The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network
Join Jim Hill and co-hosts Len Testa, Drew Taylor, Brian Gaughan, Eric Hersey, and Lauren Hersey as they talk about the multi-faceted Walt Disney Company - including Pixar, Lucasfilm and Disney Studios - as well as Universal Studios and the world of collectibles.
Episodes
August 2, 2025 • 24 mins
In the 19th installment of this educational series, Shelly & Noe Valladolid talk about what happened in September of 1953 prior to Roy O. Disney’s fateful flight out to NYC.
They also talk about how the material that Walt’s brother showed to executives at CBS, NBC & ABC to sell them on Disneyland was created.
Throughout this episode, listeners will learn about:
How did Herbie Ryman’s “Lost Weekend” with Walt REALLY go down...
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August 1, 2025 • 63 mins
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return from a summer packed with parks, previews, and one sold-out Friday at Epic Universe. In this episode, the duo reflects on the dramatic changes between their April preview visit and a mid-July return - sharing firsthand insight on crowd flow, character absences, ride downtime, and that sweltering Florida heat. From WWE's Wyatt 6 haunting Halloween Horror Nights to Hulk Hogan’s long-standing Universal ...
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July 31, 2025 • 49 mins
Lauren returns from an epic summer road trip across nine parks and five hotels, with stories (and shopping bags) in tow. She and Jim break down:
The best-kept secret for scoring free Disney water park access
How the new nighttime parade at Magic Kingdom stacks up (and where to sit)
What it’s really like inside Disney’s exclusive Property Control store
A merch-lover’s guide to Universal Studios’ 35th anniversa...
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July 29, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode of Fine Tooning, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor wrap up July with box office milestones, Comic-Con exclusives, and some major animation developments:
Chris Sanders returns to write Lilo & Stitch 2 – After the billion-dollar success of the live-action film, Disney is moving forward with a sequel, with Sanders bringing fresh ideas from the original “Pitch to Stitch.”
Inside the “Magic of Disney Animation” revival...
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July 28, 2025 • 71 mins
Len Testa & Jim Hill start this week’s episode by taking a close look at the recently announced plans to revamp the Animation Courtyard area at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
They then continue their interview with Don Hahn & Chris Merritt, the authors of “The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland”
For this episode, listeners will learn about:
·
What aspect of the actual entrance to Disne...
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July 25, 2025 • 56 mins
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with the latest from Universal Parks and the unbelievable story of how Jaws 3 nearly became a full-blown comedy. From Spielberg’s pivot to Close Encounters to the moment Universal almost partnered with National Lampoon, this episode unpacks the sequel that nearly torpedoed the franchise before it began.
This week’s highlights include:
• Wicked: Part Two gets a primetime concert special and early me...
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July 24, 2025 • 44 mins
In this packed episode of I Want That Too, Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey tackle everything from the ZOMBIES 4 merch drought to the 52-item Haunted Mansion collection and the bittersweet farewell line for Animal Kingdom’s Dinosaur ride. But the real surprise? A 1950s Disneyland board game that may have smuggled in Bugs Bunny.
Plus, Jim dives into the earliest examples of Disney’s merchandise strategy—souvenir trays, ashtrays, temporar...
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July 22, 2025 • 58 mins
Drew Taylor & Jim Hill start this week’s episode by discussing “Walt Disney – A Magical Life,” that new show at Disneyland Park in Anaheim.
examineThey then look at how Paramount Pictures’ new “Smurfs” film performed at the domestic box office.
For this episode, listeners will learn about:
Who did Chris Buck & Kevin Lima originally want to voice Tantor the elephant in Disney’s animated version of “Tarzan”
Which role w...
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July 21, 2025 • 64 mins
Len Testa & Jim Hill welcome Don Hahn & Chris Merrit, the authors of “The Happiest Place on Earth: The Incredible Story of Walt Disney’s Disneyland.” This show kicks off a two-part interview that reveals how Walt’s family fun park first came to be.
For this episode, listeners will learn about:
Who bought the very first admission to Disneyland Park back in July of 1955
When is the third “Prep & Landing” holiday special –...
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July 18, 2025 • 47 mins
Jim Hill and Eric Hersey return with a jam-packed episode that swings from Halloween Horror Nights updates to the troubled legacy of Jaws 2. First, they unpack the latest HHN announcements, including the debut of the Terrifier haunted house and the moody new scare zone, Origins of Horror. Eric finally learns the difference between houses and zones - only took 60 episodes.
