Cartoons to Castles: The History Behind the Mouse and Magic

Be prepared (haha) for a great episode all about the first Los Angeles production of "The Lion King" from one of the cast members herself: Carla Renata! You may know Carla as Janet from the NBC sitcom "Superstore," or from her YouTube channel "The Curvy Critic aka Carla Renata," but from 2000 to 2003 she also had the unique experience of playing Shenzi in the long-running hit show "The Lion King" at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Jessica and Melanie have a heartfelt, frank, and funny discussion with Carla about auditioning for the production, rehearsing at the El Capitan Theatre, the star-studded opening night, and her favorite moments as part of the original L.A. cast. Jessica also discusses the impact that "The Lion King" had on Broadway and the show's journey to becoming an international sensation, while Melanie shares details about the extensive remodel of the historic Pantages that was done to accommodate the production and bring the theatre back to its former glory.
To listen to Carla's interview with Florence Kasumba, who played Shenzi in Disney's live action film "The Lion King," go to https://youtu.be/A-gIX67lMBw.
To find out more about Carla's work as The Curvy Film Critic, visit https://thecurvyfilmcritic.com/about-carla-renata/.
Watch the one-hour series finale of NBC's "Superstore" on March 25th at 8PM.
Carla is @TheCurvyCritic on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date, and if you enjoy the podcast, we'd love it if you'd RATE or REVIEW. Thanks for listening!
For bonus content, visit us at https://www.instagram.com/cartoonstocastles/ and https://twitter.com/CartoonsCastles.
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Podcast logo designed by Ashley Taylor - https://loveashleydesigns.tumblr.com/
Theme music: “Taste of the French Quarter” by Rob Khurana via Storyblocks.com
SOURCES for this episode:
https://www.broadwayinhollywood.com/visit/hollywoodpantagestheatre/aboutpantagestheatre
https://www.forbes.com/sites/leeseymour/2017/12/18/the-lion-king-is-making-more-money-for-disney-than-star-wars/?sh=3faa0c311ff0
https://losangelestheatres.blogspot.com/2017/02/pantages-theatre-overview.html
https://www.playbill.com
https://thespaces.com/oscar-venues-through-the-ages/12/
https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2020/10/how-the-lion-king-became-a-dollar9-billion-broadway-smash

Artist Ashley Taylor (Disney Parks Blog, Disney Parks Merchandise, Wonderground Gallery, Her Universe) joins Jessica and Melanie this week to discuss Disney Legend Mary Blair! A unique, talented artist who left an indelible print on The Walt Disney Company, Blair is perhaps best known for designing the Disneyland attraction "it's a small world," as well as for her concept art for Disney animated films "Cinderella," "Alice in Wonderland, "Peter Pan," and more. The ladies share some of the backstories behind her work, as well as internet theories about five-legged goats. And what do "Mommie Dearest" and Pepsi have in common? You'll have to listen to find out!
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date. And if you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you'd RATE and REVIEW. Thanks for listening!
For bonus content, visit us at https://www.instagram.com/cartoonstocastles/ and https://twitter.com/CartoonsCastles.
Logo designed by Ashley Taylor - https://loveashleydesigns.tumblr.com/
Theme music: “Taste of the French Quarter” by Rob Khurana via Storyblocks.com
SOURCES for this episode:
Canemaker, John. "The Art and Flair of Mary Blair: An Appreciation." Disney Editions, 2014.
D23: The Official Disney Fan Club
https://d23.com/walt-disney-legend/mary-blair/
Hahn, Don. "Yesterday's Tomorrow: Disney's Magical Mid-Century." Disney Editions, 2017.
Illustration History
https://www.illustrationhistory.org/artists/mary-blair
Magic of Mary Blair
http://magicofmaryblair.com/about-mary/
The Mercury News
http://www.mercurynews.com/entertainment/ci_25313193/walt-disney-museum-exhibit-focuses-bold-colorful-world
Refinery29
https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2019/11/8855966/disney-women-animators-jennifer-lee-mary-blair
Walt Disney Family Museum
https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/painting-dreams-mary-blair
https://www.waltdisney.org/blog/spotlight-talk-recap-mary-blair-movies
Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mary_Blair
YouTube
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xP0a4gHX9k

Get a sneak peek of episode 6, available September 23rd! Then, during the latest mini episode, Jessica and Melanie discuss which Disney Channel Original Movies are turning 20 this year. Where has the time gone? Also, WHO'S DUFFY? (You'll have to listen to find out.)
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date and get immediate access to new episodes once they're live. And if you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you'd RATE or REVIEW to help expand our audience. You might even get a shoutout on a future episode! Thanks for listening!
For bonus content, visit us at https://www.instagram.com/cartoonstocastles/ and https://twitter.com/CartoonsCastles.
Logo designed by Ashley Taylor - https://loveashleydesigns.tumblr.com/
Theme music: “Taste of the French Quarter” by Rob Khurana via Storyblocks.com
SOURCES for this episode:
IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/
Screenrant - "12 Disney Channel Original Movies Turning 20 in 2020, Ranked According to Rotten Tomatoes"
https://screenrant.com/disney-channel-original-movies-20-2020-rotten-tomatoes/
Wikipedia - "List of Disney Channel Original Films"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Disney_Channel_original_films

Get a sneak peek of episode 5, available September 9th! Then, this week's special guest sticks around to discuss Michael Eisner, Goofy imposters, John Ritter, Camp Inch, and more fun trivia about "The Parent Trap" with Jessica and Melanie.
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date and get immediate access to new episodes once they're live. And if you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you'd RATE or REVIEW to help expand our audience. You might even get a shoutout on a future episode! Thanks for listening!
For bonus content, visit us at https://www.instagram.com/cartoonstocastles/ and https://twitter.com/CartoonsCastles.
Logo designed by Ashley Taylor - https://loveashleydesigns.tumblr.com/
Theme music: “Taste of the French Quarter” by Rob Khurana via Storyblocks.com
LINKS for this episode:
Art of the Title - "The Parent Trap (1961)"
https://www.artofthetitle.com/title/the-parent-trap/
YouTube - "Disney Sunday Movie intro - 'The Parent Trap,' April 5, 1987"
https://youtu.be/PCPS9XoU_WY
YouTube - "The Disney-MGM Studios Theme Park Grand Opening (1989)"https://youtu.be/TG_rMISm0d8

Get a sneak peek of episode 4, available August 26th. Plus, things get a bit...fishy...when Jessica and Melanie do a deep dive into some Disney products from the past.
Be sure to SUBSCRIBE to stay up to date. And if you enjoyed this episode, we'd love it if you'd RATE or REVIEW to help expand our audience. You might even get a shoutout on a future episode! Thanks for listening!
For bonus content, visit us at https://www.instagram.com/cartoonstocastles/ and https://twitter.com/CartoonsCastles.
Logo designed by Ashley Taylor - https://loveashleydesigns.tumblr.com/
Theme music: “Taste of the French Quarter” by Rob Khurana via Storyblocks.com