Boy oh boy, do I have some exciting news to share with all of you. If you’ve been following our journey at Jim Hill Media, you know we’re all about peeling back the curtain to reveal behind the scenes insights, news, and history that surround the world of entertainment and theme parks. And today, I’ve got a treasure trove of updates to share. So, grab your popcorn, and let’s get into it. A New Chapter on Patreon As many of you know, we recently made the big leap over to Patreon, and let me tell you, it’s been quite a rollercoaster ride. This move was driven by your requests for more exclusive ..read more

Pixar Place Hotel, the newly unveiled 15-story tower at the Disneyland Resort, has been making waves in the Disney community. With its unique Pixar-themed design, it promises to be a favorite among visitors. However, before we delve into this exciting addition to the Disneyland Resort, let’s take a look at the fascinating history of this remarkable hotel. The Emergence of the Disneyland Hotel To truly appreciate the story of the Pixar Place Hotel, we must turn back the clock to the early days of Disneyland. While Walt Disney had the visionary ideas and funding to create the iconic theme park ..read more

In the latest release of Episode 4 of Disney Unpacked, Len and I return, joined as always by Disney Imagineering legend, Jim Shull. This two-part episode covers all things Mickey’s Birthday Land and how it ultimately led to the inspiration behind Disneyland’s fan-favorite land, “Toontown”. But let’s not get ahead of ourselves here. It all starts in the early days at Disneyland. Early Challenges in Meeting Mickey Picture this: it’s the late 1970s and early 1980s, and you’re at Disneyland. You want to meet the one and only Mickey Mouse, but there’s no clear way to make it happen. You rely on Cha ..read more

Expanded Disney Fan Experience Will Feature New and Exciting Events Across Multiple Locations, Including a D23 Takeover of the Happiest Place On Earth, Evening Entertainment at the Honda Center, D23 Day at Angel Stadium, and Much More Fan Favorites Including Exhibits, Panels, Shows, and Shopping Will Dazzle Disney Enthusiasts at the Anaheim Convention Center D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event is a one-of-a-kind fan experience like never before with spectacular shows, new venues, and multiple days of entertainment that will bring together the best of Disn ..read more

News came late last week that NBC was cancelling the “Magnum PI” remake. This series (which obviously took its inspiration from the Tom Selleck show that originally debuted on CBS back in December of 1980 and then went on run on that network for 8 seasons. With its final episode airing on May 8, 1988). Anyway … Over 30 years later, CBS decided to remake “Magnum.” This version of the action drama debuted on September 24, 2018 and ran for four seasons before then being cancelled. NBC picked up the “Magnum” remake where it ran for one more season before word came down on June 23rd that this actio ..read more

A few months back, when Len Testa & I recorded a Bandcamp exclusive podcast – the one where we attempted to walk from the Ticket & Transportation Center at Walt Disney World all the way over to the Magic Kingdom, only to then be stymied by all of the construction at the Grand Floridian. Anyway … As I was driving over to the Poly to meet Mr. Testa, I made use of that new flyover ramp that now directly connects World Drive with Floridian Way. Which gave me a brief glimpse down into the southeastern corner of the Magic Kingdom Parking Lot. Which – from 1995 – 2015 – was home to the Walt D ..read more

May 1, 1989 … It was 34 years ago that the Disney-MGM Studio theme park first opened its door. So many great attractions have come & gone over the past three decades that we thought that it would be fun to look back at a few of our favorites. “The Great Movie Ride” First up, it’s the Great Movie Ride. This was the thesis attraction for this entire park (much like Spaceship Earth is for Epcot), a celebration of all things cinema. The exterior of this 95,000 square foot show building was a faithful recreation of Hollywood’s iconic Chinese Theater. Once you climbed aboard your theater car, yo ..read more

Disneyland had what it thought was a solid expansion plan for the early 1990s. “Fantasmic!” – this theme park’s new nighttime show – would open in May of 1992. Then – in January of 1993 – Mickey’s Toontown (Disneyland’s first new “land” in over 20 years) would open just seven months later at the very back of the Park. A year after that (January of 1994), Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin would throw open its doors And then – 15 months after that (May of 1995) – the Indiana Jones Adventure come online at this theme park. This plan meant that – for four years – Disneyland Park would have something ..read more

Not so long ago, we got a query from a “Disney Dish” listener about some of those concrete slabs that Guests can see over at the Theater of the Stars at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. These are the ones that feature the handprints, footprints & signatures of various celebrities. I believe the two slabs that we specifically asked about were the ones for Monty Hall & Bob Denver. These were done back when Disney-MGM (Now Disney’s Hollywood Studios) used to have a “Star of the Day” program. Which … Well, to tell this story properly, we really have to go back to when the original Grauman’s Chi ..read more

Sure, Star Wars is cool and all. But let’s not forget about that other multi-part sci-fi cinematic spectacular, “Space Robots in Outer Space.” In fact, Hank Lonely (Hollywood’s ultimate hyphenate — actor / producer / director / writer / guy who makes sure the Porto Potties are kept squeaky-clean) just announced that there’ll soon be a 10th installment of this … Well, not exactly beloved. How about we say “admired from afar” instead? … series coming to a theater near you. In fact, here’s the highly anticipated teaser trailer for that project. Which is supposed to be titled “Space Robots in Oute ..read more