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

The Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Tv & Film

4.7 • 1.5K Ratings

🗓️ 8 December 2025

⏱️ 52 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

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Welcome back to another edition of the Disney Dish podcast with Jim Hill. It's me,
0:04.3	Lentesta, and this is our show for the week of Schmer's Day, December 8, 2025 on the show today.
0:10.1	News, including Disney looking to have a busy spring, and more details about Universal
0:14.9	Orlando's proposed transportation network, plus surveys and listener questions.
0:20.1	Then in our main segment, Jim talks about how the Roy E. Disney building in Burbank
0:24.3	is serving as the inspiration for Hollywood Studios' upcoming Magic of Disney Animation
0:28.6	Attraction.
0:29.8	Let's get started by bringing the man who says, the only thing better than putting on warm
0:33.9	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. You pump a bunch of nickels into a slot and you lift a window and there's a
0:55.6	plate of hot chicken, a la king or a lemon meringue pie. These places were great. Jim, I think a lot of
1:01.9	our listeners, especially the younger ones, are going, what's a nickel? Well, well, there we go.
1:06.3	There we go. And more to the point, the automat, the last of these, disappeared in 1991. But I actually
1:13.6	got to it before, well, it was turned into a Burger King, where, ironically enough, you know,
1:19.4	you still get stuff through a window. It's now just the drive-through window. We've substituted
1:25.7	one set of windows for another. There we go.
1:28.2	There we go.
1:28.9	But anyway, what's interesting is that on the heels of the pandemic, you know, the whole
1:34.1	notion of contactless food came back.
1:38.5	And what's interesting is that a bunch of automat-like restaurants debuted in Philly in 2023.
1:46.3	And, well, to be honest, you and I are probably headed there early next year
1:50.4	because of that Universal Parks exhibition that's being presented at the Franklin Institute.
1:57.0	Oh, right, yeah.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Jim Hill Media Podcast Network and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.