Then, the duo gears up for a future trip to Philadelphia, w...
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July 17, 2025 • 48 mins
Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey are back with a full dose of Disney merch, from the long-awaited debut of the Starlight Dream the Night Away parade to a viral collector toy that's creeping its way into the parks. Lauren breaks down everything she’s learned about La Boo Boos (and their knockoff cousins), while Jim connects the dots between Disney’s 1950s television strategy and why your Christmas ornaments now cost $80.
Also in this epi...
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July 15, 2025 • 47 mins
In this episode of Fine Tooning, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor dig into a wide-ranging conversation about box office trends, Comic-Con reveals, and the growing debate around casting A-list celebrities in animated films. Highlights include:
Paramount debuts the first teaser for The SpongeBob Movie: Search for SquarePants – Mark Hamill joins as the Flying Dutchman, and Jim reflects on the franchise’s enduring magic.
Godzilla’s ...
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July 14, 2025 • 58 mins
Len Testa and Jim Hill look at Disney’s latest surveys, hotel rumors, and Halloween Horror Nights announcements—then plunge into the second half of their deep-dive on Pirates of the Caribbean. This time, Jim reveals how Disney navigated a real-life guest frenzy over Captain Jack Sparrow, the surprisingly expensive costume drama that followed, and the face character chaos that nearly derailed New Orleans Square. Plus, early plans fo...
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July 12, 2025 • 46 mins
In the 18th installment of this educational series, Shelly & Noe Valladolid explore how Walt Disney’s lifelong fascination with trains impacted the development of his family fun park. Special guest Roger Colton sheds light on this specific aspect of Disneyland history.
Throughout this episode, listeners will learn about:
* Why is Walt’s visit to the Chicago Railroad Fair in 1948 considered such an important moment in the ...
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July 11, 2025 • 53 mins
Eric is packing for his return trip to Epic Universe - but before he battles the Florida heat, Jim takes him on a wild ride through box office records, coaster rumors, and a deep dive into the troubled waters of Jaws 2.
In this episode:
• Jurassic World Rebirth dominates globally—why Scarlett Johansson is now the highest-grossing lead actor• Updates on Universal UK: massive coaster plans, HHN expansion, and hotel additions• Unive...
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July 10, 2025 • 46 mins
Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey continue their Toy Story series with a deep dive into the franchise's merchandising legacy—and how a scrappy unknown toy company landed the rights that Mattel and Hasbro turned down. From the earliest Thinkway figures to today's collector's items worth thousands, they explore how Toy Story became one of the most profitable and collectible Disney properties of all time.
Plus, Jim shares a personal behind-...
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In this episode of Fine Tooning, Jim Hill and Drew Taylor dig into a packed slate of animation and entertainment news—including box office wins, deep animation history, and Broadway updates:
Universal celebrates a huge opening for Jurassic World Rebirth with $318M globally, while How to Train Your Dragon crosses the half-billion mark.
Disney’s Lilo & Stitch nears the billion-dollar club, expected to cross the threshold b...
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July 7, 2025 • 52 mins
Len Testa and Jim Hill tackle a packed show, from new Eat to the Beat concert acts and Test Track Lightning Lane changes to a survey that hints at Disney bundling sports vacations with ESPN and Adventures by Disney. Then in the main segment, Jim unpacks the wild story behind the Pirates of the Caribbean movie franchise—including how one clever Imagineer added a cursed treasure twist to the ride years before it hit the big screen, a...
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July 4, 2025 • 63 mins
In this explosive Fourth of July episode of the Epic Universal Podcast, Jim Hill and Eric Hersey ride the rails of ghostly New England folklore and land in the middle of this year’s Halloween Horror Nights house reveals. From Norwegian monsters and homicidal dolls to the surprise announcement of Universal Horror Unleashed in Chicago, this episode is packed tighter than a holiday fireworks box.
Then, Jim takes us on a moonshot-leve...
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July 3, 2025 • 49 mins
In this episode of I Want That Too, Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey unpack what Disney’s upcoming Toy Story 5 might really be about - and why it hits closer to home than you think. From Woody’s absence to Jessie’s promotion, and a new iPad-inspired character named Lilypad, this fifth entry isn’t just a sequel - it might be Disney’s most self-aware film yet.
Jim and Lauren discuss how streaming, AI, and even shoppable shows are reshapin...
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