Park People: Recent Episodes
Blake Taylor, Caleb Smith, Jeremy Herba
There is storytelling, detail, and meaning behind your favorite theme parks. Let's explore them together.
It's the very last episode of Park People! We look to the future, which includes:
- Epic Universe, the new Universal Orlando park opening in 2025
- Super Nintendo World in Florida and California
- Avengers Campus expansion at Disney California Adventure
- The slump to the finish line of EPCOT's transformation
- Dinoland's replacement at Animal Kingdom
- What's "beyond Big Thunder" at Magic Kingdom
- SeaWorld's surf coaster
- Carowinds' 50th anniversary
and more!
What started as a quarantine project turned into two years of celebrating our love of theme parks and connecting with all of you who love them, too. Thank you for listening! You are all honorary Park People.
It's time to take a trip to the place where the Carolinas come together: Carowinds! We chat with the legendary Jerry Helms, former VP of Operations at Carowinds, who was first hired in 1973, the year the park opened.
Jerry shares decades of stories and insight, including:
- who named the park
- the origins of the Top Gun coaster
- Carowinds creator E. Pat Hall's infamous visit to Disneyland in the '50s
- his go-to philosophy, "You can only ride something for the first time once."
- leadership principles for embracing change, managing people, and stewarding relationships with huge movie studios and IP partners
and a lot more from truly an icon of the industry. We hope you'll enjoy our conversation with Jerry and share it with a friend! You may even want to have a notebook ready to jot down his wisdom
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Listen now on Apple, Spotify, or the link in our profile.
Look alive, because it’s time for what many consider the greatest theme park attraction of all time, Haunted Mansion!
In this episode, we discuss:
- the creative tension of “silly vs. scary”
- the flawless Nightmare Before Christmas overlay
- international versions of the ride
- the iconicity of the Eddie Murphy movie
- the perennial debate: When does spooky season start?
and more!
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Resources
- YouTube: The Gruesome Scare Maze of Hong Kong Disneyland by ReviewTyme
- Book: “The Haunted Mansion: Imagineering A Disney Classic” by Jason Surrell
- The Imagineering Story on Disney+
- Behind The Attraction on Disney+
We're excited to welcome our special guests, Halle Watson and Lindsay Underwood from "We're Obsessed" Podcast! This episode is “grand and miraculous,” just like our topic, Spaceship Earth.
In this episode, we discuss:
- The appeal of this opening-day attraction
- Judi Dench boldly going where no Dame has gone before
- Walt Disney’s vision for EPCOT
- When Spaceship Earth became the Death Star... really
- The Prince of Egypt, for some reason
and more!
We're Obsessed
- Listen to We're Obsessed Podcast
- Follow We're Obsessed on TikTok
- Follow We're Obsessed on Instagram
Things mentioned in this episode:
- Vic Perrin version of Spaceship Earth
- Walter Cronkite version of Spaceship Earth
- Jeremy Irons version of Spaceship Earth
- Daniel Craig introduces "the weekend"
- When Spaceship Earth became Mike Wazowski
- When Spaceship Earth became the Death Star
Resources:
- YouTube essays
- Defunctland: Walt Disney's City of the Future, E.P.C.O.T.
- ReviewTyme: What the heck is EPCOT?
- Books
- Walt Disney's EPCOT Center: Creating the New World of Tomorrow by Richard Beard
- The Thinking Fan's Guide to Walt Disney World: EPCOT by Aaron Wallace
We've all been there. Those moments in a theme park when you made the right call and it led to something amazing! And also, those moments you regret, when should've taken an L. In this episode, we each count down our top 3 best and top 3 worst decisions we've ever made in theme parks.
Links to things mentioned in this episode:
- YouTube video: The Legend of Captain Jack Sparrow at Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Apply for the Disney College Program
- Visit Tweetsie Railroad
- Expedition Theme Park: The History of Virtual Magic Kingdom
- Learn more about different tours:
- VIP Experience at Universal Studios Hollywood
- Walk In Walt's Footsteps Tour at Disneyland
- Keys To The Kingdom Tour at Magic Kingdom
- Sign up for a free Disney Vacation Club presentation at Disneyland, Walt Disney World, or Aulani
- YouTube ride-through: High In The Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride at Islands of Adventure
- The Toothsome Chocolate Emporium & Savory Feast Kitchen at Universal CityWalk
- Early Entry info at Walt Disney World
- Disney's All-Star Movies Resort
The magic is calling! We “answer the call” to Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary, the World’s Most Magical Celebration. We break down everything new as part of the 18-month festivities, which continues through March 2023, as well as what it was like to be at Magic Kingdom for the park’s actual 50th anniversary on October 1, 2021.
