Disney

This week on Beyond the Mouse we learn about Disney100: The Exhibition in an interview with Director of the Walt Disney Archives Becky Cline. We hear about the featured artifacts that provide insight into Walt's life. We also learn how the exhibition was curated and how some artifacts will come to life.Disney100: The Exhibition opens in Chicago on Nov. 18 and runs through Spring 2024. For more information visit: ⁠https://disney100exhibit.com/chicago/⁠

We are thrilled to welcome Anneliese van der Pol to the Beyond the Mouse. She is embarking on another tour with "Disney Princess: The Concert," one that will bring her right to our backyard. We discuss the concert and the rehearsal process. We also touch on her life as a performer and ask questions about her iconic role on "That's So Raven."

This week on Beyond the Mouse we get a glimpse into the making of Disney's newest film, "Haunted Mansion" with VFX Supervisor Edwin Rivera and Cinematographer Jeffrey Waldron. We talk about how the Haunted Mansion team created the spooky scenes from the film, and we hear about how they took their experiences on the attraction to the big screen. Serpents and spiders, tail of a rat, call in the podcast, wherever it's at...Featuring: Craig McFarland, Vanessa Ferguson, and Brett Rutherford

We have a special release for you this week as we prepare for The Little Mermaid. We were invited by Disney to an early press screening and press conference for the film. We give you our non-spoiler thoughts as well as speak about our excitement for the upcoming release. We will be back next week with our Full Disclosure breaking down the latest reimagined classic!Featuring: Craig McFarland, Vanessa Ferguson and Brett Rutherford

We recently had the opportunity to play the tabletop game Disney Sorcerer's Arena: Epic Alliances. "Become the next Master Summoner in this Disney-themed strategic battle arena game, where every choice you make determines your legacy! Recruit a fantastical battle-ready roster of Disney and Pixar heroes and villains, creating incredible combinations that provide endless replayability. Once you’ve summoned your characters to battle in the Sorcerer’s Arena, strategize their every move using their unique abilities to earn the most victory points." This game, based off the wildly popular mobile game, is a wonderful addition to any Disney fan's table. After a brief discussion of the game, Bea and Vanessa had the opportunity to speak with the creator Sean "Fletch" Fletcher. It's a wonderful discussion that allows you to hear the passion that goes behind creating this type of game. He also breaks some news on upcoming tournaments that will be happening throughout 2023. Special thank you to The Op games for providing us with the game and the opportunity to speak to Fletch.

Syndee Winters is such a talent. We were fortunate to speak to her during the middle of the Disney Princess The Concert run. The tour will be making a stop in Peoria and St. Louis in December. Vanessa sits in to host as Syndee speaks about her experiences as Nala in "The Lion King" on Broadway. They also speak about her time in the Broadway cast of "Hamilton." This is an inspiring and fun conversation!FEATURNG: Vanessa Ferguson, Brett Rutherford and Bea Bonner

Big Shot season two hits the court and our Disney+ subscriptions this Wednesday! We were invited to preview season two, and to speak to several of the cast members. This is a personal favorite of many of the BTM cohosts. We all love the show, and look forward to it building in season two. We also snuck in a couple of questions to John Stamos about the Disney Parks. It's a wonderful chat!Interviews include:CRICKET WAMPLER, TIANA LE, and TISHA CUSTODIONELL VERLAQUE, SOPHIA MITRIO SCHLOSS, and SARA ECHEGARAYJOHN STAMOS

“When you’re doing something you love, and you’re passionate about it, 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 Little Mouse Found Her Big Voice," which will be available through Disney Publishing on Sept. 27. We speak to them about their inspiration behind the book, also how Idina’s performing career helped to craft the story. As a special treat for our listeners, Idina sings a bit of the melody for her new song that is being released in conjunction with her book. This was truly a special opportunity, we’d like to send a big thank you to Disney Publishing.Featuring: Craig McFarland, Brett Rutherford and Vanessa FergusonSee Idina's new music video below!

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 up about their creative process and discuss the writing and creative growth of "Ultra Violet & Black Scorpion." It’s a fun conversation digging a bit deeper into what it takes to bring a show to series.

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 D23 Expo to life in Anaheim. We speak to Jeffrey about his start with the company and D23. We also hear stories of his experiences as a Disney content creator, including as host of the official Disney Podcast, D23: Inside Disney. Of course, we had to ask for a bit of a preview of the upcoming D23 Expo 2022 in September. We think you’re really going to enjoy this one!FEATURING: Craig McFarland, Vanessa Ferguson and Brett Rutherford