Disney World News: Halloween Party Dates, Big Thunder Reopens & Soarin’ Tips

In this week’s episode of Main Street Talk, we cover a big week of Walt Disney World news, including Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party dates, ticket details, and why you should book early for this popular event.

At Magic Kingdom, we discuss the reopening of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and its unexpected downtime, plus updates on closures and construction around the park.

Over at EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, we share Food & Wine Festival dates, attraction updates, and previews for the Muppets-themed Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. We also touch on Animal Kingdom news and expansion details inspired by Encanto.

Our attraction spotlight is Soarin’ Around the World, including tips on the best seats and what to expect.

This week’s movie feature is The Littlest Outlaw, plus we share Disney history, baby animal updates, and a helpful travel tip.

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Transcript

Nick 0:31

Hello everybody. Welcome to this week's episode of the Main Street Talk Podcast. Your go- to podcast for all things Walt Disney World related, all the news and the updates and the tips and tricks. I'm your host, Nick, and as always with me is Joni. Hi, Dan. So we got, a lot to get to today. Some big news going on. So I think we'll just get right into it.

Joni 0:52

Okay.

Nick 0:52

We're gonna start in Magic Kingdom. We're a day, a very popular day on Disney as everybody's waiting for Halloween party tickets and Christmas tickets. Well, we have some information on the Halloween tickets. The Mickey's Not So Scary Halloween party dates have been announced. It is going to be August 7th through October 31st on select nights. The ticket prices will vary per day and will be available for purchase starting on May 5th for Disney World Resort Hotel Guest and on May 12th for all other guests. Tickets will range from 119 to$229. And that, as always, the 229 is the high end, usually, you know, closer to Halloween, yeah.

Joni 1:35

Sure. And Halloween.

Nick 1:36

The details on not so scary is it's going to start at 7:00 PM to midnight, as always, and party guests can enter Magic Kingdom at 4:00 PM, three hours before the event.

Joni 1:46

Uh-huh.

Nick 1:47

Officially begins. It's

Joni 1:48

Yeah. Any sneak peeks on what the little Do they give out the trick-or-treat bag again, or?

Nick 1:55

trick or treaty will be back. Yep. Parade's going to be back. Every, everything's the same. Yeah, what you're accustomed to. I think I read Stitch might be doing something different. I don't know. There was a lot of information coming out on it as it came in. So and there are deals for resorts. Okay. So, if you want to go to Not So Scary, book a room, get it in early before, because it's a very popular season, Halloween season at Disney.

Joni 2:20

season at Disney. Get at your boy, Nick.

Nick 2:22

Contact me and we can get that all set in stone. Okay. All right. We'll go to while we're in Magic Kingdom anyways, but we're going to talk about Big Thunder Mountain. Officially reopened today.

Joni 2:33

Mm-hmm. Today

Nick 2:34

is May 3rd. It's hit a snag. I've been kind of monitoring this today. It was available to ride at park opening. Standby was at 130 minutes by

Joni 2:43

10:00 AM. Whoa.

Nick 2:43

AM. So everybody was rope dropping it.

Joni 2:47

They missed it.

Nick 2:48

but it's been down today. It went down today. There's not a lot of details on why. There's reports of a fire extinguisher, something on the, the loading deck. They're not, nothing confirmed. Somebody

Joni 3:01

set one of those dynamite crates out.

Nick 3:03

So, but it did open today and it, it is As we're speaking, it's currently down, but hopefully they get that fixed. And they- Do, did, they,

Joni 3:12

did the riders or the line receive express passes when, if it opens back

Nick 3:18

I don't know. This is kind

Joni 3:20

I don't even know if they would be able to accommodate

Nick 3:22

Yeah, I don't know. There's a lot of

Joni 3:23

point, it's getting pretty

Nick 3:24

Like I said, it was 130 minutes at 100 AM. When I looked at, it would have been Disney noon, around noon time. It was at 90 minutes. So it hasn't been down all day, but it ha- it is down currently.

Joni 3:36

currently. Okay.

Nick 3:37

And they did add tall fences around Big Thunder Mountain Rail- railroad to hide the construction of Piston Peak and Villains Land.

Joni 3:45

Okay, well

Nick 3:45

So they're trying

Joni 3:46

That always happens.

Nick 3:47

conceal that. From what I was reading today, it can still be seen, some of it.

Joni 3:52

Ooh.

Nick 3:53

also, as far as ride closures go, nobody knows why, but the haunted mansion at Magna Kingdom has been closed for two days with no sign of reopening as of 11:30 AM. It was reported that some people are getting messages on their My Disney Experience app expressing apologies that the ride is down, so it's gonna be down. There was no scheduled refurbishment or nothing. Nobody knows what's going on, but it is down.

Joni 4:19

Okay. When did that go down? Yesterday,

Nick 4:20

Yesterday, Saturday. It has not been available Saturday or Sunday.

Joni 4:24

Oh. Huh. That's a bummer. Yeah. I'm in

Nick 4:27

I'm just some better news.

Joni 4:28

Okay, yes,

Nick 4:29

please. Pete's Silly Side Show at Magic Kingdom has a new tent roof replacing the torn and faded roof that was removed earlier this year. And the meet and greet location has been closed since January with characters meeting outside instead.

Joni 4:41

Uh-huh.

Nick 4:41

And we now know when Big Owls and Western Ho and Magic Kingdom will likely close permanently. They are closing for construction for Piston Peak National Park and the website has no operating hours for Big aisles after May 10th and no hours for Westward Ho after June 21st.

Joni 5:00

Mm-hmm.

Nick 5:01

those are closing permanently.

Joni 5:03

Mm-hmm.

Nick 5:03

Over to Epcot.

Joni 5:04

I thought you said good news.

Nick 5:06

said good news. Well, I forgot. I forgot about that one. We'll go to Epcot.

Joni 5:09

Now this time, promise. Okay.

Nick 5:11

There's other big news at Epcot. Disney has released the details and dates for this year's International Food and Wine Festival. Mm-hmm. The festival will run from August 27th through November 21st. But you know what? I do have some really good news later. Okay. And I didn't tell you about it.

Joni 5:26

I love

Nick 5:27

gonna be thrilled.

Joni 5:27

me. I like it when it get goosebumps all over, for some of the news.

Nick 5:31

And Walt Disney World cast members will be the first to experience soaring across America at Epcot. Starting May 6th, eligible cast members and employees can register for previews that will take place throughout May. Cast members can register for one date with up to three guests, and Soarn officially opens to the public on May 26th. Sorn across America, sorry. Hollywood Studios. Cast member preview details for rock and rollercoaster starring the Muppets have been announced. Starting May 6th, eligible cast members and employees can register for previews, which will take place on select dates in May. Again, cast members can sign up for one date with up to three guests. And that opens to the public on May 26th. And Monstropoe's steaming permits have been filed for the former Muppet Vision 3D Theater, Pizza Rizzo and Mama Mel Roses. In the painting of the Walt Disney Studio's billboard and the theater for The Little Mermaid, a musical adventure is complete as part of the reimagined animation courtyard there at Hollywood Studios. It's a cool sign. It's very retro. Mm. The old Walt Disney Studio sign. Yeah, it's really cool. And over to Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney Imagine Green has filed set installation permits for the new Indiana Jones ride.

Joni 6:44

Question. Stopping you. I know we're talking Indiana Jones and I know it's completely different, but any news on the other they insert the, the, the ball

Nick 6:53

No. As far as I know, the stunt show? Yeah. As far as I know, they have not.

Joni 6:58

okay. I have

Nick 6:58

I have not read that they

Joni 6:59

Wow, maybe they're just writing it out.

Nick 7:01

They could be,

Joni 7:02

That was a huge thing in the movie though.

Nick 7:04

It was a big thing in the movie. That's a very memorable scene in the movie. Yeah. Yeah. They have not. So, but we'll keep you posted. I have not read that it has.

Joni 7:13

Okay. Anyway, I didn't want to distract you, but when you're talking to Indiana Jones, you know, I'm like one track line I gotta- What wall? Yeah, where is it?

Nick 7:20

Where's the ball? And in the latest update about the new tropical Americas, we learned information about the Encanto ride.

Joni 7:30

Mm-hmm. Guests

Nick 7:31

will be invited to celebrate Antonio's new gift, the ability to talk to animals, and along the way, we'll learn that no matter what our special gifts and abilities are, we're all part of the familia of all living things. And Disney also shared insights into its creation of tropical Americas. Expeditions to Mexico and Central America Imagineers visited the Mayan ruins of Copan in Honduras to study agent stone carving techniques and local quarries ensuring the Indiana Jones Temple looks authentic. Cultural immersion in Columbia, the team traveled through the same Colombian towns that inspires Encanto to capture the specific architecture, vibrant colors, and lived in feel of the traditional town square. So- You know,

Joni 8:14

Disney just doesn't miss a beat. When it does it, it does it right.

Nick 8:17

they get on a plane and they, they do some

Joni 8:18

And they're there for weeks and weeks with d- with multiple researchers.

Nick 8:25

And they also worked with local artists to study folk art and traditional craftsmanship, which inspire details like the hand-carved animals on the land's new wood carousel.

Joni 8:34

Hmm.

Nick 8:35

That's what I have for Park News. Okay. Over to Miscellaneous, Toy Story five will be the first in the franchise with a PG rating.

Joni 8:44

Ooh.

Nick 8:44

Yep. And also Toy Story five will

Joni 8:47

Getting risque. Yeah.

Nick 8:48

I can tell in that line, Disney. I

Joni 8:50

I don't know. Toy

Nick 8:52

Five also-

Joni 8:53

All your 12 year olds, you gotta wait.

Nick 8:55

Toy Story five is likely Andrew Stanton's last Pixar film. He was Pixar's ninth employee and second animator. He's been with the studio for 36 years since he was 24 years old and he's now 60. He's directing it and he said this is likely his last, but he also said there was another movie that he said was like his last in 2015. I

Joni 9:18

Yeah, and you know what? When you, when you do what you love, you just, you can't stop.

Nick 9:23

Yeah, but he did say in the same article that making one of these movies is, just one movie is the equivalent of earning a four-year degree, time-wise and effort-wise, is what he

Joni 9:34

I bet. But the more you do it, the more it just, you know, you got the flow. Experience.

Nick 9:39

yeah. So

Joni 9:40

Oh, well that's, that'll be, he'll be missed for that. And a live

Nick 9:43

a live action

Joni 9:44

But come on, a Toy Story five, I think we're Toy Storied, you know, at some point.

Nick 9:48

I think they're gonna make-

Joni 9:49

11.

Nick 9:49

I have not read, confirmed, but I heard maybe two more

Joni 9:52

Oh my word.

Nick 9:53

heard. So I don't know. Woody and Buzz are gonna start getting some achy

Joni 9:56

I don't know. Yeah, they're gonna have like balding and gray hair.

Nick 10:01

Yeah. And a live action Casper series is in the works for Disney Plus. So far it's in the very early stages of development and is a modern update on the classic ghost story. Disney won against other major streamers to gain access to the project.

Joni 10:15

Hmm.

Nick 10:16

And in Josh tomorrow's first, I guess, major business decision, he has decided not to turn ESPN into a standalone company. There was talk

Joni 10:26

that-

Nick 10:26

that might happen. He decided not to do that. So you ready for the really good news? Yeah, We have a slew of new animals to welcome. We do. She's smiling.

Joni 10:38

Yay.

Nick 10:39

Yay. The newest star is Massai Giraffe calf,

Joni 10:43

Aw.

Nick 10:44

Oh. Born April 26th to Mom Willow.

Joni 10:47

Oh, the giraffes are my favorite.

Nick 10:49

This female calf weighed 120 pounds and stood nearly six feet tall at birth. Oh, oh

Joni 10:54

Oh my word.

Nick 10:55

my word. Her arrival is now a major win for conservation as Masai giraffes are currently endangered. She is currently bonding with her mother in a backstage habitat at Animal Kingdom. Disney has announced she will make her public debut on the Savannah at Kilimanjaro Savares later this summer, and she'll eventually join the rest of her herd, including her popular half brother, Tucker, born in 2025.

Joni 11:17

What is her name again?

Nick 11:18

Her name It doesn't say. Her mom is Willow.

Joni 11:22

No, Mama's name's Willow. Yeah.

Nick 11:23

Mama's name's Willow.

Joni 11:25

Maybe they don't have a name yet. Maybe not. That's okay. Sometimes you have to see the baby and experience the

Nick 11:30

see if I can find that while you're doing,

Joni 11:32

But Tucker's brother's name.

Nick 11:34

Tucker is brother, half brother. Thank you. Yep.

Joni 11:36

Okay. Oh, how cute is that?

Nick 11:39

The historic arrival, Mabel, the Ank- I don't know if I'm saying this right. Mabel the Ankole calf. Mabel is making history as the first Ankle calf born at Walt Disney World in over 24 years. Ankle cattle are famous for their massive sweeping horns, which Mabel will eventually grow into. She is currently at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Joni 11:58

Mabel is such a calf cow name. Isn't it? Yeah. I'm sorry if there's any Mabels out there, but I think it just, it's a perfect, just like spot or is for a dog or whatever. Yeah.

Nick 12:08

And Mabel is currently being cared for backstage, but ex- is expected to join the animal rotation on Animal Kingdom Lodge. Savannah's this summer. You ready for this? The Lodge Squad. Ooh. Red River Hog Piglets. Oh

Joni 12:21

Oh my gosh.

Nick 12:22

There are four new piglets in total. Three males, Mason, Cooper and Philip, were born to Mom Clementine, and a female Demi was born shortly after to Mom Persimmon. The Ara Animal Kingdom Lodge. And it says,"Where to see her, these en- or where to see them, these energetic piglets are already starting to explore the Savannah habitat at the lodge, but they're sticking very close to their moms."

Joni 12:46

I have a question because I don't recall ever seeing pigs at the lodge. I didn't know.

Nick 12:51

That's what it's telling me.

Joni 12:53

We've, we've rounded all those

Nick 12:55

something else. Yep. I'll double check that.

Joni 12:57

Either they're hiding or I don't know what's going on, but Okay. Well, cute. We got four new babies there. We got a baby calf. We cow, we got a baby giraffe.

Nick 13:08

Parker the Nayala. What?

Joni 13:09

What?

Nick 13:10

Parker is a male Nayalakov, calf. He was born with white stripes and spots that help him hide in tall grass. As he gets older, he'll lose these spots. His coat will darken and he'll grow spiral horns.

Joni 13:21

Okay. So what is he? Is he like a, like a alb- what does he, what kind of animal does he resemble?'Cause I don't know what

Nick 13:28

I don't know. A Nyala.

Joni 13:30

Niala

Nick 13:30

calf. Okay.

Joni 13:32

Okay. I'll have to look it up.

Nick 13:33

up. Yeah. He is an Animal Kingdom Lodge. He is currently setting, settling into the lodge of Savannah where he can be seen by guests.

Joni 13:41

Hmm. Told

Nick 13:42

you I had some good news. Yes.

Joni 13:44

I love it. That's lots of babes. Yeah.

Nick 13:46

Yeah.

Joni 13:47

I'm happy for that. And a lot of them are at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Nick 13:51

Yeah. Oh, the Niola calfs are, Did you look it up? No. You, you'll know them when you see'em.

Joni 13:57

Okay. Well, can you pronounce what they're you tell me? Just tell me.

Nick 14:01

They're-

Joni 14:01

Tell everyone.

Nick 14:02

I, like I said, they're, they're white stripes. They're brown.

Joni 14:06

Have we seen them

Nick 14:06

They always look like a deer.

Joni 14:07

like a deer. Okay. So-

Nick 14:09

With white stripes, kind

Joni 14:10

Okay. Have we seen them on any of like the documentaries we've seen lately?

Nick 14:15

I don't know. Let me

Joni 14:16

Can you turn your computer around here? Let me see what you're looking at. I just want to take a peek. Oh. Yeah, he does look like a zebra deer. Well, he's cute though. That's,

Nick 14:25

though. That's, I mean, that's not him, but that's just

Joni 14:27

the- No.

Nick 14:27

Yeah. That's the species that Nyala Calf.

Joni 14:30

They have little rounded ears?

Nick 14:32

they look like deer.

Joni 14:33

Yeah.

Nick 14:33

But that is all I have for news. Okay. That was a lot. It wasn't- Lot of animals.

Joni 14:38

Lots of babes.

Nick 14:39

yeah, we like that. And you know, you usually ask me, not usually, but once in a while you'll ask me if there any, or how are the animals? Are the animals okay? And I was hoping you would ask me. Well-

Joni 14:47

Well- But

Nick 14:47

But you didn't today.

Joni 14:48

I know, but

Nick 14:49

So I had to insert it in.

Joni 14:51

And generally speaking though, when I ask you, you're like,"Oh, you

Nick 14:54

Nothing new.

Joni 14:54

nothing new, nothing new." So I just quit asking.

Nick 14:57

The day- That we needed you to ask. I know.

Joni 15:00

And now next week I'm gonna ask again, how are the babies doing?

Nick 15:03

Now I'm gonna say, listen to last week's show. Okay.

Joni 15:06

All right. Okay, that's all I have.

Nick 15:06

Okay, that's all I have. Let's go to spotlight on attraction. Okay.

Joni 15:10

Today we are going to be finishing up in World Nature and our last experience here is soaring around the world. It is inside the Land Pavilion within the world nature neighborhood. Disney's description says, take flight on a breezy airborne adventure as you hang light above the breathtaking wonder of the world. And height requirement is 40 inches or taller. The capacity accommodates 87 guests per flight, which totals 2100 guests per hour. So how that-

Nick 15:47

2100 per hour? 2100 per hour.

Joni 15:49

per hour. 2100 per hour. I'm gonna break it down. So there's three theaters. Okay. So there's the A, B, C. Yeah. Okay. So, and within each theater, there are motion bases. You know, there's one in the center, one off to the left, one off to the right. Yeah. Within each base, there are three rows. Okay. Yeah.

