The Disney Dish Podcast with Jim Hill and Len Testa
Dive into the fascinating world of Disney with theme park historian Jim Hill and Len Testa as they uncover the stories behind the magic. From breaking news and in-depth analyses to quirky historical tidbits and behind-the-scenes secrets, The Disney Dish offers a unique blend of humor, expertise, and insider knowledge.
Whether you're a die-hard Disney fan, a theme park aficionado, or just curious about the history and future of Disney parks and resorts, this podcast has something for everyone.
What to Expect:
Breaking Disney News: Stay up to date on the latest happenings at Walt Disney World, Disneyland, and Disney's global parks.
Historical Deep Dives: Learn how classic attractions were created, the stories behind Disney's biggest decisions, and the Imagineering ingenuity that brought it all to life.
Listener Q&A: Get answers to your burning questions about the parks, attractions, and Disney culture.
Exclusive Insights: Gain access to insider details and stories you won’t find anywhere else.
Fun & Humor: Enjoy the wit and camaraderie of two Disney enthusiasts who know how to make even the most technical details entertaining.
With decades of combined experience and an unmatched passion for all things Disney, Jim and Len guide you through the parks, the stories, and the magic in a way only they can.
Your journey to the happiest podcast on earth starts here. Subscribe today!
Latest episodes
Showing 20 · updated from the feed
The Little Disneyland That Never Was: Walt Disney’s Lilliputian Land (Ep. 603)
Disney surveys are asking increasingly pointed questions about discounts, trip costs, and what actually gets guests to book, while Disneyland history takes center stage w
Sep 28 44 min
The PeopleMover Business Disney Almost Built (Ep. 602)
Len Testa and Jim Hill cover the latest Walt Disney World news, from a Toy Story 5 overlay at Hollywood Studios and shifting timelines for Tropical Americas to Disney’s e
Sep 21 53 min
How Nickelodeon Helped Inspire Disney’s Family Suites (Ep. 601)
Len Testa and Jim Hill are back with Disney news, listener questions, and the conclusion of Jim’s history of Disney family suites. They check out the latest Walt Disney W
Sep 14 50 min
How Epcot’s Food Booths Became a Permanent Festival Fixture (Ep. 600)
Len Testa and Jim Hill dig into the latest Disney parks news before tracing how Epcot’s humble festival food booths evolved into permanent Global Marketplaces with open k
Sep 7 1 h 07 min
How Disney’s Family Suites Finally Found Their Home at Art of Animation (Ep. 599)
Len Testa and Jim Hill dig into the long road that eventually led Disney to build Art of Animation Resort, from an abandoned Toontown-inspired family suites hotel near th
Aug 31 1 h 07 min
D23 Brings Back Tomorrowland Hope, Dreamfinder, and the Yeti (Ep. 598)
Len Testa and Jim Hill unpack a packed slate of D23 parks announcements, from Disneyland’s newly promised Tomorrowland overhaul to major additions coming to Walt Disney W
Aug 24 1 h 18 min
Anaheim Before Disneyland: From Vineyards to the Packing House (Ep. 597)
Len Testa and Jim Hill are on the ground in Anaheim for D23, where they dig into the week's Disney news before exploring how Anaheim evolved from vineyards and citrus gro
Aug 17 35 min
How 9/11 Changed Disney’s Pop Century Plans (Ep. 596)
Len Testa and Jim Hill dig into Disney’s latest theme park attendance numbers, new Lakeshore Lodge concept art, Disneyland’s possible return to an old favorite, and some
Aug 10 1 h 05 min
Zootopia Gets a Better Beginning, Plus the Many Lives of Turtle Talk (Ep. 595)
Jim Hill and guest co-host Drew Taylor explore the newly updated version of “Zootopia: Better Zoogether” at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, including fresh dialogue designed to
Aug 3 58 min
Do You Trust Disney? And How Stitch’s Photophone Paved the Way (Ep. 594)
Len Testa and Jim Hill examine a revealing new Disney survey asking whether guests trust DisneyWorld.com, whether the site acts in their best interest, and whether it sho
Jul 27 51 min
Why Turtle Talk Outlived Stitch’s Great Escape (Ep. 593)
Disneyland’s sold-out evening tickets, Walt Disney World dining trends, and a possible Space Mountain overhaul lead off this week’s Disney Dish. Len and Jim also answer l
Jul 20 1 h 04 min
How Finding Nemo Taught Disney Characters to Talk (Ep. 592)
Disneyland’s bargain evening tickets disappear, Universal Orlando rolls out an unusually affordable Florida resident pass, and Epic Universe lights up the night with Cele
Jul 13 59 min
Luxo Jr. Takes a Rain Check at Pixar Place (Ep. 591)
Len Testa and Jim Hill start this week’s Disney Dish with news from Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Universal Orlando, and the wider entertainment industry before digging
Jul 6 58 min
When Gingerbread Houses Move Out and Dinosaurs Move In (Ep. 590)
Len Testa and Jim Hill start with snow shovels, snapping turtles, and New Hampshire’s ongoing audition for “America’s Australia,” then move into a packed Disney Dish. Thi
Jun 29 57 min
Lucky the Dinosaur, Allegedly (Ep. 589)
This week, Len Testa and Jim Hill cover a packed Disney Dish news lineup, from Disney’s “virtual reservations” patent to new Disney Springs transportation checks, rare tw
