Introductions

Welcome to Gabble Sisters, a podcast where sisters Megan and Bronwen will be discussing the history, psychology and music of every Disney animated feature. Join us for this inaugural episode, where we introduce ourselves and the podcast.

Follow us @gabblesisters on Instagram.

Email us at gabblesisterspodcast@gmail.com.

Transcript

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Intro

Bronwen 0:00

Welcome Megan.

Megan 0:01

Welcome Bronwen, to the inaugural episode of...

Both 0:04

The Gabble Sisters.

Megan 0:07

You said Gaggle.

Megan 0:13

Welcome to Gabble Sisters. Join us on our walking tour of every Disney animated feature, taking in the history, psychology, and music of a randomly selected film each episode. Think Goose. Forward March.

Bronwen 0:33

Let's try this again.

Megan 0:35

Okay.

Bronwen 0:36

The thing is the more you think about it, the harder it gets.

Megan 0:40

It is very difficult.

Bronwen 0:41

Okay, okay, okay.

Megan 0:43

Hello Bronwen.

Bronwen 0:44

Hello, Megan.

Megan 0:46

And welcome.

Bronwen 0:47

Welcome!

Megan 0:48

To the inaugural episode of ...

Both 0:50

Gabble Sisters.

Megan 0:52

She said Gaggle again.

Bronwen 0:55

Okay, you know what? I'm gonna let you say it. I'm just gonna let you say. I'm gonna just I'm gonna say, here we are, at the beginning of our whole new podcast. Hello Megan.

Megan 1:06

Hello Bronwen, and welcome listeners to the inaugural episode of The Gabble Sisters.

Bronwen 1:13

It's very exciting.

Megan 1:14

It's very exciting. We are the Gabble Sisters. We are your hosts.

Bronwen 1:18

I'm Bronwen.

Megan 1:20

I'm Megan.

Bronwen 1:21

And this is our podcast, which is going to explore all of the Disney Animation Studio films. And we're very excited about them.

Megan 1:30

We're so excited. Oh my goodness.

Bronwen 1:32

We love these films and can't wait to talk about them.

Introducing ourselves

Bronwen 1:40

I think we should talk about what this podcast is for, what it's going to be about.

Megan 1:44

I agree, Bronwen.

Bronwen 1:46

I need to say your name more.

Megan 1:50

I think we should explain that we are sisters with very similar voices.

Bronwen 1:54

Yes.

Megan 1:55

I mean, everyone has told us for years and years and years that we have the same voice. So this is Megan speaking at the moment, and so we're going to try and say each other's names a lot so that you don't get confused.

Bronwen 2:07

And I'm Bronwen, and I'm the younger sister, so I do as I'm told.

Megan 2:11

Darn right you do.

Bronwen 2:15

You wish I did.

Megan 2:17

Yeah, I do wish you did. So we're going to introduce the basics about ourselves. Um would you like to start, Bronwen?

Bronwen 2:28

My name is Bronwen Quan-Thomas, which is the easiest name of a of a potential podcaster anyone's ever heard.

Megan 2:36

Yes.

Bronwen 2:38

I am in my early 30s. I live in Devon. I am married.

Megan 2:46

Newlywed.

Bronwen 2:46

Yes. Newly married to James, the love of my life. And I'm a psychologist. We'll get more into that later on, I think. And I love Disney. Always have, always will.

Megan 3:02

I was going to ask, I think, what your hobbies are outside of Disney, if you have any hobbies outside Disney.

Bronwen 3:07

Outside Disney. Wish this was easier to answer. I hate it when people ask this. What do you do? Outside work.

Megan 3:16

I watch TV.

Bronwen 3:17

I watch TV. I watch TV. I love Taylor Swift. That's the other big love of my life.

Megan 3:23

Yeah, you are a Swiftie.

Bronwen 3:25

I like spending time with my friends. I like being outside. I'm trying to be more active physically.

Megan 3:33

Different question. When there are icebreakers and you have to give one interesting fact about yourself, what is your interesting fact?

Bronwen 3:41

I think the last time my I had to give two interesting facts.

Megan 3:45

Oh what? That's so mean!

Bronwen 3:47

Um, so one of them was I can identify any Taylor Swift song within half a second of it starting.

Megan 3:52

And it is true she can.

Bronwen 3:54

And the other one is that I have seen all 64 Disney Animation Studios films.

Megan 4:00

Yes, keep it on topic.

Bronwen 4:02

Let's talk about you. Let's talk about Megan. Megan Courtman.

Megan 4:05

I mean, classic psychologist here, getting me to talk about myself.

Bronwen 4:09

Yeah.

Megan 4:09

I'm on the sofa as well.

Bronwen 4:11

Yeah, she's on my she's literally on my couch.

Megan 4:13

Yes.

Bronwen 4:13

It's not leather, but

Megan 4:15

Does it have to be leather? Is that a psychologist requirement?

Bronwen 4:17

Freud's one was leather.

Megan 4:19

Okay. My name is Megan. I am also in my early 30s, but I'm the older one. I am married. I am not a newlywed. I am an oldlywed. I have two beautiful tabby cats. They are my reason for living.

Bronwen 4:35

What are their names?

Megan 4:36

Their names are Tybalt and Tia beanie.

Bronwen 4:40

Beautiful names.

Megan 4:40

Or Tybs and Bean. And I am a researcher at a university. I don't think we're actually going to get into that later because it's not very relevant to Disney. So I might as well very briefly say what I do now. I apply AI to medical imaging to try and make discoveries and do useful things. So my hobbies are.

Bronwen 5:08

You have many.

Megan 5:09

Do I?

Bronwen 5:10

Compared to me.

Megan 5:12

I like reading. I sing in a choir. I'm a church warden. Is that a hobby?

Bronwen 5:19

You crochet.

Megan 5:21

Oh yeah, I crochet. That sort of comes and goes, sort of depending on the season. I feel like that's a winter hobby. I also live in Devon. I should say that. Yes, we live relatively close to each other, which is handy for doing a podcast together.

