I enjoy reading other people’s perspectives on topics I love, like Disney in general and today, Disney podcasts in particular. Please join me in welcoming back my good friend and fellow Disney fan Andrew Carrieri. Andrew listens to Disney podcasts like I do – daily! We listen to some of the same shows, but Andrew has introduced me to a couple of new ones in today’s article. Here are Andrew’s favorite shows and why he listens.
Listening In: Disney Podcasts
I am admittedly bizarre when it comes to Disney podcasts. I am a shy geek and consider the hosts of the shows I listen to to be friends even though I have never met any of them in person. I always enjoy our conversations on social media and enjoy the respective shows even more because of this interaction. With that said, I regularly listen to six Disney podcasts, which I will detail below in the order I started listening to them
1) WDW Today (www.wdwtoday.com): Ol’ reliable. Hosted by Matt, Len, a pair of Mikes, and Annette with assorted guests on occasion, WDW Today has been running regularly since 2005. New episodes are released every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, and focus primarily on trip planning. The episodes are shorter than those of most Disney podcasts, usually lasting between fifteen and thirty minutes. The Monday and Friday episodes usually consist of general discussion about Walt Disney World-related topics, while Wednesday episodes are devoted to answering listener questions—be warned that the email queue is notoriously backlogged, so your question will probably not be answered immediately save for the rare occasions when Mike Newell serves as the primary host.
My favorite episodes are the ones where Len, the owner of touringplans.com and co-author of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, reveals the results of the book’s annual reader surveys. Episode 1335, for example, highlighted reader opinions on attractions at the Magic Kingdom. The tone of the show can be positive or negative depending on the topic being discussed; the hosts will bluntly tell you if they do not like something. The panel has a great sense of humor and some episodes can be hysterically funny. The panel also does a monthly live show on a Sunday night where listeners can call in with questions.
2) Be Our Guest (www.beourguestpodcast.com): This show, hosted by Mike, Rikki, Pam, and Debbie, runs the same Monday, Wednesday, and Friday schedule as WDW Today, and also focuses on trip planning. The three shows have different emphases. Mondays are devoted to listener trip reports, Wednesdays bring listener questions, and Fridays feature a general panel discussion about specific Disney topics. Some of these Friday topics are creative and thought provoking; a recent episode, for example, had the panel thinking of ways to “spookify” Walt Disney World attractions in honor of Halloween. The panel also hosts one live call-in show each month. Discussion emphasis is placed on Walt Disney World, but Disneyland, the Disney Cruise Line, Tokyo Disneyland, and Adventures by Disney have also been dissected. One of the best features of the podcast is the related message forum. The members are incredibly fun and supportive of one another, and I definitely recommend becoming a member!
3) Generation Mouse (www.generationmouse.net): This show brings “a young adult’s perspective on all things Disney.” Episodes have been released sporadically as of late, but the shows are fun. The hosts, Mark, Libby, Ashleigh, Jen, Elizabeth, Kim, and the producer, Chris, clearly enjoy talking Disney and have an awesome sense of humor. Episodes vary in length from around twenty minutes to about an hour and highlight recent Disney news and topics, including movies and television in addition to the theme parks.
4) Disney Film Project (www.disneyfilmproject.com): Each Monday, Ryan, Todd, Cheryl, and Rachel analyze a specific Disney movie. I usually listen to this show after watching the film in question so that I can compare my thoughts with those of the panelists. The highlighted movies range from classic animated features such as Dumbo (1941) to divisive sequels such as The Hunchback of Notre Dame II (2002) to obscure live-action flicks like The Strongest Man in the World (1975) to new releases like Frozen (2013).
5) WDW NE Podcast (http://www.thebestmagic.net/wdw-northeast-podcast.html#/): On this fairly new show, a great group of Disney fans from the northeastern United States—Dean, Paulie, Sal, and Mike—discuss Disney news and general topics, including the individual Walt Disney World parks, Downtown Disney, and the Disney Store. The latter subject, rarely tackled by other podcasts, has produced some interesting conversation on this show. Episodes have ranged in length from about forty-five minutes to nearly two hours. Most episodes culminate in a contest segment called “Paulie’s Corner.” Here, Paulie dishes out a hypothetical subject for the others to “imagineer.” Sometimes, Paulie lets listeners decide the winner through twitter and email votes, so be sure to cast your ballot!
6) FitMouse (http://www.stitcher.com/podcast/fit-mouse-podcast): This new show combines general health and fitness information with Disney discussion. The hosts, Bekka and Marci, are huge Disney fans and have fun with the show. A recent Halloween episode discussed Halloween candy before delving into a discussion of popular Disney Halloween movies.
You can find Andrew as a contributing writer at The Mouse For Less and on Twitter @AndrewCfran.
What Disney podcasts do you listen to? Let me know in the comments!