by Anthony Sbarra

When I think of the most famous things to see and do in San Francisco, these are some of the things that come to mind:

• Alcatraz
• Golden Gate Bridge
• Fisherman’s Wharf
• AT&T Park (I’m a huge baseball fan)
• Lombard Street (the zig-zag street)

The list can go on and on. There’s so much to see and do in this 47 square mile city that the Walt Disney Family Museum wouldn’t be anywhere near this list. However, there’s no question that the Walt Disney Family Museum is one of the hidden gems of San Francisco.

Opened in October of 2009, the Walt Disney Family Museum is located in the Presidio of San Francisco, a converted military fort into park, part of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area.  The museum occupies three retrofitted buildings in the Presidio. It is not owned or operated by the Walt Disney Co., but rather by the Walt Disney Family Foundation.

The museum chronicles Walt Disney’s life, but mostly his career as an animator, producer and director; his contributions to what made the name Disney…Disney. Walt’s career is shown in detail, and showcases almost anything imaginable pertaining towards him.

While on an 11-day family vacation to California, we flew into and spent the first few days in San Francisco. On our last full day there, with an open slot of time in the morning before we headed to AT&T Park to see the Giants play the Dodgers that night, we decided to visit the museum.

Saying that the museum was worth the time that day would be a huge understatement.

This is my experience and reflection of the Walt Disney Family Museum.

Upon walking into the museum (which, honestly, just looks like walking into a large house), the counter to buy tickets is just on the right. (You can also buy tickets ahead of time online, like we did). The ticket counter is in the lobby, which showcases the many awards (Academy Awards and other alike) that Walt Disney received during his lifetime, including the special Oscar he received for Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, as well as furniture from Walt’s apartment above the Disneyland fire station. You do not need a ticket to look around in the lobby, or go into the gift shop or café. After looking at all this memorabilia, it’s time to get your ticket scanned and head into the museum.

Forewarning:  photography is not allowed inside the museum.

Once your ticket is scanned, you’re in the museum’s first two rooms. These rooms give a brief overview of Walt’s career and some information about his early life. While the museum does focus on Walt’s actual life, for the most part the museum focuses on Walt’s career as well as just about everything that he created.

After exploring these first two rooms, it’s time to get on an extremely elegant elevator, with voiceover from Walt himself playing, up to the second floor, where most of the museum sits.

Once upstairs, the museum spans Walt’s life and career in the animation industry. From here, multiple rooms go on to tell the story of Walt Disney’s career. What the museum does is not only tell a story, but also tells the story in full detail, in chronological order from the beginning of his career until his death.

While walking the rooms of Walt’s career, the successes of his early animation through Snow White and other Disney-animated features are seen, as well as the praise Walt received for using new technologies in filming techniques. Essentially, you can see just about everything that Walt created throughout his career that made him so successful.

But you also see some of the downside and struggles of the story of Walt’s career, which completes the story in a way it wouldn’t without this detail. Here, what can be seen is the failure that was Laugh-O-Gram Studios, the departure of Ub Iwerks from Disney’s studio, and, in detail, the story of the Disney Animator’s Strike of 1941.

All of the facets to this story are seen using interactive technology where you can listen to conversations and watch videos, and to also look at actual letters written by Walt to various people, see other artifacts from the Disney studios and many of the things that Walt collected and owned throughout his life.

Along the way in the museum there is a glass opening, offering stunning views of the Golden Gate Bridge. Other than the lobby, this is the only point inside the museum where photography is allowed.

After passing this viewing area of the Golden Gate Bridge, you move on to the final parts of the museum, chronicling the later parts of Walt’s life, the 1950s and 1960s. And in these final rooms mostly comes (wait for it)…the Disney parks memorabilia.

Here, you see the progression of Walt’s idea to build a theme park, along with the many projects he worked on late in his life. And thus you see the background to many of the famous attractions in Disneyland (as well as Disney World, eventually). This room is definitely the most vibrant, extravagant, and flashy room in the entire museum. Much of this is seen while going down a circular ramp to get back to the main floor.

At the bottom of the ramp is the main exhibit of the room, a 13-foot diameter scale of Disneyland Park. While we were looking at this, a tour was being lead with about a dozen 8-year-olds. The tour leader said that the scale model is the “Perfect Disneyland.” It does not represent what Disneyland Park looked like at any given time. Rather, it contains attractions and scenery both past and present. I spent a good 10 minutes looking at this model, as a mere six days later I would get to experience Disneyland for the first time.

Once you pass this, that is, if you have the strength to eventually walk away from the glamor of this scale-model, you come across Walt’s early plans for the Florida Project, as well as some of the attractions that would ultimately end up in Disney World, including information on the Carousel of Progress from the 1964 World’s Fair. On a TV screen plays Walt’s EPCOT video from 1966, which definitely catches the attention of just about every person that walks by, for at least a few minutes.

At this point, you’re on this high of energy from seeing so many awesome things in the entire museum, as well as the flashiness of this room. While much of the museum is very subtle in look, this vibrant room really gets you begging for more. It has a very “Oh my God, this is awesome!!! What’s next?!?!” feeling to it. But, as you turn the corner past the EPCOT video, the museum kind of just…comes to an end.

The museum gets very subtle again, and the content and detail is at a lower volume. By this point, it’s pretty easy to figure out what’s next. The EPCOT video was made shortly before Walt Disney passed away. Thus, the second to last room of the museum is dedicated to the day Walt Disney died. There are quotes from family and friends on the passing of Walt Disney, and an old-fashioned television set that plays news coverage from the day of Walt’s death. It is a fairly somber room.

Finally, you come to a white-walled room with a couch in the middle. The televisions in the walls of the room celebrate the life of Walt Disney by playing many of the works he created; a celebration of the Disney industry after Walt, so to say. This room gives you the chance to reflect not necessarily on the content in the museum itself, but to reflect on the impact that Walt Disney had during his lifetime and after he passed.

While Walt once said, “it was all started by a mouse,” brings the story together to really show that it was Walt who started it all.

After taking a few minutes to reflect in this room, you exit through a door that leads to a more open room, where it’s time to go to the souvenir shop!

Due to time restrictions, we spent about two hours in the museum. And I can honestly say, we didn’t see the half of it. To look at every piece in the museum and to read each and every caption would easily be an entire eight-hour day at the museum (as it’s open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Also, the museum is closed on Tuesdays).

All in all (no pun intended, Cars fans) this museum is a museum everyone can appreciate. Not just the Disney-obsessed. It’s a museum everyone can appreciate simply for the history behind Walt and his influence not just towards the animation industry, but also towards society as a whole.

When in San Francisco, the Walt Disney Family Museum is a must-see. Disney-nut or not, it is 100% worth it to spend at least a couple hours in the museum. The material presented in the museum itself is great, and is presented in a way that is second-to-none. The Walt Disney Family Museum is the definitive history and story of one man and his career, and is a museum that everyone can appreciate and enjoy.

And, hey, maybe one day the Walt Disney Family Museum will be added to the list of the most famous things to see in San Francisco.

Anthony Sbarra is a college student whose love for Disney has grown only larger over time. When not immersed in studying or reading for college, one of his favorite hobbies is researching the history, detail and little-known aspects of many of the facets that Disney World has to offer.

The post A First-Hand Look at the Walt Disney Family Museum appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #319 for the week of April 7, 2013.

Walt Disney was never able to see his vision for Walt Disney World realized, and we often speculate on what he would think of the parks and resorts today. But this week, I want to imagine a bit further, and pose a different question to not just me, but you as well. So in this week’s Top Ten segment, we’re going to imagine taking Walt to Walt Disney World. If we could spend a day with Walt, what would WE want to show him at Walt Disney World… and why? I’ll then invite you to share your thoughts and comments as well

I’ll have the answer to our last Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new challenge for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

Stay tuned for additional information and announcements at the end of the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

- Lou Mongello
http://LouMongello.com

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Where would YOU take Walt Disney if you could bring him to Walt Disney World for one day? What Disney resort should he stay at? Where would you take hime to eat? WHY did you choose those places? Leave your answer in the comments section below!

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store

The post WDW Radio # 319 – Taking Walt to Walt Disney World, Disney Trivia Contest and more! – Apr. 7, 2013 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

With ticket in-hand, we started the 1-hour drive to Boston, giddy as can be. Kevin and I went with my parents, and the whole drive up my mom kept asking if we were excited, then when we said “YES!” she would say, “No you aren’t, because I’m more excited!” My parents are big Disney fans, too, so I guess it runs in the family.

On with the event!

We arrived a bit early, which was fine. The event was being held in a theater at a”fancy” hotel, the Revere Hotel. I didn’t really know what to expect, but assumed there would be a lot of booths and places to buy merchandise, like an Expo, but there wasn’t anything except a waiting room. We walked in and reassuringly saw a Disney banner with Genie letting us

know we were in the right place. Two friendly and cheery cast members welcomed us and gave us our pins, a flip book with 2 scenes from Frankenweenie (one of my favorite movies), and 2 movie art promo books, called “For Your Considerations” for Brave and Wreck it Ralph! Already, I thought, “I would pay more than $35 for all of this, even without the rest of the night’s event!”

The cast members really made me feel like I was in WDW. I wish I would have gotten a picture with them or asked them what they usually do for Disney, but I was way too excited for the event to start! I was quite surprised and extremely happy to hear a familiar voice call out my name! It was Betty and Dave from The Box! You may know them from their screen names: DaveBell and BettyMercier. I met them in person at the WDWRadio Dream Cruise 2.0 this past November and it was so great to see them again! That’s what I love so much about this community, we are all already friends, whether we’ve met yet, or not!

We entered the theater when it was time, and the second unexpected thing was realized: there were a lot less people than I expected! I saw that the event was sold out online before we left, but the theater was small and intimate. It was a plus, in my opinion. Yes, it would have been nice if more people could have the opportunity to buy tickets, but having fewer people there made me feel more special. It was as if the show was just for me, and I would be learning this secret information that no one else knew yet!

The show was introduced and we were reminded that we couldn’t take any photos, videos, or audio recordings once it started. Our show hosts then came out: Billy Stanek, D23.com editor, and Justin Arthur, Archives Collections Specialist at The Walt Disney Studios. They started out the show with a shout-out from anyone who tweeted that they would be at the show. I was 1 of the 3 people they shouted out to, of course, and I embarrassingly said “Woo!” when they called my name. And as with the beginning of all Disney attractions, an announcement came over the loud speaker telling us the theater would be moving backwards (into Disney history) and made a joke about pin lanyards.

Throughout the show, Billy and Justin went back and forth introducing different anniversaries, working from 1923, the start of the Walt Disney Company which is at it’s 90th Anniversary this year, all the way to the start of Animal Kingdom, Disney Cruise Line, and Mulan, from 1998, making this year their 15th Anniversary! Between each introduction from this duo, we saw pictures, audio clips, and film from what they were talking about. Most of it was footage rarely seen or heard!

Here are some notable points and facts from the presentation:

