Magical, Must-See Art from Walt Disney World’s Brand-New Riviera Resort

January 9, 2020January 8, 2020

By the D23 Team

The newest resort at Walt Disney World is a charming hotel inspired by Europe—imagined by Disney! Inspired by Walt Disney’s travels, the resort features a unique collection of signature art, including more than 40 original works of art created by Disney and Pixar artists. The art is influenced by the Mediterranean region’s unique and renown art history—plus the gorgeous art of your Disney favorites. We’ve selected some of the hotel’s notable works for you to check out in the gallery below. Enchanted by what you see? Find out more information on Disney’s Riviera Resort here.

Every Major Announcement from ABC at the 2020 Winter TCAs

January 8, 2020

By Zach Johnson

In connection with the ABC portion of the 2020 Winter Press Tour, several exciting network announcements regarding new and returning series were made today. From finales (How to Get Away with Murder and Modern Family) to premieres (The Baker and the Beauty) to live events (The Emmy® Awards and Young Frankenstein Live!), it’s shaping up to be a major year! With a handful of pilot orders, revivals, and sequels, ABC has a little of something for everybody.

Modern Family
Currently in its 11th and final season, ABC announced today that the Emmy® Award-winning series will air its farewell episode on Wednesday, April 8, at 9 p.m. ET/PT. In addition, ABC is giving fans the power to program an entire night filled with their favorite Modern Family episodes, set to air Wednesday, March 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The night will kick off with the pilot episode, followed by five additional fan-chosen episodes, giving viewers a chance to gather their families for the ultimate Modern Family binge and relive some of the Pritchett-Dunphy-Tucker clan’s most hilarious, jaw-dropping, and monumental moments. Voting will begin Monday, February 3, via a daily poll from the show’s Twitter handle and conclude Friday, February 7. Each day, a different selection of episodes will be made available to choose from.

The Baker and the Beauty
Beginning Monday, April 6, at 10 p.m. ET/PT, ABC’s compelling new modern-day fairy tale will take viewers on a flavor-filled adventure between relatable everyman Daniel Garcia (Victor Rasuk) and international superstar Noa Hamilton (Nathalie Kelley). Daniel is working in the family bakery and doing everything his loving Cuban parents and siblings expect him to do… but when he meets Noa on a wild night in Miami, his life suddenly moves into the spotlight. Will this unlikely couple upend their lives to be together and pull his family into a culture clash?

The series also stars Carlos Gómez as Rafael Garcia, Dan Bucatinsky as Lewis, Lisa Vidal as Mari Garcia, David Del Rio as Mateo Garcia, Belissa Escobedo as Natalie, and Michelle Veintimilla as Vanessa. The Baker and the Beauty is based on the Israeli show by Assi Azar, originally for Keshet Broadcasting; Dean Georgaris is the series’ writer, executive producer, and showrunner.

The Conners
ABC will air a special live episode of top-rated comedy the night of the New Hampshire primary, Tuesday, February 11, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The cast will perform the episode live for both the East and West coast broadcasts. ABC News’ coverage of the first-in-the-nation New Hampshire primary will be incorporated into the story in real time as the results roll in during the evening.

The live episode will find Mark (Ames McNamara) watching the results of the primary for a school report with Harris (Emma Kenney), who is indifferent to the electoral process and believes money’s influence in politics makes real change impossible. The rest of the Conners share their differing takes on why they all think everyone should vote, including their working-class perspective that you may have to vote for a candidate you don’t love but one that will hurt you the least. All of this happens against the backdrop of romance when Louise (guest star Katey Sagal) gets an opportunity that might send her away from Lanford, prompting the family to interfere in Dan’s (John Goodman) complicated relationship with her by throwing Louise a surprise going-away party—creating major new tensions between Dan and his two daughters.

How to Get Away with Murder
Returning for its six-episode killer farewell event on Thursday, April 2, How to Get Away with Murder is currently in its sixth and final season. The explosive series finale will air Thursday, May 14, at 10:01 p.m. ET/PT. The fall finale ended on a cliffhanger, as Wes Gibbons (Alfred Enoch)—who was previously presumed dead—was seen in a flash-forward at Annalise Keating’s (Viola Davis) funeral, fueling further speculation of “Who Killed Annalise?” The back-half of the season will pick up where the fall finale left off in the present-day storyline as Michaela Pratt (Aja Naomi King) and Connor Walsh (Jack Falahee) are arrested for the murder of Asher Millstone (Matt McGorry). Meanwhile, Annalise was last seen fleeing Philadelphia after news broke that she is under criminal investigation. Executive produced by creator Pete Nowalk, Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, and Stephen Cragg, the drama also stars Billy Brown as Detective Nate Lahey, Charlie Weber as Frank Delfino, Liza Weil as Bonnie Winterbottom, Conrad Ricamora as Oliver Hampton, Rome Flynn as Gabriel Maddox, and Amirah Vann as Tegan Price.

