201 - Disney: Moral Fixation

Season two is here and we couldn’t be more excited to be back in the swing of things. Our first ever episode was about Disney so the subject always holds a special place in my heart. Even with all the different topics we cover and the numerous fans of the show we have spoken to, Disney was almost always one of the topics of conversation.

Covering Disney media this year brought me a little more out of my comfort zone than season one. That’s not to say I can’t hold my own in Disney trivia, but Walt Disney World itself is what I pride myself in knowing more than the average bear.

When it came to doing the research, it was like strolling down memory lane of my childhood. Watching some of the films or some of the clips online brought a wave of emotions that I don’t get form anything else in the world. It was like watching home movies. Like I’ve said before, Disney is a huge part of who I am so it never felt like research or homework.

As far as the topics go, I went down the rabbit hole when it came to researching both Snow White myths/rumors associated with it. Digging into research of the history of cocaine was not something I expected, especially with the subject at hand. Also, learning about the artist who drew the phallic gate on the cover of the Little Mermaid put to rest some of my own previous misconceptions about the subject matter. See, even I learned something I didn’t know from this episode.

The most interesting topic for me was about Jessica Rabbit and her subliminal nudity. I had no idea something like that was true, as I’m sure most people assumed with the topless woman in The Rescuers. I learned the truth about that long before the podcast but Who Framed Roger Rabbit was not a film I had seen since I was younger. When Ryan told me about the reference to Alice in Wonderland written on the bathroom wall, I almost fell out of my chair. Little snippets of movies like that serve as their own form of history of the company and to know someone even referenced Michael Eisner puts into perspective the movies of that era. I don’t think something like that would ever see the light of day in 2016.

These Disney episodes are something Ryan, Greg, and myself always love doing. It means our podcast is back in full force, and it’s one that we always love spending countless hours diving into to get the most information we can. Disney Media is its own beast so I am glad we segregated these topics into their own episodes. Now to complete this trifecta, we are going to cover the man himself for season three.

We hope you enjoyed our kickoff to season two. I wanted to give a special thanks to all of you who came out and supported us for our release party. It was an astounding success and each one of you brought us a little more pixie dust to carry with us throughout the rest of the season. Have a magical day.  

-Josh

101 - Disney: Death and Turkey Legs

When brainstorming ideas for the Rumor Flies podcast, Ryan and I tossed around a lot of ideas for a jumping off point. After a couple of cold ones and some Rocket League relaxation, it was an almost euphoric reaction when the subject of Disney came up. Both of us immediately knew this was where we wanted to breach the world of podcasting and hopefully lay the foundation of this podcast.

As a little aside about me, the Walt Disney Company is something that has always been part of my life. I grew up visiting the theme parks in Orlando multiple times a year for as long as can remember walking. My parents gobbled up every possible VHS they could get their hands on before they were locked up in the vault for my brother, sister, and family to enjoy. Hell, my mother worked for the Disney Store, and eventually Disney World, throughout my adolescence. To say that Disney was a major influence on my perspective of the world would be a gross understatement. 

For the sake of transparency, I’ll come clean and admit that I didn’t have to engross myself in research like most other subjects that we eventually covered. That’s not to say I didn’t do my due diligence, but most of the subject matter we chose wasn’t foreign to me. I’ve always been fascinated with Disney and how it has been a major impact on the world around me. I’ve spent countless nights reading message boards of rumors of the parks or watching Youtube videos of attractions of yesteryear. Some people are fascinated with WWII or the American Revolution, but it was always about Walt Disney for me. 

The most terrifying aspect of the podcast wasn’t sitting in front of the microphone for the first time, it was knowing how much hostility I would endure if I royally screwed this up. I know my friends and family were going to hang on my every word and be my harshest critiques. Looking back on it, I would like to believe that I did them proud.At the end of the day, I think that we picked a great first episode.

People have strong convictions about the company but that doesn’t necessarily mean all sunshine and rainbows. As I sit here racking my brain, I’ve never met an individual that has ever been apathetic about that Disney. It has left a mark on society that other companies can only dream of emulating. Ryan, Greg, and I managed to be engaging and informative about different avenues of the parks that people may not have been privy to before listening to the podcast. We put a lot of pressure on ourselves for our first episode and I hope that we delivered. We hope you enjoyed our first episode. Have a magical day.

-Josh