From American Tail to Littlefoot – Don Bluth and Spielberg’s Unlikely Alliance (Ep. 90)

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Tv & Film, Places & Travel, Society & Culture

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2026

⏱️ 52 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim and Eric kick things off with breaking news from Universal’s Fan Fest - yes, there are now multiple colored Yoshis roaming around. From there, they dig into Universal’s bold Mummy 4 release date, Wicked’s Peacock debut, Mardi Gras madness in Orlando, and that Epic Universe Super Bowl ad that’s clearly aimed at changing everything. Then in the back half, Jim dives into the surprisingly complicated history of The Land Before Time - from Spielberg’s creative notes to 14 installments and those rare Littlefoot walk-around characters at Universal Studios Hollywood. NEWS • Mummy 4 gets a prime summer release date - Universal slots the Brendan Fraser-led sequel for May 19, 2028, signaling major confidence in the franchise’s return. • Wicked heads to Peacock - Universal’s Broadway juggernaut begins streaming March 20, keeping the contractual Wicked mention streak alive. • Universal Mardi Gras 2026 begins - Over 40 international food booths, live concerts, and the debut of Prince Gator at Universal Orlando. • Volcano Bay goes cashless - Starting February 25, the water park transitions to card-only transactions. • Epic Universe Super Bowl commercial - A sibling rivalry story spotlights Stardust Racers and positions Universal Orlando as a multi-day destination experience. FEATURE • The Land Before Time’s surprising origin story - How Steven Spielberg partnered with Don Bluth after The Secret of NIMH and reshaped a dinosaur tale to be less terrifying for kids. • Scenes cut for being “too scary” - Nearly 10 minutes were removed before the 1988 theatrical release of The Land Before Time. • From theatrical hit to direct-to-video empire - Universal ultimately produced 14 installments, with the final entry arriving in 2016. • Rare Universal Studios walk-around characters - Littlefoot and Sarah once appeared in the parks - and Jim wants proof from listeners who remember them. HOSTS • Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com • Eric Hersey - IG: @erichersey | X: @erichersey FOLLOW • Facebook: JimHillMediaNews • Instagram: JimHillMedia • TikTok: JimHillMedia SUPPORT Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at Patreon.com/JimHillMedia. PRODUCTION CREDITS Edited by Dave Grey Produced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency SPONSOR Planning your next adventure? The experts at Be Our Guest Vacations are a Platinum Level Universal and Disney travel agency, offering concierge-level planning for Universal Orlando, Universal Hollywood, Disney parks, cruises, and more. Start planning today at BeOurGuestVacations.com and be sure to mention the Epic Universal Podcast. If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Welcome back to the Epic Universal Podcast. I'm entertainment writer Jim Hill, and this is the podcast where we cover the latest universal news, rumors, and history. And as always, I'm joined by Eric Hersey, who has a color wheel related announcement. What is this about?
0:18.9	Well, I sent you over the news today today and right afterwards, you know, there's
0:24.7	breaking news on the internet that we get to meet multiple colored Yoshis at the fan fest
0:29.4	this year.
0:29.9	And that's kind of breaking news, not just normal green.
0:33.4	I think he was here, he was there last year, if I'm not mistaken.
0:37.1	It's not the first time you've ever met Yoshi, but we have pink and blue yoshes,
0:42.1	which I don't think they have different names.
0:44.3	Jim, do you know the Super Mario lore?
0:46.7	Do the Yoshis have different names?
0:48.2	This is a question I should ask my son, Hunter.
0:51.3	He probably knows.
0:52.0	Yes, I think we need to get Hunter in here.
0:56.2	I apologize that I, you know, in fact, what was interesting is I have seen the most recent ad for Super Mario Brothers Galaxy movie and Yoshi features in that prominently.
1:15.7	And I am trying to remember that when I stood in Super Nintendo World at Epic Universe back in November, I know the Yoshi ride was working. I just
1:26.0	didn't flash on the Yoshi's being different colors. Well, I think they are different colors because you have to collect the different eggs. And I'm guessing the different egg colors were, that was like the whole mini game in there that you can play or not play. And it's over before you know it. But yeah, I think there's, I mean, we know that there's a whole bunch of different Yoshes, but I guess that's going to be fun as a meet and greet out in Fanfest in Hollywood.
1:48.4	So that's coming up, and that is kind of the news that they have for the, I guess the Mario portion of the event.
1:57.4	Okay.
1:58.0	Speaking of news, a little bit of news broke today. We've talked previously on this
2:03.7	podcast about Mummy 4. The Brendan Frazier, Rachel White's coming back for a brand new
2:11.6	mummy movie. Did you see that we actually got a really free will release date for this thing today? Well, I didn't
2:18.6	see the release date, but I did see in passing that Brendan Frazier did confirm that he is coming
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