Young Frankenstein Live!
The network will debut its latest live musical event this fall with Young Frankenstein Live! (working title), produced by the legendary director, writer, actor, comedian, producer, and composer Mel Brooks. The announcement comes on the heels of ABC’s recent spectacular, The Wonderful World of Disney presents The Little Mermaid Live!, which was the most-watched made-for-TV musical on any network in nearly four years and the week’s No. 1 entertainment show. Based on the Broadway stage version of Young Frankenstein, Young Frankenstein Live! will follow Brooks’ and Gene Wilder’s comedic reimagining of the Mary Shelley classic novel. The live production will feature music from the stage adaptation, as originally composed by Brooks.

An airdate and cast announcement will be made at a later date.

Shark Tank and American Housewife
Shark Tank, the critically acclaimed and Emmy Award-winning entrepreneurial-themed reality show currently in its 11th season, returns to its Friday time slot on February 28 at 8 p.m. ET/PT; American Housewife will move to a new night beginning Wednesday, April 15, at 9 p.m. ET/PT.

The Emmy® Awards
The ceremony will return to ABC, airing live coast to coast from the Microsoft Theater at L.A. Live in Los Angeles on Sunday, September 20, at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT). Host(s) and producers for the telecast will be announced at a later date. Nominations for the 72nd Emmy Awards will be announced on Tuesday, July 14. The 2020 Creative Arts Emmy Awards, honoring outstanding artistic and technical achievements in television, will take place over two consecutive nights—Saturday, September 12, and Sunday, September 13—at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.

The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart
ABC further expands its hit-making Bachelor franchise with The Bachelor: Listen to Your Heart, premiering Monday, April 13, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Twenty single men and women will embark on an incredible journey to find love through music. Singing well-known songs, both individually and as couples, they will look to form attractions through the melodies, find and reveal their feelings, and eventually fall in love. The eligible singles will live together and go on Bachelor-style dates that focus on music. Once the couples commit to each other, it will be time to take their relationship to the next level. Their bonds will be tested through musical challenges, including live performances judged by some of the biggest names in the music business. Ultimately, the couples whose performances reveal their love and devotion to one another will continue to be given a chance to further their relationships until just one couple is left standing.

Supermarket Sweep
ABC is bringing back the classic TV game show, hosted and executive produced by Leslie Jones. The fast-paced and energetic series follows three teams of two as they battle it out using their grocery shopping skills and knowledge of merchandise to win big cash prizes. The original format aired on ABC from 1965–67 and went on to become a global sensation. It was adapted in 13 international territories and, most recently, relaunched in the UK. Production on the 10-episode order begins this spring. A premiere date will be announced later. “I’ve always dreamed of being on Supermarket Sweep. Seriously, I tried out for the show years ago, and after getting turned away, I knew I’d have to take matters into my own hands,” Jones says. “Being able to bring the iconic game show back to life on ABC is my ultimate redemption story!”

Who Wants to Be a Millionaire
In celebration of the 20th anniversary of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, which debuted in January 2000, Jimmy Kimmel will be stepping into prime time as host of a special run of episodes featuring celebrity contestants playing for charity. Additionally, an interactive game will allow viewers to play along at home. The game show will premiere on Wednesday, April 8. For the first time in the history of the U.S. franchise, competing celebrities can invite a guest in the hot seat to help them answer questions. Celebrity players will be announced at a later date.

The show’s original executive producer, Michael Davies, is returning to run the series. “My professional career has been inextricably linked with Jimmy’s since the days of Win Ben Stein’s Money, and he was one of the first-ever celebrity contestants on Millionaire in its original run,” Davies says. “I can’t wait to work with him on this dynamic new version of the show that changed my life and the fortunes of so many who benefitted from and simply loved the game.”

Brides
ABC has picked up a new drama from executive producer/writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa, Berlanti Productions, and Warner Bros. Television to pilot, with Maggie Kiley set to direct. The Brides, a sexy contemporary reimagining of Dracula, is a family drama with a trio of powerful female leads. With strong horror elements, The Brides is a vampire soap about empowered, immortal women and the things they do to maintain wealth, prestige, legacy—and their family.

thirtysomething(else)
The sequel to the groundbreaking series thirtysomething received a pilot pickup from ABC. The show will follow an ensemble of new faces playing the grown-up, 30-something children of the original cast reprised by Ken Olin (Michael Steadman), Mel Harris (Hope Murdoch), Timothy Busfield (Elliot Weston), and Patty Wettig (Nancy Weston). Apparently, raising children (even grown children) never ends, but who could have known how hard it would be for them to raise their parents? During its original run from 1987–91, thirtysomething became a cultural phenomenon, garnering 13 Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe® Awards. Showrunners and creators Marshall Herskovitz and Edward Zwick return to bring thirtysomething(else) to life under their Bedford Falls Co. banner along with MGM Television, with Zwick also set to direct.

R2-D2 Now Roaming Around Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Park

January 8, 2020January 9, 2020

By Zach Johnson

This is the droid you’re looking for!

The next time you’re at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, keep an eye out for everyone’s favorite astromech droid: R2-D2! A skilled starship mechanic and fighter pilot’s assistant, the sidekick now is exploring Black Spire Outpost on the planet Batuu.

R2-D2 arrived days before Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opens at Disneyland Resort on January 17, following its opening at Disney’s Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World Resort.

If you want to bring a droid companion home, visit Droid Depot at Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge in either park and build your own. Choose from either an R-series or BB-series as parts come and go on conveyor belts. Then, place your finished droid in an activation station to bring it to life. Droids can be further customized with personality-affiliation chips, color panels, and more accessories. Watch it interact with other droids and other elements throughout Black Spire Outpost. Droid Depot offers reservations up to 60 days in advance via the websites or the apps.

8 Movies on Disney+ to Introduce to Your Kids

January 8, 2020January 8, 2020

By Savannah Salazar

As a parent there is a sense of responsibility in passing on what you have learned—morals, experiences, fond memories and in this case, even your favorite films. With many movies and shows from years past now streaming and available with the click of a button, it’s easier than ever to share movies near and dear to our hearts. We’ve rounded up a number of films that would be perfect to introduce to your kids of any age, so check it out below! Do you see any of your favorites?

1. The Love Bug (1969)
Herbie raced into our hearts in the late sixties with The Love Bug. Following the tales of race-driver Jim Douglas, a little white Volkswagen Beetle turns his bad luck around in this hilarious romp. Exciting races, cool tricks and an unlikely friendship are at the center of this fun action-adventure for the family.

2. The Muppet Movie (1979)
The Muppets have been part of our popular culture lexicon since the mid-50’s, but this ’79 classic was their break onto the big screen! With Kermit the Frog, Fozzie, Gonzo, Miss Piggy, and the whole Muppet gang on hand, this movie is a most sensational, inspirational, celebrational, Muppetational introduction to the Muppets.

3. Swiss Family Robinson (1960)
Based on the novel of the same name, the Robinson family experience the adventure of a life-time after being shipwrecked and left to create a home on a deserted island. Encounters with treacherous pirates and exotic animals make for great thrills and fun in this beloved action movie.

4. The Parent Trap (1961)
Before Lindsey Lohan’s 1998 remake, there was The Parent Trap starring Disney Legend Hayley Mills. After her film debut in 1960’s Pollyanna, Mills went on to star in her biggest role yet, where she played twin sisters who scheme to reunite their divorced parents—played by Brian Keith and Maureen O’Hara.

5. Honey, I Shrunk the Kids (1989)
People make mistakes, big and small, but maybe not like Wayne Szalinski, who, well, accidentally shrinks his kids. After a glitch with his electromagnetic shrinking machine, his now ¼-inch-tall children have to navigate through sprinklers, bees, lawnmowers, and more as they try to make their way back home.

6. The Rocketeer (1991)
Before the heart-pumping Marvel Cinematic Universe, there was the big-screen superhero known as the Rocketeer. Set in 1930s Hollywood, the story follows test pilot Cliff Secord as he comes across a top-secret jetpack, launching him into a new world of suspense, excitement and plenty of villains, including a secret Nazi spy.

