From Burbank Backlot to Hollywood Studios - The Roy E. Disney Building’s Second Act (Ep. 561)

The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Leisure, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 57 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Len and Jim race through a packed week of Disney and Universal updates before diving into how the Roy E. Disney Animation Building went from an architectural showpiece to the creative model for Hollywood Studios’ upcoming Magic of Disney Animation attraction. NEWS • Disney outlines major 2026 refurbishments, Bluey offerings on both coasts, and new character entertainment. • EPCOT confirms Flower & Garden dates, attraction reopenings, and steep winter hotel discounts for Visa cardholders. • Universal celebrates FIA honors while advancing a three-phase transit plan connecting its resorts and parks. • Listener questions lead to discussions on vacation packages, Tron Ares timing, and the rise of non-alcoholic beverage offerings. • Jim and Len break down New Year’s Eve crowd patterns, phased closures, and survival strategies for the busiest days of the year. FEATURE • Jim revisits architect Robert A.M. Stern’s Disney work, from Casting Center to Celebration to the Roy E. Disney Animation Building. • The building’s iconic exterior contrasts with an interior layout that frustrated traditional animation workflows. • Lasseter’s renovation sends teams to a former WDI fabrication site where films like Zootopia and Moana take shape amid industrial ambiance. • The redesigned building’s collaborative layout now inspires Hollywood Studios’ upcoming Magic of Disney Animation experience. For this episode’s full show notes, click here. HOSTS • Jim Hill - IG: @JimHillMedia | X: @JimHillMedia | Website: JimHillMedia.com • Len Testa - Bluesky: @lentesta.bsky.social | IG: @len.testa | Website: touringplans.com 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 The Disney Dish news segment is sponsored by UnlockedMagic.com from DVC Rental Store, offering discounted 2026 Disney theme park tickets. 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	Think about cheese.
0:02.0	Make your thoughts cheesier.
0:04.2	Now add 100% chicken breast fillet, Chipoplae sauce and amadea cheese melt.
0:08.3	And it's giving the new cheesy chicken stack at McDonald's.
0:12.0	Did we mention it's cheesy?
0:13.9	Cheese.
0:15.8	Availments with the 4th of Jan, 2026 from 11 a.m.
0:18.1	Plus and participation may vary.
0:19.2	Subjects availability.
0:20.1	Welcome back to another edition of the Disney Dish podcast with Jim Hill. It's me,
0:24.4	Lentesta, and this is our show for the week of Schmer's Day, December 8, 2025. On the show today,
0:30.2	news, including Disney looking to have a busy spring, and more details about Universal Orlando's
0:35.7	proposed transportation network, plus surveys and listener questions.
0:40.2	Then in our main segment, Jim talks about how the Roy E. Disney building in Burbank is serving as the inspiration for Hollywood Studios' upcoming Magic of Disney Animation Attraction.
0:49.8	Let's get started by bringing in the man who says,
0:51.8	The only thing better than putting on warm underwear straight from the dryer is looking around the laundromat to see who they belong to. It's Mr. Jim Hill. Jim has it going. It's going well, Len, but never mind the laundromat. You know, when is somebody going to bring back the automat? I mean, Horn and Harger used to run 40 of these things in New York City alone.
1:11.0	You pump a bunch of nickels into a slot and you lift a window and there's a plate of hot chicken, ala king or lemon and marring pie.
1:19.4	These places were great.
1:21.0	Jim, I think a lot of our listeners, especially the younger ones, are going, what's a nickel?
1:24.9	Well, there we go. There we go.
1:27.1	And more to the point, the automat, the last of these, disappeared in 1991.
1:32.6	But I actually got to it before, well, it was turned into a Burger King, where, ironically enough, you know, you still get stuff through a window.
	...

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