Episodes

Jim Hill and Len Testa tell the surprising story of the Disney Wilderness Preserve and how a tract of protected Florida wetlands helped unlock Walt Disney World's biggest era of expansion. Jim traces Disney's environmental commitments back to Walt's original land purchases, then explains how development plans in Osceola County collided with growing conservation concerns in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The solution was an ambitious wetlands mitigation deal involving the Walker Ranch, a project...

Jim Hill and Len Testa examine the major transformation beginning at Disney's Hollywood Studios as Disney prepares to move away from the park's original working-studio concept. With the Studio Backlot Tour, American Idol Experience, and American Film Institute showcase closing, Jim explains how Disney could use the newly available space for a much larger mix of Pixar and Star Wars attractions. They also look back at why Disney-MGM Studios struggled as an actual production facility and discuss po...

Jim Hill and Len Testa examine a major shift in live entertainment at Walt Disney World, including the announced departures of Off Kilter, Mo'Rockin, the World Showcase Players, and the Spirit of America Fife & Drum Corps from EPCOT. They explain how Disney evaluates live performers, the role of Actors' Equity in the parks, and why character experiences, seasonal events, and high-profile entertainment were becoming more important to attendance and guest spending. The conversation also looks at F...

Jim Hill and Len Testa trace the history of Disney Vacation Club from Old Key West and BoardWalk Villas through Disney's experiments with off-site resorts, abandoned projects, and the growing strategy of converting existing Walt Disney World hotel inventory into DVC. They examine plans and rumors involving the Polynesian, Wilderness Lodge, Yacht and Beach Club, Caribbean Beach Resort, and even the long-dormant River Country site. Along the way, they explain why Disney Vacation Club became such a...

Jim Hill and Len Testa look ahead at Walt Disney World's next major wave of development, with Disney's Hollywood Studios emerging as the resort's biggest long-term project. Jim explains why Disney was preparing to move away from the park's original movie-studio concept, how Star Wars could reshape the area around Echo Lake and Star Tours, and why smaller family attractions would be just as important as headline rides. They also discuss Avatar at Disney's Animal Kingdom, a possible replacement fo...

Jim Hill and Len Testa go international with a look at two major theme park projects changing expectations for immersive attractions. Jim breaks down Ratatouille at Walt Disney Studios Paris, from its trackless ride system and massive 3D projection environments to the rat-sized restaurant guests encounter at the end, then shifts to Universal Orlando's Diagon Alley and the Hogwarts Express. Along the way, they explore interactive wands, hidden details, Harry Potter easter eggs, operational challe...

Jim Hill and Len Testa take a detailed look inside the Leaky Cauldron at Universal Orlando's Diagon Alley, with Jim reporting from a special menu tasting and walkthrough. They explore how Universal built the restaurant around authentic British pub food and Harry Potter references, from Scotch eggs, fish and chips, cottage pie, and bangers to Gilly Water, wizarding ales, and book-inspired beverages. Jim also reveals how Universal protects the Butterbeer recipe, how Florean Fortescue's Ice-Cream P...

Jim Hill and Len Testa dig into the new stories being prepared for the 2015 edition of The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World, starting with behind-the-scenes tales from the Magic Kingdom. Jim explores possible changes to Pirates of the Caribbean, how Frozen reshaped the Festival of Fantasy Parade, and the Imagineering technology behind Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. They also uncover abandoned plans for an interactive Peter Pan's Flight queue, the unlikely origins of "it's a small world," and how ...

Jim Hill and Len Testa go inside the development of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the centerpiece attraction of Walt Disney World's New Fantasyland expansion. Jim explains how the coaster grew out of earlier plans for the land, why Disney ultimately replaced elaborate princess meet-and-greet concepts with a family thrill ride, and how construction challenges stretched the project across several years. They also break down the attraction's swinging mine cars, interactive queue, Audio-Animatronic dwarf...

Jim Hill and Len Testa take an early look at Universal Orlando's Hogwarts Express, the ambitious Harry Potter attraction connecting Hogsmeade at Islands of Adventure with King's Cross Station at Universal Studios Florida. Jim explains how Universal Creative designed the experience to function as both transportation and attraction, complete with Platform 9¾, authentic train details, immersive special effects, and different journeys in each direction. They also dig into the operational challenge o...

Jim Hill and Len Testa trace the surprising history of one Tomorrowland attraction space at Walt Disney World, from Flight to the Moon and Mission to Mars through the ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter and Stitch's Great Escape. Jim explains how changing ideas about the future repeatedly forced Disney Imagineers to reinvent the attraction, why Alien Encounter proved too intense for many Magic Kingdom guests, and how Lilo & Stitch eventually gave Disney a more family-friendly alien to put in the ...

Jim Hill is reporting from Orlando after getting a rare construction-site walkthrough of Universal Studios Florida’s new Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley. Jim takes Len Testa through the land shop by shop, from the Leaky Cauldron and Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes to Knockturn Alley, Gringotts, and the massive new Ollivanders. They also dig into the Hogwarts Express, King's Cross Station, Universal's obsessive attention to architectural detail, and why Jim believes Diagon Alley could est...

Jim Hill and Len Testa explore the history of the Osborne Family Lights, Christmas at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Animal Kingdom, and Walt Disney World’s most unusual New Year’s Eve traditions.

Jim Hill and Len Testa trace the growth of Christmas at Disney, from Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party and Candlelight Processional to Haunted Mansion Holiday, Disneyland snowfall, and Frozen-inspired attractions.

Jim Hill and Len Testa explore how Disneyland’s earliest Christmas experiments grew into enduring holiday traditions.

Recorded live on Disney's Castaway Cay, Jim talks about the Disney Dream and the future of the Disney Cruise Line.creditsreleased November 26, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded live on Disney's Castaway Cay, Jim talks about how Disney got into the cruise business.creditsreleased November 1, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Released on Friday the 13th! Jim and Len swap ghost stories around a campfire at Fort Wilderness, and Jim recounts the history of Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween Party.creditsreleased September 13, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim outlines the history of The Little Mermaid-themed attractions in Disney's parks, from Storybook Canal Boats in Disneyland, to unbuilt Euro Disney attractions, to present-day DCA and Magic Kingdom.creditsreleased July 30, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim finishes up the history of how Disney's Caribbean Beach, Port Orleans, Dixie Landings (that's French Quarter for you young folk) and Coronado Springs resorts got built.creditsreleased July 19, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim was just back from the Transformers press junket, where he got to see Transformers, Springfield USA and a hard-hat tour of Diagon Alley. Hear what Jim saw!creditsreleased July 12, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testalicense Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim sorts through all of the rumors of a Star Wars-themed land going in to Disney's Hollywood Studios, including ride, restaurant, and entertainment options.creditsreleased July 1, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Did you know that the original plan for the Dixie Landings resort placed it next to Downtown Disney, near the riverboat-themed Fulton's Crab House? And that plans for the Grand Floridian pre-date Michael Eisner's tenure by half a decade? Learn this and many other details about Disney's hotel business as Jim goes through how Disney (eventually) developed their moderate resorts.creditsreleased June 17, 2013 Audio: Len Testa with Jim Hill Edited by: Len Testa Learn more about your ad choices. Visi...

Did you know Disney was producing a pirate-themed film before Pirates of the Caribbean opened as an attraction in 1967? Jim walks through that 1968 release, a Peter Ustinov-as-Blackbeard film that began the first cycle of stealing from movies to build attractions, which were then stolen from to make more movies. Lots of great Johnny Depp stories, too.creditsreleased June 3, 2013 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices