Enchanted Ears - Anything & Everything Disney

Is Disney Getting Too Big + Must Dos at Disney World

This week in Disney news, pour one out for Spider-man. Since Sony and Disney can’t reach an agreement moving forward to allow Disney to continue to use Spider-Man in their movies, Tom Holland has officially been kicked out of the MCU. This leads into a discussion about whether Disney is becoming too large and is throwing their weight around. Or if their size could cause potential issues with creativity.

This week we talk about our Disney World must-dos. We surprise each other with our typical and some more...eclectic choices.

Also, serious request, if you have recommendations on places for us to eat, we’d love to hear them! Send us a message on our social media sites.

Thanks for lending us your ears!

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Tokyo DisneySea Trip Recap

This week in Disney News, "it's a small world" in Disney World is rumoured to be getting some new Disney character animatronics.

 

A big secret will be revealed at D23 on the 22nd. We speculate what that may be and hold out hope that another park is getting built in India!

 

This week, we talk DisneySea, Disney's second park in Tokyo. Sea's sea-based (duh) with many different lands. We take a counterclockwise walk through the park and discuss our experiences in each section. 

 

Like Disneyland Tokyo, the shows reign supreme in Sea. Be sure to check out their Big Band Beat and King Trident's Concert shows for some spectacular choreography and music. 

 

Again, Duffy is everywhere and even our pal Gelatoni isn't as bad as previously thought. As Joe says, "The camera adds 10 nightmares.)

 

Thank you for lending us your ears! Don't forget to send us your questions about the Japanese parks or just anything Disney on our social media outlets.

 

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Tokyo Disneyland Trip Recap

Konnichiwa! We're back from Japan and so excited to share our trip to Tokyo Disneyland with you! We did so much in the short day and a half we were there. (The other day and a half were spent at Disney Sea. Stay tuned for that episode next week!)

 

Environment-wise, the Tokyo Disneyland park was like an even cuter, less commercialized version of the American parks. Duffy the Disney Bear is king and Donald is his royal knight...sorry, Mickey, but you deserve a break from all the hard work. Duffy and Donald merchandise are everywhere from headbands to purses to keychains. 

 

The setup of the park is similar to Disneyland in California or the Magic Kingdom in Florida, which makes navigating the park a little more intuitive. Language-wise, there are some cast members who speak English, but even those who don't are easy enough to communicate with (for things like ordering food or asking directions) as long as you don't have any special needs. The Japanese are excellent at using emphatic hand signals that really help to convey their points.

 

 

Ride-wise, Disneyland has some really cool, original rides like Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! and Pooh's Hunny Hunt (yes, I spelled that correctly). If you ever go to this park, you have to ride Hunny Hunt! The trackless ride system is incredible! The cars weave in and out of each other in near-Broadway-choreographed fashion. Monsters, Inc. is a fun ride that adopts the style of the old shooting gallery: you shoot at a target and the target moves. There are some serious cool animatronics in there, too!

 

Also, a pretty cool experience unique to this park your ability to go into Cinderella Castle to see the dioramas and sit on the royal throne.

 

In addition to these new rides, many of the classics got really fun and interesting upgrades. For example, "it's a small world" not only includes the same animatronics as the American parks, but also includes many familiar faces from the Disney movies.

 

One of the best upgrades to the Japanese parks were the abundance of and quality of shows. Judy and Nick's Jumpin' Splash takes place directly in front of the castle and is a dance party with a (much needed) splash zone! Also, One Man's Dream 2 features many of the Disney characters you know and love dancing and singing to both original songs and songs from the movies.

 

And, of course, the food! Popcorn and popcorn containers were the biggest story in both of the parks. The tins ranged from alien claw machines to Stitch to Steamboat Willie on his boat! 

 

Thank you so much for lending us your ears! Tune in next week to hear our experience at Tokyo DisneySea! And as always, interact with us and see some awesome trip photos on our social media outlets on Facebook and Instagram.

Disney News Extravaganza

And we’re back. And boy are we rusty.  Seriously, it took 5 tries to get the intro right (stay after the episode for the outtakes)

 

Fresh off our journey to Japan we catch up on all the Disney News we missed in the last three weeks. 

 

But before we get to news, Angela gives us her take on the live action Lion King movie. 

 

First up, we discuss Disney’s absolute dominance at the global box office this year.  There are still five months left in the year and they are already smashing records.

 

Next, we finally have an opening date for Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland and Disney World. Plus Disney announced their special holiday offerings at Animal Kingdom.

 

We wrap up this week discussing Marvel’s phase 4 announcement from Comic Con.

 

Thanks as always for listening and be sure to tune in next week for the beginning of our Tokyo Disney trip recap.

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Ranking Alan Tudyk's Disney Roles

When we say we’re doing a whole episode on a voice actor, you might be like, “Angela and Joe...I’ve supported you through some strange episode ideas, but one based on some dude I don’t even know...I don’t know if I can follow you here.”

If you don’t already know, I’ll assure you he isn’t just a voice actor. Alan Tudyk is THE voice actor.

A former student at the prestigious Julliard, Tudyk has played iconic characters in AI (Sonny), Dodgeball: An Underdog Story (Steve the Pirate), A Knight’s Tale (Wat), and his most recognizable role in the cult classic, Firefly (as Hoban “Wash” Washburne).

But lately, he’s been doing some serious work for Disney. He’s voiced over 8 different characters since 2012 from Wreck It Ralph’s bumbling villain, King Candy (which he received a voice actor award for) to Moana’s lovable and unexpected sidekick, Heihei. We try to rank the movies/roles, but honestly, it’s hard...he’s so talented.

Whether you were unaware of his talent before listening to this or not, you’ll definitely be searching for his name in the credits when you see the next big Disney flick.

Thanks for lending us your ears! If you feel so inclined, check us out on Facebook or Instagram. As always, have a magical week!

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Is It Worth It?

This week in Disney News, are Disney pins going digital? Disney filed for a patent for trading tiles. From the sound of it, you could collect them like pins, but they’d be entirely on your phone. We discuss the implications of this and whether or not we’d be interested.

As our main topic, we canvas several Disney-related topics and answer the question: “Is it worth it?”

Is it worth purchasing the Memory Maker?

Is it worth waiting 3 hours to ride Flight of Passage?

Is waiting in line for character meet and greets worth it?

Is it worth staying at a Deluxe resort?

We have big opinions and tell you where to spend and save in case you’re unsure of how to get the best value for you. Remember that one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to Disney vacations, so we try to give you some caveats that’ll help you assess what you need out of your trip. But no matter what you do, remember it’s Disney, so it’s magical.

Remember, a Mickey bar a day keeps the doctor away! (This is in no way medical advice. Please consult your doctor for all things regarding your help. Consult us for all things Disney.)

Thank you for lending us your ears and also for reading these messages. We’re pretty sure we just write these just for you, yes you, the one listener who reads these that is most definitely not our moms. (You know…the writing on phone screens is quite small.) Have a magical week!

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Most Over/Under Rated Attractions in EPCOT

In Disney News, there are big changes coming to Epcot. As of July 8th, the Liberty Inn closed to make room for a new BBQ restaurant called The Regal Eagle. In addition to this, essentially the whole front of the park (minus Spaceship Earth) is closing to be redone.

 

This week, we talk about the most overrated and underrated Epcot attractions. What rides are the cream of the crop and which rides should Epcot drop? We're your source for definitive opinions about the best rides that do not at all conflict with each other. :)

 

Thanks, as always, for lending us your ears. Check us out on Facebook and Instagram for more fun times...if that's your thing. Have a magical week!

 

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Disney Decade: The 1940s

This week, on our series Disney Decades, we jump right into the most interesting and tumultuous decade yet: the 1940s. The Disney Company is struggling to stay on top with the high cost of animation and the declining foreign market due to World War II. After the smashing success of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, films like Pinocchio, Fantasia, and Bambi don’t quite generate the money that it cost to fund them.

Walt feels attacked when his “family” tries to unionize, causing him to fire one of his most valued animators. Also, the U.S. government seizes part of the Disney Studio to house troops after the Pearl Harbor attack. Disney makes propaganda and morale boosting films during this time. Personally, Walt can’t catch a break either. His father dies while he’s away in South America.

Despite the hardships Walt and his company face, Disney continues to receive recognition for the innovative nature of his films. Of these, the most notable is the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award at the Oscars. This award is only given on occasion to people who demonstrate consistently high quality in film making.

Walt also finds himself embroiled in a bit of controversy after releasing Song of the South, the only movie in the Disney vault to never be released.

Trains become a main focal point in Walt’s life after going to a train show. More importantly, the seed for a theme park is planted. The decade wraps up on a high note. The Disney Company wins yet another Oscar, this time for a nature documentary.

Thanks as always for lending us your ears. We wouldn’t have a podcast without wonderful listeners like you! You know where to find us if you’d like to reach us on Facebook or Instagram. Have a magical week!

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Best Animated Disney Villians

This week, in Disney News, prices for the American Disney parks are going up again, specifically for the Annual Passholders. (Shocking, right? 😂)

Also, after a sad year or so of the animation experience not being in Hollywood Studios, Disney World is set to bring it back. This time, you can draw your favorite characters with a Disney animator in Animal Kingdom at Rafiki’s Planet Watch!!

This week’s episode is bad. Not bad as in “don’t listen to this,” but bad because it’s all about the villains. Joe and Angela select Disney’s best villains and discuss why they were so memorably malicious. From strong motivations to horrible acts, to character vices, these characters have their pictures next to the word “evil” in the dictionary.

Thanks to the listeners who responded to the question about where Mickey lives. And to the two people who probably read this (one of those is the show editor), thanks for reading and especially for listening. Have a magical week!

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All About FastPass

Oh boy, what a week. Turns out Endgame’s going to be re-released with a bonus 6 minutes!  Gotta beat that Avatar record somehow.

Our second piece of news leads right into the main topic for the week: FastPass at Disney World are changing in Hollywood Studios.

Basically, several of the parks operate off of a tier system with tier 1 rides being the most desired and 2 a little less popular. When booking fast passes, you can only get one tier 1. Up until now, Hollywood Studios hasn’t had this system allowing you to book several of the most popular rides in advance, but with the opening of Galaxy’s Edge, that’ll change.

So if you haven’t already guessed, this week’s all about FastPasses.

If you’re staying on a Disney property, you can book them 60 days before the first day of your stay. You get 3 a day in one park. After that, you can nab more FastPasses one at a time in any park.

Booking FastPasses can be overwhelming, so we give you some tips and tricks to help you get the best ones. We talk a lot about this, but they basically boil down to:

1. You have to plan in advance.

2. Be flexible.

3. Strategically plan your passes for good times.

4. Keep in mind down times and don’t book fast passes for then.

Also, in this episode, Joe’s conferred with a Doctorate in Fastpassery and Angela earns a Master’s. Also, we have a special guest: Antony from Antman. Quite the exciting episode!

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