New Unofficial Guide Disney Dish Episode – What Really Inspired Walt To Build Disneyland
This is one of my favorite episodes in the entire Unofficial Guide podcast. Join Jim and me on Disneyland’s Main Street as Jim tells what really inspired Walt to build Disneyland. You’ve probably heard the story of Walt taking his daughter to a local amusement park, but that’s only part of the story. Starting with a young Walt’s visit to Universal Studios, Jim traces the evolution of Walt’s theme park ideas, through the concept for a walk-through of Gepetto’s workshop, to financing deals needed to open Disneyland in 1955. There’s the usual mix of unsubstantiated rumor, sketchy source material and bad jokes. You’ll love it.
Links: iTunes here / Direct MP3 download here
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Great episode Len. I really enjoyed it.
While you guys have touched on some stories and referenced some things, there haven’t been any WDW episodes in this format.
An episode for example of why Disney built MGM, and all of the things that led them to close down the studio portion would be really interesting as well as more about why Disney chose a zoo for its fourth gate and what other themes were considered.
I’m sure Jim also has more stories on how Walt’s Epcot vision transformed into what we have today though you guys covered a lot of that in the earlier episodes on Epcot and Epcot resorts.
Another potential set of episodes in Florida that could be inspired by the CA podcasts are trips through the parks (particularly MK and Future World) that talk about long lost attractions (Timekeeper, Horizons, Mr. Toad’s etc.) and the reasons they were replaced.
Regardless, whatever you guys talk about it is always informative, entertaining, and well appreciated.
Thanks,
Awesome ideas. I’m a little hesitant to even think about what Jim would do with that kind of money…but I’ll ask. 🙂
The podcasts area great, one of the few I listen to. This was a really good one on the background of Disney.
Some other podcast ideas:
-Busch Gardens (Tampa first….how is it different\better\worse than AK, Williamsburg if you and Jim ever find yourself there)
-The aborted Disney ‘America’ park Jim mentioned (it was going to have Bruce Willis doing the voice over that Jim mentioned)
-More Sam Gennaway, please (any other WDW park walk through)
-Torture Jim by saying Iger called him up and gave him complete authority to spend 1 Billion on capital improvements on anything he wanted to at WDW…as a business consultant\Disney fan, what would Jim recommend as the best projects to fast track right away (and consequently, of the thousand ways to spend $$, what would miss the initial list)….have him assume typical Disney overhead to get the improvements implemented.
I loved it. (and I finally wrote a review in itunes)
Thanks!