Podcast by Jonathan Goodman
18 June 2025
If you have been keeping up with the summer movie news, you know that the live action remake of Lilo & Stitch has been the runaway hit of the year. Building on the legacy of the much beloved 2002 animated original, the live action version takes everything people loved from that original film and adds new layers of emotional nuance and depth, humor, terrific acting, and a truly, ridiculously adorable CGI Stitch. And those emotional elements are captured and enhanced by the incredible score by composer Dan Romer. I was so lucky to have had the chance to talk with Dan about his work on the film as well as his work on another classic animated Pixar film, Luca.
You can follow Dan at danromer.com and on Instagram @danromer. And see Lilo & Stitch in the theaters and listen to the soundtrack by buying a copy of it at all major retailers or stream it on all streaming services.
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28:55
16 June 2025
Starting with the Disney Renaissance, Disney decided to take hit songs from its films and add re-recorded versions to the end-credits from a wide array of pop and rock stars. This started with Beauty and the Beast and continues on today. Are any of those versions better than the originals in the film? Well, that is a great and highly subjective topic for discussion, and we attempt to tackle it today with our guest Brett Nachman from the terrific and long-running podcast “Notably Disney,” We talk about 5 end-credit versions that are better than the originals, and 5-ish that…are not so much. What do YOU think? Are there any we missed? Let me know your thoughts.
You can find Notably Disney here and on all streaming podcast services, and can follow Brett on IG at @drnachman.
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01:13:46
09 June 2025
Disney is such a complex, multifaceted company that there are all manner of topics and subtopics that fans can joyfully discuss and debate—music, the parks, movies, TV shows, the cruise line, books…you name it. And a lot of that discussion revolves around our own opinions, preferences, and passions. But, Disney is not just a provider of magical memories, it is a cornerstone of American culture and a highly profitable and innovative enterprise. As such, it shouldn’t be surprising that Disney has become a subject of numerous business and academic studies. And, in particular relevance to this show, there is a relatively new, but growing, focus on the study of Disney music as an academic discipline. Today we are joined by Dr. Carissa Baker, who is one of the organizers of the Theme Park Music and Sound Conference and a Professor at the University of Central Florida, to discuss her academic pursuits and her studies and work around theme parks and music. If there is any true theme park expert in the world, it is Carissa, and you’ll understand what I mean when you hear her story.
You can register for the Conference for free at https://themeparkmusicandsound.org/, and learn more about Carissa and her work here
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01:35:27
27 May 2025
With the news of Disney opening up a theme park in Abu Dhabi, we are very fortunate to be joined in this episode by Ron Fish, an award winning composer who has experience writing music for theme parks at both Walt Disney World in Florida as well as Warner Brothers World in Abu Dhabi. Ron has also written amazing music for huge video game franchises, including God of War 1-3 and Batman: Arkham City and Batman: Arkham Asylum. We have a great conversation about his career progression from theme parks to video games, and how music plays such an important part in the story of each medium.
You can follow Ron at www.ronfishmusic.com.
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01:03:46
17 May 2025
As we celebrate the 70th Anniversary of Disneyland, It’s no wonder that it is called “The Happiest Place on Earth.” And, a lot of that happiness comes from the music that surrounds us when we visit. What songs come to mind when you think of Disneyland? I’m guessing that “It’s a Small World (After All)” and "The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room" are high on the list. And those songs of course were written by Robert and Richard Sherman, the legendary Sherman Brothers, who have left such an incredible musical legacy across the Walt Disney Company, both in its movies and inside the parks. And to celebrate that legacy, we are incredibly fortunate today to have the opportunity to speak with Jeffrey Sherman, the son of Robert Sherman, to discuss his life and career, the blessings and challenges of growing up in the Sherman family, and the impact that his family has had on Disney history and on much broader musical and cultural history as well.
You can find Jeff on Instagram @jsher88888, on Facebook, and listen to his music on Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon. You can also watch The Boys: The Sherman Brothers Story, The Untold Story of Mary Poppins, and Jeff's various other credits (Au Pair, Boy Meets World) all on Disney+.
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01:45:21
05 May 2025
Today is May the 4th, and as we celebrate Star Wars Day and all the joy the franchise has brought us, it is also a good time to reflect upon the importance of John Williams and the intense emotional bond he has created between the Skywalker Saga and the audience through his music. However, the Maestro's legacy goes well beyond Star Wars and is responsible for the soundtrack of many of our lives: Superman, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park, Harry Potter, and so many, many more.
Tim Greiving is the author of the upcoming book "John Williams: A Composer’s Life. It is the first comprehensive work on the life and works of the Maestro. Tim was gracious enough to join the podcast and we had a great discussion about Tim’s background, his love of film music, the legacy of John Williams, and the relationship he built with the legendary composer as he worked on his book.
You can find Tim at www.timgreiving.com and on his Behind the Moon substack. You can pre-order the book at Oxford University Press here and on Amazon.
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01:07:28