July 10, 2026 – Show #291

Be Our Guest! Animation Legend Gary Trousdale Talks Disney Classics, Shrek, and Theme Park Magic on The DizRadio Show!

Get ready to step into the animation vault, DizRadio family! This week, we are absolutely thrilled to welcome a true heavyweight of the animation world, a man whose work shaped a generation of Disney magic and beyond. Please give a massive DizRadio welcome to the co-director of some of your absolute favorite cinematic masterpieces: Gary Trousdale (Beauty & the Beast, Hunchback of Notre Dame, Atlantis: The Lost Empire, Scared Shrekless, Cranium Command, Rocky & Bullwinkle)!

From the Renaissance of the 1990s to beloved theme park attractions and modern animated favorites, Gary has done it all. We sat down with him to look back at an incredible career spanning decades of creativity, laughter, and cinematic history.

From Oliver & Company to the EPCOT Center

Gary takes us all the way back to the beginning, sharing his journey of getting into art and animation. He takes us behind the scenes of his early days at Disney working on Oliver & Company, before diving into a project near and dear to every Disney Parks fan’s heart: Cranium Command at EPCOT!

If you miss Buzzy and the hilarious inner workings of a twelve-year-old boy’s brain, you won’t want to miss Gary’s memories of bringing that classic Future World attraction to life.

The Disney Renaissance and Directing Masterpieces

Of course, we had to talk about the legendary run of feature films Gary co-directed alongside Kirk Wise. We dive deep into:

  • Beauty and the Beast: Hear Gary’s firsthand reflections on making history with that groundbreaking Best Picture nomination at the Academy Awards.

  • The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A thematic masterpiece. Gary discusses his favorite songs, his favorite characters, and the deliberate choice not to talk down to kids when tackling such mature, powerful themes.

  • Atlantis: The Lost Empire: The sci-fi departure that has officially achieved legendary cult classic status. Gary opens up about how the fandom for Atlantis has grown and why it holds such a special place in people’s hearts today.

Life Beyond the Mouse: Shrek and Bullwinkle

What happens after you leave Walt Disney Animation? For Gary, it meant diving into some equally hilarious and iconic projects. He shares his experiences working on DreamWorks favorites like the spooky-fun Scared Shrekless and the holiday classic Shrek the Halls, as well as bringing classic characters back to life with Rocky and Bullwinkle.

Jonathan and The D-Team Take the Mic!

It wouldn’t be a proper DizRadio celebration without Jonathan from The D-Team! Jonathan steps up to the mic to geek out over these Disney classics.

Jonathan discusses the profound importance of animation within the Disney theme parks, reminiscing not just about EPCOT, but about the famous “Fish Bowl” glass animation studio at Disney-MGM Studios where guests could watch real animators at work. He also shares some of his own insights into his own personal journey of animation and why these films still resonate so deeply today.

Grab your popcorn, adjust your headphones, and let the nostalgia ride begin!

Enjoy the Nostalgia, the Magic, the Wonder, and the Memories with The DizRadio Show “A Pop Culture Celebrity Guest Show”!

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