Enchanted Ears - Anything & Everything Disney

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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How Harry Potter Lead to Galaxy's Edge

Happy 85th birthday to Donald Duck whose been causing trouble since 1934! In honor of the lovable and ornery duck, Joe kicks off the pod by quizzing me on some Donald facts. Do I crush his score on the trivia? You’ll have to listen and see!

This week, we talk about the opening of Galaxy’s Edge in Disneyland. The first week, wait times were pretty low, especially when you contrast them with the 10 hour wait at Universal to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.

So far, so good. People seem to love the Galaxy’s Edge addition. The land looks great. The build your own lightsaber (and droid) experience is a hit. Fun fact, you can take your lightsaber with you on the plane as one of your carryons.

People don’t love the prices of the merchandise (but if you’re a hard-core fan of Star Wars, the merch may be worth it) and the Millenium Falcon experience can vary greatly depending on your crew. Blue and green milk is a little odd for a lot of people, especially if you’re not a fan of dairy milk alternatives, but come on, you have to try it!

We also talk about what we think the impact of Disney losing the deal to Harry Potter Land back in 2003-2004 was on the future of theme parks (spoiler: we speculate it had a MAJOR POSITIVE impact).

Thank you as always for listening and remember to smile, spread cheer, and to not only have a magical week yourself, but make sure those around you have one as well! ❤️

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Beginner's Guide to Disney Vacation Club

Better late than never!

On this week's episode, once we get past Angela's awesome (?) DJ Khaled impersonation we take a deep dive into Disney Vacation Club.

We start with the basics and quickly move into the pros and cons of becoming a DVC member.  If you’ve ever been interested in whether DVC is a good idea, this episode is for you.

Plus, in Disney news we discuss the recent TEA/AECOM Theme Park report and Disney’s continued global dominance.

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Duffy the Disney Bear

So much news this week! First of all, this is the last week for our contest. Just post a review using whatever podcasting platform you use and then screenshot it. Check out our Facebook and Instagram for more details.

 

Also, as of our recording, Galaxy’s Edge opens this upcoming weekend, but for you time travelers, it’s already happened! It was probably crazy. But yay, Galaxy’s Edge! Speaking of GE, if you have $25,000 just lying around, do we have the souvenir for you! Get your R2D2 at the park and impress all of your house guests for a week before it sits and collects dust.

 

Animal Kingdom this year is joining Magic Kingdom in decorating for the Holiday season. We can’t wait to see what they do!

 

And lastly, in Disney news, someone needs a proofreader and Angela’s available for freelance work. The town of Celebration got a new fountain with Walt’s name on it...except it was spelled wrong. Oops!

 

Do you know who Duffy the Disney Bear is? If not, we’re about to change that with this character-specific episode. In it, we’ll tell you everything from who Duffy is to how he came to be and discuss his popularity explosion overseas.

 

In America, you can find him on some merch or even buy a bear and some outfits to change him into, but Duffy’s an institution that rivals Mickey in the Asian parks. There, he has a whole posse including a girlfriend and several different animal friends including a gremlin-looking cat, an adorable dancing bunny, a baking puppy, and a ukelele-playing turtle.

 

This episode will have you wanting to join or at least experience the Duffy-mania. I’m pretty sure StellaLou will be accompanying us home on our long flight back from Japan. 🐰 🇯🇵

 

Thank you for your continued support. We really appreciate you allowing our raucous voices to meet your ear holes. Tell your kids, tell your wife, tell everybody about us and until next time...have a fantastic week!

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