Why "Gabble Sisters"

Bronwen 5:39

Those are the basics.

Megan 5:40

Yep.

Bronwen 5:41

And we're the Gabble sisters.

Megan 5:43

We are the Gabble sisters. Should we take this opportunity to explain?

Bronwen 5:48

Why are we the Gabble sisters? I mean, you came up with Gabble Sisters. So I feel like you deserve to explain why.

Megan 5:55

I will explain why, Bronwen.

Bronwen 5:56

Thank you, Megan.

Megan 5:59

The Gabble Sisters. I'm sure you Disney fans out there probably already know this, but to remind you, the Gabble sisters are the geese in the Aristocats, and they are British and they are sisters, and they are going on walking holiday together.

Bronwen 6:15

They're also quite posh. We have been told that we have posh voices.

Megan 6:21

We have been told that. I don't know what they're talking about.

Bronwen 6:24

I don't know if that's true.

Megan 6:25

Darling, it's just insane. So that's why we've called ourselves the Gabble Sisters.

Bronwen 6:32

Mm-hmm.

Megan 6:33

It's a Disney deep cut.

Bronwen 6:34

It is. It's quite a deep cut, isn't it? We're expecting people to have quite deep knowledge.

Megan 6:40

Yeah, absolutely.

What we're experts in, and what we're not experts in

Bronwen 6:45

So Megan, we were gonna talk about the things that we're experts in.

Megan 6:50

Yes.

Bronwen 6:50

And also the things we're not experts in. So

Megan 6:53

Which way, which shall we start with?

Bronwen 6:55

Maybe it'd be useful to start with what we don't know.

Megan 6:58

Yeah, and then we can big ourselves up with what we do know. We can feel better about ourselves afterwards. Okay.

Bronwen 7:03

Yeah.

Megan 7:03

So what are we not experts in?

Bronwen 7:05

Well,

Megan 7:05

Bronwen.

Bronwen 7:06

Megan. I would say we're not... Well, I'll speak for myself and you can see if you agree. I'm not an expert really in film generally. I enjoy film. My husband is a cinephile, so we watch a lot of film. So I spend a lot of time watching films, but I have not done any like training in it.

Megan 7:26

No.

Bronwen 7:27

And specifically animation as well. I really enjoy animation. I'm a great believer in the idea that animation isn't just for children, it's a really important form of art and film. But I'm not an expert in it in any way. I don't know how they make these films. There are other podcasts available that that talk about that, which we really enjoy, which are fantastic, but that's not what I'm bringing, at least. Would you agree?

Megan 7:52

Absolutely, I would agree.

Bronwen 7:53

Yeah.

Megan 7:54

No notes. 100%.

Bronwen 7:57

Thank you. My my big sister approves, I'm happy now.

Megan 8:00

Yay! Gold star.

Bronwen 8:03

Is there anything else that you feel like we're not experts in?

Megan 8:06

So many things.

Bronwen 8:07

Okay.

Megan 8:08

We are not experts in minority experiences. I've written down.

Bronwen 8:14

That's very important.

Megan 8:15

Because we'll come back to this in a second. We are women, and so we bring that experience to it. But we are white, privileged, possibly very posh women.

Bronwen 8:25

Yes. Yes.

Megan 8:26

So we are not experts in the minority experience, which might be relevant to some of the Disney films that we discuss.

Bronwen 8:36

Absolutely, completely agree.

Megan 8:38

So I think that's worth noting. I have another thing. I have another thing that we're not experts in.

Bronwen 8:43

You're gunna put these people off.

Megan 8:44

Final thing. Final thing. Third thing. And I feel like we've got more than three things that we are experts in. So the numbers, but they work out. Um, we're not experts in podcasting.

Bronwen 8:53

No, they're gonna know this by now.

Megan 8:56

This is completely new to us, didn't know anything about the tech. Hopefully, we're quite good at talking to each other.

Bronwen 9:02

Yes, we ought to be after 30 plus years.

Megan 9:05

Yeah.

Bronwen 9:05

We're doing this on a whim, really. Well, I said at the end of last year, shall we do a podcast?

Megan 9:11

Yeah.

Bronwen 9:12

And I think we're just very aware of the fact that podcasting generally is very male space.

Megan 9:18

Yeah.

Bronwen 9:19

The vast majority of the podcasts I listen to are either all men or at least one man within the podcast, like, the hosts. And specifically in the Disney podcasts we have listened to, there have been no hosts that are women. They've had guests on that are women, and I think I think both of us were quite interested or both frustrated and interested in that. Like, why is that? And wanting to change that.

Megan 9:51

Yeah. And we, we love Disney podcasts.

Bronwen 9:55

Yes.

Megan 9:56

That are all men. We love men, but that is something that different that we bring to the table. And it is interesting as well that I I don't have any statistics at my fingertips here, but I would have thought of adults who are interested in Disney films, I would guess that the majority are women.

Bronwen 10:15

I would agree with that, yes.

Megan 10:17

So I think that leads us nicely into the things that we are experts in. Because we are experts in the female experience.

Bronwen 10:25

We are.

Megan 10:25

We live in the world as women, we watch films as women and so that's something that we bring to the table.

Bronwen 10:33

Absolutely.

Megan 10:34

What else are you an expert in Bronwen? Maybe not me...

Bronwen 10:39

I'm not sure am I an expert in anything.

Megan 10:41

I mean you have a doctorate. I think maybe that makes you an expert.

Bronwen 10:49

So career-wise or academically, I'm a psychologist. I am an HCPC registered clinical psychologist. I work in the NHS in mental health.

Megan 11:01

For our non-British listeners. ..

Bronwen 11:02

Yes.

Megan 11:03

What is the NHS?

Bronwen 11:04

The NHS is the National Health Service, which is the publicly funded health service, which is free at the point of use.

Megan 11:13

Yeah.

Bronwen 11:14

We're very lucky to have it.

Megan 11:15

It's nice.

Bronwen 11:16

So I know quite a bit about clinical psychology, which specifically is the application of psychological theory to clinical difficulties, so whether that is a mental health problem or a physical health problem. But as a part of my training, I have a few degrees.

Megan 11:35

How many? How many degrees do you have, Bronwen?

Bronwen 11:37

I have three.

Megan 11:38

Three? Excessive.

Bronwen 11:40

It's quite excessive. It is, it is. But I have a well-rounded understanding, or at least I think I do, of psychology as a science. So thinking about things like social psychology, cognitive psychology, neuropsychology, those sorts of things. And I think there's an in every film that you watch, Disney or not Disney, there's an awful lot of psychology to it. Maybe I should define psychology.

Megan 12:08

Oh, go on.

Bronwen 12:09

So I define psychology as the scientific study of mind and behaviour. It's important that we put scientific in there because it needs to be empirically based. It isn't just all Freud and dreams. Though that is an aspect of it. And so if we take that definition, psychology is in every aspect of what we do all the time. And so I thought it would be really interesting to think about these films coming at it as a psychologist. Why are the people in these films doing what they're doing? That's gonna be my question.

Megan 12:45

Yeah.

Bronwen 12:45

I'm intrigued by that.

Megan 12:46

Yeah.

Bronwen 12:47

So that's part one of what I suppose I'm an expert in. The second part, and I think you share this so you can speak to it as well, is we both love music. We were both brought up playing music, listening to an awful lot of music, and I love Disney music. I think Disney music is generally speaking, certainly for children's films, certainly for animation, but film generally, has some of the best music of the films that I've seen.

Megan 13:19

Here here.

Bronwen 13:24

so I've spent a lot of time listening to Disney music. As a child, I listened to it an awful lot. I had CDs and so many CDs of Disney's greatest hits, so many. And I

Megan 13:38

Yeah, I remember a particular like compilation set that you had. It was like two discs, wasn't it? In a, in a black case.

Bronwen 13:44

Yes, that was the first one. Yeah, that was the first one that I got.

Megan 13:47

That was the beginning of it all.

Bronwen 13:48

That was

Megan 13:48

the gateway music.

Bronwen 13:49

That was the gateway, and it started with You'll Be in My Heart.

Megan 13:54

Yes, good start.

Bronwen 13:56

Yeah. Back when we used to have CDs, not that we do that anymore.

Megan 14:00

Physical media.

Bronwen 14:01

Yeah, we don't really do that anymore, but I still listen to a lot of Disney music now. So I'm also bringing that. Not necessarily an expert as a musician, like I know bits, but I'm... I would not call myself a music expert. But as someone who knows this music very well has listened to it a lot and knows the entire discography pretty well. I think I can speak to it.

Megan 14:23

Yeah.

Bronwen 14:24

So those are the two things that I say that I am I think I'm bringing to this podcast. What about you, Megan?

Megan 14:31

Well, I'll join in on the music.

Bronwen 14:32

Yeah.

Megan 14:33

I'm not super qualified in music.

Bronwen 14:36

You do a lot of music though.

Megan 14:38

I do a lot of music. So I sing in the choir. My husband is very musical, so hopefully I absorb some of that. And I sort of I dabble in a lot of instruments.

Bronwen 14:50

You do.

Megan 14:51

I grew up learning to play the guitar, so that's probably what I'm most competent in. I got a mandolin for Christmas, so I'm learning how to play that.

Bronwen 15:00

As you do.

Megan 15:01

As you do. And I have a bodhran, which is kind of drum, so doing a bit of percussion as well. I have a ukulele, I have a kalimba, so I just, sort of, I dabble. I dabble in a lot of music. So... and I also love Disney music, so I think that will be something really interesting for us to talk about. The other area of expertise, in inverted commas, that I bring to this is I... I also have three degrees that are all in different things because I didn't know what to do with my life, and my first degree, so this is going back a ways, but my bachelor's degree was in history. And when we're talking about Disney films, obviously there is history in the films.

Bronwen 15:51

Yes.

Megan 15:51

So there are films that are set in the past, and so it's interesting to be able to look at that history, how it's presented, how accurate it is, and also every film is made in its own historical context. So the Disney canon of animated films is going back, kind of, a hundred years now, and so we've had a hundred years of history in that time. Every film is made in its own historical context, which influences basically everything about the film. So I think that would be an interesting thing to to talk about and to bring to the discussion. I would say as well, although my current work doesn't tie in with Disney (AI and medical imaging and stuff), I am a researcher though, so that's, that is a skill that I bring - that I like doing research.

Bronwen 16:46

Yes.

Megan 16:47

And ... so I think I can still do the research about the history of these films.

Bronwen 16:53

Here's a question for you, Megan.

Megan 16:54

Yes

Bronwen 16:54

To remind them that it's Megan that's speaking.

Megan 16:57

Hello.

Bronwen 16:58

How did you get interested in history in the first place?

Megan 17:01

Oh my goodness, okay.

Bronwen 17:03

Why history? Like what intrigues you about history?

Megan 17:06

Uh I mean that's yeah, that's a big question.

Bronwen 17:09

Yes.

Megan 17:09

Funnily enough, I think it sort of relates to what you do in a way, that I've always been interested in the people in history. It's the characters, it's the stories. So my favourite time period is the 16th century, and particularly the Tudors, so Henry VIII and Elizabeth I. I was particularly interested in the six wives of Henry VIII, and yes, for me it was all about those characters and those stories, and what what motivates people, and that's... so it kind of ties in with psychology funnily enough.

Bronwen 17:47

It really does, because I'm... that's exactly how I ended up doing what I do, which is less for in a historical context of why did those people back then do what they did. I'm not not interested in that, but I'm interested in why people do what they're doing right now.

Megan 18:00

Yeah, absolutely. I think when it comes to like any sort of fiction, whether that be books or films, I am always most interested in character studies.

Bronwen 18:13

Yeah.

Megan 18:13

So I think that's gonna be something that's just so interesting for us to discuss in Disney films. ..

Bronwen 18:18

Definitely.

Megan 18:19

... is yeah, characters and stories. And Disney does those so well, generally.

Bronwen 18:26

Generally, yes. Yeah. It's gonna be great.

Megan 18:28

Yeah.

Our Disney credentials

Bronwen 18:33

The next thing that we were gonna talk about, Megan, was our Disney credentials.

Megan 18:38

Oh, our Disney credentials, yes.

Bronwen 18:40

What are our Disney credentials?

Megan 18:42

We love Disney.

Bronwen 18:43

We do.

Megan 18:44

We have always loved Disney. We are children of the 90s.

Bronwen 18:48

Yes, we are.

Megan 18:49

Um, so we're probably particularly strong on those Disney Renaissance films.

Bronwen 18:54

I think we were very lucky at the time we were born when it came to Disney to be born at a time to be able to appreciate the Renaissance.

Megan 19:03

Yeah.

Bronwen 19:03

Was very lucky.

Megan 19:04

Yeah.

Bronwen 19:05

So I was born like in the middle of the 90s, so I missed the first half of the Renaissance, but those films were still obviously very popular and being shown on telly, and people were talking about them and pencil cases and all those sorts of things.

Megan 19:23

They were in the zeitgeist.

Bronwen 19:23

Yes, that's exactly the right word. So yeah, I think we were very lucky. Yeah, we we were brought up on Disney, like so many people. But it's interesting how different people are brought up with different bits of Disney. James, who is my husband, who I'll probably end up talking about quite a lot. We've been talking about Disney quite a lot, building up to us during this podcast, and he was brought up on much older Disney. So the films that he goes to that he sees as like his childhood Disney films are like Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White.

Megan 19:55

That is interesting.

Bronwen 19:56

Films from the 50s mainly, but also Snow White. Whereas he didn't see the Renaissance films until he was like quite a bit older, like he was a teenager. So it does go to show where you can be brought up with loads of different bits of Disney as well. And I think we actually we were also quite well-rounded in the Disney that we saw. We said this when we did our first watch through of all of the Disney films. Like, you messaged me and said, I feel like we are really we saw a lot of these, we didn't realise just how many of them we have been a part of our lives for a very long time.

Megan 20:30

Yes, absolutely. We only had a couple of distinct gaps, I would say, which were the package films in the 40s, and then much later on, sort of the films that came when we were teenagers, probably.

Bronwen 20:47

Yeah.

Megan 20:48

And so we went through that too cool for Disney phase.

Bronwen 20:51

We did the classic thing which teenagers do, which is stop watching.

Megan 20:54

Yeah.

Bronwen 20:54

And then you come back to it because you you learn to get over yourself.

Megan 20:58

And to be fair, it maybe wasn't the best era of Disney films.

Bronwen 21:02

This is true, this is true.

Megan 21:04

So that might have contributed to us not watching them. So, in terms of yes, our Disney credentials, we have been brought up on Disney.

Bronwen 21:11

Yeah.

Megan 21:12

That also includes us going to Disney Parks. Yes. Growing up as a family, we went to Disney World three times.

Bronwen 21:21

We did.

Megan 21:22

We're very fortunate.

Bronwen 21:23

We're trying not to make them think we're posh.

Megan 21:27

Yeah, I have no... Can't escape. Only three times, darling. It wasn't like we went every year. And actually you went to Disney World, Bronwen, an extra time.

Bronwen 21:42

I did. I did. I went on a school trip to learn about physics.

Megan 21:46

Yeah.

Bronwen 21:46

I didn't ...

Megan 21:47

Did you learn about physics?

Bronwen 21:48

At the time, yes.

Megan 21:50

Okay.

Bronwen 21:50

I did actually. I learned about G -forces on Thunder Mountain. I learnt about something about sound on one of the other rides.

Megan 22:01

Something about sound. Something about sound. Okay.

Bronwen 22:09

I don't know what to tell you. And I...

Megan 22:13

Did you learn about speed?

Bronwen 22:17

No, actually.

Megan 22:19

That seems the most obvious one.

Bronwen 22:21

Well, we got to go backstage at on the Haunted Mansion and see how they made the ballroom scene.

Megan 22:27

That 's very cool.

Bronwen 22:29

Yes. Yeah, I was very lucky.

Megan 22:31

So we love the parks.

Bronwen 22:33

We do. We also, well, I was very lucky that I for my hen party decided to take my bridesmaids, kidnap them, and take them to Disneyland Paris, which was ...

Megan 22:47

It was amazing.

Bronwen 22:48

Yeah,

Megan 22:48

I was one of the bridesmaids.

Bronwen 22:49

Megan was one of my bridesmaids and we had a great time. We had a great time.

Megan 22:54

But that wasn't the first time in recent memory that we've been to the parks, which was a weird way of phrasing that, but... the year before, 2024, we decided to relive our childhoods and we went to Disney World together. The two of us.

Bronwen 23:10

We had both just completed our doctorates. I needed to go there to recover. I... my doctorate was long and and quite arduous, and so the only place that I could think that I could replenish was Walt Disney World.

Megan 23:25

That's fair. And now we've got ourselves into this terrible situation where we cannot live without a Disney countdown. What's our next plan, Bronwen, for Disney?

Bronwen 23:35

Well, August this year, we are going on a Disney cruise. It's it's only a three-night cruise because we've never cruised before.

Megan 23:46

No.

Bronwen 23:46

So we're not quite sure if we're gonna like it. So we're we're going... This is like a test holiday.

Megan 23:52

It's an experiment. It's for science.

Bronwen 23:53

It's for science. As I said before, I'm a scientist, I'm an empiricist, and I need data to know whether something works or not. As are you.

Megan 24:00

Yes. I'm a data scientist.

Bronwen 24:03

Yes,

Megan 24:03

I'm all about that data.

Bronwen 24:05

So as good scientists, we have to go and test whether something can be a holiday.

Megan 24:10

We do.

Bronwen 24:10

And who knows, maybe we'll take the pod on the cruise.

Megan 24:15

Maybe we will.

Bronwen 24:15

We'll see.

Megan 24:16

We'll see how we're going.

Bronwen 24:17

We'll find out. We have also watched, I think it should be said...

Megan 24:20

Oh yes, I was going to say that, yes...

Bronwen 24:22

We have watched all of the Disney Animation Studio films, which we will define in a minute, in order.

Megan 24:29

Yes.

Bronwen 24:30

We did that as a part of our preparation for going to Disney World.

Megan 24:33

Yeah, you have to do your homework to go to Disney World.

Bronwen 24:36

I don't know if people know this, but you should do that before you go. And at the time we did that, it was 62 films, I think. It was just before Wish came out.

Megan 24:46

Yeah.

Bronwen 24:46

Which I think was the 62nd.

Megan 24:49

Yes.

Bronwen 24:50

That was quite arduous. It was great. At times it was phenomenal, like it was just banger after banger, and then at other times it was a bit of a drag.

Megan 24:58

Yeah.

Bronwen 24:59

Wasn't it, Megan?

Megan 25:00

Yes. It was, I agree. And that's why we're going to do something slightly different with our podcast. But we'll come to that in a little bit. So, teaser.

Bronwen 25:13

Okay.

Why we're doing a Disney podcast

Megan 25:19

Bronwen.

Bronwen 25:20

Yes, Megan.

Megan 25:21

I thought we should talk about why we're doing a Disney podcast.

Bronwen 25:24

We are doing a Disney podcast because, as we talked about before, there isn't a female Disney podcast. As much we love the other Disney podcasts that we have listened to, we have really enjoyed, and they've given us such new insight into these films. But we thought that thinking about it from a more female feminist perspective would be really interesting.

Megan 25:52

Yeah.

Bronwen 25:53

Or at least we were interested in that.

Megan 25:55

Yeah,

Bronwen 25:55

But other people might be too.

Megan 25:56

Well, this is the thing. I think primarily we're doing this for fun.

Bronwen 26:00

Yes.

Megan 26:00

For something for us to do. I really love the idea of doing this. If we can bring other people along for the ride, then that's great.

Bronwen 26:08

Yes.

Megan 26:08

But if it's just us and maybe our mum listening to this, then that's fine.

Bronwen 26:17

Yeah, absolutely. Like, I love podcasts. I've got really into them. I think they're such an amazing form of broadcast.

Megan 26:25

Yeah.

Bronwen 26:26

And I love the idea of trying it out. I think given some practice, I think we might be quite good at it.

Megan 26:32

Yeah, I think so. I love how podcasts can really tap into a niche.

Bronwen 26:37

Yes.

Megan 26:38

And so you can listen to basically whatever you want to listen to a podcast on. And it's so kind of intimate as well, people having a natural conversation about something. It's nice.

Bronwen 26:49

Yeah, definitely.

Megan 26:51

From a personal perspective, I also thought - I feel like I'm not very good at talking, and so I feel like this might make me better at talking. And what a great way to practice talking with someone that I trust and get on well with, and I think we're good at having a natural conversation, so I think that'll be good for me because I struggle with speaking off the cuff. Yeah, so I think it'll be good for my personal development.

Bronwen 27:18

I think for me, I have to spend quite a lot of time talking at work as a psychologist. You either, you either sit in silence and listen to people as they talk or you talk at them. That's my my experience. So I spend quite a lot of time talking, but quite about quite heavy stuff. Like the job, I'm not gonna lie, is quite heavy. The idea of having a conversation about something that I'm not saying it doesn't have its heavy moments, because films do, but like generally speaking, about a subject which we both really enjoy, which is Disney, and is so hopeful and magical and enjoyable. I'm really looking forward to that.

Megan 27:57

Yeah. So that's why we're doing a Disney podcast.

Our Disney favourites

Bronwen 28:05

What comes next?

Megan 28:06

Well, Bronwen.

Bronwen 28:08

Yes, Megan.

Megan 28:09

What is your favourite Disney film at the moment? This will just give people an idea of where we're at. This might change on our journey. Yes, but just so you get to know us, what is your favourite Disney film right now?

Bronwen 28:24

My favourite Disney film right now is Encanto.

Megan 28:30

Oh, good choice.

Bronwen 28:32

I think that Encanto as a full package is just phenomenal. The animation, the music, Lin Manuel Miranda. I think having a if you're listening, Lin Manuel Miranda, you're not, but I hope you're having a phenomenal day. You deserve it. You deserve every day to be phenomenal, you're an amazing person. So yeah, I love the music. I love the story. I think the story is incredible at demonstrating and showing the impact of intergenerational trauma. And as a psychologist, if I was to sh... if someone was trying to understand the impact, I would say go and watch this film because it it demonstrates, and we'll get more into it when we talk about this film, but I think it shows that relationship that a whole family can have with a historical event that happened even before they were born so well. I think the characters are phenomenal. My relationship with Mirabel particularly, I absolutely love her. I think that she is one of the best female characters that Disney's ever created. She has glasses, she has self-esteem issues, but she works really hard and she tries really hard. And yeah, so yeah, it's just the whole package, I think. As a film, it gives... I watch it if I ever need to feel better about myself.

Megan 30:03

Oh, that's really nice.

Bronwen 30:05

So yeah, that is my current favourite Disney film. What about you, Megan? What is your current favourite Disney film?

Megan 30:15

So my answer is not nearly as deep and meaningful as that. I am a basic 90s gal. My favourite is The Lion King. Always has been, always will be.

Bronwen 30:28

She is very loyal to The Lion King.

Megan 30:30

I am super loyal to The Lion King. Unquestioningly.

Bronwen 30:33

What do you love about The Lion King?

Megan 30:35

I love the music, of course. It is fantastic music. I love the animation, it's so beautiful. Just the colours,

Bronwen 30:43

Yeah.

Megan 30:44

The colours are astounding. It just it makes me feel things. Scar is such a good villain. I'm not, I'm not all that fussed about Simba, to be honest. He's boring.

Bronwen 30:56

The psychologist for me wants to pause and ask you. You said it makes me feel things. What are those things?

Megan 31:02

Oh.

Bronwen 31:02

This is where in the therapy session I'd get out my emotions wheel and I'd show all the different emotions and say, and get someone to say which ones they're feeling.

Megan 31:12

I'm thinking particularly of the emotions that the music makes me feel, to be honest. I think it is... it's that sense of grandeur,

Bronwen 31:20

yes,

Megan 31:21

and majesty, and it's it's the... it is the beauty of it.

Bronwen 31:27

It is beautiful, yes. I... I'm trying to think of what the word would be, but it's almost like the... what was the word they taught us in um RE?

Megan 31:36

I actually thought of this word as well: the numinous. Yes, yeah. Yeah, that sense of wonder at the world, and as I guess with The Lion King, the natural world in particular, and it's... it's just so big and so beautiful.

Bronwen 31:51

Hans Zimmer does a great job.

Megan 31:52

Yes, exactly. That score.

Bronwen 31:54

It's phenomenal. Yes, yeah.

Megan 31:56

Yes, if anything, I'm thinking more of the score than I am of the songs. The songs are great, but that score, it's just oh, it gets you in the heart.

Bronwen 32:07

Yeah, you get like your hair goes like on the back of your neck when you're listening

Megan 32:11

It is incredible, yes. And I don't... those scenes, the one that just struck me was when you see the rain coming over the land, and it's just oh, it's just, it's majestic, it's... it's wonderful.

Bronwen 32:23

Well, you'll be able to tell us more about those feeling words when we get to it when we actually get to them.

Megan 32:29

Absolutely.

Bronwen 32:30

Uh-huh.

Megan 32:30

So that's my fave at the moment.

Bronwen 32:33

What about, Megan, do you have a favourite Disney character? Should we actually, should we break this down into favourite like goodie and favourite villain?

Megan 32:43

I hadn't thought of that.

Bronwen 32:44

Oh, okay, okay.

Megan 32:47

Because I have a top three favourite Disney characters.

Bronwen 32:51

Okay.

Megan 32:51

And they're all goodies.

Bronwen 32:54

Okay, that's fine. That is fine. You tell us your favourite three good characters.

Megan 33:01

Okay. I won't go massively into depth because we'll do this later on. But number three is Tiana from Princess and the Frog, because I, I love her work ethic, and she's beautiful and lovely, and she's just great, so stylish. So yeah, Tiana is number three. Number two is Baymax,

Bronwen 33:22

yeah,

Megan 33:22

because, I mean, who doesn't love Baymax? I'm just... we just want him to give us a cuddle.

Bronwen 33:31

Yeah,

Megan 33:32

and yeah, he does kind of relate to what I do. He's all about health,

Bronwen 33:37

yeah.

Megan 33:37

And the the bit where he's stroking the cat and he says, "hairy baby". I... I love that.

Bronwen 33:44

And you love your hairy babies.

Megan 33:46

I love my hairy babies.

Bronwen 33:47

You do.

Megan 33:48

And then finally, appropriately, top Disney character for me is Figaro. The cat from Pinocchio, which is a slightly deep cut. But he's just he's so cat-like, he's so kitten-ish, he's so cute, and they've just the animation is perfect. He just moves like a cat, and he's got the character of a cat, and he's adorable, and I just love him so much. So those are those are my favourite.

Bronwen 34:17

That's a great answer.

Megan 34:18

Thank you. So, Bronwen, what are your favourite Disney characters?

Bronwen 34:22

This is very tricky. Like I said, I love Mirabel. I and a part of that is I see so much of myself in her, and I find her both her struggle and her passion and her determination, I find that very relatable. I find her story very relatable. I love Hercules for very similar reasons. His story of feeling a little bit left out, or not feeling like everybody else, and then finding where he belongs. That when we get to that, I'm gonna get quite emotional talking about that, I think. Who else do I love? Who else do I love? I love Dumbo.

Megan 35:01

Of course, yeah.

Bronwen 35:02

He's a beautiful baby.

Megan 35:04

That's your childhood favourite Disney film.

Bronwen 35:06

I don't know how I was able to watch that film. The... I watch it now and I fall apart. Dumbo is so sweet. He is, he's so sweet. You just want to take him home and look after him.

Megan 35:18

Yeah.

Bronwen 35:18

And it m... seeing him at the end happy means it... it warms my heart. I'm gonna give myself a bonus, one, and I'm gonna say it's my number four Stitch.

Megan 35:31

Oh, cool!

Bronwen 35:32

And Stitch is less for me and more for other people. Okay. So I've worked quite a lot of young people in the past, and Stitch is a character that particularly young people who have had quite a lot of difficulties in their lives, have quite a lot of mental health difficulties that make their lives very difficult. They really relate to Stitch. Stitch is a character who doesn't want to be naughty but kind of ends up causing havoc around him, and like it doesn't really know why everything goes wrong, and yeah, I think a lot of young people I've worked with have related to that experience of like not understanding why there's so much chaos around them, not meaning for their decisions to end like that. So I really appreciate Disney creating a character like that that young people who need some someone to relate to to be able to relate to. So I'm gonna give an honourable mention to Stitch.

Megan 36:23

Yeah, this is a good honourable mention.

Bronwen 36:25

Yeah, yeah.

The films we're going to be talking about

Bronwen 36:33

So Megan, shall we talk a bit more about what films we're going to be talking about in this podcast? I know we introduced the podcast a little bit earlier, but we're gonna be talking about the Disney Animation Studio films. What are those films?

Megan 36:51

Well, there are now 64 of them. They are the animated feature-length films that have come out of specifically the Walt Disney Animation Studios. So Disney own various studios, but we're talking about like these, these core ones, they're the classic Disney films that you would think of. Starting with Snow White in 1937, going all the way up to what has been our most recent one, Zootopia 2.

Bronwen 37:22

Or Zootropolis 2.

Megan 37:24

Oh, indeed, actually, we should be saying Zootropolis because we're British.

Bronwen 37:27

We're British, so apparently it's

Megan 37:29

different.

Bronwen 37:30

It's different.

Megan 37:30

I think of it as Zootopia.

Bronwen 37:32

Yeah.

Megan 37:34

Yeah. I mean, what is there anything else to say about ...

Bronwen 37:37

I, I'll just say that before starting, like getting really interested in Disney more, like actually paying attention to these films. Disney has so many films out under the Disney branding, even if we take out the franchises that it's bought, like Star Wars and Marvel - we take those out. Disney still have done so many films. I think there's over 200 that have come out. The majority of Disney's films are not the animation that they're probably most well known for. The fact that there's only 64, only, I say only, that's actually still quite a few. But that's actually, I remember being surprised by that and not being aware, and also what films come under that. So, for example, like the straight to video sequels don't count in that.

Megan 38:28

Live action films as well have come under the Disney umbrella. Yeah, we're not looking at those.

Bronwen 38:33

We're not looking at any of those, at least to start with.

Megan 38:35

Indeed. Pixar as well, do not come into this canon.

Bronwen 38:40

We love Pixar, but they're not a part of this.

Megan 38:43

No.

How we're going to approach these films

Bronwen 38:48

So, Megan, how are we gonna tackle these films? There are 64 of them, that's quite a lot.

Megan 38:54

Yes, I actually think that you should explain this Bronwen.

Bronwen 38:58

Oh, okay.

Megan 38:58

Well, so I will say that the podcasts that we have listened to previously have worked through these films in order, and as we have loved that and found it very satisfying to watch along with them. But we wanted to do something a bit different, and as there is that issue that we talked about earlier of sometimes you get into a bit of a lull, a not great patch of Disney films. Yeah, so we wondered how we could do this differently, yeah, and it was you, Bronwen, that suggested that we could do it randomly.

Bronwen 39:34

Yes. I, yeah, we were just talking about how to tackle this, and I think I said it would be really good if we could find some way of completely randomizing the process.

Megan 39:44

Yeah.

Bronwen 39:45

And you thought that that was great.

Megan 39:47

Yeah.

Bronwen 39:47

And we then spent some time trying to work out if there was a website through which we could pick a random Disney film, and such things do exist, and then then it was your husband, Nicholas, who said, Why don't you just put them all in a hat?

Megan 40:04

Yes,

Bronwen 40:05

The ones that are open to being discussed.

Megan 40:07

Yes, because we talked about some high-tech solutions as well, because I do code for my job. So it would have been relatively simple to come up with a program that would be a random generator for us. But I think pulling names out of a hat, it's more satisfying somehow. We have a physical process we can do. So I should explain that for Christmas Bronwen bought me a marvellous hat for this process.

Bronwen 40:37

For the purpose of the record, she's now putting the hat on her head.

Megan 40:40

Yes. It is doesn't currently have films in it, it has my head in it.

Bronwen 40:45

It's the... she looks like Sorcerer Mickey right now. She could come out at Fan... at Fantasmic and deal with all the baddies. She looks great.

Megan 40:53

I love Fantasmic.

Bronwen 40:55

She does.

Megan 40:55

Yeah. So it's a sorcerer Mickey hat. So we're gonna put the names in the hat. We are not going to put the sequel names in until we've done the first one. And it's going to be a very interesting process. I'm so excited to find out what our first film is going to be, because it could be anything. It could be one we love, it could be one... I don't think there's anything we hate, is there? Could be one we have a low opinion of.

Bronwen 41:23

I... I don't want to give it away too early, but there is one that I hate.

Megan 41:30

Oh, no spoilers. No spoilers.

Bronwen 41:32

There's only ... I... in my belief, there's only two like genuinely really bad Disney films, and one of them I give a pass to because it was made during trying times.

Megan 41:43

Okay.

Bronwen 41:44

There is one which I genuinely think is unforgivable in how bad it is.

Megan 41:49

I think I know the one, but we'll get to that, no spoilers. So, what we are going to do is at the end of every episode, including this one, we are going to do our live draw from the hat to choose the film for the next episode.

Bronwen 42:08

And we're gonna share pulling it out the hat, so you'll do it one time and I'll do it another time.

Megan 42:13

Yeah,

Bronwen 42:13

okay.

Megan 42:13

So you'll get our live reactions to it, which I think could be very amusing. And then we can give our initial response to having picked that film, and it'll be interesting to compare that to how we feel once we've watched the film and done the research. Yes. So we are going to prepare for each film to talk about the psychology, the history, and the music, and anything else that occurs to us.

Bronwen 42:41

I suppose as well, thinking something we'll bring each time is how do we feel watching this film as a woman. Yes. And that's going to vary in terms of how much there is to say on that.

Megan 42:52

Yes, absolutely. Yes.

Bronwen 42:53

Yeah.

The podcast schedule

Megan 42:57

So, Bronwen, I thought we should just talk a bit about the schedule that we're planning on for this podcast.

Bronwen 43:04

Yeah.

Megan 43:04

So we were thinking of releasing an episode once a month, weren't we?

Bronwen 43:09

Yes. Yes, we're both unfortunately quite busy people.

Megan 43:13

Ew.

Bronwen 43:13

And as much as we'd like to do it more often, once a month is something that we can definitely commit to.

Megan 43:20

Yeah, until someone pays us to do this.

The first film draw

Megan 43:27

Yeah.

Bronwen 43:27

So is it time?

Megan 43:29

Is it time?

Bronwen 43:30

Is it time?

Megan 43:30

Is it time?

Bronwen 43:31

I think it is time.

Megan 43:33

It's time.

Bronwen 43:34

It's time to do the first draw. You're so excited, I feel like you ought to be the one that does it.

Megan 43:39

No, I feel like you ought to be the one because you bought me the hat.

Bronwen 43:42

I did buy, I did buy the hat.

Megan 43:44

So I feel like I ought to be holding the hat.

Bronwen 43:46

Okay. It's a big responsibility.

Megan 43:49

It is.

Bronwen 43:50

Choosing the first film.