Nick 16:09

Okay. Yeah.

Joni 16:09

Each row seats 10 people. So

Nick 16:13

So, okay, 30 per- Base. Yeah. Okay.

Joni 16:16

Yeah. So it's a lot. There's quite a bit going in there. So I'm also gonna give a little hint on where the best seat's at in the house for this. We did our research. Well, I did our research before we had gone there with the boys the first, first, my first visit. The absolute best seat is to avoid the dangling feet and the elimination of the side screen distortion. So you're front center. There's nothing hanging in your way, you know? Is Concourse B, write this down, concourse B, row one, you can also call it B1. Mm-hmm. So they have A, B, C. B1 is where you wanna be, because when you get seated on them, then they stack into, you know, they come, they merge together and then they're kind of like on a, like a wheel that would- Sure. you know, one on top of the other, on top

Nick 17:03

So you can request from the cast one- Yeah. or to be seat in B1, be nice. Yes. They don't have to do it.

Joni 17:10

It just says-

Nick 17:11

we gotta-

Joni 17:12

ask a cast member at the final merge point to wait for B1, which may require waiting for the next flight, or if B1 isn't available and you don't wanna wait, B2 is the next option and it is actually the truer center.

Nick 17:30

Right.

Joni 17:31

Because B1 you're gonna be higher, so you're gonna be like- Right. more so downward, but B2 is literally straight front. But with that position, you are gonna have feet dangling. Mm-hmm. So B1 is, in my opinion, the one to go for, B2 is the next option. It is a tier two, and it is highly recommended that you choose this as your top pick for your tier two rides. Guests must transfer from a wheelchair to the ride vehicle. The duration is approximately five and a half minutes. It opened in Walt Disney World May 5th, 2005. On June 17th, 2016, the ride was renamed to Soaring Around the World, And so a little bit of bonus info, and Nick may have just talked about some of this, so I sorry if I'm spitting out the same info for you. I'm just going to read what I've got here. It's a popular flight simulation ride that stimulates hang gliding over famous global landmarks, like the Great Wall of China, and the Agazu Falls using a large 80 foot IMAX projection dome screen, providing aerial footage that allows guests to experience sensory effects of wind, sound, and scent for an immersive experience, riders sit in a multi-row vehicle equipped with a pull down shoulder restraint that lifts them in front of the screen, creating a sensation of flying. The ride had featured several films, including the original Soren Over California and the current Soren Around the World with the new version, Soaring Around America scheduled again May 26th, 2026. Please know that some riders may experience motion sickness even if you hadn't had motion sickness

Nick 19:20

Yeah.

Joni 19:20

It,

Nick 19:21

It, it can, it can.

Joni 19:22

So just be, be sensitive and mindful of that. So, that's what I have. I love Soaring.

Nick 19:28

I like Soren too. A little bit of motion sickness. I suffer from minor bouts of vertigo. Soren has never bothered The only ride that ever has bothered me at Disney is Mission Space Orange. But like I said, I have minor bouts of vertigo, so, but it can cause motion sickness, for sure.

Joni 19:43

So, yeah. Yeah,

Nick 19:44

but it's a really cool ride. I like Soren a lot. I'm

Joni 19:47

I'm excited to see the new one here.

Nick 19:49

Hopefully it's still there because we don't go till December, so hopefully it's still there. So,

Joni 19:53

we have not even seen Soren over California.

Nick 19:56

No, we have not.

Joni 19:57

we have not. We have only seen Soaring around the world. Yep. Hmm. I wonder if they plan on they at times show Soren over California, don't

Nick 20:05

they? They brought it

Joni 20:05

Don't they bring Yeah, I thought so.

Nick 20:07

it last year, the year before? It was very shortly, first, very short time.

Joni 20:12

Well, you know how Disney likes to lock everything in vaults for a while and then bring it back and, and all the rave just goes up again. You know, they could bring 101 Dalmatians back to the movie theaters and people are going It's going to be a sellout. Yeah.

Nick 20:23

I am looking at the baby giraffe. I do not have a name and I'm a, I'm straight on Disney Park's blog. Okay. But would you like to see her?

Joni 20:30

Yeah, I, of course.

Nick 20:32

Oh my

Joni 20:32

my God. Look at her little fuzzy hat. Oh, look at the mama giving her a hug. Oh my God, you have to post that. I will post the

Nick 20:39

the actual Disney Parks blog. I will just post this

Joni 20:41

Yes. Facebook page. And give credit to the Disney

Nick 20:44

Yeah. So yeah,

Joni 20:46

That is adorable. You can't love anything more than that right now.

Nick 20:50

Okay. Well, thanks, Joni. Thanks for soaring. Now that we're, Of course. looking at baby pictures of animals.

Joni 20:54

Oh, and then next, so next week we're gonna jump over into World Discovery, just another quick announcement.

Nick 21:00

We forgot to mention the baby animals in our backyard. Oh.

Joni 21:03

Oh.

Nick 21:03

We have a, we have a two baby foxes. We have a Fox family running around her

Joni 21:08

I think there's a den in our, we live on a ravine and I think there's a den back there. Last year we saw two adults and three babies playing around our fire pit and in our backyard. They didn't quite come up to the patio, but-

Nick 21:18

No, but these, the new ones are just hanging out. Yeah.

Joni 21:21

It was funny because one of the little babes, it was a, it was an adult one, I'm assuming the mama and two babies, and the mama's just sitting there, you know, kind of keeping look out. The babies are playing and kept, the baby kept coming over and nipping at her, at the base of her tail and making the mama flop around. And then another cool thing that happened, were you here when that happened? No. The deer? No. It was just the fox, the mama was on alert and it just kept looking and looking. And so I peeked out the window to see what it was looking. Here comes a deer strolling across the backyard. Yep. And then here comes another deer. And by this time the babes had gone down into the, over the fence or under the fence, it's

Nick 21:59

Back down to the, the hill, yeah.

Joni 22:01

And the mama was still sitting there and then here comes the second deer and then here comes the third deer and then mama said I'm out and she went down too. So it was, it was quite enthrilling, you know for the first 10 minutes being there, seeing all of that activity happening.

Nick 22:16

The joys of living in northwest Illinois.

Joni 22:19

Well, you know, and Nick was wondering, you know, we don't see any, he says,"We don't see any rabbits." Well, because we have a fox den somewhere in our, in our area. We're

Nick 22:26

coming anywhere near this. That's

Joni 22:28

right. All

Nick 22:28

right. All right. Now onto this week in Disney history.

Joni 22:31

Uh-huh. We

Nick 22:33

May 3rd, 1931 with the release of the Mickey Mouse short, The Moose Hunt.

Joni 22:37

Mm-hmm..

Nick 22:38

Mickey is out in the woods with his dog who had appeared in two previous shorts as an unnamed pup in a how named Rover, but in the moose hunt, he officially gets his name, Pluto. Really?

Joni 22:49

Well, happy anniversary today, Pluto. Happy birthday. You said the 3rd,

Nick 22:54

Yep, May 3rd.

Joni 22:55

yeah.

Nick 22:56

May 6th, 1940, the Walt Disney Studios officially completed their move to Burbank, California. After the massive, massive success of Snow White, Waltz used the profits to build a state-of-the-art studio on Buena Vista Street. This wasn't just an office move. It was the birth of the campus where Pinocchio, Fantasia, and nearly every classic thereafter would be produced. The studio, studio remains the company's global headquarters to this day. On May 9th, 1954, Walt's eldest daughter, Diane Disney, married Ron Miller. This was a pivotal moment for the company's future. Ron Miller would later serve as president and CEO of Walt Disney production in the early 1980s, overseeing the launch of the Disney Channel and the creation of Touchstone Pictures. May 9th, 2015, Disneyland fans got a wish granted that was 46 years in the making. Hat Box Ghost officially returned to the Haunted Mansion in Anaheim. He had famously appeared for only a few days when the ride opened in 1969 before being removed because it, the effect was not working right. So modern technology finally caught up to the Imagineer's vision and he's been losing his head ever since.

Joni 24:03

I love it.

Nick 24:04

I love it. 2023, finally on May 5th, 2023, Marvel Studios released Guardians of the Galaxy Volume three, and we all know how big of a success those are. That's what I have for this week in Disney History.

Joni 24:16

Okay. Perfect.

Nick 24:17

Okay. Perfect. Speaking of movies, blockbuster movies, what movie do we have this week?

Joni 24:21

Okay, so our movie of this week is the 1955 titled The Littlest Outlaw, Rated G. And this movie's first appearance was December 22nd, 1955. Runtime is 73 minutes. The budget is not publicly disclosed in standard industry, but it was produced as a significantly lower budget, small scale, on location endeavor compared to previous massive projects like 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. So, Box Office, huge. 1.6 million.

Nick 24:57

Really?