Jun 22 57 min
The Night Disneyland Locked In 8,500 High School Seniors (Ep. 588)
Jim Hill and Len Testa start with Monstropolis, Disney park capacity, Universal patents, and the sort of tequila event that makes you check whether your Epcot admission i
Jun 15 1 h 05 min
You’ve Got a Land in Me: Toy Story’s Theme Park Journey (Ep. 587)
Jim Hill and Len Testa are joined by veteran Imagineer Jim Shull for a globe-trotting look at how Toy Story became one of Disney’s most reusable theme park ideas. First,
Jun 8 1 h 19 min
A Great Big Beautiful Redo: Carousel of Progress Gets a New Future (Ep. 586)
Len Testa and Jim Hill recap a busy week in the parks, from the debut of Bluey at Disney's Animal Kingdom and the updated Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run experience to U
Jun 1 59 min
Todd Martens on Galaxy’s Edge Reimagined - Plus Muppets Take Over Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster (Ep. 585)
Len Testa and Jim Hill review Walt Disney World’s latest wave of attraction updates, including the new Soarin’ Across America film, the Muppets’ chaotic takeover of Rock
May 25 1 h 19 min
The Great Disneyland Ticket Caper (Ep. 584)
Len Testa and Jim Hill break down a busy week in theme park news, from Bluey crowd control at Animal Kingdom to Universal’s possible drone-show ambitions. Len also crunch
May 18 50 min
Chart trend
Position in the Places & Travel chart (US), last 90 days.
#1#15#29JulAugSepOct
#3
all-time peak
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day in the top 3 since Nov 2024
Chart positions
Where The Disney Dish with Jim Hill ranks today in each Apple Podcasts chart (US, Oct 4, 2026).
A curated, balanced selection of Apple Podcasts reviews.
This is one, of the several, Disney pods I listen to on my way to and from work every week. I live in Orlando and am a Disney AP holder who has gone head first into the Disney “stuff” since I moved here 11 years ago. Really enjoy what you put out into the world and look forward to it every week. Any suggestions regarding good Disney books to read? I have read a few and always looking for other options. Also, big pin trader so hope to hear a deep dive into that sometime on the podcast. Keep it up, you both do great work! - Rob
Rob_the_Buckeye · Jul 2026
Long time listener here and thot it was time to let you know I love your podcast and so enjoy the discussions and humor of Len and Jim. Every Disney fan should be listening!
Msdisney2 · Apr 2026
Len and Jim are the perfect blend for my Disney obsession between news, data, and history deep dives. I find myself listening as soon as the new episodes drop. I’m here for Jim’s catch phrases and Len’s bizarre jokes! Thanks for starting off my week off right!
BP Gentry · Apr 2026
Long time listener to many of the podcasts on the Jim Hill media network. I love the shows and will continue to tune in but I have to finally say something that the “uhhhhs” and “ummmms” from Jim are getting really bad. It’s almost every other word now and it’s extremely distracting. I hope Jim or Len sees this and just listens back to an episode and counts them. I bet it’s well over 100. It’s still one of the better Disney podcasts out there. If they got this cleaned up it would be five stars.
Tribat · Oct 2025
I say this as someone who truly used to LOVE this podcast — the opening WDW news segments were my favorite as it brought major relevance to both fans and annual passholders alike frequenting the parks and and those following the news wires, the deep Disney history, and insider storytelling once made this one of the best listens anywhere in the themed podcast space.
But lately it’s become increasingly difficult to finish episodes.
Too much wandering conversation, unending irrelevant filler, repetitive and, in every other breath ‘uhhhhhhhs’, “awwwwweeeees”and “ga know, Len!” plus obvious statements from Jim that don’t really move the content forward. 95% of Jim’s portion of the broadcast can’t be consumed in serious fashion anymore where he sounds like he just got out of bed and is totally apathetic to Len’s efforts and pacing that once made the show sharp and engaging - as it now feels very slow and unfocused.
There’s still tremendous knowledge here, especially from Len Testa, which is why I kept coming back hoping to reconnect with what made the Disney Dish special in the first place.
The show could be improved greatly. if Jim Hill would just re-listen to each of his most recent episodes. Anyone with half a brain would give an effort to cease the low quality broadcasting habits that he lays in over the entire show. Or simply ride into retirement and bring on a faster, DFB Guide-type host and pace.
Ave8er · May 2026
I love this show and would listen religiously every week. Couldn’t wait until the next episode. However, a few months ago I had to stop. I love Jim Hill but his stammering and repetitive “ummms” and “but again” and “there we go!” got to be too much to bear. For someone who basically does this for a living, he really needs to figure out how to speak in a way that isn’t so grating.
Jcotchz · Apr 2026
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