Blog Archives

Awkward Video Diary: Tempted by Disney World

Angie and Josh continue their series about moving to the Disneyland area. This time they talk about how they are saving money and planning the move. Of course they do it in an awkward way.

Josh Taylor
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Angie Taylor
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Things I’ve Said Working at Disneyland

When you work for the mouse, you have to keep the magic at all costs. That can lead to some pretty funny things you say to guests at the Disney parks. Erika worked all over Disneyland and she has had to say some pretty strange and funny things to make sure guests continue to believe in the magic of the park. Hear what she has to say on the subject in her newest video.

Erika Jenko

Disney California Adventure for the First Time (Part 3)

Keith’s ongoing family trip bringing his family to the Disneyland resort continues as they make their way to California Adventure. They check out Cars Land, Grizzly Peak Challenge Trail, and the Aladdin live show before it closed. See more from Keith at the links below!

Keith Lapinig
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Modern Mouse News: New Parks and Earful Towers

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Stories Discussed This Week
Kylo Ren Replaces Darth Vader
Coca-Cola coming to Disney Springs

Shanghai Disneyland’s Official Opening


Shakira’s Zootopia Song
ABC Family to Free Form


Follow Us on Social Media

Josh Taylor
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Angie Taylor
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Email Josh:
modernmouseradio.com

Mulan Loves Pokémon

Keith and Tyler meet Mulan in the front entrance of Disneyland. They joke around with new button ideas and come across a Disney villain while brainstorming!

Keith Lapinig
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Taking Newbies to Disneyland!

Most everyone reading this has been to, seen, or at least heard of a Disney theme park. So what kind of advice should you have if you are taking someone who has never been, seen, or heard? Erika gives advice to make a first time magical and for everyone to have a good time.

Erika Jenko

Disney Film History: Toby Tyler

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So here we are, the 1960s. It’s taken a while to get here. We went through the early Disney animated films, through the packaged films during World War II, to the adventures, westerns, and nature documentaries. So what’s next for us in this new decade. Well, it seems like the family comedy, and there is a great representation of that in the first film of the decade from Disney, Toby Tyler (or Ten Weeks with a Circus).

It’s pretty well documented that Walt Disney favored his childhood home of Marceline, Missouri and the early 1900s. Even Disneyland and Magic Kingdom’s Main Street U.S.A. is supposed to reflect that turn of the century small town America feel. If you are unfamiliar with the time period, one of the biggest attractions in the world was the circus and when it came to town, it was like seeing the show of shows. So Walt Disney read James Otis Kaler’s Toby Turner story, possibly during his childhood, and he decided it would be a wonderful piece to turn into a film.

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The studio had several actors under contract at the time, many of whom were regulars on television, so it wasn’t a difficult choice to cast some of these actors in his film. Kevin Corcoran, better known as Mickey Mouse Club’s Moochie, who had also starred in previous films The Shaggy Dog and Old Yeller, was cast as the title character in the film. Gene Sheldon and Henry Calvin from Zorro were cast in supporting roles, as well as Zorro’s Charles Barton as director.

The story revolves around an orphaned boy, raised by his aunt and uncle,  who runs away and joins the circus. He takes over as a horse rider in one of the acts when another rider becomes injured. He befriends several circus performers including a chimpanzee named Mr. Stubs. When he hears that his uncle is sick, he and Mr. Stubs run off, but return to the circus so that his aunt and uncle can see him perform. If the movie sounds simple or silly, that’s because it was meant to be. This is a comedy film with little substance, but filled with practical stunts and slapstick comedy.

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The movie was released on January 21st, 1960 with critical acclaim from critics. The movies praise came in it’s simplicity, it’s hysterics, and the family fun adventure. The film, when opened to the public, got little response. The film was never released again in theaters, but like other poor box office draws, was broken up into segments and shown on television so that it could make money through advertising instead.

If the film is any indication of what’s to come, I’m ready to enjoy a few laughs. The simple comedy is a much enjoyed departure from the True Life Adventures and the ridiculous over-the-top westerns starring Fess Parker. As simple as they are though, I do hope we see some live action films with a little substance. Toby Tyler was a fun movie, but forgettable in the long run.

Josh Taylor
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Previous film: Jungle Cat
Next film: Kidnapped

Disney Now and Then: Technology at the Park

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Being a Disney YouTuber has got me feeling a little old lately. You see, my subscribers have been asking me to include more photos of myself from back when I worked at Disneyland, and I’m starting to realize that I don’t have as much photo documentation of my time working for the mouse, because I wasn’t on Facebook back when I worked at Disney. Yes, that’s how old I am. I still had a Myspace account, and I didn’t get into Facebook until after I quit Disney. What does this have to do with my photo documentation? Everything. Facebook is the only reason we feel the need to take a picture of everything. Heck, if it wasn’t for Instagram, would you actually be taking a photo of your food? Probably not. Technology wise, the times have changed so much since I quit Disney, and a part of me yearns for the simpler times from back when I worked at Disney.

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Technology Back in the Day:
Back in the Erika days of Disney, I wasn’t obsessively taking photos of my every move at Disney for a few reasons. I saw the parade or heard it in the background twice a day. I had Fantasmic memorized. I could almost guess what a princess was going to say to a little girl wearing a princess dress. This isn’t to say that the Disney magic was spoiled for me. What it does mean, is that being at Disneyland was literally a part of my every day life. It would be like taking a picture of me brushing my teeth or cleaning out the fridge. It wasn’t something that I felt like I needed to document, and furthermore, the magic that I was experiencing couldn’t be properly documented on camera. These were memories that I was going to hold in my heart. Here’s the other big thing that I should add: We weren’t allowed to take photos of ourselves at work. How unprofessional would that be?
Hi everyone! Thank you so much for visiting Mickey today! Please take a quick step back while I snag a selfie of me and the big cheese. He’s only wearing the sorcerer Mickey ensemble for a limited time and I need to snapchat this pronto.
 
We could only get photos of ourselves at work if we had a friend visiting the park who could take the photo, or if we were sneaky and took the photos ourselves (which I was atrocious at). Here are the good things that came out of not documenting every second of working at Disneyland: My strongest memories of Disneyland are seriously held in my heart. Cheesy right? But it’s true. I don’t have photos of the most profound things that happened to me at Disney. What I’ve realized is that I have more souvenirs from working there then I realized. Instead of 100’s of Facebook check-ins that read, “Erika is spinning at Mad Tea Party” or “Erika is in need of a towel” at the exit of Splash Mountain, I have piles of notes, pins and mementos that I have collected over the years from working at Disney. The current generation of teens have a lot to worry about. Anyplace they visit, they have the pressure of having to check-in and provide photo updates of their whereabouts. If they don’t post an update, then they might feel like they’re not keeping up with their friends, and at the end of the day, it sucks all of the fun out of visiting places. When I worked at Disney, I actually enjoyed every moment. Every memory sank in. I wasn’t staring at a phone or seeing the world through my camera. I was truly living.

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Technology Now:
I won’t lie to you. Technology is amazing when visiting Disneyland…if used properly that is, and I feel like I’m still getting the hang of it. The last time I visited Disneyland, it was the first trip where I was also trying to vlog everything for my channel. The entire day my thoughts went a little something like this:
Did I get enough B-roll of the entrance to the park? I don’t think I did. That’s ok, I can film it later. But I have to do that before 4PM or it’ll be too dark. Oh, shoot! I need to take a picture of my Starbucks cup so that I can Instagram it. But the castle has to be the background! I should’ve tweeted that we’re waiting in line for the Matterhorn. Oh my god I forgot to check-in that I’m even here at Disneyland! Should I snapchat my outfit? As a video or as a photo? Oh my god I need a theme for this vlog or its just boring footage of me at Disney all day and who will want to watch that?
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I’m sorry, but when I’m at Disneyland, I don’t like to worry about anything. Being a Disney Youtuber means that you have to have a way with technology that is effective, yet won’t spoil your day. I’ve learned that you need to either visit Disney specifically to social media OR to simply enjoy your time. If you’re there to enjoy your time, you don’t need to check-in where you’re at every 2 seconds. Your friends will understand if you’re not buried in your phone all day. You can also #latergram all of your photos that you take so that you don’t feel pressured to post throughout the day. Also, your wonderful friends and family want to see your pretty face smiling at them all day, not smiling down at your phone. If you’re there specifically to utilize social media (and for the podcasters, bloggers, youtubers, I’m talking to you guys), have a plan as to what you’re covering for the day and how much time you’re going to spend covering it. Have a schedule of how many posts you will contribute to each social media site. What’s the one piece of technology I’m eternally grateful for whether I’m visiting for work or play? The Disney app that lists all of the wait times for every ride. Where was that genius piece of technology when I was a cast member?
 
To anyone who has a future trip planned to the resort, take a moment to step back in time and keep your phone in your bag as long as you can. I promise you will have a lifetime of memories if you allow yourself to really take it all in. Have fun out there, everyone!

Erika Jenko

Pros of Working at Disneyland

We all know Erika was a Disneyland cast member, so what were the perks of working at the Happiest Place on Earth? Check out her new video to find out!

Erika Jenko

How to Kill a Wookie (Chewbacca Meet and Greet)

Keith and his friends made their way to the Star Wars Launch Bay where you can now meet some of your favorite Star Wars characters. They met Chewbacca and our friend Kaleigh wore her wookie mouse ear headband to meet him, which Keith explains in the video. See more from Keith at the links below.

Keith Lapinig
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