There’s a lot to do for the 50th:
- Beacons of Magic at all 4 Walt Disney World theme parks
- New entertainment and favorites returning for the first time since before the pandemic
- Nighttime spectaculars Enchantment and Harmonious
- Riding through Paris with the rat of all our dreams on Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Blasting through the galaxy with the Guardians on Cosmic Rewind
- Julie Andrews bamboozling the theme park community
and more!
Theme song by Lilian the Chicken Lady at Dollywood.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- “The Most Magical Story on Earth: 50 Years of Walt Disney World” documentary hosted by Whoopi Goldberg on Disney+
- “A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of the Most Magical Place on Earth” by Kevin Kern, Steven Vagnini, and Tim O’Day
- 50th anniversary merch collection on shopDisney
- 50th anniversary celebration overview - video posted by Disney Parks on September 30, 2021 featuring Julie Andrews
Not the gumdrop buttons! Travel with us to Far, Far Away as we celebrate the legacy of Shrek 4D at Universal Studios parks. It may be all ogre now, but there's a lot to remember about this show that ran for nearly 20 years.
Our friend Blake Reed joins us as we discuss:
- Which Shrek film is superior
- What preceded Shrek 4D in Florida
- Shrek 4D's place in history with Mickey's PhilharMagic
- The alternate versions of this attraction globally
- The rumored replacement of Shrek 4D in Florida
- and more!
Follow on Instagram @ParkPeoplePod.
Theme song by Lilian the Chicken Lady at Dollywood.
Hey hey hey HEY! It's time for Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon at Universal Studios Florida, plus Jeremy's experience attending the live recording of the real Tonight Show in New York City!
In this episode, we discuss:
- How to get tickets to The Tonight Show and your other favorite live productions
- The legacy of 30 Rockefeller Center
- How Jimmy Fallon pitched his own ride to Universal
- Race Through New York’s predecessors, Ghostbusters and Twister
- Would Universal make an SNL attraction?
- and more!
Theme song by Lillian the Chicken Lady at Dollywood.
Links:
- Jimmy Fallon Tours Race Through New York with Mark Woodbury from Universal Creative
- Jimmy Takes Blake Shelton on Race Through New York
- Jimmy and The Rock Prank Universal Guests
- Race Through New York Grand Opening
- "Vacation" Parody Road Trip to Universal Orlando
30 years, 30 fears. Get your pizza fries, grab a selfie with Lil Boo, and inhale that fog because it's time to take a deep dive into Halloween Horror Nights 30, Universal Orlando's signature event that returned in 2021 after a hiatus in 2020.
Join us as we talk through:
- All 10 haunted houses, including fan favorite Wicked Growth: Realm of the Pumpkin
- The event's 2 shows
- Scare zones
- Food!
- How to navigate HHN as a first-timer
- How HHN30 stacks up to previous years
- What we'd love to see in HHN's future
- A moment of mourning for Shrek 3D
- and more!
Theme song by Lillian the Chicken Lady from Dollywood.
What was Walt Disney World like when it first opened? How about even BEFORE it opened? Today on Park People, we celebrate the decade Walt Disney World opened, the 1970s, just in time for the resort's quickly approaching 50th anniversary on October 1, 2021.
We're joined by some special guests –– our moms! –– who share their memories. Caleb's mom got to tour Walt Disney World in a hard hat while it was still under construction. Blake's mom lived in Central Florida shortly after Walt Disney World opened and visited often with her family.
We're so excited for you to hear all of the amazing things they shared with us, from retro classic that are no longer with us like the Mickey Mouse Revue, to bygone systems of the past like ride tickets, to opening-day classics that have now endured for five decades.
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Theme song by Lillian the Chicken Lady at Dollywood.
Resources if you want to learn more about Disney World in the '70s:
- The Grand Opening of Walt Disney World on YouTube
- The Mouseketeers At Walt Disney World on Disney+
- The Imagineering Story on Disney +
- Behind The Attraction on Disney+
- Project Future by Chad Denver Emerson
- A Portrait of Walt Disney World: 50 Years of The Most Magical Place On Earth by Kevin Kern, Tim O'Day, Steven Vagnini, and Fabiola Garza
- Disney World At 50: The Stories of How Walt's Kingdom Became Magic In Orlando from the Orlando Sentinel
Here in 2021, we’re getting ready to celebrate Walt Disney World’s 50th birthday with The World’s Most Magical Celebration. But back in 2005, Disney park guests around the world were busy celebrating Disneyland’s 50th birthday with The Happiest Celebration On Earth. (There’s a pattern here, huh?)
On today’s episode of Park People, we dissect the many ways that Disney truly pulled out all the stops for The Happiest Celebration On Earth, including:
- A coast-to-coast marketing campaign hosted by Julie Andrews
- A theme song performed by LeAnn Rhymes
- Virtual Magic Kingdom
- Must-Do Disney with Stacey
- Cinderella's coronation
- Soarin'
- Lights, Motors, Action! Extreme Stunt Show
- Expedition Everest
and much, much more
Resources mentioned in the show to learn more about Disneyland:
- The Imagineering Story on Disney+
- Behind The Attraction on Disney+
- Disneyland from Taschen Publishing by Chris Nichols
Resources mentioned in the show to learn more about The Happiest Celebration On Earth:
- Disney Insider Yearbook 2005
- Walt Disney Treasures: Disneyland Secrets, Stories, & Magic DVD
YouTube videos of things mentioned in this episode:
- Top 7 Must-Sees with Stacey, 2005 (would later become Must-Do Disney)
- Must Sees with Kryssa, 2004
- LeAnn Rhymes at the Macy's Parade 2005
- Celebration kick-off ceremony, May 2005
- Walt Disney World Vacation Planning DVD 2005
- Walt Disney's Parade of Dreams at Disneyland
- Block Party Bash at Disney California Adventure
- Remember Dreams Come True fireworks
- Disneyland: The First 50 Magical Years with Steve Martin
- Cinderellabration at Magic Kingdom
- Lights, Motors, Action! at Disney's Hollywood Studios
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Kachow! ⚡️ Cruise through Route 66 and stop a while in Radiator Springs as we celebrate the expansion that turned everything around for Disney California Adventure, Cars Land!
We discuss:
- Radiator Springs Racers, possibly Imagineering's best modern attraction?
- Our lowkey stanning of Luigi's Rollickin' Roadsters
- Cozy Cones aka heaven
- How extra Cars Land goes for Halloween
- Other "Cars" attractions around the world
Follow @ParkPeoplePod on Instagram!
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- The Imagineering Story on Disney+
- Magic Journey by Kevin Rafferty
- Grand Re-opening Ceremony, 2012
Wishes, Mickey's PhilharMagic, and Mission: SPACE were once all connected in Walt Disney World's 2003 promotional campaign, Magical Gatherings.
In this episode, we discuss:
- What is a magical gathering and why did Disney go all in on it?
- Julie Andrews's involvement in the premiere of Wishes
- The rarity of Disney admitted Mission: SPACE's faults
- The iconic proscenium arch in PhilharMagic
- Horizons, the predecessor to Mission: SPACE
- How Wishes was part of a College Program tradition
- The vanity of Jiminy Cricket
- and more!
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Intro song written and performed on the spot by Lillian the chicken lady at Dollywood
“And look: she’s a mum!” Hop aboard Hagrid's enchanted flying motorbike and buckle up for a magical creatures lesson you won't soon forget!
We discuss:
- The ride’s notorious predecessors, Dueling Dragons and Dragon Challenge
- The way Mr. Weasley gave his all to the pre-show performance as if he was up for a BAFTA
- The groundbreaking tech of this amazing roller coaster
- What this ride would be like with a Taylor Swift overlay
- The future of the Wizarding World at Universal Orlando
Intro theme sung spontaneously by the Chicken Lady at Dollywood
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Adventure is out there! Join us as we explore Adventureland on both American coasts, at Disneyland in California and Magic Kingdom in Florida. 🌴
We talk about:
-
What “adventure” means and how the Imagineers interpreted it
-
The unnecessarily confusing Dole Whip menu
-
Indiana Jones vs. Dinosaur
-
Adventureland’s role in Disney’s efforts toward inclusivity
and more
Staying up for 24 hours in Disney World at the 2013 event that kicked off Monstrous Summer!
Hear about:
- braving Stitch's Great Escape at 2AM
- how Disney celebrated 2013's hottest summer movie, Monsters University
- a Cast Member attempting to appease an angry mob by quoting Dory
- the moment when the park closed with a bizarre ceremony that still haunts our nightmares
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Grab a Krabby Patty and watch out for slime as we head to Universal, Paramount Parks, and more to celebrate Nick.
Join us as we talk about: an iconic Danny Phantom thrill ride, an amazing Rocket Power skateboard ride (!), an underwhelming Reptar roller coaster, a forgotten SpongeBob attraction that put Orlando to shame, a time capsule full of Twinkies that will be opened in 2042, which of your favorite shows were filmed in the parks, Nickelodeon's sick burn against Disney on iCarly, and more.
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Celebrate the future hand in hand as we wind back the clock to the year 2000 to welcome the new millennium at EPCOT! Hear about:
- The time EPCOT was the Super Bowl halftime show
- The origins of one of the only parades in EPCOT history, Tapestry of Nations
- The legendary fireworks spectacular IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth
- Pin trading's humble beginnings
- How the ideals of the park can be applied in 2021
- The daring future of the park
Follow on Instagram @parkpeoplepod
Deleted discussions and sidetracked conversations that didn't make it into prior episodes. You’ll hear new content from all of our past special guests, including author Aaron Wallace, Jeremy Crittenden and Derek Lewis, hosts of the Mad Chatters podcast, and David Windsor, aka David Takes Disney on Instagram.
We talk about:
- Thackery Binx just not caring anymore
- Alternate versions of Mickey's Royal Friendship Faire
- Cars 2 vs. The Good Dinosaur
- The iconicity of Heimlich's Chew Chew Train
- What Caleb wrote in Mickey and Minnie's guestbook
and more!
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Last decade was revolutionary for the theme park industry — parks designed attractions to one-up their competition, leaving guests in the middle of it all to enjoy. We discuss the most influential game-changers of the industry, including:
• the boy who lived — and who changed everything
• Disney admitting its own mistakes and rebuilding entire sections of theme parks
• franchise wars and the battle for characters and stories people would care about
• Universal multiplying its Potter success into a sustainable model, not a one-time fluke
• get sidetracked by Remy the rat
The Mad Chatters join us to celebrate Toy Story’s 25th anniversary by diving into the many ways the series has been used at Walt Disney World, including:
- The disco version of When She Loved Me in Alien Swirling Saucers
- The mythology of Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- The FAKE Pizza Planet
- The defunct Al’s Toy Barn at Hollywood Studios
- How Toy Story Mania changed Walt Disney World
- The famous walls of Toy Story Land
- and more!
Follow @MadChatters and @ParkPeoplePod on Instagram for more theme park content.
Texting ducks. The famous left reindeer. A cow singing Mariah Carey in a disco ball sleigh. @david_takes_disney joins us to break down what might be Disney's craziest castle show of all time, Mickey's Most Merriest Celebration.
Special guest Aaron Wallace, author of “Hocus Pocus In Focus: The Thinking Fan’s Guide To Disney’s Halloween Classic,” joins us for a deeeeeeep dive into Hocus Pocus Villain Spelltacular! There’s a lot more to this castle show than meets the eye, and we explore it all:
• How Disney blacklisted Hocus Pocus for years
• Virginity as a theme in a Magic Kingdom stage show
• The show’s connection to Dream Along with Mickey
• The rise in popularity of villains and Disney’s failed attempts from history to spotlight them
• Thackery Binx ripping a new one to Jiminy Cricket
• How Cinderella has no regard for security at her home
Join us as we discuss “the most villainous Halloween party this kingdom has ever seen” in what might be our most thorough episode yet! We are so excited about this one and can’t wait for you to hear it.
"It's a heartwarming story, but it's just not believable, which is why I give E.T. one and a half stars." Perd Hapley, Ya Herd with Perd
E.T. Adventure is sensory-filled and sometimes bizarre. This opening-day attraction takes place after the beloved film "E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial," the 1982 classic that, when it was released, was the highest-grossing movie of all time. The ride at Universal Studios Florida is so special to director Steven Spielberg that he's even said if Universal ever tears it down, he will never make another movie for them again.
In this episode, we're going to talk about it all: the history, what the heck is going on in this strange ride, and what E.T. means to you, our listeners. We asked on Instagram @ParkPeoplePod for you to share what you think of E.T., and we'll be shouting out some of you on the show. Our friend Jonathan put it so well when he said, "E.T. is near and dear to my heart. He represents love, friendship, and childhood wonder." And we think E.T. Adventure continues all of those sentiments... conditionally.
As theme parks open new attractions, inevitably that sometimes means that old things get replaced. Even when what comes next is objectively better, it can still be sad to see bits of theme park history fade away because of the deep-rooted memories we attach to those places and experiences. Today, we take a look back on some of our favorite extinct theme park attractions, and you can play along with us by thinking of your top three favorite theme park experiences that are no longer open, and seeing if any of ours match up with yours!
Today we pause to recognize the 28,000 Cast Members who were laid off from Disney’s domestic theme parks in Florida and California and provide resources for those looking FOR help or those looking TO help.
"Helllllo there! Welcome to our little transdimensional joyride, folks." In this episode, we talk all things dinos, the coolest animals of all time that have a special place in the legacy of many of our favorite theme parks.
Life finds a way as we discuss:
- Jurassic Park: The Ride and Jurassic World: The Ride at Universal Studios Hollywood
- Dinoland USA at Disney's Animal Kingdom, including Dinosaur, Chester & Hester's Dino-Rama, and Donald's Dino-Bash
- Jurassic Park at Islands of Adventure
- Runaway Reptar at Carowinds
- and more!
Follow on Instagram @ParkPeoplePod for daily theme park photos.
Theme music: "Wakka Wakka," Bryan Teoh, public domain.
There is storytelling, detail, and meaning behind your favorite theme parks. Let's explore them together.
Follow on Instagram and Twitter for daily theme park photos and conversation with other fans.
Universal Orlando Resort changed the theme park industry forever when it opened The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in 2010. Four years later, it raised the bar again with an expansion that included the iconic Diagon Alley, home of the dark ride/rollercoaster hybrid Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
In this episode:
- Scene-by-scene breakdown
- Voldemort and Bellatrix, theme park icons
- Comparing the ride's story to the movie and the book
- How Harry Potter became the industry standard
- What would Disney's version of Harry Potter look like?
- Escape from Gringotts vs. Forbidden Journey
Theme music: "Wakka Wakka," Bryan Teoh, public domain.
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @ParkPeoplePod for daily theme park photos and conversation with other fans.
Rivers of Light was meant to be a game-changer for Disney's Animal Kingdom, a mic drop nighttime spectacular that would help transform the park. It was not. In a saga of technical and creative difficulties ultimately leading to its closure just three years after its debut, come with us as we take a deep dive into what will be looked back on as one of the most infamous shows in Walt Disney World history.
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @ParkPeoplePod for daily theme park photos and conversation with other fans.
Citations
- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2014/05/rivers-of-light-nighttime-spectacular-coming-to-disneys-animal-kingdom/
- https://www.orlandosentinel.com/travel/attractions/os-disney-rivers-of-light-jungle-book-20160419-story.html
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eaPsw4fEDvA&feature=youtu.be
- https://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/os-xpm-2014-01-11-os-disney-animal-kingdom-rebuild-20140111-story.html
- https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2011/09/avatar-coming-to-disney-parks/
- https://blogmickey.com/2020/07/breaking-rivers-of-light-closed-forever-confirmation-of-primeval-whirl-and-stitchs-great-escape-permanent-closures/
- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omXIsCxctxk
- https://www.wdwinfo.com/wdwinfo/hours/september16.cfm
A theme park's entrance is the first impression and how you begin your day of fun. It has the opportunity to set up the entire park's narrative, and many parks utilize storytelling in innovative ways to accomplish this.
In this episode:
- Counting down our top 3 favorite theme park entrances each
- Storytelling secrets that go unnoticed
- Comparing entrances of similar parks in different places
Theme music: "Wakka Wakka," Bryan Teoh, public domain.
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @ParkPeoplePod for daily theme park photos and conversation with other fans.
A Disney vacation can be expensive, but it doesn't have to cost as much money as you might think.
In this episode:
- The ins and outs of how to save money at Walt Disney World
- Orlando hotels: The good, the bad, and the yikes
- Tips for dining on a budget
- Free things to do on Disney property
- Weighing what's important to you on a vacation
- How expectation can change everything
Theme music: "Wakka Wakka," Bryan Teoh, public domain.
Follow on Instagram and Twitter @ParkPeoplePod for daily theme park photos and conversation with other fans.