Megan 43:50

Yeah, well this is the thing, I can blame you.

Bronwen 43:52

What if it's a terrible film and no one wants to listen? Watch the film or listen to the podcast.

Megan 43:58

It will be entertaining.

Bronwen 44:00

Yes.

Megan 44:00

Even if it's bad. And we will be saying lots of interesting things about it. Even if it's bad.

Bronwen 44:07

For the purposes of the recording, Megan is going into her bag. She's got a tin that's got the little... that's got pieces of paper that will have the names of all the films. She's poured them into the hat. She's shaking it. You might be able to hear that. Okay.

Megan 44:25

Bronwen, put your hand in the hat. Pull out one. No more than one.

Bronwen 44:32

Only one.

Megan 44:34

Oh my goodness. This is such an important moment. I hope you appreciate the importance of this moment.

Bronwen 44:39

Okay. This is history being made right here. Our first film to discuss on the podcast is... Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Megan 44:52

No way! The chances of that! We're starting with the first Disney film

Bronwen 44:55

We're starting at the beginning.

Megan 45:02

The whole point was to be random!

Bronwen 45:05

I'm sorry.

Megan 45:06

No it's very appropriate. We can set up the historical context of the studios nicely.

Bronwen 45:14

Yeah.

Megan 45:15

We can talk about Walt Disney himself.

Bronwen 45:17

We can. I think it's gonna be important to introduce him as a person. We can get him as a character right at the beginning. I'm thinking that we need we need to talk about the Queen and what's going on with her because she's not okay. Like I'm... I'm gonna say this as a, I'm gonna repeat, HCPC registered clinical psychologist, it is my professional opinion that she's not okay.

Megan 45:39

She be cray cray? In your professional opinion?

Bronwen 45:44

In my professional opinion, she is not okay. And we're gonna talk about that. We are we're gonna put her on my couch.

Megan 45:52

We're gonna talk about the fact that she doesn't have a name.

Bronwen 45:55

Oh that's not gonna help her, isn't it?

Megan 45:57

It's really awkward in terms of the Bechdel test. Because she is... she's just the evil queen. So we're gonna talk about that. We're gonna talk about the dwarfs.

Bronwen 46:07

What's going on with Dopey , man?

Megan 46:10

I, I leave that to you.

Bronwen 46:17

I think Grumpy as well. I actually relate to Grumpy. Yeah. I, I ... the older I get, the more I understand Grumpy's position. We actually watched it quite recently.

Megan 46:26

Oh okay.

Bronwen 46:26

Because James was ill and it was his choice. He, he decided that he wanted to watch Snow White, so

Megan 46:31

There's music to talk about, so that's good.

Bronwen 46:34

There is. But yeah, you're gonna have a lot of work to do.

Megan 46:37

I am gonna have a lot of work to do. The entire history prior to Snow White.

Bronwen 46:43

Yeah.

Megan 46:44

Wow, I can't believe we pulled out Snow White.

Bronwen 46:46

That is insane.

Megan 46:49

At the moment, where is it, do you think, in your ranking?

Bronwen 46:54

Am I allowed to look.

Megan 46:56

Yeah, of course you are.

Bronwen 46:58

So there are 64 films. It's currently sitting at number 43.

Megan 47:03

Ooh, okay, bottom half.

Bronwen 47:05

Yeah.

Megan 47:05

I suspect mine is similar, but I'm gonna check.

Bronwen 47:09

I don't think it's a bad film.

Megan 47:10

Oh! Mine's at 32! Smack bang in the middle!

Bronwen 47:14

Right in the middle. Interesting then.

Megan 47:16

That's funny.

Bronwen 47:16

Interesting.

Megan 47:17

Yeah.

Bronwen 47:17

Interesting. I don't think it's a bad film by any stretch of the imagination, and it's so important in the history of animation, in the history of film. But do I think sort of taking a more universal lens to all of these films, putting them all together, do I think it's Disney's best? No. But that's okay.

Megan 47:38

But it was the first one.

Bronwen 47:39

It was the first, and we're starting there. We used a randomizer to get a random.

Megan 47:46

What was the second one?

Bronwen 47:48

Pinocchio.

Megan 47:49

Pinocchio, of course it was. Imagine if we get that next. Now the chances of that are incredibly low.

Bronwen 47:57

Yeah, getting it,

Megan 47:58

getting both of them. Oh my goodness.

Bronwen 48:02

Well, come back next time on this podcast. And we'll be talking about Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.

Megan 48:10

Yeah, go away and watch it.

Bronwen 48:11

Yep. That's your homework.

Megan 48:13

Come back with your thoughts.

Bronwen 48:15

And we'll come back with ours.

Megan 48:16

Yes.

Bronwen 48:17

Let's do it.

Megan 48:18

Let's do it. And what we're gonna do always to say goodbye on our podcast.

Bronwen 48:22

Oh. Oh!

Both 48:23

Gabble gabble gabble gabble!

Megan 48:30

We went for different vibes on that. You went very high. I went very low.

Bronwen 48:38

I was trying to make it sound like an actual goose.

Megan 48:43

I think I was too. Maybe I'm more Uncle Waldo.

Outro

Bronwen 48:47

This is not an official Disney podcast, and the views expressed are our own. Thanks for joining us on another stop on our walking tour through the Disney landscape. We look forward to seeing you next time. Until then, you can follow us @gabblesisters on Instagram. Be sure to subscribe and rate us wherever you listen to your podcast, and please recommend us to all your Disney pals. To odly pip.

Megan 49:15

So, okay. So Bronwen.

Bronwen 49:17

Yes.

Megan 49:17

Why are we doing a Disney podcast?

Bronwen 49:19

I don't know.

Megan 49:20

You don't know. You're regretting all your life choices.

Bronwen 49:24

I suggested we do a Disney podcast kind of more as a joke than anything but you took me quite seriously. So here we are.

Megan 49:33

I don't understand jokes. Everything is literal. So this is why we're doing a Disney podcast because I don't understand jokes.