The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

First Len Testa previews some of the cutting-edge tech that will possibly power Guest interactions at WDW’s “Star Wars: Galactic Starcruiser” resort.  Then Jim Hill talks about how the Imagineers have tweaked the “Snow White and her Adventures” attraction since this dark ride first opened at Disneyland Park back in July of 1955.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by discussing how a patent Disney Parks & Resorts recently filed may eventually impact classic attractions like Space Mountain. Then Jim talks about some of the newer holiday offerings he enjoyed during a recent visit to the Walt Disney World Resort 

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by talking about how Leslie Iwerks' “Imagineering” documentary series on Disney+ is a must-see for theme park fans. They then discuss why the construction of Hyperion Wharf (i.e., the Downtown Disney renewal project that was originally supposed to replace Pleasure Island) never went forward.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by discussing how Disney & Las Vegas’ never-ending battle for your tourism dollars would up impacting Epcot’s “Space 220” restaurant.

Then Jim walks listeners through WDI’s 66-year-old long struggle to get a Mickey Mouse-themed ride built at a Disney theme park

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 Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by discussing why Disney Parks & Resorts is exploring the idea of a subscription-based service and/or a loyalty program out ahead of WDW’s 50th anniversary celebration. Then Len & Jim look back at that WDW holiday favorite, the Osborne Family Spectacle of Dancing Lights

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by talking about Disney’s recent test

of easier-to-understand names for the menu items served at “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.” Then Len

reunites with his old “WDW Today” co-host Mike Scopa as these two discuss this year’s offering at

Epcot’s International Food & Wine Festival

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by talking about the changes that have been made to the menus found inside of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.” Then Len shares an interview that he recently did with Robert & Alyssa Simmons, a couple who are spending a solid year only staying in hotel rooms at various Walt Disney World resorts.

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Len Testa starts off this week’s episode by sharing a first-person account about what it was like to be stranded on WDW’s Skyliner back on Saturday, October 5th. Jim Hill then talks about the changes that have recently been made to the Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue.

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 Len Testa starts off this week’s show by talking about some of the operational issues WDW’s Skyliner has had. Len & Jim then talk about “Epcot Forever,” the new nighttime show which debuted out on/over World Showcase Lagoon this past week.

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Len Testa starts off this week’s episode by sharing his experience at a Cast Member Only preview of WDW’s new Skyliner system. Then Jim Hill looks back at “Illuminations: Reflections of Earth,” the millennium-themed nighttime show that was originally only supposed to run at Epcot for 18 months but wound up wowing the crowds around World Showcase Lagoon for 19 years instead

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Len Testa starts off this week’s show by talking about some rare home movies that he’s recently seen from the early days of Disneyland Park. Jim Hill then talks about how the roles that castles play at the Disney Parks have evolved over the past 64 years.

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 Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by talking about why it’s crucial that WDW’s new Skyliner transportation system has a trouble-free debut. Jim then reveals how WDI used fossil fuels as an excuse to recycle one of the more popular aspects of the Ford Wonder Rotunda at the 1964 – 1965 New York World’s Fair

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Len Testa starts off this week’s show by describing what the Disney’s Hollywood Studios version of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” was like on opening day. He then describes what it was like to go straight from Batuu to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episodes by talking about the “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” Coca-Cola “thermal detonator” controversy. Then special guest Christina Testa-Harrison offers her take on the 2019 edition of Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at WDW’s Magic Kingdom

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by talking about the Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party Pass & Mid-Day Magic ticket that the WDW Resort recently began offering. Jim then shines a spotlight on how – back in the mid-1970s – the Imagineers turned Disneyland’s “Mine Train thru Nature’s Wonderland” attraction into the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

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Jim Hill and guest host Dan Zehr talk about how Halloween is celebrated at Disney theme parks around the globe. Dan then looks back at the three different experiences he had while participating in WDW’s College Program

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this episode with a run-down of the past week’s news, including Universal Orlando’s announcement of their Epic Universe project. Jim then shines a spotlight on Walt Disney Productions’ second attempt to build a ski resort up in Northern California

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by talking about some of the new holiday-themed offerings that will be debuting at Disney World this November. Jim then shares some excerpts from “Magic Journey,” longtime Imagineer Kevin Rafferty’s soon-to-be-published memoir

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 Len Testa & Jim Hill start things off by talking about what The Walt Disney Company is expected to unveil/announce at this year’s D23 Expo. Len then shares a rumor that he recently heard about an Osborne Lights-like experience that’s supposedly in the works for World Showcase

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Len Testa & Jim Hill talk about WDW’s plans to link the Grand Floridian Resort & Spa to the Magic Kingdom via the walk-around-the-world (and what this potentially means for the Electrical Water Pageant). Jim then looks back at what it was like to be at Disneyland’s “Invitational Press Preview” as well as on the very first day that this family fun park was open to the public. 

