Jim and Lauren celebrate Episode 99 of I Want That Too with a packed conversation about Disney’s latest merch experiments, the surprising box office success of Devil Wears Prada 2, and what Disney’s newest earnings call may reveal about the company’s digital future. Along the way, Jim begins a two-part deep dive into Disney’s long history of embracing emerging technology, leading into the cautionary tale of Go.com and the company’s first major internet gamble.

NEWS

• Lauren rope drops the new Mandalorian and Grogu collection at Bath & Body Works and breaks down Disney’s latest franchise licensing strategy.

• Disney continues leaning heavily into Toy Story 5 merchandise months ahead of release, with Jessie emerging as a major focus of the film’s marketing push.

• Jim shares early impressions from the newly released Toy Story 5 Little Golden Book and explains why Jessie appears to be central to the upcoming sequel.

• Devil Wears Prada 2 overperforms at the box office with a remarkably strong second weekend, signaling major audience demand for nostalgia-driven theatrical releases.

• Disney officially moves forward with Hocus Pocus 3 following the breakout success of Devil Wears Prada 2 and renewed interest in female-driven legacy franchises.

FEATURE

• Jim and Lauren unpack Disney CEO Josh D’Amaro’s latest earnings call comments about Disney+, Epic Games, Fortnite, AI, and the company’s evolving “hub and spoke” digital strategy.

• Jim begins Part One of a new series exploring Disney’s complicated history with emerging technology, from Fantasound and Xerox animation to the rise and fall of Go.com.

• The story traces Disney’s aggressive late-1990s internet expansion, including the acquisition of Infoseek and the company’s attempt to build a Disney-controlled online entertainment hub.

• The episode also revisits Michael Eisner passing on Marvel during its 1996 bankruptcy period, years before Disney eventually acquired the company for $4 billion.

HOSTS

• Jim Hill - X/Twitter: @JimHillMedia - Instagram: @JimHillMedia - Website: jimhillmedia.com

• Lauren Hersey - X/Twitter: @laurenhersey2 - Instagram: @lauren_hersey_

FOLLOW

• Facebook: @JimHillMediaNews

• YouTube: @jimhillmedia

• TikTok: @jimhillmedia

SUPPORT

Support the show and access bonus episodes and additional content at https://www.patreon.com/jimhillmedia.

PRODUCTION CREDITS

Edited by Dave Grey

Produced by Eric Hersey - https://strongmindedagency.com

SPONSOR

UnlockedMagic.com - https://unlockedmagic.com/?utm_source=partner&utm_campaign=iwantthat

If you would like to sponsor a show on the Jim Hill Media Podcast Network, reach out today. https://www.jimhillmedia.com/sponsor/

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices