER!

We have come a long way and we are finally nearing the Disney Golden Age as The Great Mouse Detective brings some talent to the foreground and lays the work for what is to come for the Disney Animation Studios. We will give you the history of that production then review the film itself! On top of all that we discuss The Mandalorian Chapter 6!!

Walt Disney World saw one of its most anticipated attractions open last week with Rise of the Resistance premiering at Galaxy’s Edge and me and Melyssa are here to share our thoughts with you on the experience from the virtual queue to the attraction itself. Did Disney raise the bar? Does this compliment Smuggler’s Run? Following that we review the Disney’s The Black Cauldron. A 1985 film that many refer to as the near collapse of the studio itself. From those ashes though, a new Golden Age is on the horizon. What of Black Cauldron though? Does it deserve the ire it so regularly receives? After so long has the story come around to work on a new audience? What of the troubled production history? We will discuss all that and more in our review. Lots to do! Lots to discuss! Let’s go! It’s showtime!

Massive release for Disney Animation this week as we review Frozen II but start off by discussing Chapter 2 and 3 of The Mandalorian. The review of Frozen is quite a path. We start off quite positive but by the end of the talk we uncover a bit more issues while digging deeper. So, as the song goes, into the unknown! Lots to do! Lets go! It’s showtime!

Not much needed here as an explanation towards what this show is about! Disney+ has launched and The Mandalorian has premiered! We are joined by Ian to discuss the first chapter of the new series based in the Star Wars Universe! SPOILERS AHEAD!!!

We conclude our Road to The Mandalorian Series this week on the eve of the launch of Disney+ looking at one of the greatest films ever crafted, Akira Kurosawa’s Seven Samurai. This film has influenced countless films and is the touchstone of nearly every action film every created from the “getting the gang together” sequence to introductions of heroes in disguise to climatic battle sequences. We will go over all of that and what films it did influence while also discussing some of the production history and the morals that lay within the fabric of the film itself. We will also of course discuss the influence we could see on the upcoming Disney+ show, The Mandalorian. To kick things off we asked what you were going to load up first when the service goes live and we will read your responses! Lots to do! Let’s go! It’s showtime!

Someone left Melyssa alone and you know what that means - chaos breaks out! Adam gives us his Maleficent 2 review and Melyssa and Jimmy discuss HHN 29. Then the three of us dive into some questions from the group! Lots of silliness and maybe Melyssa purposefully left in something she said she was going to edit out because it made her laugh while she was editing the show alone…maybe……did you catch it?

We continue upon the Road to The Mandalorian Film Series with Part 2 which is a double feature of Akira Kurosawa! The first film is Yojimbo followed by its sequel Sanjuro! These two films are all about Toshiro Mifune absolutely owing the screen. There are morals to be discussed though and we will tackle that for each film. When you watch these two you really get sense of what we may see in the upcoming Disney + series by Filoni and Favreau. The DNA of the The Mandalorian will undoubtedly have some strains of this one-two punch so let’s jump in and mix it up!

The Disney + series, The Mandalorian, is on the horizon and as we prepare for the journey put forth by Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni we wanted to take a look at films that not only have influenced the upcoming live-action show but STAR WARS itself. We start with the Grand Master, Akira Kurosawa and his action adventure, 1958’s The Hidden Fortress! You will see many connections visually and in terms of plotting in Kurosawa’s film and George Lucas’s Star Wars : A New Hope. From editing swipes to archetypes of characters, the DNA for a galaxy far, far away start in Japan. Never saw the film? No worries! We will go over the entire plot and discuss the influences it creates on future filmmakers. Lots to do! Let’s go! It’s showtime!

One of the strangest, darkest films to ever escape the Disney Studio is without question, RETURN TO OZ. The film goes headlong into creating a world where danger lurks at every corner where audiences were previously greeted with song and dance when MGM produced the classic WIZARD OF OZ in 1939. The OZ books were something Walt Disney himself actually attempted to make but after first losing out on the films rights to MGM he gained the rights to eleven of the books written by Baum but was just never able to get a film cracked. The 80’s is a huge age of change for the Disney company though and some chances were taken. Oz is one of them and there are some big positives here with some sore parts as well. We will tell the tale of how things came to be and then review the film itself. In addition Melyssa will tell us her experience at Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party and the recent change in a top spot within the Disney company. Lots to do! Lets go! It’s showtime!

By the pricking of my thumb, Jonathan Pryce this way comes. I will be very upfront in saying a wacky mood was in me during this recording. Very hyper and rather silly but that is because the crazy 80’s continues as Ray Bradbury brings a tale of temptation in the form of a sinister carnival led by Mr. Dark. It seems Disney is trying to find a new identity here with varying success but they get in their own way with an abundance of revisions to what Bradbury and director Jack Clayton aimed for. The result is still a great experience but you can see interference at the films conclusion. Did that sink our experience? Does the film find a way to hold up? In a film that has quite a number of attractive camera work, what is the iconic shot? This week we are joined by Theme Park Stop’s Ian Kauffman to break it all down! Lots to do! Lets go! PLEASE NOTE : There was an audio snafu on this episode that you will hear in the background. I apologize but it was impossible to remove so other than snuff the entire episode we decided to release what we have and I think it’s a great discussion so it would have killed me to not release it. ENJOY!!

Christopher Merritt, Disney Imagineer and Co-Author of the newly released double volume book, MARC DAVIS IN HIS OWN WORDS - IMAGINEERING THE DISNEY THEME PARKS which he worked on with PIXAR’s Pete Docter, joins us this week to discuss the book, his career journey and Disney in general in a very special episode. As an added bonus, at the close of the show, we are thrilled to be able to present you with some audio from a 1994 interview that Chris did with Marc Davis! It’s incredible to be able to hear Mr. Davis speak about his work and even about Walt Disney himself. We hope you enjoy this as much as we did. Lots to do! Lots to discuss! Let’s go!

GREETINGS…again…PROGRAMS!! You can take a kid out of The Grid but you can’t take The Grid out of the kid. Or in this case you can just stay in The Grid for an undetermined amount of time, find zen and become a Christ character. Or Moses. There is a lot going on here. 28 years after first meeting Kevin Flynn and crew, we are back in the digital landscape of TRON with the long awaited sequel, TRON LEGACY. After so many years how do you bring an audience back in? Do you stick with the religious allegory of the previous entries? Spoilers : They do. A lot. Does it work though? That is a whole conversation and lucky for you we are here to do just that. Lots to do! Let’s go! END OF LINE.

This past weekend was the D23 Expo and between the Disney+ announcements, Parks additions, upcoming hotel openings and new ships being added to the Disney Cruise Line, there is a ton to talk about and we are here to bring it all your way. There is a lot to get excited about from what we learned from the overhaul of Epcot to the wide reveal of the trailer for THE MANDALORIAN and my god this is a long episode buy it was a blast to record. We get a bit loopy in the second half so keep that in mind. Lets go! It’s showtime!

GALAXY’S EDGE is now upon us and we were lucky enough to visit the new Hollywood Studios land twice as part of a cast member preview and an annual passholder preview. For the West Coast side of the equation we are joined by Ryan Wilson who was visiting Batuu for three whole days recently out in Disneyland! Yes, RYAN IS BACK! There is a TON to discuss this week and we talk food, merch, mood, experiences and boarding the Millennium Falcon. That plus an update on availability of Disney+ and a special offer to D23 members and those attending the D23 Expo.

GREETING PROGRAMS!! This week we travel into the Grid and review 1982’s TRON! A film that was very overlooked at initial release and since has garnered a massive cult following that eventually gained a sequel that we will be tackling in the near future. There is a bunch to discuss about the making of this film so lets get down to it. END OF LINE.

Universal Orlando finally made it official this past week as they announced UNIVERSAL’S EPIC UNIVERSE coming…at some point in the future featuring…something. There was a surprising lack of detail given but we were given the concept art which has led to much speculation and having fun in discussing what could be for the future of the park. To dig into all of this we are joined by Ian Kauffman of THEME PARK STOP as we go around the concept art breaking down what we see and even what we can’t. Lots to do! Lets go!

A review has always sat on the horizon waiting to club us over the head with it’s notoriety. The horizon is now upon us and CONDORMAN is ready to strike us upon the noggin. Following STAR WARS, SUPERMAN and many successful JAMES BOND films, Disney decided to attempt to mash them all together (kinda) in hopes of appealing to everyone and what came out appealed to very very few. What about now though? In the Golden Age of Superhero films does CONDORMAN earn some points for being ahead of its time? Is it as bad as everyone claims? We will tackle that and discuss what Universal has planned for their big reveal Thursday, August 1st! Lots to do! Lets go!Support us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Make sure you subscribe to Adam on YouTube at movieguy365 to find his daily movie reviews.Join our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE

In a shocking turn of events we have a live-action Disney remake to review this week as THE LION KING returns to the big screen looking quite a bit different but sounded very very familiar. Has Favreau made another standout in the live-action column for Disney? Much to discuss as we are joined by our NEWEST official member of the DMH team, Adam Corbett and regular guest, Nick Groome!!Before we get into that though we have a slew of announcements to get into as this year’s San Diego Comic-Con brought the info hammer down with MARVEL Studios letting loose Phase 4 with some big surprises and more details towards other known incoming projects. Lots to do, lots to cover, LETS GO!!Support us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Make sure you subscribe to Adam on YouTube at movieguy365 to find his daily movie reviews.Follow Nick and Nicole on Instagram @thedisneyduet. Join our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE 

With the official start of summer underway, we have finally all had the chance to see the end of Phase 3 for Marvel - we saw Spider-Man Far From Home - Adam and Jimmy are joining Pete and Melyssa and talking all about this movie - SPOILER WARNING from the start.  We also touch on the casting of Ariel with Halle Bailey, the drop of Disney's live-action Mulan trailer, and Avengers: Endgame box office numbers!upport us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Make sure you subscribe to Adam on YouTube at movieguy365 to find his daily movie reviews.Listen to Jimmy on his show - The Dopey Dudes - and follow them on FacebookJoin our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE

This week we gathered all our friends back around the table to discuss the latest from Disney/Pixar TOY STORY 4! We get into all the spoilers and don’t hold back, so don’t listen if you haven’t watched the movie yet.We also discuss a few highlights, including Star Wars Celebration Anaheim 2020 tickets, Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure Rollercoaster operations, runDisney’s Marvel 80 virtual run, and Pixar’s 2020 movie announcements. It’s a jammed packed show - come along with us!Support us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Make sure you subscribe to Adam on YouTube at movieguy365 to find his daily movie reviews.Follow Nick and Nicole on Instagram @thedisneyduet. Join our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE

Pete and Melyssa sit down to give their thoughts on Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure (phew that's some name!), as well as their spoiler free thoughts on Toy Story 4! We have some things to say about each but the episode is almost 100% spoiler free - we have some things in regards to Hagrid's around minute 24:10 - 27:10 if you want to skip through so you're just as surprised as we were when you get to experience the attraction!Support us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Join our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE

Come along with us to a whole “new” world on this week’s show as talk movies. We all saw the latest from Disney - the live action remake of the classic Aladdin - and we must talk about it! The crew along with a few great guests - Nick and Nicole Groome of the Disney Duet (Insta: @thedisneyduet); Adam Corbett of YouTube fame (movieguy365 - go subscribe!), and Andrew Claudio of Gotham Sports Network (Twitter@Claudio_GSN), discuss how they felt about their childhood favorite being remade. We also discuss the rumors surrounding the new Star Wars trilogy and the possibility of a KOTOR (Knights of the Old Republic) story line being seen on the big screen.Support us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Join our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE

This week Melyssa and Laura sit down to discuss the issue of Thor as he was handled in Endgame. Not just his body size but also his mental state and how this movie tried a bit to handle two very difficult issues in a deeply loved character while still attempting to be humorous and not dive too in depth with what was bothering our favorite god of thunder. The ladies dive into how the change in his body type was handled and some of the other characters' reactions to this new Thor. Where do you stand on this issue?Support us by becoming a DMH Crew Member at our Patreon page HERE!Follow Ryan on Twitter @mainstgazette on Instagram HERE and visit his site at MainStGazette.comMake sure you subscribe to Adam on YouTube at movieguy365 to find his daily movie reviews.Join our Disney Magic Hour Facebook page HERE