The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill and Lauren Hersey explore the holiday shopping season, from Disney’s TikTok Shop to festive popcorn buckets and sippers. Then they follow the Avengers: Doomsday marketing blitz through WWE, Dunkin’ and KFC. Jim wonders whether Doctor Doom merchandise will find an audience as the movie approaches. NEWS • Disney expands its TikTok Shop with holiday promotions and early merchandise releases. • Toy Story gingerbread house and holiday train popcorn buckets join new seasonal sippers. • WWE’s Walt Disney World events bring an Avengers: Doomsday crossover to ESPN Wide World of Sports. • Dunkin’, KFC and other partners roll out Doomsday-themed food and collectibles. • Jim and Lauren consider the flood of Doctor Doom merchandise ahead of the film. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter and Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com • Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 | Instagram: @lauren_hersey_ FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Be Our Guest Vacations can help plan Disney and Universal hotels, tickets and dining at no extra cost. https://beourguestvacations.com/?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=iwantthat If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lauren and Eric Hersey explore a Disney patent that could let costumed characters hold real-time conversations with guests, and wonder whether Talking Mickey deserves a second act. From chatting with Figment to asking Woody a question, they debate where artificial intelligence could add magic and where it could create problems. They also revisit the original Talking Mickey and the creative explanations parents use when kids ask why their favorite characters stay silent. Parents, a heads-up: this episode discusses the people and technology behind character meet-and-greets. HIGHLIGHTS • Disney’s AI patent could give characters recognizable voices and real-time conversations, but a park rollout is not confirmed. • Remembering Talking Mickey at Town Square Theater and the challenges of giving characters a voice. • Figment, Olaf, and the Toy Story gang top the wish list for characters worth having a conversation with. • Noisy character meals, longer lines, and unpredictable AI responses could complicate the magic. • A Cars-inspired parking attendant concept prompts a debate about automation and Cast Member jobs. HOSTS • Lauren Hersey: X/Twitter @laurenhersey2 | Instagram @lauren_hersey_ • Eric Hersey: X/Twitter @erichersey | Instagram @erichersey FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITSEdited & Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Hill and Dan Graney trace the connections between VisionQuest and Marvel’s earliest heroes, from the original Human Torch to the Invaders. They also discuss Avengers: Doomsday news and promotional tie-ins, then check in on Star Wars and DC. Their VisionQuest discussion includes spoilers through episode seven. NEWS • Avengers: Doomsday writing credits, Peggy Carter storylines, and promotional clues. • Dunkin’ and Jack in the Box join the Doomsday campaign, while WWE heads to Walt Disney World for a crossover event. • VisionQuest brings the original Human Torch into Vision’s family tree and revisits Age of Ultron. • Unconfirmed Alpha Flight and X-Force rumors, a Star Wars and Marvel comics crossover, and DC casting speculation. FEATURE • How Timely Comics introduced Namor, the original Human Torch, and Captain America. • The All-Winners Squad and Roy Thomas’s later creation of the World War II team the Invaders. • How Marvel’s Golden Age characters found their way into the MCU. HOSTS • Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia | Instagram: @JimHillMedia | jimhillmedia.com • Dan Graney - YouTube: @TheHubbubbery | Facebook: /thehubbubbery | thehubbubbery.com FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia/ SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSOR Be Our Guest Vacations is an EarMarked by Disney travel agency at the Platinum level and a Universal U Preferred Platinum Planning Partner. Their team can help plan hotels, theme park tickets and dining reservations at no additional cost. Start planning at BeOurGuestVacations.com. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In 1981, Universal executive Jay Stein pitched an ambitious plan to turn Orlando into Hollywood East, but a meeting at Paramount Pictures would help spark one of the most contentious rivalries in theme park history. In Episode 2 of Soundstaged, Eric Hersey explores how Michael Eisner's arrival at Disney intensified the battle to build competing movie studio theme parks in Central Florida. From the spectacular opening of Disney-MGM Studios to Universal's groundbreaking partnership with Nickelodeon, both companies discovered that attracting tourists was much easier than attracting actual television productions. And as Disney struggled to keep its soundstages busy, an unlikely opportunity was beginning to take shape involving Hulk Hogan and professional wrestling. HIGHLIGHTS • The Jack Webb Bungalow Meeting: How Jay Stein's 1981 proposal to Paramount Pictures became the center of a decades-long dispute involving Michael Eisner and Universal's plans for Orlando. • The Battle for Hollywood East: Disney and Universal race to establish competing movie studio theme parks, with accusations of stolen ideas and corporate pressure fueling their rivalry. • Disney-MGM Studios Opens: The ambitious 1989 grand opening promised guests a working Hollywood studio, but keeping real film and television productions on the lot proved challenging. • Universal's Nickelodeon Advantage: How a groundbreaking production agreement brought Double Dare, Legends of the Hidden Temple, and other popular television shows to Universal Studios Florida. • The Search for Real Hollywood: From Superboy and The Mickey Mouse Club to Let's Make a Deal, both parks experimented with television production as Disney searched for a way to keep its soundstages active. HOSTS • Eric Hersey - X/Twitter: @erichersey | Instagram: @erichersey | Website: https://strongmindedagency.com FOLLOW • Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews • YouTube: @jimhillmedia • TikTok: @jimhillmedia • Website: https://www.jimhillmedia.com SUPPORT Support the show and access the complete Soundstaged series, bonus episodes, and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Written and Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com SPONSORSHIP INQUIRIES If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jim Hill and Drew Taylor survey a changing animation landscape, from Pixar’s leadership transition to the future of studios under the Skydance umbrella. They discuss The Cat in the Hat’s opening weekend, Don Hall’s return to Disney, and the pressures facing original animated films. They also consider the controversy surrounding AI in a Dior holiday short. NEWS Godzilla Minus Zero tops the box office as The Cat in the Hat arrives in theaters. Jonas Rivera and Jonathan Garson take on new leadership roles at Pixar. Don Hall returns to Disney, while Jim and Drew discuss the future of Skydance Animation. Warner Bros. Pictures Animation’s slate and the challenge of making original films theatrical events. A Dior holiday short prompts a debate about AI and hand-drawn animation. HOSTS Jim Hill: Instagram @JimHillMedia | X @JimHillMedia | JimHillMedia.com Drew Taylor: Instagram @drewtailored | X @DrewTailored | DrewTaylor.work FOLLOW Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews YouTube: @jimhillmedia TikTok: @jimhillmedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave GreyProduced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency SPONSOR Be Our Guest Vacations offers free planning services for Disney and Universal vacations, including help with hotels, park admission, and dining reservations. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. JimHillMedia.com/sponsor Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices