883 · Disney In or Out? Do We Agree on Disney Parks, Movies and Food?

WDW Radio: Your Guide to Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise and More Disney Magic!

Host Lou Mangiello welcomes guests Tater Robison and Zach Brown for a lively round of Disney In or Out, debating recent park additions, franchise remakes, dining experiences, and snack comparisons across Walt

Key takeaways

• Tater Robison and Lou Mangiello both praise Magic of Disney Animation as a family-friendly courtyard experience, while Zach Brown prefers Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind for its thrill factor.
• Zach Brown advocates for creating entirely new IP rather than remaking George Lucas's Skywalker saga, citing creative fatigue with recent franchise reboots across Disney.

Main topics

• Magic of Disney Animation vs Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Remaking the Star Wars Skywalker saga with a new cast

Notable quotes

"As long as there is imagination left in the world, we should always be creating new things. Things have already been made. The stories have already been written. George Lucas gave us his gift."

Conclusion

Listeners gain fresh perspectives on how recent Disney park additions and

Transcript preview

Speaker 1 (0:00) Welcome to Sound Sessions. Please pick up a pair of headphones and be seated. Ladies Speaker 4 (0:06) and gentlemen, boys and girls, get ready to meet all your favorite Disney stars as the Magic Kingdom proudly Speaker 2 (0:14) presents Disney Mania! Direct from UNORC City on the Planet Zork, put your hands together for Sunny Eclipse! Speaker 2 (0:26) Welcome, we're in travelers to the great big universe of XS. Speaker 2 (0:32) Hey, hey, Speaker 1 (0:33) hey! What's a hey, hey? Speaker 1 (0:39) We're at a show. We're working. Speaker 4 (0:48) All of us as Disney fans have at least one opinion that we think is just obvious, until somebody else says the exact opposite. And this week, we're putting the parks, movies, resorts, and of course food, up for debate in a new round of Disney In or Out. And I want you to choose a side before you hear ours. Hello, my friend, and welcome to WDW Radio, your guide to the Disney parks and experiences around the world. I'm your host and your friend, Lou Mangiello, and this is show number 883. Whether you're here for the very first time or you've been listening for more than 20 years, thank you for spending some of your valuable time with me. And before we get into the first question this week, I have some Disney Cruise Line news that I'm very excited to share because literally in just a few hours, I'm going to board the Disney Wish for an invited media cruise with a sneak peek of Disney's newest ship, the Disney Believe. By the way. None of this happens without you, so thank you. This is so much better than when I used to be a lawyer, and it is all thanks to you. And Disney's already given us some sneak peeks of Moana in the Grand Hall and Tinkerbell on the bow and Woody and Buzz on the stern, but what stories are going to shape the restaurant and the dinner shows? What's going to fill the space that is the Haunted Mansion parlor on the Treasure and Destiny? What shows are going to be in the Walt Disney Theater? And what characters and films... are going to appear in the staterooms, lounges, and bars? What about the kids club? A possible new Aquamouse story? The home port? Where this ship is actually going to sail? There are a lot of questions, and as of right now, not a lot of answers. But I've been told we're going to take part in a scavenger hunt aboard the Wish that's going to give us some clues before Disney's official live stream on Wednesday, October 7th at 4.30 p.m. Eastern. If you know me, I love trivia, I love scavenger hunts, but I want to hear your predictions before Disney reveals the answer. And the best way is to let me know in the WWW.clubhouse. I'll post this question there at WWW.com slash clubhouse or over on my Instagram. And speaking of which, if you want to sort of virtually cruise along with me, the best way is to follow along. Turn on notifications. I am at Lou Mangiello on Instagram. I'll be sharing stories and photos and videos and going live if I can as things happen. And I'll definitely be looking for your predictions over in the clubhouse. And speaking of conversation and community, I have one more piece of news that I'm happy to finally share. I revealed it on a live show on Wednesday night last week. And all new, www.radio.com is finally live. I've completely redesigned the site, made it much faster, easier to navigate, created an entirely new events page over at www.radio.com slash events, where you can see everything we have coming up. So please take a look around. Let me know what you think. If you find any gremlins while you're there, please be sure to sign up for my free weekly email updates. It is the best way to make sure you don't miss not just a new episode or an event, but hear about announcements first. And I'm also working on a few more additions that I think you're going to love. And if all this cruise talk has you starting to think about your next Disney sailing or visit to Walt Disney World, my friends over at MouseFanTravel.com can help you plan it at no additional cost to you. They know these ships, they know these parks, and they can help you find the vacation that's right for you. Becky from Mouse Fan Travel is going to be with me on the wish this week. We're going to have a lot of content to share during and then after the cruise, of course. But all right, it is time for some Disney opinions we can actually argue about in fun today. So sit back. Speaker 4 (4:19) Relax and enjoy this week's episode of the WDW Radio Show. Speaker 4 (4:33) Welcome back to In or Out, the Walt Disney World game where the opinions are strong, the points don't exist, and my budget does not afford for prizes of any kind, which is fine because there are no losers in this game. Everybody wins, but there's also no participation trophies either. If I didn't get one in Little League, my guests don't get one either. But this week we do have two contestants who have agreed to put their incredible Disney reputations on the line for absolutely no compensation whatsoever. And if you have not listened before, this is how we play. I'm going to make a statement about Walt Disney World, Disney Cruise Line, maybe Marvel or movies, and you, along with my guests, tell me whether you are in or out, and then explain, possibly even defend yourself, because that's where the fun is. You can agree. You can disagree, you can plead your case, and hopefully maybe even try to change somebody's mind. But you cannot spend the entire show saying, it depends, because I'm a recovering attorney and that's my answer. So we're going to talk about what's new, what's coming, and some very specific, I think, Disney opinions that could have us questioning whether we should even go to the parks together in the future. And hopefully a... friendly conversation will turn into a passionate discussion and defense of a restaurant dish that has not been served since 1987. Hi, welcome to WDM Radio. And you, my friend, are playing at home, in your car, on your walk, at the place called the gym where we're every listening. Decide whether you are in or out when we give our answers and then see who you agree with. And if you find yourself talking back to your car or to your phone, that's good. It means you are playing correctly. So let us meet our contestants behind imaginary podium number one. Please welcome back to the show my friend Tater Robison from But Mostly Disney. Tater, welcome back. Thank you for once again agreeing to something before asking the appropriate questions before saying yes. No, I blindly say yes every time you call. It's an honor to be here, Lou. Thanks. So good to have you back and behind podium number two, returning to the show but making his in or out debut is my friend and newly minted author, Zach Brown, not of the band fame, but of the new author fame and accidental education. Zach, there's no need to be nervous. There's no wrong answers. Although I'm reserved the right to stare at you in complete disbelief and call our friendship into question. Nervous? First time? No, I've been Speaker 2 (7:10) nervous lots of times. Zach, welcome back. Thank you so much. I am excited to finally get to take part in this amazing game. And I'm looking forward to sharing the evening with you guys. Speaker 4 (7:22) Flattery gets you nowhere because I have no control over what your answers might be. But I appreciate the vote of confidence. Hopefully you feel that way as soon as we are done. Speaker 4 (7:34) When you guys have listened to this, I mean, I'm making a leap of faith here. Assuming you've listened to this show before, do you find yourself playing at home? Do you find yourself like yelling at me or the person who's answering? Like, how could you possibly say you're in on this? Oh, yeah. We Speaker 3 (7:49) listen a lot in the car. And so my wife and I will pause to fight with whoever has given the wrong answer every time they do it. Speaker 2 (7:57) I'm the same. If I'm in total agreement, I am fist pumping in the air. I'm so with you. And if it's somebody who's like, oh, I'm out on something that I'm so wholeheartedly and I'm like, you fool, what are you thinking? Speaker 4 (8:12) Well, now people will be saying hopefully the same things about you agreeing and or disagreeing. So. Tater, Zach, put your hands on your imaginary buzzers, which don't matter because I'm going to call on you in order anyway, and let's play In or Out. Insert dramatic 70s game show music here. Let's start with something very recent. I think something very timely and something, well, I don't want to give it away. We'll do in age order. So we'll do Zach and then Tater. The magic of Disney animation. is the greatest addition to Walt Disney World in the past five years. Are you in or are you out? Whoa. Speaker 3 (8:57) I'm so glad I'm older than you, so I don't have to go first. Speaker 4 (9:01) Because Taylor right now is asking Jeeves, what is the magic of Disney animation? Exactly. Speaker 2 (9:06) I'm walking through because, I mean, there's obviously the great Zandarian in the room. Is that in the last five years? Yeah, I think so. Speaker 4 (9:18) Oh, Guardians of the Galaxy Speaker 2 (9:21) Open. Yeah. Okay. Here's what I'm going to say. I'm going to say I'm in. And I'm going to say I'm in because it is an attraction for the entire family. Like if my grandparents were coming to Orlando, we could all experience this together. No one has to sit out. It is a multifaceted experience that I have yet to experience. I'm looking forward to it. I know they redid the courtyard to be a part of this. So it's not just an attraction. It's kind of a mini land, you know, this kind of area. For that aspect, yeah, I'm going to say I'm in. Speaker 2 (10:01) Cosmic Rewind 2022. Speaker 4 (10:02) I just double-checked before I, so yeah, it fits in with that five Speaker 3 (10:06) -year. Yeah, and I think for that reason I'm going to say I'm out, even though – not it depends. Even though I do – You Speaker 4 (10:14) can Speaker 3 (10:14) email tater.net. That's right. No, I'm out, but only because I just think there have been some other things, and I had to check too, that have popped in in the last five years that are pretty spectacular, Guardians being one of them. I think this is an absolutely perfect move. I think it's the right thing. I miss drawing with Mushu. you know, before I really, really liked looking down. I think, I think the first couple of years we went, people were still in there drawing at the desks, you know, in the, behind the glass. And that was really cool. And that animation and the history, like, that's why we go, right. That's what draws us in. We love the cartoons and then we want to see how they're made. And so I love, I think it fits in, even though it's not Epcot with that edutainment kind of thing over there. So I'm really excited. I have not seen it. Either I do agree with Zach 100%. It's cool to have something like, you know, for the park as Walt wanted, you know, something for everyone to do and really enjoy. But I don't think Speaker 4 (11:12) it's the Speaker 3 (11:12) best Speaker 4 (11:13) thing. That's the only thing that knocks me out of being in. So when you say that, you say because you think guardians... Is a better addition to Walter's world? Is there anything else that you think sort of... Speaker 4 (11:28) It's hard because Speaker 3 (11:30) it's so different. Like Tron is so different from this attraction, right? And they're both amazing. And it's really kind of apples and oranges. But if I have to make them all peaches, then. I would rather have Guardians than this. And again, the hate Speaker 4 (11:45) mail, you would too, tater it, but mostly Disney Speaker 3 (11:47) .com. But if I really had to lay them out on paper, like I love Guardians. We get so excited. It's the only thing we left, we buy Lightning Lanes for because we just want to be able to ride it twice, hopefully. Speaker 4 (11:59) So I love both of your answers. One, because they're different and this is part of the fun of the game. I also love it because we are not going to have sort of just this overwhelming landslide of one over the other. I think it also speaks volumes about, you know, what is important to us, what we look for. So for me, I am very, very much. Speaker 4 (12:25) I think, and do I have recency bias? Possibly. But even before the attraction and that building opened, I just think that there was something special about that courtyard. And I will go so far as to say that I think the magic of Disney animation is a better addition to Disney's Hollywood studios than another thrill ride would have been. We're getting it, right? It's coming with monsters. Speaker 4 (12:54) but I'm happy. And look, I think. I think this new experience combines so much, right? It's drawing and characters and exhibits and play and the theater presentation and nostalgia. And I think there is something for every body in the family. I, as someone who is vertically challenged, love the fact that there is no height requirement. You don't need a lightning lane. You don't need to make reservations for anything. And I think Magic of Disney Animation fills a bigger need in the park that maybe the park didn't even realize. That it had. And I wonder too, you know, does the answer change depending on who's traveling with you? That's good. Right. If you're going as a family, if you're going with somebody with little kids, does that change versus are you going with their friends who maybe want that more thrill ride, re-ride ability, exhilarating adrenaline rush type experience? Yeah. Speaker 4 (13:52) But I'm very much in. I'm very, very much in. And I love the fact it's this ever-changing thing. Like every time you approach that courtyard, you don't know what or who you're going to see. There might be a new character statue that was added. You never know what characters might be out there. You never know what you're going to see inside. You never know what piece of artwork is going to come alive and do. I just, I dig it. And I still, I keep saying it. I wish my kids were younger so I could see some of the different elements of that building. with them and through their eyes. Speaker 3 (14:22) Yeah. Speaker 4 (14:23) Plus the hat's back. I like the hat. And God, that courtyard at golden hour and at night is spectacular. And it's just a place to go and hang out. And now that the weather's going to start getting cooler, like it'll be like in the low nineties, which is like freezing for Florida. It's going to be so nice to just go. and sit out there with some friends and just sort of take in the space. I think we need more of that in the parks, and Speaker 2 (14:48) I Speaker 4 (14:48) hope that this is going to inform future decisions about what happens with places and spaces that are being built. Speaker 2 (14:55) Yeah, more park spaces in the park. Speaker 4 (14:57) Exactly. Yeah, because especially as locals, the parks are our park. It's where we just go to hang out. Yeah. All right, moving on. This was actually suggested by a listener, Jeff Pike. Thank you for this. We're going to go from the parks to the screens. Disney should follow, and I'm going to say these words on the WD Radio show, which is going to shock you potentially. Disney should follow, HBO is not the part, HBO's Harry Potter approach and remake the Skywalker saga as a series. The same story, same characters, but a brand new cast. This time we'll reverse it. Tater first and then Zack. Speaker 3 (15:38) Mmm. Speaker 4 (15:40) I like these because they're always so tough, right? Speaker 3 (15:42) And it's always good to answer these because Disney fans don't have strong opinions, especially Star Wars people. You know, they're so easy to please. And, man, I feel like this is – wow, you're really going to get hate mail either direction here. Speaker 2 (15:57) That's the goal. All right. I'm going to go controversial. And this was my initial gut feeling, so Speaker 3 (16:02) I'm just going to go with that. I feel like every time I hear – then Zach says something. No, I