• Disney's $60 Billion Parks Plan
    May 3 2024

    Riley and Aaron discuss Disney's announcement of investing $60 billion over 10 years into their parks, with $1.9 billion specifically going to Disneyland expansions.

    They analyze what the investments could go towards, like potential new lands, rides, and expansions based on concepts from Disney parks overseas.

    Aaron shares his experiences on new rides like Tron and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind during a recent trip to Walt Disney World.

    Both discuss their favorite parts of recent trips to Epcot and Hollywood Studios, including thoughts on Journey of Water and other attractions.

    They also look forward to the potential for the parks with this large investment and how Disney can stay ahead of the competition.

    Contact Info

    -mouseandcastle@gmail.com

    -@mouseandcastle

    -https://mouseandcastle.simplecast.com/

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    41 mins
  • Disneyland Trip Recap & 2023 Disney Movie Roundup
    Nov 24 2023

    In this episode, Aaron and Riley recap Aaron's recent trip to Disneyland with friends. Aaron shares his impressions of introducing first-time visitors to Disneyland and compares it to Walt Disney World. They also discuss some of the new areas like San Fransokyo in Disney California Adventure.

    Next, they dive into a discussion of the Disney theatrical releases of 2023. Elemental emerges as Aaron's favorite while Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 stands out as Riley's top pick. They debate the pros and cons of various films and discuss trends in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

    The episode concludes with Riley plugging his Geeky Stoics project and an invitation from Aaron to check out the return of Doctor Who on Disney+. Be sure to follow Mouse and Castle on social media and check out geekystoics.com for more great Disney and philosophy content!

    Contact Info

    -mouseandcastle@gmail.com

    -@mouseandcastle

    -https://mouseandcastle.simplecast.com/

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    1 hr and 12 mins
  • The Little Mermaid: A Worthy Remake?
    Aug 6 2023

    [0:00:01] Aaron and Riley discuss the new live-action Little Mermaid remake starring Halle Bailey as Ariel.

    [0:09:01] They talk about the new songs written for the film by Alan Menken, including Prince Eric's solo song "Wild Uncharted Waters" and King Triton's song "Impossible Child".

    [0:14:11] They debate the merits of the new songs and whether they added anything meaningful to the story.

    [0:18:32] They discuss the casting choices, with Riley liking Halle Bailey as Ariel and Melissa McCarthy as Ursula but Aaron feeling Javier Bardem as King Triton was a miss.

    [0:22:56] They touch on the box office performance of the film and debate whether live-action remakes are suffering from oversaturation or if the pandemic has changed audience behavior.

    [0:35:55] Overall, they agree the film had some creative high points but also some flaws, and Disney needs to find a balance between remakes and original stories going forward.

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    47 mins
  • Rising Prices, Falling Attendance & Nautical Escapes
    Jul 12 2023
    Summary:

    Intro to Episode 66. 0:01

    Revenge of the Sith mems.

    Intro to the episode. 1:47

    Star Wars talk might sneak into this episode.

    What qualifies as a Disney adult?

    Aaron shares his thoughts on being considered a Disney adult.

    Aaron talks about the question of whether or not he considers himself a Disney adult.

    Star Wars fandom is our escape. 7:48

    The podcast is representative of our Disney fandom.

    Star wars and disney fanship.

    The flood of clickbait articles on Disney attendance.

    Disney World declining attendance this summer.

    Is Disney’s declining attendance a good thing? 10:37

    How Disney is becoming a luxury brand.

    The cost of Disney is increasing.

    Disney is in a wake-up call.

    Aaron's take on Disney's financial constraints.

    Inflation vs. Inflation vs inflation. 14:50

    Inflation and the cost of Disney tickets today.

    The value of Disney World.

    Rethink ticketing across all parks.

    Reduce fees for parks.

    Disney Resorts to Politics. 18:09

    Staying on property at Disney is expensive.

    The classic Bonnet Creek.

    "Maintaining the brand value of accessibility and accessibility."

    The political climate at Disney.

    Why Disney has a loyal fan base.

    The brand value of Disney.

    Disney’s recent political stances. 25:17

    Disney's recent political stances and how people felt about it.

    Yacht Club's theming.

    Highlights of staying at the Yacht Club. 27:40

    Nautical-themed, simple touches like navy blue curtains and constellations.

    The highlights storm-along bay.

    How Disney has cracked down on park-to-parking at its parks.

    How the design of the yacht and beach clubs works together.

    Renting a boat to go fishing at Disney. 33:32

    Disney is repainting and doing a ton of stuff.

    Fishing is the eighth level of Disney.

    The Pina CoLAVA. 35:42

    The raspberry puree is a tart and tangy infusion into a typically sweet drink.

    The tartness of the raspberries is what makes it so refreshing. Yum

    The one-night stay at the yacht club.

    Paradise Pier, Disneyland.

    Plugs. 42:45

    s and Jedi: Fallen Order review - https://thisistheway.substack.com/ 

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    50 mins
  • Best and Worst Live Action Remakes
    May 8 2023

    In this episode of Mouse and Castle, we dive into the world of Disney's live-action remakes, exploring the hits and misses of these modern adaptations of beloved classics. Join Riley and Aaron as we discuss the best remakes that successfully recaptured the magic, like Cinderella, and Beauty and the Beast. We'll also delve into the ones that fell short of expectations, like Dumbo and Mulan.  Finally, we'll share our hopes and concerns for the future of Disney live-action remakes and upcoming projects like The Little Mermaid and Snow White!

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    1 hr and 11 mins
  • Disney's Best and Worst of 2022
    Dec 18 2022

    Riley and Aaron recount their best and worst of Disney in 2022.

    Movies + Disneyplus + Parks!

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    55 mins
  • Revenge of the Bob
    Dec 7 2022

    Riley and Aaron Break down the big breaking bob broadcast!

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    1 hr and 13 mins
  • In Defense of Bob Chapek (yes really)
    Jul 5 2022
    • We don’t talk about Chapek: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/09/business/disney-peter-rice.html?searchResultPosition=5
    • https://www.cnbc.com/2022/06/28/disney-board-votes-to-extend-ceo-bob-chapeks-contract-by-three-years.html
      • Does Aaron have feelings about Bob 2.0?
      • Riley has thoughts on Disney revenue… 
      • “The Parks, Experiences and Products segment reported revenue of $7.2 billion in Q1 FY 2022, rising 101.6% from the year-ago quarter. The segment posted operating income of $2.5 billion, a significant improvement from the operating loss of $119 million in Q1 FY 2021. The segment accounts for about 33% of Disney’s total revenue and about 62% of total operating income.” 
    • https://wdwnt.com/2022/06/adventures-by-disney-private-jet-trip-sold-out/
      • Presales for the trip opened on June 20 for previous Adventures by Disney Guests who have traveled on three or more adventures, previous Adventures by Disney Guests, and on June 24 for Golden Oak residents.
      • Seventy-five tickets were available for this 24 day adventure. Guests will stop at every Disney Park across the world as well as three additional landmarks: the Taj Mahal, the Pyramids of Giza, and the Eiffel Tower. The real-life Soarin’ adventure will fly out on July 9 and return on August 1.
    • https://www.wate.com/news/whats-in-disneys-5000-star-wars-cocktail/
    • Why Pricy Disney events are a good thing… 
    • https://www.polygon.com/23191458/splash-mountain-new-name-disney-world-disneyland-opening-date
    • https://wdwnt.com/2022/06/breaking-walt-disney-world-cancels-brightline-high-speed-rail-station-at-disney-springs/

    Contact Info

    mouseandcastle@gmail.com

    @mouseandcastle

    http://www.mouseandcastlepodcast.com

     

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    51 mins