Skywalking Through Neverland: A Star Wars / Disney Podcast

It’s a celebration of HALLOWEEN with Holly Frey (Full of Sith, Stuff You Missed in History Class, Criminalia podcasts)! She’s also an author, clothes designer, and lover of all things Halloween. We have a Halloween Happy Hour, of sorts - Richard, Sarah, and Holly share favorite Halloween childhood memories, first scary movie we saw, favorite Halloween costume, and we ask “You’re a late-night horror host, what is your name and what is your show about?” (we also want to know your answers as well so let us know in the comment).  In true Skywalking form, there’s also a HOLLYween Trivia Game of TERROR!     Holly and her Criminalia co-host Maria Trimarchi’s NEW book, Killer Cocktails: Dangerous Drinks Inspired by History's Most Nefarious Criminals, is available now wherever books are sold. Please let us know which cocktails inspire you the most!   Today in Star Wars History - 10/27/2005   Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination opens at the Museum of Science in Boston, Massachusetts. The tour, which cons

Universal Monster Movies still permeate our pop culture zeitgeist nearly 100 years after their creation. Frankenstein’s Monster, The Bride, The Wolf Man, Dracula - each name conjures up monstrous black and white visions. So after a recent visit to Universal Studios Hollywood where we got some face time with Frankenstein and The Bride, and walked on Stage 12 where these famous Monster Movies were filmed, we decided to watch all 8 Frankenstein films! It’s the U-MCU (Universal Monsters Cinematic Universe)!   In this episode we go over each Frankenstein film, spanning the years 1931-1948, and share the many fun facts we learned, including revelations on the score and film music in general. How do these films connect with Disney, Star Wars, and The Monkees?? What is their legacy? Let’s dive in! IT’S ALIVE! IT’S ALIVE!!!   Movies Discussed   Frankenstein - November 21, 1931 Bride of Frankenstein - April 20, 1935 Son of Frankenstein - January 13, 1939 The Ghost of Frankenstein - March 13, 1942 Frankenstei

Are you ready for a Super-Sized 50th COLLECTORS ISSUE with ALL of your favorite Star Wars characters?? This is it -  “The Crimson Forever!” from 1981. Luke has come down with a deadly virus and it’s up to Leia, Lando and Chewbacca to save his life. If only they, like us, can keep track of two red jewels…   Richard and Sarah break down this classic Marvel Star Wars comic and go through each comic page - commenting on artwork, storytelling, and connections to current Star Wars projects like ANDOR and AHSOKA.   We recommend watching the video version of this episode on YouTube which contains the full comic as we page through it.      #50 “THE CRIMSON FOREVER"   Release Date: May 19, 1981 Writer: Archie Goodwin Artwork: Al Williamson, Walt Simonson, Tom Palmer Cover Art:  Tom Palmer   Luke Skywalker has contracted a deadly virus known as The Crimson Forever from a large red crystal. This virus leaves its victims with blood red eyes, red skin, and slows down your life functions until it just kills yo

Witches have flown to the pinnacle of the pop culture zeitgeist, and we are here for it!! It’s the spooky season, AGATHA ALL ALONG is on Disney+, and the cackling coven is calling. Thanks to a suggestion from Skywalker Bryn McKinnon, we’re going to do a breakdown of these magical women. We’ll go over various myths, a brief history, and witch pop culture appearances. Why do witches fly on brooms? Who is the first witch in written history? Why do witches usually come in threes? Put on your pointed hats, grab your favorite broomstick and let’s get into it…   Today in Star Wars History - 10/7/2018   Star Wars Resistance premieres on the Disney Channel with the two-part episode, “The Recruit.” This series begins six months before the events of The Force Awakens and then crosses into its timeline.   SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland sent y

Hey Hey, it’s The Monkee Men! We are thrilled to speak with Ron McNeil who created this Monkees tribute band as well as Frankee Mendonca who perfectly embodies the role of Davy Jones. We just saw them in concert and it was like watching a lost episode of The Monkees TV show. Ron and Frankee give us a peek behind the curtain and tell us what it takes to put together this show that takes its parts from the TV series and their beloved music. This is as close to having the actual Monkees (circa 1966) as we can get and they do not disappoint! Many thanks to Bryna Dambrowski for setting up this interview.   Today in Star Wars History - 9/30/2010   Verizon Wireless releases the highly anticipated limited edition DROID R2-D2 by Motorola. The phone was available for $249 after a $100 mail-in rebate with a new two-year customer agreement.     SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell

The first Disney+ MCU spinoff - AGATHA ALL ALONG - is here! Richard and Sarah share a comprehensive breakdown of Episode 1 & 2 - our thoughts, musical cues, comic book origins, and all the overt connections to THE WIZARD OF OZ. We are in love with this show!! It is dense with detail, fantastic writing, and a mysterious, witchy tone.  Which witch is your favorite? Join our coven down the witches’ road and tell us more!   Today in Star Wars History - 9/23/2007   The sixth season of Family Guy kicks off with the Star Wars spoof special, “Blue Harvest.” The episode's name is a reference to the working title for Revenge of the Jedi.   Peter retells Star Wars beginning with Episode IV to his family during a blackout. At the end, when the power returns, everyone thanks Peter for keeping them entertained, though Chris accuses Peter of ripping off the Star Wars episode of Robot Chicken. Peter replies with, "not a fan." Chris Griffin is voiced by Seth Green, co-creator of Robot Chicken.   SPONSORS   Small

This episode is dedicated to James Earl Jones - the man behind the booming voice of Darth Vader, a lion King, and so many more. In this episode, Richard and Sarah have gathered together obscure sound bytes, fun facts, and share YOUR favorite James Earl Jones quotes. We may even share some Top Ten Lists and Sesame Street moments. Let’s celebrate the life of a man who has impacted all of us.   Today in Star Wars History - 9/16/1977   The Making of Star Wars as told by C-3PO and R2-D2 airs on ABC-TV. The hour-long special is hosted by C-3PO (Anthony Daniels) and R2-D2. This behind-the-scenes special features film footage intercut with R2 and 3PO as they go through different scenes in the making of Star Wars. They begin by watching the ceremony at Grauman’s Chinese Theater as they, along with Darth Vader, put their footprints in cement. The man inside the Vader suit, Bryce Eller, talks about this moment in Skywalking Through Neverland Episodes 236-237.    SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sp

It’s FREAKY FRIDAY 1977 vs. FREAKY FRIDAY 2003!! Seeing Jodie Foster & Lindsay Lohan introduce Jamie Lee Curtis at the Disney Legends Awards Ceremony this year, plus the title announcement for 2025’s FREAKIER FRIDAY, inspired a rewatch of these films. So why not do a podcast episode comparing them?? Courtney and Kelly Turckel (Neverland Clubhouse) join us to compare each film. What were our nostalgic memories? How did each handle the body swap, the crush, the little brother? Did the big climactic moment measure up? And how did the 2003 version update the original? This is guaranteed to be a freaky conversation! (If you’ve seen the 1977 version, you’ll agree!)   Today in Star Wars History - 9/9/1977   After thirteen weeks on the Billboard 200 chart, the Star Wars Soundtrack peaks at the #2 position. It is topped by Fleetwood Mac’s album, Rumours.    The 2-LP soundtrack, released by 20th Century Fox, is released in June and goes on to become certified Gold and Platinum by the Recording Industry Assoc

We celebrate the 10th anniversary of the novel, Star Wars: A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller! Published on September 2, 2014, this book details the first meeting of Hera Syndulla and Kanan Jarrus which led to the series premiere of STAR WARS REBELS. A New Dawn marks the first novel published under the rebooted Star Wars canon - and all the previous Expanded Universe novels were rebranded “Legends”. What is the legacy of this novel? How does it hold up today? And where is Chopper?? Richard and Sarah go into the story, the legacy, and also share clips from Vanessa Marshall (voice of Hera) and Dave Filoni, who wrote the foreword to this novel. Let’s go back in time 10 years, Skywalkers!   Today in Star Wars History - 9/2/2014   The novel, Star Wars: A New Dawn, by John Jackson Miller, is published!   SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland s

Do you recall Prince Denid from THE LAST JEDI? Do you remember Luke’s red-bladed lightsaber, or his tryst with an Imperial captain? No? Then I’m wondering if you know THE LAST JEDI at all! In this episode we will breakdown Marvel Star Wars comic issue #49: "The Last Jedi" (1981)!! Mark Hamill even tweeted that this comic contains spoilers for the 2017 film. So does it? Let's find out, with Richard and Sarah!         #49 “THE LAST JEDI"   Release Date: April 21, 1981 Writer: Mike W. Barr Artwork: Walt Simonson, Tom Palmer Cover Art:  Walt Simonson   Princess Leia, Luke Skywalker and the droids bring Prince Denid and his guardian Jedi-diah, a Force-wielder who refused the call to be a Jedi knight, to the planet Velmor. There, Denid will take his rightful place on the throne before his Imperial-sympathizer brother is appointed.    Will he make it in time before the Empire can assassinate him and the Rebel heroes? It all comes down to the Star Wars Hunger Games!   As usual, we take our Facebook Gr

This D23: Ultimate Fan Event 2024 celebrated The Sherman Brothers in a big way. They have contributed so much to Disney’s legacy, so we wanted to take this episode to pay our own special tribute to them. Walt Disney hired Richard and Robert Sherman in 1960 to be the Walt Disney Studios ONLY in-house composers, and they worked on such classics like Mary Poppins, The Jungle Book, The Parent Trap, “The Tiki, Tiki, Tiki Room”, “it’s a small world after all”, and hundreds more. Richard and Sarah give a brief history of the Sherman Brothers and share our personal stories meeting Richard Sherman.    Then, sit back and listen to the entire “Road To Cherry Tree Lane: Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins” panel, recorded at D23 2024. Disney music historian Randy Thornton hosted this panel in which he shares how Walt’s daughters Diane and Sharon, Davy Crockett, Disneyland/Vista Records, and Annette Funicello were all crucial intersections on “The Road to Cherry Tree Lane ” and Walt Disney’s Mary Poppins. You’ll hear some great

Welcome to Part 2 of our D23 discussion! After attending the entire weekend and all the big Disney Showcase panels, we sat down with Courtney & Kelly Turckel (Neverland Clubhouse) and Joey Pittman (Disney Universe Podcast) to record this roundtable into the wee hours of the morning. This Part 2 discussion includes:   Disney Parks Showcase Deadpool crashes the party Avenger’s Campus updates Avatar coming to DCA Villains Land and Cars update at Magic Kingdom Tropical Americas with Encanto and Indiana Jones coming to Animal Kingdom Smuggler’s Run getting Mandalorian and Grogu update Legends Ceremony Harrison Ford Frank Oz John Williams Jamie Lee Curtis Miley Cyrus & more Overall experience wrap-up   SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland sent you.   SUPPORT THE SHOW   Find out how you can become a part of the S

Is your head still swimming from all the D23 2024 news?? We will happily break it all down for you in 2 episodes! After attending the entire weekend and all the big Disney Showcase panels, we sat down with Courtney & Kelly Turckel (Neverland Clubhouse) and Joey Pittman (Disney Universe Podcast) to record this roundtable into the wee hours of the morning. Part 1 discussion includes:   D23 2024 Disney Entertainment Showcase Lucasfilm Marvel Disney+ National Geographic Disney Animation Disney Live Action Overall Show Floor Experiences Pros and Cons of the convention Disney Parks Showcase - just the opening. This discussion continues in Part 2.   SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland sent you.   SUPPORT THE SHOW   Find out how you can become a part of the Skywalking Force and unlock bonus content.   CONTACT US   Inst

LFG with Deadpool & Wolverine!! In this episode, we discuss the film that broke all R-rated box office records and made $444 billion in its opening weekend - DEADPOOL & WOLVERINE. We’ll give our opinions, explain some cameos, and share sound bytes from Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman about their beloved characters. We also have some behind-the-scenes info from D&W composer Rob Simonsen, courtesy of San Diego Comic-Con! This is an in-depth, awesome discussion so YES, there will be SPOILERS.   Today in Star Wars History - 7/31/2001   Luke Skywalker and Mara Jade become parents to Ben Skywalker in The New Jedi Order: Edge of Victory II: Rebirth, written by Greg Keyes. This is the second book of The New Jedi Order duology that is contained within the 19-part New Jedi Order series.    Mark Hamill: "Pablo Hidalgo just told me about this. It doesn't surprise me. Somebody's using their head. George had talked about me handing Excalibur down to the ‘new young hopefuls’ if there ever was a sequel trilo

Our ACOLYTE breakdown continues! THE ACOLYTE marks the 5th live-action Disney+ Star Wars series. We’ve seen the entire first season, so now it’s time to share our educated review. We invited Mike Celestino (Laughing Place/ Who’s the Bossk) to join us in sharing our favorite moments, surprises, and cameos. What is Qimir’s relationship with Darth Plagueis? Should season 2 be R-rated? Will there be a season 2? And did the soundtrack by Michael Abels stand the test of time? Tell us if you agree with our assessment.   If you haven't already, listen to Part 1 of our series review with creature performer & actor Dee Tails (Rogue One, Solo, The Force Awakens). He played Senator Chuwant and had some great behind-the-scenes stories.   Today in Star Wars History - 7/22/1976   Lucasfilm Head of Marketing, Charles Lippincott, presents the panel, “The Star Wars: A preview w/ Roy Thomas, Howard Chaykin, and Charles Lippincott” at San Diego Comic-Con International.    Marvel comic writer Thomas and artist Chayki

Creature performer & actor Dee Tails (Rogue One, Solo, The Force Awakens) joins us to talk about his role as Senator Chuwant and shooting the finale for THE ACOLYTE! He upheld a J.J. Abrams tradition when playing this character - do you know what it is? You can meet Dee at our Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics panel at San Diego Comic-Con, and he will also be signing on July 29 during the Virtual Cantina tour at Scum & Villainy in Hollywood.     We planned on having Dee on the same show as our ACOLYTE breakdown with Mike Celestino (Laughing Place / Who’s The Bossk) but there was so much to each part that we separated them and our full breakdown will come out in just a few days. Stay tuned!   Today in Star Wars History - 7/21/1978   Due to its overwhelming popularity, the theatrical run for Star Wars extends another seven weeks. Although some may call this a re-release, however it was never pulled from theaters. Fun Facts:   A new poster is created for this extended release featuring artwork by

Craig Miller is back to tell us about his new book, More Movie Memories. Craig worked in publicity and marketing on Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back, but in his new book he shares stories about working on films like Superman 2, Heavy Metal, The Muppets Take Manhattan, and The Hand. Did you know Craig was present at a taping of The Dick Van Dyke Show??? This blew our minds and we had to ask him about that! We only scratched the surface in our conversation so we highly suggest picking up More Movie Memories!   Look for Craig Miller and his new book at San Diego Comic-Con (July 25-28) and at BIGS in Fullerton (July 30) for Boonta Eve: Special Edition Anaheim.   Today in Star Wars History - 7/15/20126   Star Wars Celebration Europe III begins in London, England. The convention, held at the ExCeL center, continues through July 17th. Highlights include   Alden Ehrenreich is introduced for the first time as Han Solo in the upcoming (then) untitled Han Solo Star Wars Story. Panel for “Rogue One: A S

Celebrate Indiana Jones’ 125th birthday with an Indiana Jones location tour! Justin Smith (Downtown Toon Town) shares his experience on the Indiana Jones Fortune and Glory location tour - a bus tour that visited all the filming locations for the original Indiana Jones trilogy located in the San Francisco Bay Area, as well as the Lucasfilm offices at The Presidio.  Justin has the unbeatable record of seeing Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny 52 times in the theater, and is the biggest Indiana Jones fan we know. He is the perfect guest to share this experience. Locations visited: Steps of Washington DC (Raiders of the Lost Ark) Indiana Jones’ house (Raiders) Water plane to Nepal (Raiders) Shanghai Chase scene (Temple of Doom) Nang Tao Airport (Temple of Doom) Berlin Airport (Last Crusade) Motorcycle chase (Last Crusade)   Show Links: Justin Smith’s Tour Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdKNTi-Lh9Y  California Jones on Instagram Tour creator Eugene Shin - you can follow his art at LostD

Imagine an alternate universe where another set of podcasters were also breaking down classic comics. Well, that universe just collided with ours! Andrew Kilpatrick and Phil Oberholzer of the podcast THIS IS GETTING GRAPHIC join us to break down 1982’s Classic Marvel Star Wars Annual #2!! I don’t know when we’ve laughed so hard while doing a comics episode!    What does this comic issue have in common with The High Republic? Will Han Solo become the next Satab? And what would a Star Wars x Kojak cross-over look like? All these questions will be answered in this KING-SIZE EPISODE of over 2 hours long!!   We recommend watching the video version of this episode which contains the full comic as we page through it.   Star Wars Annual #2 “SHADESHINE"   Release Date: August 17, 1982 Writer: David Michelinie Artwork: Carmine Infantino, Rudi Nebres, George Roussos Cover Art:  Carmine Infantino, Rudi Nebres   Luke Skywalker, Lando Calrissian, and C-3PO evade Imperial Stormtroopers when they duck inside a

John Goodson, ILM model maker & digital artist, has worked on everything from Star Trek: First Contact to the Star Wars Disney+ series. He shares his stories and behind-the-scenes knowledge with us. We also debate how Star Trek communicators work and evolved! Films and models discussed in part 2:   Star Trek: First Contact - Enterprise NCC-1701-E The Mandalorian - Razor Crest Star Wars: Special Edition Return of the Jedi: Special Edition Skeleton Crew Battleship USS Iowa Museum   We highly recommend you watch the YouTube version which contains pictures and video illustrating our discussion. You can meet John and get his autograph on August 1 during the Virtual Cantina tour when it stops in San Francisco. Part 1 of our discussion available here.   SPONSORS   Small World Vacations is an official sponsor of Skywalking Through Neverland. Contact them for a no obligation price quote at www.smallworldvacations.com. Tell them Skywalking Through Neverland sent you.   SUPPORT THE SHOW   Find ou