Skywalking Through Neverland: A Star Wars / Disney Fan Podcast

Let’s visit the Death Valley set of Star Wars in 1977! Special guests Alan Fernandes (Bantha-riding Tusken Raider) and Miki Herman (Star Wars Production Crew Member) reflect back on these shooting days. Alan worked at Marine World wrestling with tigers and befriending Banthas (Well, the Bantha was really Mardji the elephant!) Miki shares her experiences as a crew member of the Lucasfilm production team. MULAN ON DIGITAL GIVEAWAY We have 2 Digital Codes to give away for Disney’s live...

We bring HalloweenTime to You! It’s HalloweenTime! We can’t go to the Disney Parks to celebrate, so we’ll bring the season to you. This week we’ll share the truly chilling Haunted mazes found at Hong Kong Disneyland. They took the horror mazes found at Knotts Scary Farm and Universal Horror Nights and Disneyfied them. It makes us deeply jealous that we don’t have these in the US. We also talk about our favorite scary Disney attractions, and reminisce about a certain terrifying dragon in...

In the summer of ‘81, Disneyland featured a band that mashed up KISS and Star Wars that sang about “Jailbait”! It was called HALYX, formed by Disney Record execs to play at the Space Stage in Tomorrowland and hopefully capture a bone fide record deal. On this episode, we speak with Matthew Serrano, the director of the documentary, Live From the Space Stage: A Halyx Story. You can watch the documentary on YouTube. This fascinating piece of Disney history lives on in the DeFunctland YouTube...

Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics #26 “DOOM Mission!” is the finale of a 2-part storyline involving Luke and Leia exploring shady business surrounding the planet Yavin and discovering a hidden Imperial base run by Baron Tagge. You're in for a treat with this rousing issue featuring death-defying action, Leia gaining strength through a good cry and Luke using the Force as a guide. Richard and Sarah discuss the comic and find FTOOM! Fast Facts (classic comic things that appear now in Star Wars...

The trailer we’ve all been waiting for, the first look at The Mandalorian S2, was released on 9/15! We ask the hard-hitting questions like ‘is Baby Yoda wearing booties in the snow?’ Let’s break it down. Courtney and Kelly Turckel have been hard at work on a super secret project, and now it’s time for that Super Secret Project Announcement!! Listen in for details on the NEW Neverland Clubhouse!! We also talk about watching The Empire Strikes Back at the new Rose Bowl Drive-In Theater. What...

Today, Laura Sirikul (@lsirikul of Nerdist / Nerds of Color / The Hollywood Reporter) joins us to discuss her Mulan fandom. She grew up reading the ballad of Mulan as a kid and explains how important it was seeing a Disney character that looked like her. Laura also shares stories of when she visited the live-action Mulan set in New Zealand and attended the world premiere in Hollywood! We will also discuss Mulan vs. the live action Mulan, but will issue a spoiler-warning before we go into...

It’s a 300th Episode Celebration! Not only is this week an episode milestone, but it’s also a virtual convention milestone - the successful completion of ForceFest: Celebrating The Saga. This first Star Wars fan virtual convention was a huge success. 100+ panelists, 60 live panels, 30 volunteers and 7 organizers (including yours truly) planned and pulled off this convention on GetVokl.com, and we passed our Make-A-Wish fundraising goal of $3000!! It was incredible. And you can still watch...

We go back to 1987 with Dan Madsen! Over Memorial Day weekend in 1987, Star Wars was celebrating its 10th Anniversary. To commemorate such a milestone, Starlog Magazine held a convention in Los Angeles called, “Starlog Salutes Star Wars–A 10th Anniversary Tribute to George Lucas and the Galaxy Far, Far Away Which He Created!” We prefer the title – Star Wars Celebration 0. Only a few thousand fans attended, as opposed to the tens of thousands that attend these past Celebrations. I was there...

Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics #25 “Siege At Yavin” is the first of a 2-part storyline involving Luke and Leia exploring some shady business surrounding the planet Yavin, near the Rebel base. Richard and Sarah discuss the comic and find FTOOM! Fast Facts - names and planets that show up later in Star Wars books, comics and films. It's fascinating the amount of material that's pulled from these original comics. Title:"SIEGE AT YAVIN" Release Date: April 24, 1979 Writer: Archi...

If you miss Galaxy’s Edge, then this is the episode for you - we speak with author Cole Horton about the making of his new book, Galaxy’s Edge: A Traveler’s Guide to Batuu! You know it’s a party when Cole shows up! We are excited that artist, business owner and professor, Fernando del Rosario will be joining us at ForceFest. We’ll check in with him and see what he has in store for the convention, and talk about his superhero-inspired art! In Things We Want To Share, let’s get down to...

This year, San Diego Comic-Con decided to pivot the popular convention to a virtual space, and created Comic-Con@Home. We covered the event, watched panels, bought merchandise - so now it's time to break it all down. Eric Onkenhout (correspondent, Skywalking Network) joins us to share panels we watched, reactions and suggestions for next year. How is Walt Disney World handling crowds amidst a pandemic? Skywalker Tati Perez shares her experiences at The Magic Kingdom, Disney's Hollywood...

Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics #24 “Silent Drifting” is a stand-alone story featuring the early days of General Ben "Obi-Wan" Kenobi. This is the first time the SWEU delved into the Galactic Republic! But with a name like "Silent Drifting," is the story good? Chris Alexander (Star Wars Origami) joins us on our journey through this classic Marvel Star Wars comic from 1979. Show Notes: Title:"SILENT DRIFTING" Release Date: MARCH 27, 1979 Writer:Mary Jo Duffy Artwork:Carmine Infantino,...

ForceFest: Celebrating The Saga is coming August. 28-30th, and this week we welcome two members of our planning committee to discuss their backgrounds and more details on this virtual convention. Tyler Bucks (Chatter Squadron / Star Wars HUB) and Frank D. Rich (Star Wars Autograph News). We are working together to fill the void Star Wars Celebration left when they announced it would not be happening this year. We want to provide a space and place where creators can share and talk about what...

It’s a Summer Movie Celebration! Take a trip back in time and think of your favorite summer movies and movie memories. Kai Charles (Fangirls Going Rogue) and Mike Celestino (Laughing Place/ Who’s The Bossk) join us to share stories of films like E.T., Jurassic Park, Jaws, Wonder Woman, Independence Day, Star Wars, The Phantom Menace and more. Virtual Star Wars Celebration is now, officially, ForceFest: Celebrating The Saga!It will take place August 28-30, 2020 on GetVokl.com. We share a few...

Issue #23 “Flight into Fury” is the final comic in a 6-part story arc featuring our favorite Star Wars heroes, and villains you’ve never heard of. But, like the cover, it does feature a terrifying appearance of Darth Vader! (Not quite as terrifying as Rogue One, but for an 8-year-old it’s scary). Title:"FLIGHT INTO FURY!" Release Date: February 20, 1979 Writer:Archie Goodwin Artwork:Carmine Infantino, Bob Wiacek and Carl Gafford Cover Art:Carmine Infantino / Bob Wiacek Synopsis:As...

Star Wars Celebration has been cancelled, but that won’t stop us from having a Star Wars Virtual Celebration #SWVC2020! We’ve been knee-deep in planning this event - guests and collaborators are excited, and we wanted to share our mission statement: SWVC 2020 celebrates different voices in fandom that aren’t always heard or can’t always attend Star Wars Celebration. This is an opportunity to have discussions that open our minds to different perspectives. If you’re interested, please sign up...

We continue the 40th anniversary celebration of The Empire Strikes Backwith Kim Simmons who was a Kenner photographer during the vintage era. All those Kenner Star Wars toy packaging you remember? He had a HUGE hand in them! Kim is producing a book which will showcase the Empire Strikes Back toy line photography in all its glory - please check out his Kickstarter here - The Man Who Shot Luke Skywalker.Now sit back and enjoy some fantastic stories. Also on this episode, we delve into the...

Classic Marvel Star Wars Comics #22 "To The Last Gladiator" centers on The Big Game - in which Han Solo and Chewbacca must fight a battle to the death with dozens of opponents, all floating in an anti-gravity arena full of hidden dangers. This battle takes place for the pleasure of the spectators gathered on The Wheel - a floating casino in space. Title:"TO THE LAST GLADIATOR" Release Date:JANUARY 23, 1979 Writer:Archie Goodwin Artwork:Carmine Infantino and Bob Wiacek Cover Art:Carmine...

Let’s rewind back one year ago to the opening of Galaxy’s Edge at Disneyland! We will reminisce about our first steps in the land and read all of your memories. Then it’s time to test your knowledge with a Jedi Mind Probe Quiz and Fun Facts! In a new segment, Skywalking Force Member Focus, 14-year-old Skywalking Force member, Jonathan Marroquin, joins to talk about his fandom. Walt Disney World begins a phased reopening on July 11th. Our sponsor, Small World Vacations, has a special...

Let's take a trip down memory lane and remember Star Wars Weekends! Michael McLain (Admin, Star Wars Weekends...The Memories) joins us as we look back at the yearly Star Wars party held at Disney’s Hollywood Studios almost every year from 1997-2015. There were shows, Star Wars celebrities, merchandise, and another reason to see your closest and dearest friends in fandom. We tackle an important question, will we see Star Wars Weekends ever again? Several of our Skywalkers have stories,...