7. Cool Runnings (1993)
This 1993 film inspires people of all ages to race toward their dreams, literally. Based on a true story, these four Jamaican athletes trade their running shoes for bobsleds to compete in the Winter Olympics. Comedic hijinks ensue as this oddball team comes together for a shot at the gold!

8. 10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
It’s a contemporary spin on a classic Shakespearean tale, The Taming of the Shrew—who knew a teenage rom-com could be so educational? This film stars Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger, both starring in roles that helped launch their star status, in a memorable will-they-or-won’t-they. Stiles plays Kat, a stubborn and intelligent teen while newcomer Patrick (played by Ledger) vies for her affection.

The Walt Disney Archives Kicks off 50th Anniversary with Throwback Screening of Fantasia

January 8, 2020

By Savannah Salazar

The Walt Disney Archives has a huge year ahead. Marking 50 years of preserving the magic here at The Walt Disney Company, the Archives is hosting a yearlong celebration—with a special exhibit at the Bowers Museum, events and tours at The Walt Disney Studios lot, and more! Kicking off the magical milestone, the Archives and the El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood are partnering for special El Cap Throwback screenings throughout the year.

On January 11, join the Archives for a special opening day presentation as they screen Fantasia, a Disney classic featuring the popular Mickey Mouse short The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and other memorable shorts. Before the screening, guests will be treated to an introduction by the Archives and have the chance to see an exclusive display of memorabilia from the film. For more information and to buy tickets, check out the El Capitan Theatre’s website here.

Stunning Concept Art from the Avatar Sequels Revealed

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020

By Jocelyn Buhlman

There’s already so much to explore in the world of Avatar, whether you’re rewatching the groundbreaking film on Disney+ or spending the day exploring Pandora—The World of Avatar at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Soon the world will get even bigger! Revealed recently by director James Cameron, these pieces of concept art offer a sneak peek at what’s to be explored in the upcoming Avatar sequels.

The Walt Disney Company Celebrates the 2020 Golden Globe® Awards

January 7, 2020January 7, 2020

By Zach Johnson

They’re the toast of the town!

In December, the Hollywood Foreign Press Association (HFPA) recognized The Walt Disney Company’s portfolio of brands with 17 nominations in 11 categories at the 77th Annual Golden Globe® Awards. Sunday’s ceremony, hosted by Ricky Gervais in California, is one of the few award shows to honor achievements in film and television.

Congratulations are in order for the following winners:

Best Performance by an Actor in a Television Series—Comedy or Musical
Ramy Youssef, Ramy (Hulu)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Michelle Williams, Fosse/Verdon (FX)

Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role in a Limited Series, Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television
Patricia Arquette, The Act (Hulu)

After the ceremony ended, some of the biggest names in Hollywood celebrated at The Walt Disney Company’s Post-Golden Globe Awards Show Party at The Beverly Hilton Hotel. To see everyone from Cynthia Erivo to Tom Hanks, flip through the gallery now.

Mushroom Arancini Recipe From Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa

January 7, 2020January 6, 2020

As cookbook author Pam Brandon writes, “Vacations are often a time for indulgence, and a meal shared around a table on holiday is often the best time of day, especially for families who ‘divide and conquer’ the theme park experience—and then gather at day’s end to share stories and memorable moments.” In Brandon’s newest cookbook, Delicious Disney: The Fresh Edition, she serves up a collection of mouth-watering recipes from interesting venues across the domestic Disney Parks and Resorts. “Once you’re back home, we hope you can have fun, amaze your family and friends, and rekindle a memory around your own table,” she notes in her book.

As a special treat, our friends at Disney Editions have served up three of the book’s delightful recipes for us, which we’ll be sharing during the month of January. So while you wait for your next Disney excursion—after all, Brandon’s book is on-sale as an exclusive souvenir only available at the Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resorts—feast your eyes on these delicious dishes, Disney-style. Check back next week to see the next recipe!

Mushroom Arancini
DISNEY’S GRAND FLORIDIAN RESORT & SPA
WALT DISNEY WORLD RESORT
CÍTRICOS

With an open kitchen and airy dining room, Cítricos offers a taste of the Mediterranean, like these crispy, deep-fried balls of rice. (The name “arancini” comes from the little oranges that these rice balls are said to resemble.) Carnaroli rice is best for making the appetizer, as it keeps its shape better, thanks to a higher starch content and firmer texture.

MAKES 16

POMA ROSA SAUCE:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon sliced garlic
28-ounce can tomato puree
1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus more to taste
1 pinch freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste
1 pinch sugar
1 teaspoon chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 teaspoon sliced fresh chives

ROASTED MUSHROOMS:
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 pint cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
1 small shallot, sliced
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 small sprig fresh rosemary
1 sprig fresh thyme
Coarse salt, freshly ground black pepper, to taste

ARANCINI:
3 cups low-sodium vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, finely diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup carnaroli rice
1/2 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio
1 tablespoon mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Chopped roasted mushrooms (from recipe)
Coarse salt, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1/2 tablespoon sliced fresh chives
Vegetable oil, for frying
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 cups panko bread crumbs

FOR POMA ROSA SAUCE:

Combine oil and garlic in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook until garlic turns golden, being careful not to burn garlic. Add tomato puree and red pepper flakes.
Bring to a light simmer and stir in salt, pepper, and sugar. Simmer 10 minutes. Season to taste.
Add parsley and chives just before serving.

FOR ROASTED MUSHROOMS:

Preheat oven to 400°F.
Toss mushrooms, shallot, garlic, and herbs in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
Roast 10 to 12 minutes on sheet pan, or until golden.
Remove from oven and cool. Cut mushrooms into small dice and set aside.

FOR ARANCINI:

Heat vegetable stock in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add bay leaf and thyme sprig.
Heat oil in a large sauté pan or deep skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and garlic; cook until soft, stirring often, about 1 1/2 to 2 minutes.
Add rice to oil and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add wine and cook until wine is almost completely absorbed.
Ladle in 2 cups vegetable stock. Cook, stirring almost constantly, until completely absorbed. Continue adding stock, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly and allowing each addition to be absorbed before adding the next.
Cook until rice is tender but not mushy. (You may not need all of the stock.)
Add mascarpone and Parmesan, stirring to combine. Add chopped roasted mushrooms. Season with salt.
Stir in parsley and chives, then spread rice mixture on a baking sheet to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, cover tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Pour vegetable oil to a depth of 3 inches in a heavy-bottomed saucepan or a Dutch oven over medium heat. Heat to 350°F.
Place flour, almond milk, and panko in separate shallow containers.
Scoop a 2-tablespoon portion of cooled rice mixture and gently roll into a compact ball. Set aside. Repeat with remaining rice.
Dredge rice balls in flour, then almond milk, and then panko, packing firmly to adhere.
In batches of 4 or 5, fry rice balls until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels.
Serve with the poma rosa sauce for dipping.

5 Disney Skyliner Sights to See from Walt Disney World Resort

January 6, 2020

By D23 Team

Criss-crossing above Walt Disney World Resort, the Disney Skyliner has become a new way for visitors to glide in style. Connecting select resort hotels to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, the Skyliner transports guests in the sky, bringing “beautiful views, including the larger-than-life theming of the resorts on either side,” says Melanie Bronstein, marketing manager at Walt Disney World Resort. “And really, you’re so high up that you can see most of Walt Disney World.” So, we’ve put together a couple of locations to look out for while taking flight on your gondola.

Swan and Dolphin Resort
Near Epcot is a massively elegant green and orange hotel known as the Swan and Dolphin Resort. While passing by, look out for the giant swan and clamshells atop the hotel.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
You can spot The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, the landmark of Disney’s Hollywood Studios, towering over the park from the Disney Skyliner.

Spaceship Earth and the Imagination Pavilion
Another park landmark you can see is Epcot’s flagship attraction and iconic metallic geosphere—Spaceship Earth. You can also spot the Imagination Pavilion, home to Journey into Imagination with Figment.

Boardwalk Inn & Villas
Located on the waterfront across from Epcot, this boardwalk-inspired hotel is another sight to see while traveling overhead. Taffy-colored cottages, boats, and beautiful gardens are just a taste of what you can see from your gondola.

Disney’s Riviera Resort
Last but not least is Walt Disney World Resort’s latest hotel—the Riviera Resort. Inspired by Europe, look for the hotel’s sweeping towers while on your trip.

How Does The Show Go On: Behind the Curtain with Thomas Schumacher

January 6, 2020

By Courtney Potter

Beauty and the Beast. The Lion King. Mary Poppins. Aladdin. Frozen. These musicals are giants of the Broadway (and international) stage, and they’ve all been shepherded to The Great White Way by Thomas Schumacher—President & Producer, Disney Theatrical Productions. There are few people on the globe who know more about what goes into taking a musical “from page to stage” than Schumacher… and lucky for us, he wrote a book about it!

How Does The Show Go On? An Introduction to the Theater, the first edition of which was published in 2007, gives readers unprecedented access to the business of theater. Using all the fantastical—and fantastically successful—musicals in the Disney stable, Schumacher (with author Jeff Kurtti) takes readers from the front of house to backstage, from the box office to the stage door, and literally behind the curtain to learn everything it takes to bring a show to life.

The third edition, which highlights all the magic that goes into making Frozen come alive on stage, was just released in early November; not only does this edition include never-before-seen photos and personal stories from the making of Disney’s latest hit Broadway musical, but it also includes an incredible new “augmented reality” component—by scanning a code found sprinkled throughout the book, you can use the free Disney Scan app and open fun, related video content right on your mobile device! At the recent kick-off of Frozen’s North American Tour (now playing at the Hollywood Pantages Theatre in Los Angeles, CA, through February 2), D23 was lucky enough to visit with Schumacher and hear about makes the book so compelling—for both the young and the young-at-heart.

On what made him want to write a book like this…
“[It] actually happened in a conversation with Jeff Kurtti, who’s written many books for Disney… We were on our way to the Apollo Theater in Harlem to see something… [and] I said, ‘I want to write a book.’ And he said, ‘What would it be?’ And I said, ‘I want to write a book about theater. I want to write the book that we wanted when we were kids. I want the book that wasn’t available for us. I don’t want a book about actors, because [most people] know what actors do. I want a book about people who make theater—how it actually happens.’ And all [Jeff] said was, ‘When do we start?’”

On the process of writing the original edition, and then updating it for 2019…
“Because he’d [already] worked so much in publishing, Jeff did the ‘book map’—he helped me figure it out… The original book was an ‘artifact’ book, which was Jeff’s idea. So as you opened it, you could, say, take a ticket out of an envelope. Now that sounds like nothing, but a ticket is meaningful—if [you’re new to theater and] you don’t know that it [lists] a row and a seat number… so there were things you could take out of it. The great thing about the book was it was fun to touch [and explore]; the bad thing about the book was kids took everything out of it… We sold a lot of copies, but we couldn’t reprint it because it was so complicated… Time passed, and we did two editions of the book. I knew that the book had become out of date—technology had changed, and there were [new] things I wanted to say. I wanted the format to be bigger; I wanted different photography… [then] someone brought a bottle of wine to a party at my house—it had a picture on it that if you held your phone over it, it would ‘talk’ to you… I thought there’s got to be a way to embed that [in the book], and they did… The fun thing is, we can update those videos over time. And in future versions I’m thinking about embedding even more stuff.”

On showing young people the possibilities that lie in theater—onstage or behind the scenes…
“Cheryl Thomas is the lead hair and makeup artist on Aladdin. [Her picture in the book] comes to life; it’s an actual of her doing her work… Imagine all the kids who are thinking, well maybe I’ll go to beauty school and maybe I’ll work in a beauty shop… but they could work on Broadway! They could see this and go, ‘I could do that!’ And at the back end of the book is Lisa Dawn Cave, who’s the production supervisor on this Frozen tour. To see her being the most important person backstage, as production stage manager—calling the show—is so empowering. Because [as a kid], I didn’t know people could do any of these things. I knew what actors did; I knew what Fred Astaire did… but to see that there’s all these other jobs and all these [other] people… we were able to put all that kind of stuff in the book!”

On why Disney musicals are the perfect way to introduce readers to the magic of creativity…
“The secret value of [this book] to me was that if you had never done theater, you’d open this and go wait—that’s Simba [from The Lion King]. Wait, that’s Elsa [from Frozen]. You wouldn’t have to physically see the show because you’d know that’s Ariel [from The Little Mermaid]. And even though what she looks like isn’t the [1989] movie, you’d know who that was… it kind of ‘de-terrorizes’ [theater]. I worked for a man who said our job in the arts is to constantly think about ‘de-terrorizing’ them… You’ll meet people all the time who think they’re not creative and it’s just because someone made fun of the way they decorated a cookie, or made fun of their handwriting, or made fun of the way they draw a tree. And if someone had celebrated how they did that, they wouldn’t have been afraid of it.”

For more information about Thomas Schumacher and the book—and to download the free Disney Scan app—visit HowDoesTheShowGoOn.com