Who is Jim Hill (Disney Historian)?

[Syzygy]

Who is Jim from “Jim Hill Media”. Upon reviewing some of his blogs and podcasts, he seems to know nearly everything about the most interworking’s and details of Disney, the parks, and company history. (For instance, he tells stories of specific Imagineer development meetings and park history. Did he work for Disney?

The only ‘biography’ I can find online is this statement: “illustrious and infamous Disney rabble-rouser and rumor-monger who knows a little something about the company’s Dark Side”.

Who is Jim Hill?

 

[litlpixie]

I downloaded several podcasts the he and Len Testa put out while they toured the parks, DTD, the resort hotels, and Universal. All pretty entertaining-and FREE from itunes

 

[SDSorority]

The man....the myth....the legend.

 

[RMulieri]

The man....the myth....the legend.

...and very often wrong with his "predictions"

 

[SaraJayne]

He's a guy that likes to start rumors. He isn't reliable at all.

 

[jrtoastyman]

I've wondered the very same thing. I put zero stock into his predictions -- not because I think he's making them up, just because, hey, plans change -- but I do find the historical stuff really interesting. It's tough to verify much of what he says even about the past, but I'm not sure why someone would bother to lie about such things. You'll find, however, that there are a number of people on these boards that take a pretty dim view of what he has to say.

I will say this, as I said in an earlier post on this topic, I wish someone would get the guy a thesaurus. Just about everything out of his mouth is sprinkled liberally with the following:

• "Literally"
• "Again"
• "The interesting thing is/The thing you have to understand is"
• [insert exasperated sigh]
• "you know"

 

[White_Sox_Fan]

I've wondered the very same thing. I put zero stock into his predictions -- not because I think he's making them up, just because, hey, plans change -- but I do find the historical stuff really interesting. It's tough to verify much of what he says even about the past, but I'm not sure why someone would bother to lie about such things. You'll find, however, that there are a number of people on these boards that take a pretty dim view of what he has to say.

I will say this, as I said in an earlier post on this topic, I wish someone would get the guy a thesaurus. Just about everything out of his mouth is sprinkled liberally with the following:

• "Literally"
• "Again"
• "The interesting thing is/The thing you have to understand is"
• [insert exasperated sigh]
• "you know"

This is so true! He literally uses the word literally all the time. Other than that I found the podcast with He and Len Testa very interesting.

 

[litlpixie]

I've wondered the very same thing. I put zero stock into his predictions -- not because I think he's making them up, just because, hey, plans change -- but I do find the historical stuff really interesting. It's tough to verify much of what he says even about the past, but I'm not sure why someone would bother to lie about such things. You'll find, however, that there are a number of people on these boards that take a pretty dim view of what he has to say.

I will say this, as I said in an earlier post on this topic, I wish someone would get the guy a thesaurus. Just about everything out of his mouth is sprinkled liberally with the following:

• "Literally"
• "Again"
• "The interesting thing is/The thing you have to understand is"
• [insert exasperated sigh]
• "you know"

lol, you forgot one more..."Wellllllllll..........."

 

[DizneyLizzy]

I could "literally" listen to him talk all day. The Disney Dish podcast fascinates me, and it doesn't bother me at all that half the attractions they talk about never materialized - of course they didn't! Disney plans for hundreds of things that never come to pass. Disney even announces things that never come to pass. For me, it's interesting to hear stories about ideas that are or were at one time in the works.

Also I think Jim Hill worked for the Orlando Sentinel as a reporter at some point...at least that's what I gather from the podcast.

 

[SaraJayne]

I've wondered the very same thing. I put zero stock into his predictions -- not because I think he's making them up, just because, hey, plans change -- but I do find the historical stuff really interesting. It's tough to verify much of what he says even about the past, but I'm not sure why someone would bother to lie about such things. You'll find, however, that there are a number of people on these boards that take a pretty dim view of what he has to say.

I will say this, as I said in an earlier post on this topic, I wish someone would get the guy a thesaurus. Just about everything out of his mouth is sprinkled liberally with the following:

• "Literally"
• "Again"
• "The interesting thing is/The thing you have to understand is"
• [insert exasperated sigh]
• "you know"

Ahhh, that's where the "literally" comes from on another site I love!

 

[SDSorority]

i could "literally" listen to him talk all day. The disney dish podcast fascinates me, and it doesn't bother me at all that half the attractions they talk about never materialized - of course they didn't! Disney plans for hundreds of things that never come to pass. Disney even announces things that never come to pass. For me, it's interesting to hear stories about ideas that are or were at one time in the works.

also i think jim hill worked for the orlando sentinel as a reporter at some point...at least that's what i gather from the podcast.

I totally agree!

 

[lentesta]

Jim's a great guy. I'd read his site online for a while before crashing one of his (now defunct) in-park tours of the Animal Kingdom.

I knew I wanted Jim to write for us when we both said that we waited through the entire presentation of Israel's Millennium Celebration ride for Mel Brooks to take off the Moses costume and go into his schtick.

I've seen samples of the source material Jim has used for certain articles. Some of it is incredibly well-sourced. For example, Jim wrote for us in 2007 (for the 2008 edition of the Unofficial Guide), that the old 20,000 Leagues area and Pooh's Playful Spot would make way for an Ariel-themed expansion of Fantasyland.

Jim's been right on everything from minor issues such as improved water cannon at Pirates, to how FASTPASS+ is supposed to work.

Is Jim wrong sometimes? You bet. Disney is a huge corporation, and plans and priorities shift when market conditions and people change. Anyone who has ever tried to do a three-year budget at a large company has experienced this. But the idea that Jim makes stuff up is absurd.

Len

 

[kaligal]

I don't know why people have this vitriol for Jim Hill.

I don't take every prediction as gospel truth, of course, but he's been right before.

I read his predictions and think about them. Would it be cool? Would it suck?

Even if they don't come to fruition, it's nice to hear about that stuff.

 

[Robo]

I don't know why people have this vitriol for Jim Hill.

I don't take every prediction as gospel truth, of course, but he's been right before.

I read his predictions and think about them. Would it be cool? Would it suck?

Even if they don't come to fruition, it's nice to hear about that stuff.

Well, even a stopped clock is right for two seconds a day.

But, Jim Hill doesn't seem to remember (or factor in) how often he is wrong.
He just keeps plugging away with "things to come."

I think of Jim Hill as analogous to an overzealous weather forecaster who
never mentions that his "clear and sunny" of yesterday's forecast
now lies 9" deep on my driveway.

I'll look at his NEXT "sure-thing forecast" with a jaded eye.

 

[kaligal]

Well, even a stopped clock is right for two seconds a day.

But, Jim Hill doesn't seem to remember (or factor in) how often he is wrong.
He just keeps plugging away with "things to come."

I think of Jim Hill as analogous to an overzealous weather forecaster who
never mentions that his "clear and sunny" of yesterday's forecast
now lies 9" deep on my driveway.

I'll look at his NEXT "sure-thing forecast" with a jaded eye.

I know he's not always right. I said so.

I'd just rather hear about these possibilities than not hear about them.

Hell, even when DISers just make stuff up, it's fun to think about. Except the, "If Epcot got another country..." one. Btdt, know my answer.

 

[jrtoastyman]

Jim's a great guy. I'd read his site online for a while before crashing one of his (now defunct) in-park tours of the Animal Kingdom.

I knew I wanted Jim to write for us when we both said that we waited through the entire presentation of Israel's Millennium Celebration ride for Mel Brooks to take off the Moses costume and go into his schtick.

I've seen samples of the source material Jim has used for certain articles. Some of it is incredibly well-sourced. For example, Jim wrote for us in 2007 (for the 2008 edition of the Unofficial Guide), that the old 20,000 Leagues area and Pooh's Playful Spot would make way for an Ariel-themed expansion of Fantasyland.

Jim's been right on everything from minor issues such as improved water cannon at Pirates, to how FASTPASS+ is supposed to work.

Is Jim wrong sometimes? You bet. Disney is a huge corporation, and plans and priorities shift when market conditions and people change. Anyone who has ever tried to do a three-year budget at a large company has experienced this. But the idea that Jim makes stuff up is absurd.

Len

Even though I had a little fun at Jim's expense with the thesaurus joke above, I absolutely love the podcasts that you guys do where you walk around a park and have him tell stories about how everything came to be, plans that didn't come to fruition, etc. I get legitimately excited when I see that there's a new episode in that feed, probably more so than any other. They are absolutely fascinating and even if he were making it all up, which I don't believe, I'd probably listen anyway because he's such a great storyteller.

Point is, I know you've kinda covered the big stuff already, but I hope you guys can continue to come up with excuses to do those. Keep up the great work!

 

[mrsksomeday]

Jim's a great guy. I'd read his site online for a while before crashing one of his (now defunct) in-park tours of the Animal Kingdom.

I knew I wanted Jim to write for us when we both said that we waited through the entire presentation of Israel's Millennium Celebration ride for Mel Brooks to take off the Moses costume and go into his schtick.

I've seen samples of the source material Jim has used for certain articles. Some of it is incredibly well-sourced. For example, Jim wrote for us in 2007 (for the 2008 edition of the Unofficial Guide), that the old 20,000 Leagues area and Pooh's Playful Spot would make way for an Ariel-themed expansion of Fantasyland.

Jim's been right on everything from minor issues such as improved water cannon at Pirates, to how FASTPASS+ is supposed to work.

Is Jim wrong sometimes? You bet. Disney is a huge corporation, and plans and priorities shift when market conditions and people change. Anyone who has ever tried to do a three-year budget at a large company has experienced this. But the idea that Jim makes stuff up is absurd.

Len

Bolded by me... That is fascinating. I really enjoyed the podcasts with Len and Jim Hill. I hope there are more coming .

 

[kaligal]

Haven't heard those podcasts. If he says, "literally" all the time when he doesn't mean something literally, that would drive me nuts, too.

"I literally drove at the speed of lightening.". I heard that the other day. No, you didn't. It's not possible. Why do these people even use the word? They obviously don't know what it means. What ARE they trying to say? I just don't know.

 

[SydneyFalco]

I just listened to all the Hill/Testa podcasts and while "wellllllll" and their giggling began to really get on my nerves, I was really surprised by something else: how depressed the podcasts made me. We're planning a trip for fall and while I already had reservations about going to Disney again, Jim's constant disparaging of what DID get made by Disney and the constant (true) reminders of how cheap and corporate-minded the company's become and is still becoming-- well, it had the opposite effect of what I was hoping these podcasts would do for me.

 

[clynngibson]

Jim's a great guy. I'd read his site online for a while before crashing one of his (now defunct) in-park tours of the Animal Kingdom.

I knew I wanted Jim to write for us when we both said that we waited through the entire presentation of Israel's Millennium Celebration ride for Mel Brooks to take off the Moses costume and go into his schtick.

I've seen samples of the source material Jim has used for certain articles. Some of it is incredibly well-sourced. For example, Jim wrote for us in 2007 (for the 2008 edition of the Unofficial Guide), that the old 20,000 Leagues area and Pooh's Playful Spot would make way for an Ariel-themed expansion of Fantasyland.

Jim's been right on everything from minor issues such as improved water cannon at Pirates, to how FASTPASS+ is supposed to work.

Is Jim wrong sometimes? You bet. Disney is a huge corporation, and plans and priorities shift when market conditions and people change. Anyone who has ever tried to do a three-year budget at a large company has experienced this. But the idea that Jim makes stuff up is absurd.

Len

Off topic (sorry!) but from High Point!!