Joni 24:57

Yeah. Creators, we have director Roberto Gaveldon. Cinematography is Alex Phillips and music by William Lava. Oh, I lava you too. I wasn't able to get any specifics on this, and though it was essentially an original production, it may have been formalized or credited as being based on a short story titled The Little Outlaw by Robert L. Richards during Development. Disney, however, didn't adapt from this film from a well-known preexisting book, so the short story credit is more of an internal or developmental origin than of any famous work. So Disney quote, like, puts it as its original production- Right. but there is a story that's very similar.

Nick 25:44

it. Mm-hmm.

Joni 25:45

Mm-hmm. So the production locations, I've got several of these. The production location was Estudios, Charubusco in Mexico City, and I also have primary locations being San Miguel De Allende and the surrounding, Guanajarato region provided by the authentic backdrop for the film's landscape and rule scenes specific sites such as the ranch were shot at the Rancho Meson del Prado, and a lot of the authentic Mexican locations were used to showcase culture, featuring festivals and local scenery rather than California back lots. It's a family event Your film that blends drama with heartfelt themes of courage and loyalty. The story follows Pablito who befriends a spirited horse that has been deemed dangerous and is scheduled to be destroyed. Determined to save the animal, he runs away with the horse, leading to a journey filled with challenges, pursuit and personal growth. Along the way, the film explores themes of compassion, responsibility, and standing up for what is right, even in the face of authority. Like many Disney films of the era, it combines emotional storytelling with scenic settings and a moral lesson about empathy and bravery. So some of the sidekicks here, Poblito's main companion is Conquistador, who is a beautiful and spirited Mexican stallion. I did look up to see how old the horse was in this film. It doesn't give it, but knowing that the the trait or the actions that he's able to do, he was a mature horse. He wasn't like a cult or anything like that. Then we have Padre Elipiro, who is the priest that helps the couple out, the little boy horse duo. And then the Gypsies, a small group of travelers who briefly take them in during their journey across the Mexican countryside. He does have some family members, this little boy does. The general is his stepfather, and he's the one pursuing him through the entire film. His mother, who is caught in the middle, I don't really remember them showing her except maybe right at the beginning. I can't remember seeing his mom. I don't

Nick 28:04

don't remember the mother at

Joni 28:05

She's not given a name here. So anyway she's caught in the middle because she loves her son very much, but she's also very submissive to her husband. Yeah. And his authority, which causes Pablito to feel isolated. Follow up movies while there are no direct sequels, the film belongs to a specific era of Disney live action films from the 1950s and'60s that focuses on the bond between children and animals or stories set in, Spanish speaking cultures. Awards section, despite being a well-regarded example of early Disney live action storytelling, the film didn't win or receive any major industry award nominations such as Oscars or Golden Globes. While the film itself went unrecognized by major award bodies, its creator and producer, Larry Landsberg, was a highly decorated filmmaker in the animal genre. So when I was saying before about the story that this other gentleman was supposed to have been credited to Robert L. Richards, that was a book, or a little short

Nick 29:13

Short story that-

Joni 29:14

But they actually credit this other Yep, they accredit this other gentleman, Larry. And like I said, he was a highly decorated filmmaker in the animal genre. Pablito, played by Andres Valaquez, was singled out by critics at Variety as one of the best child performances of the era. So a couple little bonus infos on this show. It has several unique behind the scenes facts that make it stand out in Disney history, particularly regarding the production methods and cultural impact. So in order to save money on dubbing and to reach a global audience, while Disney employed a rare filming method in the, in that the actors filmed every single scene twice, once in English, and then they would go back and redo the entire scene in Spanish. Hmm. And the f- the reason for doing that is it allowed the film to feel free and natural in both languages rather than having mismatched lip syncs. Okay.

Nick 30:17

Okay, that one Yeah, okay. That makes sense.

Joni 30:19

You know, when you watch foreign films, you're, you know, we're always like,"Oh, their lips aren't matching up to the,

Nick 30:24

To the, to the speech, yeah.

Joni 30:26

yes. So that's why he did that. Good move. Much of the movie was filmed in the historical city of San Miguel. Before it became a major tourist hub, the bullfighting scenes were filmed at the Plaza Day Toros, Mexico in Mexico City, which is the largest bull ring in the world, and by using a primarily Mexican crew and cast, Disney helped support the golden age of Mexican cinema. As for Conquistador, who is the true star of the production, he was a highly trained stallion named Highland Dale, and he was trained by M Ralph McCutchen, The same man who trained horses for Fury and The Lone Ranger. And since there were no stunt doubles, most of the trick riding and emotional reactions were performed by the primary horse, which was very unusual for the time. So- Hmm. Yeah, pretty interesting. So- No

Nick 31:23

no stunt double horse? No stunt

Joni 31:24

horses? No stunt double horses. Nope, he did it all himself. So he's a one of a kind. So that's what I got for that.

Nick 31:31

Okay. What'd you think of it overall? We watched it a

Joni 31:33

It, we, yeah, yeah. Go one and done.

Nick 31:36

done. It was okay. Glad we watched it. Probably wouldn't watch it

Joni 31:38

we're gonna watch every single movie that comes along, so it's gonna take us eight years to

Nick 31:42

years to get through all of it. All right. Thanks, Joni. Oh,

Joni 31:44

Oh, you bet.

Nick 31:45

Onto this week's tip or trick. Now I have a list that I just use and this one just popped up, but it is a good tip or trick. This is for first time travelers, especially, or any travelers, really, if you don't want to spend the time and effort it does to take, to plan a Disney vacation, and that is to use a travel agent. Mm-hmm. It is a lot of time. It is a lot of information to absorb. The good thing about travel agents is if you book with a travel agent or you book straight through Disney's website or you call and book with Disney, it is the exact same price.

Joni 32:20

Yes.

Nick 32:21

The travel agent commission is built into the price. We're free to use to you and we do the small things like keeping eyes out for promotions anything like that. And we keep eyes out for if your hotel's gonna go through a refurb when you're there. M- maybe you're staying in a hotel because you like this pool and then we keep eyes out for the refurbishment of that pool. If it's gonna be closed during your stay, we're gonna call you and,"Hey, your pool's gonna be closed." And

Joni 32:48

and if I can make just a couple comments I had a complete misconception of travel agents. I thought that they charged a fee

Nick 32:57

way

Joni 32:57

back in the day. I had never used one-

Nick 33:00

mm-hmm.

Joni 33:01

because I was under the misunderstanding that there was a fee involved.

Nick 33:04

Some agents will charge a, a fee if, you know, if you're not booking the package through them and they just want some guidance. Some agents I don't know, every agent does, you know, does their own thing, but most will book dining reservations. I don't book lightning lanes, and I'll, the reason I don't is because you're gonna need to know how to do that when you're in the park. So getting the practice in before you're in the park is very good, but I would definitely guide you through it. But yeah, anyways, that's

Joni 33:34

gonna leave them hanging. You can definitely

Nick 33:36

Yeah, I'll give, I'll give a tip. I'll give a, a strategy. What, what do you want to do? What's important to you?

Joni 33:41

Just to kind of help them get, get that fright of using

Nick 33:44

the, Yep. the app.

Joni 33:44

the app.

Nick 33:45

Mm-hmm. But yeah you are gonna need to know how to book Lightning Lanes when you're in the park,

Joni 33:49

so. Mm-hmm.

Nick 33:50

All right. Yeah, that's my tip or trick. Usually travel agent. Yeah.

Joni 33:54

Yeah.

Nick 33:55

All right, well that's gonna do it for this week's show. Okay.

Joni 33:57

Okay.

Nick 33:58

Oh, I did forget. So we're gonna be doing, we gave away our$50 gift card- Yeah. last week. Now we're gonna do a different kind of giveaway. We're gonna give away a Nagic Candle Company, Car Air Freshener. It's gonna be, the information's gonna be on our Facebook-

Joni 34:13

bathroom, or office, or wherever you want to put it in your cubicle, in

Nick 34:16

a hanging freshener. Information will be on the Facebook group. I'll pin the post. The Facebook group is linked in the show notes. It is Disney World tips and tricks. Like I said, the link will be there because I know there's a few Facebook groups that are that name. Information will be in there, how to enter to win the air freshener.

Joni 34:33

Yeah. It'd be great for the dash drawer every time you got to open it to get, get a pen, you smell vacation. Yeah. You just smell vacation. My apologies. Yeah, that's right.

Nick 34:41

Yeah. That's fine. So our Facebook page is Main Street Talk, Facebook Group, like I said, Disney World Tips and Tricks. Instagram is Mainstreet TalkPodcast. The website is mainstreettalkpod.com. We are on YouTube. We are audio only, not video, and you can contact me for any travel, nick.garcia@genietravelcode.com. And we are affiliates of the Magic Candle Company. The link is on our website. Use the code MainStreetTalk@checkout for 15% off. We will be back next week with more Disney News, a new movie, a new attraction.

Joni 35:14

A new area.

Nick 35:15

A new area. All new area.

Joni 35:16

new area. Yeah.

Nick 35:17

Epcot area. So

Joni 35:19

Stay tuned.

Nick 35:20

we

Joni 35:20

you next week.

Nick 35:21

We'll talk to you real soon.

Joni 35:23

Bye, everyone.