Podcasts

There are a number of Disney podcasts out there. Each one has its own flavor. Some are serious, some are funny, and some just exist. I thought I really stoke the fire and rank them. Not all of them. Just the ones I listen to. If you listen to another podcast not listed let me know and I’ll check it out. Here are the things I take into consideration. Information, Humor, Guest Hosts, Diversity, Community, Cheese and Oddity.

#1 WDW Today

Information Factor 9
Funny Factor 8
Guest Factor 3
Diversity 8
Oddity 8
Community 8
Cheese 5

Four guys – One Girl – One show. I don’t think I’ve seen a combo like this since the five stooges. I say five because there were five people who played the three stooges. I’ll let you figure out who is who. There is no question they cannot answer. There are numerous runny jokes. Some of their topics are ridiculous and they occasionally have a random person join them. The cheese comes from their song. It’s decent but cheesy. MONGELLO!

#2 – This one was VERY close but number two goes to the Magical Definitions podcast.

Information Factor 10+
Funny Factor 4
Guest Factor 1
Diversity 5
Oddity 10
Community 4
Cheese 1

Jim Hill is the reason this one comes in second place. I don’t know where he gets his info. I don’t know if he makes it up or he really has some inside sources. Either way I can’t stop listening when he tells a story. He’s the Josephus of Disney. The format of this podcast odd too, it just seems to happen. A lot of the others have ridged formats this has no real format that I can detect, just two guys talking Disney. They are an odd couple too. I don’t know how these two found each other but it works.

#3 The Dis Unplugged

Information Factor 8
Funny Factor 7
Guest Factor 7
Diversity 10
Oddity 3
Community 10++++
Cheese 3

No podcast has a bigger heart. They know their stuff and they go beyond the parks. They are a strange mix too, a young married couple, a recovering alcoholic who hides nothing, a man who just wants decent meal with his mother in tow, and a total hodgepodge or random people along for the ride. They have a peanut gallery. They often start laughing so hard you think they are going to ruin a Depends. They have a prize thingy (sorry I don’t know the proper spelling of prizeamatron). They also have such a big Disney community around them that you can’t tell where the podcast ends and where the community begins. That was proven with the loss of Bob Varley. Let’s go grab a Dole Whip!

#4 NETCOT

Information Factor 7
Funny Factor 2
Guest Factor 6
Diversity 5
Oddity 3
Community 5
Cheese 9

You may wonder why the cheese factor is so high on this podcast. It’s the outtakes, the music, and the transitions. What really makes this podcast standout are the countdowns. They are great and almost always interesting.

#5 This was very close but it goes to Inside the Magic.

Information Factor 7
Funny Factor 2
Guest Factor 4
Diversity 5
Oddity 3
Community 5
Cheese 7

Ricky does a good job with packing a lot of info into his podcast. Sometimes he runs out and packs a bunch of Disney music in there. I normally don’t enjoy that. Some people love it. If I want Disney music I’ll listen to my iPod or go to wdwradio.com. That’s why his cheese factor is so high. He tries to have a good variety of topics and tries to keep it different.

#6 – The WDW Radio Show

Information Factor 8
Funny Factor 2
Guest Factor 8
Diversity 3
Oddity 3
Community 5
Cheese 4

MONGELLO! The walking Disney Trivial Pursuit pulls this one off on a weekly basis. He has a wide variety of guests and keeps me wondering who he manages to find so many Disney legends on his show. Even his creepy fascination with tiny Lolita and Samantha Brown isn’t enough to scare me away. The music he plays in the background can be distracting at times. Sometimes his show just goes too long and you get bored but overall it’s a great show.

Before anyone starts complaining about who should be where just remember this, if you do anything and come in the top ten, you’re doing an exceptional job.