As the Holiday Season slowly rolls to its ends, the Disney Desk looks ahead to 2026 and Disney's upcoming film schedule!
For our ninth episode and our second 'solo outing,' Sydney takes a moment to talk about a few trends that have popped up over recent holiday seasons. And yes, we're mostly talking about Elf on a Shelf.
Like last year, both Carter and Sydney will be getting a chance to opine about the season on their own! For day eight, Carter writes his letter to Santa, musing on the holidays amid grief, optimism for the future, and whether a chair can be too cozy.
As Bob Iger once again looks for a successor, the Disney Desk offers their services. Both Carter and Sydney discus the moves they would make if they were in charge of the Walt Disney Company.
Can you believe four years into the podcast, the Disney Desk hasn't covered one of Disney's biggest acquisitions? That changes now, because for Podmas, Carter and Sydney cover the first ever Simpsons episode. Airing in 1989, 'The Simpson's Holiday Special' serves as a unquie introduction to Springfield, setting up nearly 40 years of television iconography.
On Day Five, Sydney and Carter talk about the abundant catalog of Christmas Music. What are their favorites? Least favorites? What makes a true Christmas Classic?
As we reach the third-way mark of the holiday season, the Disney Desk talks about gift giving. Both the gifts they love to get and how they approach buying gifts!
While Sydney was on vacation, Carter was able to see the 64th Walt Disney Animated Film Zootopia 2. So for day 3, listen in as Carter gives his quick thoughts on the sequel!
For the second episode in our holiday celebration, the Disney Desk talks about their very different vacations this year!+
Ho, Ho, Ho! Merry Podmas! Once again, to celebrate the holiday season, the Disney Desk brings you 12 new episodes leading up to Christmas! To kick off the festivites this year, Carter and Sydney decide to come back to Elf, the infamous 'lost episode' from last month. In this bite sized version of their original conversation, the two break down the cultural impact of the iconic 2000's film, and ask if you could even make an Elf today.
Funny Story.
After recording a delightful episode for the finale of Thanksgiving month that really tied things together and set up the Christmas season perfectly, Carter's file got corrupted. And Sydney went on vacation and was unavailable to re-record. Carter is so genuinely upset about this he doesn't really have anything insightful or funny to add.
So, in the spirit of this month's "Films that mattered to our families," the Disney Desk is breaking out a Patreon Exclusive with Lilo & Stitch. While Carter and sydney enjoyed the live action remake, the animated original was a staple in both of their homes and a constant reference pool in the Carter household.
Cozy up with some Thanksgiving leftovers and enjoy this trip down memory lane!
Thanksgiving is just a week away! Wow! As the Disney Desk continues to celebrate the films that brought their families together, Sydney breaks out another iconic musical from her childhood. Annie, based off the musical and inspired by the iconic comic, is a staple of pop culture. "It's a Hard Knock Life" and "Tomorrow" transcend their source material while ensuring the immortality of Little Orphan Annie. If you can believe it, Carter has never actually sit down and watched the film, making it a perfect candidate for this month's discussions.
Tune in as Carter and Sydney talk 'grungliness,' Musical Romance and why this version of Annie is timeless and unrepeatable.
When the Disney Desk committed to doing a month of films centered around their family, Carter found himself in an interesting place. While he has a lot of nostalgic memories of watching movies with his family, he has two very different movie pools to choose from.
Carter's late father was a conisure of the 'Dad Movie.' Action movies, heist films, westerns. So for this week, the Disney Desk is hitting one of the major franchises of the 2010's: Mission: Impossible. Tom Cruise's signature series has had many highs and lows, but found new life with the Brad Bird directed Ghost Protocol. Tune in as Sydney experiences action movie camp, anitmation sensibility, and the 'Movie Star Aura.'
You know what's a difficult month to find thematically appropriate films for? November! Despite Thanksgiving being an iconic American holiday, there are very few films that invoke that 'Thanksgiving Vibe.'
But in the spirit of the holiday - spending time with family - Sydney proposed a fun idea. For the month of November, Carter and Sydney will be covering films that were important to their respective families. To kick it off, Sydney presents The Wiz. The film was a regular for her family and has been a major gap in Carter's love of The Wizard of Oz.
Tune in as the Disney Desk talks Laser Disk, dream logic, and being scared witless as a kid.
In what the Disney Desk hopes to be a recurring segment, it is time for another Internet Minute Power Hour! With so much to cover on the main show, Carter and Sydney realized it was easier to dedicate an extra episode a month to covering the news, opinions, and personal moments that usually fill the regular Internet Minutes.
This week, your podcast hosts talk about their Ghost Tour in the Delaware River Valley, Ghost of Yhotei, watching The VVitch, and the drama of Ben Solo.
We have a rare treat as Spooky Season ends! With Halloween falling on a Friday, we not only have a Halloween Weekend, but a Dia de los Muertos weekend! So what better way to celebrate than diving into one of Pixar's unsung gems?
Coco released in 2017 and was an early film in Disney Desk's early history. While it was a hit off of release, it has gained a substantial following post-release and stands as one of the studio's best films post Up/Toy Story 3.
Tune in as Carter and Sydney talk musicals, side quests, and what we remember from those who came before us.
Halloween Week is upon us! To wrap up Disney Desk's Spooky Season, Carter and Sydney decide to head back to the world of Laika claymation.
Last year, the duo watched Coraline for the first time and were blown away by the studio's debut feature. But before the Disney Desk began, Carter had been previously enchanted by another Laika feature. ParaNorman was their follow up to Coraline, and while it received the same praise from critics, it began a downward trend of diminishing returns at the Box Office.
Grab a hot chocolate and send the season off with a beautiful, gross and dark film.
On Carter and Sydney's Spooky Corner (24:03 - 48:08)
Viewer beware, it's time for a scare. When we talk about 90's, millennial nostalgia, one of the first pop cultural entities that comes up is Goosebumps. R.L. Stein's classic tween horror series stands as one of the pillars of childhood reading, and lead to an equally iconic television series. Both Carter and Sydney have nostalgic memories of both the books and the series with Carter having a particular affinity for the series.
Coming back to the landmark show as adults, does the Disney Desk still get Goosebumps? Tune in to find out!
On Carter and Sydney's Spooky Corner (18:25 - 44:08)
If you think of Studio Ghibli, if you think Hayao Miyazaki, or if even if you just think of anime, there's a good chance your first thought is Spirited Away. After briefly retiring, Miyazaki returned to make the film that permanently changed the world's relationship with anime.
And the fact that it is centered around ghosts and spirits is justification enough for the Disney Desk to return to their Ghibli Fest festivities. Listen in as Sydney experiences the landmark film for the first time, as she and Carter talk dream logic, plutonic romance, and the way we treat kids.
On Carter and Sydney's Spooky Corner (35:00 - 1:06:00)
MWAHAHAHAHA! A cool breeze waves through the Delaware Valley, meaning Spooky Season is once again upon us! All month long, your favorite Halloween fanatics will be discussing the great Halloween films and series of their childhood while talking about their nostalgic memories of the season.
To kick off the month, Carter and Sydney break down Monster House, one of the more iconic - or perhaps infamous - films of their childhood. The motion capture film has developed a massive cult following, and the Disney Desk is here to discover if it earns its holiday bona fides.
On Carter and Sydney's Spooky Corner (31:10 - 1:06:31)
- Syndey and Carter make candy tier lists!