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The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Villains Land Reimagined: Bigger, Bolder, and Built to Be Loved (Ep. 572)

The Disney Dish with Jim Hill

Jim Hill Media Podcast Network

Places & Travel, Leisure, Society & Culture

4.8 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 23 February 2026

⏱️ 54 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Len reports on a behind-the-scenes rethink of Magic Kingdom’s upcoming Villains Land, with Imagineering now under pressure to deliver not just “like” but “love.” The guys also touch on Epic Universe’s revenue strategy, Universal’s aggressive 2026 ticket bundles, and what a Mayan archaeology conference might reveal about the future of Indiana Jones at Animal Kingdom. NEWS• Magic Kingdom reverses the second Disney Starlight parade route to ease Main Street exits.• Universal debuts a 6- or 7-day ticket with Epic Universe access and a $300 hotel dining credit.• Epic Universe updates Early Park Admission again, adding Battle at the Ministry and more Dragon experiences.• Universal taps The Boring Company for a potential next-gen transportation system.• “Project Atlas” is believed to be Shanghai Disneyland’s second gate.• Villains Land concepts revisited post-holidays, with Imagineering asked to go bigger and bolder.• The indoor dark ride is now positioned as the long-term Lightning Lane Single Pass anchor.• Restaurant design shaped by fixed-price dining and per-cap revenue goals.• Mayan mythology themes - bats, jaguars, owls - surface at an archaeology conference tied to Indy research. FEATURE• The 1992 debut of Disney’s Hotel New York at Euro Disneyland and Michael Eisner’s “architecture patron” era.• How architect Michael Graves’ postmodern, Art Deco-inspired design celebrated early 20th-century Manhattan.• Why the 561-room hotel closed in 2019 for a full reinvention into Disney Hotel New York - The Art of Marvel.• Inside the 2021 reopening: 350+ Marvel artworks, exclusive commissioned pieces, and Tony Stark’s wall of armor.• The new coffee table book, Disney Hotel New York: The Complete Art Collection, and why it finally makes every piece viewable. 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 | Instagram: @len.testa | Website: touringplans.com FOLLOW• Facebook: JimHillMediaNews• Instagram: JimHillMedia• TikTok: JimHillMedia PRODUCTION CREDITSEdited by Dave GreyProduced by Eric Hersey - Strong Minded Agency SPONSORThe Disney Dish is sponsored by UnlockedMagic.com from our friends at DVCRentalStore.com. Save on Walt Disney World theme park tickets - often below Disney’s direct pricing - and get expert help planning your next trip. Visit UnlockedMagic.com to start planning today. 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.

0:03.5

It's me, Lentusta, and this is our show for the week of Schmer's Day, February 23rd, 26. On the show today, the philosophy of Thomas Hobbs and the latest in Mayan archaeology. This is a show about theme parks, right? Then in our main segment, Jim gives us the history of Disney's Hotel, New York. Let's get started by bringing in the man who says California's redwood trees have an indescribable appeal, a certain Geneseecoia, if you will. It's Mr. Jim Hill. Jim, how's it going? It's going, Malin. Quick question. Did you ever read John Steinbeck's Travels with Charlie in Search of America. I've not. Okay.

0:38.3

It's the book that this Nobel Prize winner wrote back in 1960s that covers a 10,000-mile drive that Steinbeck made from Maine to Salinas, California.

0:48.3

By the way, that was where John was born.

0:51.3

10,000 miles from Maine to California.

0:56.3

It's by way of anchorage.

0:57.4

There we go.

1:00.4

Again, he wondered.

1:05.0

Wanted to see America, and he brought along his poodle Charlie.

1:10.3

And there's a section of this book where these two stop in Sequoia National Forest,

1:28.1

where Steinbeck, who was and still is one of my favorite writers, wax is poetic about the spectacular stand of trees. He says, the Redwoods once seen, leave a mark, or create a vision that stays with you always. They are ambassadors from another time. And I'm sorry, that's a wonderful piece of writing.

1:33.0

Oh, it is. It's fantastic. Yeah. To seem in person, amazing. Yeah. But what's interesting is that people forget how, you know, that Steinbeck was also a funny writer. And one of my favorite parts of

1:38.2

travels with Charlie is when he goes on to describe the two nights that he and his dog spent camping

1:43.2

in a redwood forest where poor Charlie

1:45.6

almost dies of dehydration, you know, trying to mark, you know, these massive trees.

1:51.4

He's going around the same tree, which has like a hundred foot diameter.

1:54.7

There we go. There we go. So there you go, folks. We, you know, the classy start for today's show.

2:00.7

We went from a Nobel Prize winner for literature, straight to dog pee jokes. So, but, but, you know, it's something for everyone on this show. That's the way I like to think of it. There you go. All right. And speaking of something for everyone, let's do a quick shout-out to our subscribers. Thanks to everyone who subscribes to the show over

2:17.7

at patreon.com slash Jim Hill Media, including Sam Cook, Chris Pat Stone, PBM, Hey Peter, Bride Kramer,

2:24.6

Eric Jurechak, and Donna Costel. Jim, this is the Disney's popcorn bucket team working on a new

2:30.7

expedition Everest design, a mountain-shaped bucket complete with sparkling snow details.

2:35.7

And while the Yeti-shaped handle is permanently fixed in the same awkward position,

...

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