• This year marks Mickey’s 85th Birthday
• Disney Legend, Ub Iwerks would produce roughly 700 drawings per day! The average animator today produces about 82 a week!
• John Hench was the official portrait artist of Mickey Mouse for his Birthday portraits. We watched a clip of him speaking about the birthday portraits and he said that he painted this portrait (to the right) of Mickey with long pants instead of his usual shorts because, “he should have long pants by now.” The whole theater laughed at that, and we all sighed at the end of his interview when he got teary eyed and told Mickey Mouse, “I learned to love you a lot.”
• We watched a commercial called “The Collector,” which reminded me a lot of all of us. It was of a man who collected everything Disney, from an alarm clock, to Mickey ears on the top of his car!
• We watched rare footage depicting how Walt, Frank Churchill, and crew came up with the song “Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?”
• True Life Adventures brought on some interesting video segments, including “Scorpion Dance,” (watch it on YouTube, if you can) which was… weird… If you haven’t seen it, the clip is footage of 2 scorpions edited to look like they are doing a barn dance. We also watched a clip of a duck sliding on ice into a group of other ducks. The scene cut out right before the duck fully crashed into the rest of the others. Seeing this, Walt kept asking the film makers where the rest of the footage was. They explained over and over that they shut off the camera before it happened and the footage didn’t exist. Walt wasn’t impressed and told them to find the rest of the footage. After an exhausted attempt with no luck on finding the non-existent footage, the film makers made a trip up to Minnesota and filmed ducks there. Knowing that this opportunity wouldn’t naturally happen again, the film makers literally picked up ducks and slid them into the other ducks! When Walt saw the footage, he said, “I knew you had it.” Hah!
• Peter Pan‘s 60th Anniversary was introduced with the help of the Magic Mirror, which lead into a segment with a 3D depiction of a spinning Tinkerbell, by Marc Davis, which might not seem impressive until you realize it was drawn, frame by frame, without the aid of computer graphics.
• Ben and Me (60th Anniversary) and Hocus Pocus (20th Anniversary) had ties to Massachusetts! This was a great shout-out for our Boston-crowd!
• It was the 55th Anniversary for the Columbia ship replica, which used to sail around the Rivers of America, is now used in Disneyland’s Fantasmic as Captain Hook’s  ship!
• With the 50th Anniversary of Summer’s Magic, they showed a poster of the movie which displayed Richard and Robert Sherman’s names. It was a great opportunity to talk about them, but they didn’t. I had high hopes though, because next they talked about the 50th Anniversary of the Tiki Room, and I thought for sure we would hear about our guest from the Dream Cruise, but no luck. It was finally when they mentioned Meet the World, that our dear friend was finally mentioned!
• Tony Baxter spoke of the 30th Anniverary of the original New Fantasyland in Disneyland. He said it was scary because when they dismantled the old Fantasyland, the Fantasyland Theater was laying on the ground with the lights that were supposed to hang up around it laying around in the dirt. The timer for the lights was activated and all of a sudden, all of the lights were on. He said to the others working on the project (and of course, I am always paraphrasing here), “This is the heart of Disneyland!… What have we done!?” In this interview, he said that all the love and attention that they originally put into Storybookland is what they think the original Imagineers would have wanted to do full scale if they had the budget to do it at the time and that what they were doing with the New Fantasyland would be fulfilling that wish.
• We watched a promo for Horizons. I know all of you Horizons fans would have loved it! I was never able to experience it, though.
• We were showed a Maelstrom promo photo and our hosts pointed out that the actors were staring in amazement at a wall, which anyone who actually rode it could discover… hah!
• Tim Burton worked on a project called Hansel and Gretel which only aired once because it freaked the executives out a little too much!
• We saw Disney’s Animal Kingdom‘s original carousel idea, which you might remember from this past blog post. The idea was ex-ed because it was too glitzy to fit into AK’s conservation message.
• It was great to learn about the animator’s 3 week trip to China to do research for Mulan!
• And of course, Disney Cruise Line was mentioned since this year marks the 15th Anniversary! It’s a special place for our WDWRadio family!

Highlights of the show (for me, anyway):

• We saw a Tokyo Disneyland Commercial from 1983. It may have been one of the funniest things I’ve ever seen. It includes Mickey Mouse in a line with a small group of men and woman, doing such ridiculous choreographed, synchronized dance moves. That wasn’t even the best part. They were singing “I’m Walking Right Down the Middle of Main St. USA,” in Japanese, in an empty theme park. I guess you probably had to see it to think it was funny, though, but the whole theater was cracking up in their seats!
• The Alice in Wonderland Attraction dedication video topped the hilarity of the Tokyo Disneyland video, but for a different reason. Have you ever seen what the 1958 version of Mickey Mouse in the theme parks looked like? Sorry if I am about to scar you for life, but here it is:I didn’t want to have to show you that, but it was necessary for you to understand that we watched that face ride with “Alice” and Walt in a 2 minute-or-so video. To top it off, the bunny character with them had a mask that didn’t cover the back of his head, so a full head of hair and bare neck was poking out, and that key Walt is taking from Alice… well only one side is painted and it was flopping all over the place. Hilarious commentary during the clip was done by our hosts Billy and Justin, such as, “The next clip we are about to see is funny… well, more like.. creepy,” “That kind of looks like the rabbit from Donnie Darko,” and, (in reference to the rabbit) “His roots are showing.”
• Welcome to Pooh Corner was mentioned because of the 30th Anniversary of the Disney Channel. This was one of my favorite shows growing up!
• During the Nightmare Before Christmas portion of the show, Disney Archives Specialist Justin Arthur slipped on a pair of white gloves and uncovered what was hiding under a black sheet. From under it he pulled out an original prop from the movie! It was a jack-o-lantern! I was super excited! There was a hole underneath to put in a light to light it up when necessary, and it was made of foam and rubber. We were able to take a picture of it after the show!

• During the pumpkin reveal, he also pulled out the gaucho doll that Walt was given as a gift during his trip to South America! It was made from felt, with a tag on the arm that said “To: Walt Disney” and it was still in great condition. I wasn’t able to get a picture of this, but here is one I found from D23′s website! Does the doll look like Walt? Because it is supposed to be a caricature of him!

If there are still tickets available to an upcoming D23 Fanniversary in your city, you MUST go! You’ll be happy you did!

Angie has been a WDW addict since her first visit at age 8, and since then her life has never been the same! She lives in southeastern MA with her boyfriend, Kevin (fellow Disney lover), and their 3 dogs, Flip, Josie, and Hildy, where she is currently training to become a professional dog trainer.  Please join Angie every week in “Fish Are Friends, Not Food: Eating Vegan in WDW!” Angie believes that WDW is the most magical place for people with special diets, so, should you have any special diet questions (especially about vegan and gluten-free dining) she’d be happy to help! Angie is also an artist, and you can see her work at www.angiecarreiro.com!

The post 2013 D23 FaNNIVERSARY, Boston appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #315 for the week of March 10, 2013.

With the opening of Disney’s newsiest film release, Oz The Great and powerful, this week we’re going to look at the long, and lost, history of Disney and Oz. Going back to the 1930′s, we’ll look at Walt Disney’s quest to tell the tales of the land of Oz, what almost was, and what never came to be. You’ll hear untold stories from Jim Korkis, including the plot of the movie that was never made. We’ll also discuss Disney’s previous Oz offerings, it’s presence in the Walt Disney World theme parks including the Great Movie Ride. There, we’ll look at how The Wizard of Oz was supposed to be seen in that attraction, and why it never came to be. We’ll finish off with a discussion of the new film, and what the future may hold.
I’ll have the answer to our last Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new challenge for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

Stay tuned for more WDW Radio event and meet information before playing some of your voicemails at the end of the show. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

- Lou Mongello
http://LouMongello.com

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Have you seen Oz The Great and Powerful? What did you think? Leave your answer in the comments section below!

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store

CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS AND TICKETS!

Listen to the full, UNTOLD story and synopsis of the unmade Disney film, The Rainbow Road to Oz

Purchase your copy of Jim Korkis’ new books in print or on Kindle from Amazon.com (affiliate links):

Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South? And Other Forbidden Disney Stories		The Revised Vault of Walt: Unofficial, Unauthorized, Uncensored Disney Stories Never Told
	xxx
Paperback or Kindle		Paperback or Kindle

The post WDW Radio # 315 – Disney and Oz: History, Stories, Walt, The Great Movie Ride & more! appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Join Lou as he shows you a hidden details at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World that tells a story about an important part of the history of Walt Disney.

Have you ever seen this door? Do you know where you can find it in Disney’s Hollywood Studios?

Thanks for watching!

- Lou Mongello

The post Video: Hidden Walt Disney Tribute at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Walt Disney World appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

From November 4-8, 2012, Lou Mongello joined hundreds of friends and listeners of WDW Radio for the second annual WDW Radio Cruise on the Disney Dream. WDWRadioCruise.com

We were joined by our very special guest, Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman of the Sherman Brothers. The Sherman Brothers have written timeless classics such as the music from Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Aristocats, The Tigger Movie, it’s a small world, There’s a Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow, Epcot’s Imagination Pavilion, The Tiki Tiki Tiki Room and countless others.

Mr. Sherman performed a private concert only for WDW Radio guests, and told stories of working with Walt Disney, Julie Andrews, and Dick VanDyke, and on theme park attraction songs for Disneyland and Walt Disney World.

Here is just a small sample of our memorable, intimate concert with Richard M. Sherman.

Join us on our next WDW Radio cruise by visiting WDWRadioCruise.com

Thanks for watching!

- Lou Mongello

The post Video: Disney Legend Richard M. Sherman Concert on the Disney Dream with WDW Radio appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #305 for the week of December 16, 2012.

I’m here to help you have the best possible Disney vacation experience, and bring you some Disney magic to to wherever you are with this podcast, videos, blog, live broadcasts, events, trivia books, CDs and more. You can find it all at WDWRadio.com

This week we’re going to connect the dots and talk about one of Walt Disney World’s most popular attractions, the story that serves as the inspiration for it, and look at its history, significance, and controversy. Jim Korkis joins me as we discuss Disney’s 1946 animated and live action film Song of the South and its connection to Splash Mountain. We’ll talk about the attraction and the film, including it’s connection to Walt, its production, the debate, its future, and Jim’s new book, “Who’s Afraid of Song of the South.” It’s a fascinating look at a film that many people have not seen, yet features characters and songs that delight people in the Disney parks so many years after its initial release.

I’ll have the answer to our last Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new challenge for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll then have some announcements at the end of the show, including information about the new, free WDW Radio app for iPhone, iPad, Android and Windows mobile devices! So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: Have you seen Song of the South? Would you like it to be released on DVD? Leave your answer in the comments section below!

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store

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The WDW Radio Disney Podcast app is now available and FREE in the iTunes App Store for iPhone, iPod and iPad devices, as well as Google Play for Android devices! And stay tuned – Windows mobile version is set to be released very soon!

This free app allows you to not only listen to the show by streaming it directly to your device, but also:

• Subscribe to the show in iTunes
• Read the blog for the latest news, articles, contests, photos and more
• Watch our Disney videos via our YouTube channel (please subscribe at YouTube.com/WDWRadio)
• Tune in to our LIVE broadcasts
• Connect and follow via Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
• See a schedule of upcoming Events
• Chat with other Disney fans in our fun, free, family-friendly discussion forums
• Subscribe to our FREE email Newsletter
• Shop our store for WDW Radio logo gear, Walt Disney World Trivia Books, and Audio Tours of the parks
• Work with Lou
• And more

You can also scan this QR code using your smartphone to instantly be taken to the app page

The app will also feature exclusive access to what else is “coming soon” from WDW Radio, including product releases, announcements, discounts, contests and more!

If you have any suggestions or feature requests, email app@wdwradio.com

It’s fun, and FREE, so download it today, and if you like the app, please rate and review the App in the iTunes store!

 

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Purchase your copy of Jim Korkis’ new books in print or on Kindle from Amazon.com (affiliate links):

Who’s Afraid of the Song of the South? And Other Forbidden Disney Stories		The Revised Vault of Walt: Unofficial, Unauthorized, Uncensored Disney Stories Never Told
	xxx
Paperback or Kindle		Paperback or Kindle

.

The post Show # 305 – Dec.16, 2012 – Song of the South & Splash Mountain appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #302 for the week of November 25, 2012.

I’m here to help you have the best possible Disney vacation experience, and bring you some Disney magic to to wherever you are with this podcast, videos, blog, live broadcasts, events, trivia books, CDs and more. You can find it all at WDWRadio.com

Part of what I hope to share with you on this show is not just Walt Disney World vacation planning tips, but some of the stories, secrets, history, details and people that make Disney what we have come to love and enjoy. So this week, I want to share with you a conversation I had with a someone who Walt Disney called an “Idea Man” – Disney Legend Al Konetzni. In his nearly 30 years with the company, he developed countless ideas for toys, clothing, stationery, greeting cards, jewelry and more, featuring beloved Disney characters, including the famous Pez Mickey and Mickey Mouse lunchbox. Al shares his personal journey, including working with Walt, and advice for those looking to become an artist for Disney.

I’ll have the answer to our last Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week, and pose a new challenge for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll then have some announcements at the end of the show, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is your favorite Disney collectable? Leave your answer in the comments section below!

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store

The post Show # 302 – November 25, 2012 – Disney Legend Al Konetzni appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #298 for the week of October 27, 2012.

This week, I invite you to join me on a quest through Walt Disney World, as we explore the details, stories, tributes and references layered throughout the parks to the man who truly started it all, as we look to Finding Walt… in Walt Disney World. It’s a fun journey that that will hopefully help you connect the dots between what you see and the meaning, and the man, behind it.

Answer the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll then have some announcements including how you can help the show, so sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

QUESTION OF THE WEEK: What is your favorite tribute to Walt Disney in Walt Disney World? Leave your answer in the comments section below!

Richard Sherman Interviews – WDW Radio Show #80 and WDW Radio Show #135

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World, including our 2013 list of events “On the Road!” – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Mini-Guide to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival! – Use code WDWRADIO to save 20%!

Follow Lou on Twitter and

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The post Show # 298 – October 28, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.

Hello and welcome to The WDW Radio Show – Your Walt Disney World Information Station. I am your host, Lou Mongello, and this is show #294 for the week of September 30, 2012.

I’m here to help you have the best possible Disney vacation experience, and bring you some Disney magic to to wherever you are with this podcast, videos, blog, live broadcasts, events, trivia books, CDs and more. You can find it all at WDWRadio.com

This past weekend we celebrated EPCOT Center’s 30th anniversary, and I once again want to share with you an interview with someone who knows the park and it’s history very well, as he was there far before it opened to the public. Disney Legend Charles Ridgway joins me to discuss not just the opening and early days of the park, but working closely with Walt Disney, his vision for EPCOT and how closely the current park may have followed his dream. We talk about the challenges, people, attractions, characters, executives and much more, as Charlie recounts stories that have never been shared before. We discuss how EPCOT has changed and evolved through the years, why we look to the past to gaze into the future and much more.

See how you did on last week’s Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week and answer this week’s challenge for your chance to win a Disney prize package.

I’ll then have some announcements at the end of the show. If you missed our live broadcast from Epcot’s 30th on October 1, you’ll definitely want to stay tuned to hear about what’s coming for (and to) you in 2013 and much more. So sit back, relax, and enjoy this week’s episode of the WDW Radio Show.

Thanks for listening! Be sure to tune in next week!

Information and Links from This Week’s Show

Purchase Charles Ridgway’s book, Spinning Disney’s World at Amazon.com

Click here to see a list of upcoming events, experiences, meets and more in 2013!!!

• Listen to this week’s episode for the Walt Disney World Trivia Question of the Week for a chance to win a Disney prize package!
• Disney Meets and WDW Radio Meets of the Month in Walt Disney World – Get dates and locations on our Events page
• Watch & chat during our LIVE WDW NewsCast Wednesdays at 7:30pm ET at WDWRadioLIVE.com
• For more videos, subscribe to our WDW Radio channel on YouTube or the show in iTunes
• Get Celebrations Magazine on your iPad/iPhone in iTunes App Store
• Check out the Disney Food Blog e-book: The DFB Mini-Guide to the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival! – Use code WDWRADIO to save 20%!

Follow Lou on Twitter and

The post Show # 294 – September 30, 2012 appeared first on WDW Radio - Your Walt Disney World Information Station by Lou Mongello.