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Len Testa starts off this week’s episode by talking about his recent visit to Takumi-Tei (i.e., the signature restaurant that just opened at Epcot’s Japan pavilion) and the extraordinary experience he had while dining there. Jim Hill then looks back at the history of WDW’s convention facilities.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by discussing which aspects of Future World’s old Communicore / Innoventions area are due to shuttered soon as Epcot gets a facelift out ahead of WDW’s 50th-anniversary celebration. Jim then talks about Chairman of Disney Parks, Experiences & Products Bob Chapek’s reported frustration with the cost & speed with which WDI develops immersive lands for the Company’s theme parks

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Len Testa starts off this week’s show by talking about his visit to the newly opened Surfside Inn & Suites, which is Phase One of Universal Orlando’s Endless Summer Resort. Jim Hill then looks back at Skyleidscope, Epcot’s initial attempt at staging a daytime extravaganza out on World Showcase Lagoon.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by discussing the troubled history of “Primeval Whirl.” Jim then looks back on when greenmailers Saul Steinberg & Irwin Jacobs were making runs at Walt Disney Productions and threatening to sell off underperforming divisions of the Company to the highest bidders

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Len & Jim start off this week’s podcast by discussing how Disney’s Hollywood Studios plans on dealing with the crowds once that theme park’s version of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” opens. Jim then talks about the various ideas that the Imagineers have considered as they’ve looked for ways to expand the U.K. pavilion at Epcot.

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While waiting for Len Testa to return from Batuu, Jim Hill shares a story about the thrill ride that the Magic Kingdom almost got back in the early 2000s. One that took its inspiration from “Atlantis: The Lost Empire” and would have sent Guests through an erupted volcano aboard a transforming coaster

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While Len’s getting ready for the opening of Anaheim’s “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge,” Jim Hill shares an interview that he did with former Imagineer Terri Hardin. She then reveals the role that she played in the creation of a proposed attraction for Disney-MGM Studios Japan

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Len Testa & Jim Hill talk about the significance of a number of surveys that The Walt Disney World Resort has sent out to Guests recently. Jim then discusses how Bob Chapek’s decision to focus in on the Company’s billion-dollar IPs is changing Disney Parks & Resorts

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by discussing the mysterious construction that’s going on at Disney’s Animal Kingdom out behind Pandora – The World of Avatar. Jim then talks about “The Ride of a Lifetime,” Bob Iger’s soon-to-be-released memoir (which will hit store shelves on September 10th)

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off of this week’s episode by discussing why WDW management opted to push off the opening of “Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway” at Disney’s Hollywood Studios ‘til the Spring of 2020. Jim then continues his Chronological Disneyland series by pointing out how Bob Iger’s approach to that Anaheim Resort differed from Michael Eisner’s.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by discussing what’s significant about that new Disney Cruise Line survey which is currently making the rounds. Jim then talks about how the Imagineers keep trying to get the theme park-going public to embrace an attraction that features binaural sound. 

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off by talking about how “Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy” will use promotion to try & overcome its unfortunate, out-of-the-way positioning at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. They also talk about a patent that The Walt Disney Company has recently filed which  Mouse House managers hope will get Guests to look up from the screens on their iPhones.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s episode by talking about Disney Villains After Hours, that new hard ticket for WDW’s Magic Kingdom which will be offered on select nights in June, July & August. They also do a deeper dive on that Universal Parks & Resorts survey which offers some clues about what sorts of rides, shows & attractions are possibly in the mix for Universal Orlando’s Fantastic Worlds theme park

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by discussing how The Walt Disney Company is still struggling with “Song of the South.” Jim then continues his Chronological Disneyland series by revealing why the Rockets Rods went down for rehab in September of 2000 and never re-opened

