One of the most beloved and cherished Disney movies is the classic Mary Poppins. It has amazed and delighted audiences for 61 years through its technical innovation, incredible set pieces, and of course, its iconic music by the legendary Sherman Brothers. Almost all of us love the movie and many of us know at least some of the background of the film through the movie Saving Mr. Banks, which shed some light on how Walt Disney made the film, how the Sherman Brothers wrote the music, and the interplay with the notoriously difficult author, PL Travers. But there is so much more history and context behind the film, with so much previously unknown information and details about the prominent role that the Sherman Brothers played in bringing it to life. All these stories are revealed in the new book “Making Mary Poppins: The Sherman Brothers, Walt Disney, and the Creation of a Classic Film” by Todd James Pierce. Todd joins us today to discuss the book and shares some of those stories with us.

You can find Todd at www.toddjamespierce.com and order the book on Amazon here.

Disney, as we know it today, was shaped by the success and legacy of The Little Mermaid, which ushered in the Disney Renaissance, marrying Broadway musical sensibilities with character driven stories that emotionally bonded the audience to the movies through now-iconic songs. Today we are joined by the co-writer and director of the Little Mermaid, John Musker, who also wrote and directed so many other legendary movies including Aladdin, Hercules, The Great Mouse Detective, Treasure Planet, The Princess and the Frog, and Moana along with his long-time collaborator Ron Clement. Looking through this filmography, I am struck by the fact that John was able to create classic movies through three different eras, keeping music at the forefront while creating timeless stories with humor, adventure, and heart. John shares his amazing career with us while providing behind-the-scenes insight into the movies that we all know and love.

One of the most popular attractions in Walt Disney World is Test Track in EPCOT. It has just reopened after a lengthy reimagining with a new storyline, and new music. Today we are very lucky to be joined by the extremely talented Zain Effendi, who composed all the music for the new version of that attraction. Zain is also no stranger to working for the Disney parks, as he also composed music for the Galactic Starcruiser and for Oga’s Cantina in Galaxy’s Edge. If you haven’t heard the music for Test Track, it is available on your favorite streaming service and it is epic, wonderous, and uplifting in the best Disney tradition. And don’t take my word for it, the piece “Opening” from EPCOT’s Test Track on Walt Disney Records has been submitted for consideration in the Best Instrumental Composition category for the Grammy Awards, and I am so excited to share our conversation with you.

About Zain:

Zain Effendi is an award-winning American composer known for his work in film, television, video games, and theme parks. After studying composition and film scoring at both The Boston Conservatory and Berklee College of Music, his career ignited when Hans Zimmer invited him to join Remote Control Productions, where he contributed to blockbuster scores including Pirates of the Caribbean, The Dark Knight, Madagascar, and Kung Fu Panda.

Since launching his solo career, Zain has scored projects for Disney, Sony, Warner Brothers, Bad Robot, and more-earning honors such as Best Composer at the Hollywood Music & Media Awards, Multiple Telly Awards, an HMMA win for Best Live Concert (over Jennifer Lopez) and multiple World Entertainment Awards.

Most recently, Zain composed Disney’s 70-minute original score for EPCOT’s re-imagined Test Track attraction, a symphonic-electronic epic that defines a new era of theme-park music. Test Track’s ‘Opening’ is currently in contention for the GRAMMYs® in the category of Best Instrumental Composition. His music also resonates across Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Disney’s Starcruiser Hotel, and Shanghai Disneyland’s Adventure in Rhythm.

With a career bridging Hollywood blockbusters, award-winning concerts, and groundbreaking work for Disney Imagineering, Zain is redefining the possibilities of modern orchestral music.

Please follow Zain at www.zaineffendi.com and on Instagram @zaineffendi. You can also stream EPCOT: Test Track (Original Soundtrack) on your favorite streaming service.

For many of us, there is nothing quite like experiencing a Disney nighttime parade or fireworks spectacular at the parks. The magic, the wonder, and the emotions that those shows evoke are near and dear to our hearts, and are the basis for so many incredible memories. And, of course, one of the main drivers of those emotional moments is the music that guides and elevates the story. And because the end result is so incredible, it’s easy to overlook how much work goes into tailoring and arranging those iconic songs to fit the timing, pace, and cadence of those shows. Today we are very lucky to be joined by Tim Heintz, an incredible musician and the music director for many of Disney’s nighttime spectaculars, both classic and new. Tim tells us about his musical journey and his work for Disney, Universal, and more.

