The Surprisingly Weird Origins of Disney Automation with Roland Betancourt (Ep. 583)

The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Society & Culture, Leisure

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 11 May 2026

⏱️ 60 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Jim Hill and Len Testa welcome Professor Roland Betancourt to discuss his new book, Disneyland and the Rise of Automation, which somehow connects Walt Disney, Ford factories, magnetic tape, Forest Lawn, Willy Wonka, and ride computers named Fred. They also cover big park updates, from Mythos closing at Universal Orlando to new Walt Disney World previews, Lakeshore Lodge concept art, Roger Rabbit’s safer spin, and Hocus Pocus 3 heading to theaters. Naturally, milk percentages are also examined with the seriousness they deserve. NEWS • Universal confirms Mythos will close with Lost Continent, while Thunder Falls Terrace becomes a new full-service signature restaurant in 2027. • Walt Disney World sets AP preview dates for Soarin’ and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring The Muppets. • Magic Kingdom prepares for a fourth ferry boat, the first new one since 1976. • Disney reveals new Lakeshore Lodge concept art, including a large pool and lazy river area. • Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin reopens at Disneyland with pre-programmed spinning. • Disney officially greenlights Hocus Pocus 3, with the Sanderson Sisters reportedly heading beyond the stage show and into the parks. FEATURE • Roland Betancourt explains how Ford’s River Rouge plant helped shape Walt Disney’s thinking about automation. • The discussion traces magnetic tape, Cold War technology, and the real roots of Audio-Animatronics. • Big Thunder Mountain introduces “anti-Fred logic,” a wonderfully Disney solution to button-related human creativity. • Harper Goff’s work on Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory reveals another strange and delightful bridge between factories and theme parks. • Why Disneyland surveyed guests like a giant postwar science experiment - and how those surveys still shape the parks today. For this episode’s full show notes, click here. HOSTS • Jim Hill - IG: ⁠⁠@JimHillMedia⁠⁠ | X: ⁠⁠@JimHillMedia⁠⁠ | Website: ⁠⁠JimHillMedia.com⁠⁠ • Len Testa - IG: ⁠⁠@len.testa⁠⁠ | Website: ⁠⁠touringplans.com⁠⁠ GUEST • Roland Betancourt - Book: ⁠⁠⁠Disneyland and the Rise of Automation 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 is sponsored by Unlocked Magic. Get discounted Walt Disney World tickets and plan your next trip at ⁠⁠UnlockedMagic.com⁠⁠ 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 another edition of the Disney Dish podcast with Jim Hill.
0:03.6	It's me, Len Testa, and this is our show for the week of Shmursday, May 11th, 2026.
0:08.1	On the show today, special guest Roland Betancourt, joins us to talk about his new book, Disneyland and the Rise of Automation, plus news from around the parks.
0:16.8	Let's get started by bringing in the man who knows that wine lays flat in your refrigerator,
0:23.9	but milk is an upright liquid. It's Mr. Jim Hill. Jim, has it going?
0:31.4	It's going well, Len, though I have this milk-related question. Again, I grew up in the 60s,
0:37.5	you know, you poured the whole milk into your cereal, had in the morning, you were fine.
0:42.4	And now I'm a gentleman in my late 60s. And, you know, why is it that skim milk is literally just white water?
0:47.5	But whole milk is like white house paint.
0:50.6	I can't tolerate it.
0:52.0	You know, I'm strictly a 2% guy. And how does that happen?
0:57.3	How do you go from, you know, it's in the morning, you pour it over your Captain Crunch, you're
1:02.2	fine. And now later in life, it's like whole milk, you know, it's like, well, there goes the whole
1:07.2	day. I digest it just will now shut down. Here's my question. Why did we agree on 2%
1:12.4	and 100% for fat ratios in milk? Like, why is the market not given us 25, 50, and 75% milk?
1:19.2	These are fascinating questions. Also with us on the show today is Roland Betancourt, author of
1:26.1	the new book, Disneyland and the Rise of Automation, that technology created the happiest place on Earth. Roland's also the Andrew W. Mellon Professor at the Center for Advanced Study in the Visual Arts, at the National Gallery of Art, a Chancellor's Professor at the University of California, Irvine, and a 2023 Guggenheim fellow. Welcome, Roland. Thank you for having me. It's a pleasure
1:45.2	being here. Oh, we're excited to have you. All right, Jim, before we get started, let's do a quick
1:49.4	shoutout to our subscribers. Thanks to everyone who subscribes to the show over at patreon.com
1:53.9	slash jimilmedia, including Striken, Anne-Marie Frerich, Crush on the Magic, Greg and Barb,
2:00.4	Joshua and Trilligator, and the Karen D.ich, Crush on the Magic, Greg and Barb, Joshua Intriligator, and THE Kieran D.
2:03.5	Jim, this is the Disneyland merchandise team who's decided to phase out magic bands in favor of their new product, Magic Snaps wristbands.
	...

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