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Len Testa starts off this episode with an enthusiastic review of Disney Spring’s latest addition, Jaleo by José Andrés. Len & Jim then share a survey that Universal Parks & Resorts is using to zero in on just the right mix of rides, shows & attractions for Theme Park No. 4 (i.e., Universal’s Fantastic Worlds) 

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 Len Testa starts off this week’s show by dissecting Disney World’s latest round of ticket price increases and what that will mean for Resort Guests in the coming months. Jim Hill then talks about the behind-the-scenes decisions that led to the Company recently revealing that “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” would open in Anaheim on May 31st and in Orlando on August 29th

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by talking about how the Imagineers plan on reconfiguring the front half of WDW’s science & discovery park. They also continue their Chronological Disneyland series by discussing how Michael Eisner’s Montana-inspired visions of the future eventually translated into Tomorrowland having decorative displays of kumquats & kale.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by discussing the progress that’s been made to date with WDW’s Skyliner system. They also point out that Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is obviously supposed to serve as a rebuttal to any theme park fan who claims that “Universal Creative only builds screen-based attractions.” 

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Len Testa & Jim Hill talk with Carlye Wisel of “Travel & Leisure” magazine. Ms. Wisel shares what she learned about “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” while participating in that three day-long media event that Disney Parks & Resorts held this past weekend

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 Len Testa starts off this week’s show by sharing some of the promotional slogans that the WDW Resort are reportedly considering adopting in the near future. He & Jim then talk about The Walt Disney Company’s forward-thinking approach when it comes to mitigating the impact that climate change will potentially have on Florida tourism.

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Jim Hill goes it alone in a special Presidents Day edition of the Disney Dish podcast. He first talks about what’s been going on with Epcot’s International Festival of the Arts. Jim then shares how the “Disney’s America” project almost caused a motion-based simulator attraction to be built in the Liberty Square section of WDW’s Magic Kingdom

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 Len Testa & Jim Hill complete their November 2018 walk-thru of Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a stroll around Echo Lake. En route, Len & Jim discuss what WDI has planned for the near-term when it comes to “Star Tours – The Adventures Continue” and the “Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular.” 

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 Len Testa starts off this week’s show by sharing some of Touring Plans’ more recent discoveries about Disney World’s transportation system. Jim Hill then talks about how the Disney Princess & Disney Fairies franchises originally heavily influenced both the design of & the attraction line-up at New Fantasyland at WDW’s Magic Kingdom.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill continue their November 2018 walk-through of Disney’s Hollywood Studios with a visit to that theme park’s newest “land”. They discuss how the June 2018 opening of Toy Story Land has fundamentally changed the way Guests experience WDW’s third gate.

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 Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show with an update on WDW’s Skyliner system as well as offering some additional info on that resort’s pricey new “World of Dreams” tour. Len also shares some stories from the Monsanto corporate archives, included what it actually took to tear down Disneyland’s House of the Future back in December of 1967

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Len Testa & Jim Hill start off this week’s show by talking about Disney’s Riveria Resort (which recently began accepting reservations for stays beginning on December 16th). They also discuss Anaheim’s “Project Stardust,” which is being done out ahead of the opening of the Disneyland Park version of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge”

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In honor of the 200th episode of Disney Dish, Len Testa & Jim Hill give a shout-out to the very first folks to subscribe to this podcast. They then share what they’ve learned about what Disney Parks & Resorts is doing to school Cast Members about “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge” ‘s marquee attractions

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Len Testa & Jim Hill discuss what new shows & attractions the Imagineers hope to have up & running at Disney’s Hollywood Studios by May 2019 (just in time for this theme park’s 30th anniversary celebration). They also talk about how the tests that are currently going on in Epcot’s parking lot in regards to Uber & Lyft could impact the layout of parking lots at Disney’s other theme parks. Len & Jim then continued their Chronological Disneyland series with the initial construction of DCA.

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Len Testa & Jim Hill continue their November 2018 walking tour of Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As they explore the part of this theme park that was formerly known as the Muppets Courtyard, Len & Jim discuss everything that the Imagineers have done in the past year to ready DHS for the opening of “Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.”

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As Len Testa & Jim Hill continue their walk-thru of Disney’s Hollywood Studios in November of 2018, they turn their attention to the Animation Courtyard area. In particular how the Imagineers have tried to balance this theme park’s celebration of Old Hollywood with WDW Guests desire to find brand-new rides, shows & attractions to experience whenever they visit DHS.  

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