You can learn more about Tim and his work at www.timheintz.com

When you think about the music that we hear in Disney films, it’s easy to say, Oh, Alan Menken wrote that song, or Hanz Zimmer composed that score. And of course, those legendary songwriters and composers are responsible for crafting the melody, vision, and structure of the amazing music we know and love. But, beyond that, within film music there are musicians that work with those composers and songwriters to provide the depth, emotional resonance, and instrumentation that truly bring those songs to life—the orchestrators and arrangers. Today, we are incredibly fortunate to be joined by someone that has done it all—composed, arranged, and orchestrated many of the most popular and beloved songs and scores in Disney history, from Frozen to Moana  and from The Lion King on Broadway to Mufasa: The Lion King on the big screen, Dave Metzger. Dave tells us all about his musical journey and how he contributed to the musical magic of so many movies we love.

You can learn more about Dave and follow him at www.davemetzgermusic.com

Recently, I was very fortunate to have been able to experience the Disney Music Festival in Disneyland Paris. It is the first event of its kind, and it did an incredible job of capturing the power and magic that Disney music holds for us. In this special episode, I give a rundown of what the Disney Music Festival was about, what it involved, and my thoughts and impressions. I provide a recap of everything I saw and heard and give a ranking of my favorite performances. Please give it a listen and let me know what you think or what questions you have!

Disney music takes so many different forms—movie music, TV compositions, concerts, video games, live entertainment…and the list goes on. Today we are fortunate to be joined by Mark Watters, a six-time Emmy winning composer and conductor who has experience creating music for all of those genres. And in addition to his musical contributions, he has served as music director for 2 Olympics and has even co-conducted the Academy Awards with none other than the maestro himself, John Williams. Mark will tell us all about those experiences and stories, as well as his work bringing Disney music to life.

You can find Mark at www.markwatters.com and check out the Soundtrax Film Music Festival from October 16-18 at soundtrax.org

We are joined today by Dave Bossert, who had an amazing 32 year career with The Walt Disney Company and worked on many of its most beloved classics, like The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and Fantasia 2000. He is also responsible for directing and producing Tunes Behind the Toons, an award-winning short film that perfectly captures the impact and importance of music in Disney animated films while speaking with musical luminaries like Alan Menken, Randy Newman, Bruce Broughton, and Mark Watters. We discuss his career and his insight into the history and importance of music in animated films.

You can find Dave at www.davidbossert.com to learn more about his career and books he has written. You can also listen to the Skull Rock Podcast on all streaming services. Also, you can find the Tunes Behind the Toons film here and listen to Dave's Tunes Behind the Toons show on XM Radio, Channel 133.

I have also recently become a Brand Ambassador for Find the Good, a clothing and apparel company that helps reinforce good habits for mental health and well-being. Mental health is something that affects so many families, including my own, and I appreciate the company’s mission and that fact that it donates 10% of its profits to Mental Health America. If you check it out and want to order something you can use the code “Music Behind the Magic” to get 10% off your order.

If I were to ask you what you think the most iconic attraction is at Walt Disney World or Disneyland, I’m betting that "it’s a small world" will be at, or near, the top of the list. The “Happiest Cruise that ever sailed” has its origins at the 1964 World’s Fair and has been a staple at Disney parks not just in the U.S., but overseas as well at Disneyland Paris, Tokyo Disneyland, and Hong Kong Disneylan. It symbolizes a lot of what we love about Disney—joy, nostalgia, optimism, and wonder. And tying it all together is THE song…THAT song…the one that will stick in your head for hours (or days) on end—"It’s a Small World (After All)" by the legendary Sherman Brothers.

There is so much history and tradition steeped in the attraction that it could fill a book. Fortunately, we are joined today by our good friend Tim Foster from Celebrations Press who just happens to be releasing a collector’s edition book called ”it’s a small world: The Definitive History,” which is now available for pre-order. Tim talks to us about all the incredible details and facts around this history of the attraction, and of course, we tackle the iconic song as well. If you love the ride, or even if you are a bit more skeptical of it, I think you will learn a lot that will give you a new appreciation for what it represents.

You can pre-order the book at celebrationspress.com

We all know that the Walt Disney Company is a huge and diverse conglomerate, from movies to theme parks to cruise lines to streaming networks and beyond.  In between all these offerings, there has also been a fascinating history of Disney video games—from the earliest handheld games of the 80’s to the incredibly immersive 3-D rendered graphics of today.  We are joined by author and friend Shaun Jex to discuss his latest book, Dreaming in Digital: The World of Disney Video Games, and explore this history and talk about some of his favorites.  And, since Shaun is also a fellow Disney music connoisseur, we also dive in to one of the most interesting pieces of Disney musical history—the short-lived, but fascinating rise (and fall), of Halyx, the Kiss- meets-Star Wars rock band that played at Disneyland’s Space Stage during the summer of 1981 (and only the summer of 1981)

You can find Shaun's book here on Amazon, and check out his music blog at makeminemusic.com.