The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Len Testa and Jim Hill cover the latest Walt Disney World news, from a Toy Story 5 overlay at Hollywood Studios and shifting timelines for Tropical Americas to Disney’s experiments with themed cruises and DVC owner surveys. They also answer listener questions about Moana’s missing ride presence, Coral Reef surprises, and annual pass payment plans for out-of-state DVC members. Then Jim digs into the surprising history of the Walt Disney Transportation Company, when Disney seriously considered selling PeopleMover technology to airports, shopping centers, and planned communities around the world.

NEWS

• Alien Swirling Saucers gets a Toy Story 5-inspired overlay, complete with new music.

• The Magic of Disney Animation settles into limited daytime hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

• Disney quietly removes the 2027 date from its Tropical Americas project page as major domestic attraction openings appear to shift toward 2028.

• Universal Orlando’s Horror Make-Up Show remains closed, with work expected to accelerate after Halloween Horror Nights.

• New DVC and Disney Cruise Line surveys explore member finances, contract sales, and just how deeply guests want themed cruises to go.

FEATURE

• Jim traces the origins of the Walt Disney Transportation Company and Disney’s effort to commercialize its theme park transportation technology.

• The Magic Kingdom’s PeopleMover was envisioned as a working showroom for potential clients building airports, shopping centers, and communities.

• Disney once planned an extensive transportation network linking the Lake Buena Vista Shopping Village with nearby development.

• Houston Intercontinental Airport became the rare real-world customer, installing a Disney-designed PeopleMover system that has operated for decades.

For this episode’s full show notes, click here.

HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com

• Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social | Instagram: @len.testa | touringplans.com

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews

• YouTube: @jimhillmedia

• TikTok: @jimhillmedia

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey

Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com

SPONSOR

Disney Dish News is sponsored by BeOurGuestVacations.com. Whether your team is already struggling through football season or you simply need a Walt Disney World getaway to look forward to, Be Our Guest Vacations can help plan the trip.

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Len Testa and Jim Hill are back with Disney news, listener questions, and the conclusion of Jim’s history of Disney family suites. They check out the latest Walt Disney World updates, from Magic of Disney Animation previews and EPCOT festival dates to Jollywood Nights demand and new vacation discounts. Then Jim traces how a stalled Pop Century expansion, the success of Nickelodeon Family Suites, and Disney’s experiments at All-Star Music ultimately led to Art of Animation. Plus, the guys look at Disney Cruise Line’s intriguing adults-only survey and wonder what an expanded Skyliner network might have looked like.

NEWS

• Magic of Disney Animation previews reveal Olaf Draws, Off the Page, Once Upon a Studio Theater, and the colorful Drawn to Wonderland play area.

• EPCOT sets dates for Festival of the Arts and Flower & Garden while Coral Reef prepares to reopen ahead of the holiday season.

• Strong Jollywood Nights sales could point toward an even larger role for the after-hours event in future holiday seasons.

• Universal Orlando rolls out an aggressive Florida resident ticket offer covering Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe.

• Disney Cruise Line surveys guests about adults-only sailings, while dozens of upcoming cruises receive special offers and discounted fares.

FEATURE

• Jim finishes the story of Disney’s family suites, beginning with Pop Century’s ambitious original plans and the unfinished Legendary Years section.

• The surprising success of Nickelodeon Family Suites helped convince Disney that larger family accommodations could be a major draw.

• All-Star Music became Disney’s testing ground before the company transformed Pop Century’s abandoned expansion into Disney’s Art of Animation Resort.

• Jim explains how Art of Animation’s opening was strategically paired with New Fantasyland - and how the Skyliner later transformed the appeal of Disney’s value and moderate resorts.

For this episode’s full show notes, click here.

HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com

• Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social | Instagram: @len.testa | touringplans.com

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews

• YouTube: @jimhillmedia

• TikTok: @jimhillmedia

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey

Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com

SPONSOR

The Disney Dish News is sponsored by BeOurGuestVacations.com. If the back-to-school rush has already worn you out, the team can help you plan some much-needed rest and relaxation at Walt Disney World.

Our friends at DVCRentalStore.com can also help you explore Disney Vacation Club rental options for your next stay.

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Len Testa and Jim Hill dig into the latest Disney parks news before tracing how Epcot’s humble festival food booths evolved into permanent Global Marketplaces with open kitchens. TouringPlans researchers Amy Schinner and Christina Harrison join the show to talk Food & Wine, while Disney surveys hint at possible themed cruises, Halloween party strategy, and how much guests trust Disney’s planning tools. Plus, listener questions cover Tomorrowland, attraction relocations, parking garages, underwater pool music, and one extremely ambitious Carousel of Progress Halloween overlay.

NEWS

• Lakeshore Lodge gets a July 1, 2027 opening date, while Tiana’s Bayou Adventure prepares for its first major refurbishment.

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort is set for an extensive refurbishment, and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill is preparing to close at Disney Springs.

• Disneyland breaks ground on its new eastern parking and transportation hub as Universal prepares to open Fast & Furious Hollywood Drift.

• Disney Cruise Line is returning to New York in 2027, while a new survey tests guest interest in themed Disney cruises.

• Amy Schinner and Christina Harrison join Len and Jim for a look at this year’s EPCOT International Food & Wine Festival.

FEATURE

• Jim traces the roots of EPCOT’s Food & Wine Festival back to the Walt Disney World Village Wine Festival and its move to EPCOT in 1996.

• The California Grill’s successful open-kitchen concept helped inspire a new approach to festival food booths around World Showcase.

• Permanent gas, electrical, and water connections transformed temporary booths into the more elaborate Global Marketplace locations guests know today.

• With EPCOT operating festivals through much of the year, Disney continues converting temporary food locations into permanent festival infrastructure.

For this episode’s full show notes, click here. (Coming Soon)

HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia - Instagram: @JimHillMedia - jimhillmedia.com

• Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social - Instagram: @len.testa - touringplans.com

GUEST

• Amy Schinner - TouringPlans researcher

• Christina Harrison - TouringPlans researcher

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews

• YouTube: @jimhillmedia

• TikTok: @jimhillmedia

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey

Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com

SPONSOR

The Disney Dish news is sponsored by BeOurGuestVacations.com from our friends at DVCRentalStore.com. Whether you’re planning Disney or Universal, Be Our Guest Vacations can help make the trip easier for the whole family.

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Len Testa and Jim Hill dig into the long road that eventually led Disney to build Art of Animation Resort, from an abandoned Toontown-inspired family suites hotel near the Contemporary to the unfinished half of Pop Century. Along the way, they explore how the success of Nickelodeon’s family-suite hotel caught Disney’s attention, why Bob Iger brought Steve Jobs into the evaluation process, and how Finding Nemo, Cars, The Lion King, and The Little Mermaid became the resort’s defining themes. Plus, Len and Jim discuss Lakeshore Lodge, Disney’s latest premium credit card survey, potential Epic Universe annual pass perks, and listener questions about fireworks, cruise ports, Star Tours, and monorail capacity.

NEWS

• Disney reveals new Lakeshore Lodge room categories ahead of its July 1, 2027 opening.

• A Disney credit card survey tests premium perks including Lightning Lane access, resort benefits, complimentary park tickets, and club-level access.

• Universal Orlando surveys guests about Epic Universe annual passes, reservations, Express benefits, parking, and Halloween Horror Nights perks.

• Epcot adjusts opening hours for select RunDisney Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend dates.

• Universal Orlando debuts the new Nightmare Fuel: Blood Noir show for Halloween Horror Nights.

FEATURE

• Disney once considered a highly exclusive Toontown-inspired family suites hotel beside the Contemporary Resort.

• The financial troubles surrounding Disneyland Paris helped derail Disney’s early family-suite plans.

• The success of Nickelodeon’s all-suite Orlando hotel convinced Disney there was significant demand for larger themed accommodations.

• Disney transformed the long-abandoned Legendary Years section of Pop Century into Art of Animation Resort.

• Bob Iger invited Steve Jobs to review prototype Art of Animation rooms before Disney committed to the project.

For this episode’s full show notes, click here.HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com

• Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social | Instagram: @len.testa | touringplans.com

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews

• YouTube: @jimhillmedia

• TikTok: @jimhillmedia

• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey

Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com

SPONSOR

Disney Dish news is sponsored by BeOurGuestVacations.com, helping guests plan their next Disney vacation.

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Len Testa and Jim Hill unpack a packed slate of D23 parks announcements, from Disneyland’s newly promised Tomorrowland overhaul to major additions coming to Walt Disney World. They dig into Tropical Americas, Piston Peak, Villains Land, Monstropolis, Figment and Dreamfinder’s return to EPCOT, and Disney’s surprising promise to finally address Expedition Everest’s Yeti. Then Jim looks back at the history of Disney-MGM Studios’ Ewok Village, its connection to Star Tours, and the unusual road that brought George Lucas’ galaxy to a Hollywood-themed park.

NEWS

• Disneyland plans a Tomorrowland overhaul inspired by the land’s original sense of hope and optimism.

• Disney California Adventure’s Pandora project moves behind Tomorrowland while Avengers Infinity Defense, Stark Flight Lab, and the Coco attraction continue taking shape.

• Walt Disney World reveals new details for Tropical Americas, Piston Peak National Park, Villains Land, and the phased opening of Monstropolis.

• Dreamfinder and Figment are headed back to EPCOT in a still-mysterious new “flight of fancy” into Imagination.

• Disney says Expedition Everest’s long-static Yeti will finally be addressed, though exactly what “fixing” the figure means remains to be seen.

FEATURE

• Jim traces the 1989 opening of the Ewok Village at Disney-MGM Studios, months before Florida’s Star Tours began carrying guests to Endor.

• Learn why Florida’s Star Tours wound up at the Studios instead of Tomorrowland and how Disney tried to make George Lucas part of the park’s identity.

• The story explores George Lucas’ inspirations for the Ewoks, the abandoned Wookiee plans for Return of the Jedi, and Disney’s enthusiasm for the franchise’s most marketable forest dwellers.

• Plus, Jim revisits unrealized ideas including a Sci-Fi Channel UFO headquarters and the Roger Rabbit-themed Toontown Transit simulator.

For this episode’s full show notes, click here.HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com
• Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social | Instagram: @len.testa | touringplans.com

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews
• YouTube: @jimhillmedia
• TikTok: @jimhillmedia
• Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey
Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com

SPONSOR

Disney Dish News is sponsored by BeOurGuestVacations.com, from our friends at DVCRentalStore.com.

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices