September 2, 2024 • 38 mins
Welcome to a truly magical episode of Mermen Mondays Podcast! With co-host Andrew Grau on a well-deserved vacation, Alexis Babini, founder of The Little Mermen band, takes center stage for an extraordinary interview with none other than Jon Bernstein—the brilliant screenwriter behind Disney's 2007 classic, Meet the Robinsons.
In a serendipitous twist of fate, the band found themselves staying at Wildcat Mansion, a vibrant, whimsical venue owned by Jon Bernstein himself. What started as a routine stop on tour turned into a deep dive into the world of Disney magic, Hollywood screenwriting, and the transformation of a historic mansion into a one-of-a-kind destination.
Join Alexis and Jon as they explore the heartwarming themes that make Meet the Robinsons a beloved Disney film, share behind-the-scenes stories from Jon's Hollywood days, and reveal the creative vision behind Wildcat Mansion. Plus, get an exclusive sneak peek into the band's exciting fall and winter tour dates!
Don’t miss this enchanting conversation filled with Disney nostalgia, creative inspiration, and a celebration of family and dreams. As Walt Disney said, "Keep moving forward!"
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
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(00:00):
Music.
(00:10):
Welcome to Merman Mondays, the podcast where the Little Merman Band share behind-the-scenes
tour stories, discuss popular Disney content, and celebrate Disney's musical legacy.
I'm your host, Alexis Babini, founder of the ultimate Disney tribute band, The Little Merman.
Now, today's episode is something extra special because while my co-host,
(00:35):
Andrew Grau, is off on a well-deserved vacation,
we've got an incredible interview lined up with John Bernstein,
the mastermind screenwriter who brought Disney's 2007 film Meet the Robinsons
to life and got it greenlit as a Disney Studio feature.
And hold on to your bowler hats because it all came about with a crazy turn of events.
(00:57):
So here's how it all happened. During last week's tour, our band was on the
way to rock the Erie County Fair in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania.
While we unexpectedly found ourselves in need of a place to stay,
so we found this spot called Wild Cat Mansion, and it turned out to be a vibrant
and whimsical venue that's located in Franklin, Pennsylvania.
(01:19):
And here's the kicker. The owner was none other than John Bernstein himself.
Talk about a Disney-worthy twist of fate. So I realized, hey,
we got to get this guy on the podcast.
So we did. And I don't know how this all just magically coincided with happening
on the week that Growl was out, and we didn't know what we were going to make the podcast about,
(01:40):
and I don't know how this all just magically fell into place as we found this
mansion on the way to play the Pennsylvania Fair, and the owner just happened
to be a Disney movie writer.
But anyways, I believe in Disney magic. I can't wait to get into this episode.
But before we do, I'm going to toss it over to our boy Growl.
So, before we can go the distance, we are still a touring band,
(02:03):
and we got some shows coming in the fall and winter already lined up,
so let's get down to business.
Here are some fall and winter dates. Saturday, September 14th at Ventureland.com.
Tuna iowa saturday september 28th
laura center for the arts hanover massachusetts sunday october
13th hard rock cafe pittsburgh pennsylvania thursday
(02:24):
october 24th the cutting room new york new york and that's going to be a very
fun halloween show sunday december 22nd plymouth memorial hall plymouth massachusetts
more information like ticket links or rsvp links can be found on our website
at thelittlemerman.com slash tickets.
This spring, the first visitor to the future will discover a strange new world
(02:48):
and a family that's even stranger.
Why is your dog wearing glasses? Because his insurance won't pay for contacts.
Meet the Robinsons. So let me just set the scene for y'all because we were looking
for a place to stay on our way to rock the Erie County Fair.
We found this crazy-looking mansion on Airbnb and were put up in the carriage
(03:12):
house connected to the mansion.
So let me tell you, stepping in there and walking down the hallways,
it felt like entering a cross between Pee Wee's Playhouse and the Willy Wonka
Factory, full of surprises,
retro-futuristic colors, and cartoons around every corner.
And walking in, we were greeted by framed artwork from the film.
(03:34):
We're greeted by the framed copy of the Rob Thomas song from the movie and character cutouts.
But most importantly, I clocked right as we walked in the famous Walt Disney quote. And it was this.
Around here, we don't look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're
(03:59):
curious. curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
Keep moving forward. That's the Walt Disney quote.
That's the quote from this film. And that's what we just did this week,
getting screenwriter and mansion owner, John Bernstein on the pod.
So in our conversation, John takes us through his journey from Hollywood screenwriting
(04:23):
to transforming this mansion into a one of a kind destination.
He even shares some behind-the-scenes stories that are just as captivating as
our tour stories that we've talked about on this podcast.
So trust me, you don't want to miss this. So without further ado,
here's my conversation with John Bernstein, Hollywood veteran and screenwriter
(04:43):
of Disney's Meet the Robinsons and other feature films.
And he's now a Destination Venue creator.
So, yeah. So did you have the chance to check out some of the episodes?
I know you said you're kind of doing a little bit of a deep dive on the band and.
Uh yeah i many times and
i showed it to a few people and uh the big question is
(05:05):
why are why are there women in the little mermaid bands can
you offer an explanation yeah you know when we first started this it was sort
of like you know it's it's evolved over the years and i think for us it's sort
of like i i have so many fun answers for this i'm trying to think of what because
we We get this question a lot.
(05:26):
We do have a lot of special guests and we do want everyone to,
we want it to be an inclusive thing.
I guess I compare it to the Marvel X-Men and how sometimes everybody's favorite
X-Men character is like Storm or Rogue,
but we've started kind of billing ourselves as like the ultimate Disney trivia
(05:47):
band, the Little Merman and all that kind of stuff. We just celebrated 10 years.
Well, the Little Merman is such a good name
and i i think that audiences will be forgiving so and did you just say that
you've been doing it for 10 years now you've had this band for 10 years dude
believe it or not yeah we the first little merman show was me and it was sort
(06:09):
of like a garage band group of like ragtag musicians.
And since then it has evolved into this whole like
production um over the years
that for the past five years it's sort of been kicking into high gear
booking agent doing big
state fairs we played the iowa state fair right before foreigner last week but
(06:29):
yeah it's just been this sort of like crazy journey for us congratulations it's
a great idea it's a great premise thanks man well that means a lot coming from
you because because i'm gonna i'm gonna throw some praise on on you
too sir because i did my research we and
this kind of came together so serendipitously like
number one just like the airbnb connection and then
(06:52):
number two was like my co-host i have
a co-host for this podcast this is like was going to be his week off so we were
kind of going to do our first ever like dark monday and i was i was talking
to andrew he sent me some questions to ask because like he mentioned meet the
robinsons again like one of his favorite disney movies like Like I watched it
again recently. I love it.
(07:13):
We're big fans of your work. It's been a part of our like travels and yeah,
that's so wild. Thank you.
So one of the things we're doing here is we're kind of new to this podcast.
We've we're on like episode 12 now and we're starting our fans are starting
to kind of like listen in.
And it's really all about like celebrating Disney's legacy, dive into the magic
(07:36):
and just talking a little about
like our stories, like traveling and are like cool places we've seen.
So like that's kind of funny. Like I feel like just off of that,
like like we're checking all the boxes, like we stayed at your your really cool like.
And I have so many questions about like how Wildcat Mansion started.
(07:57):
And I also have so many questions about your work as a writer.
And I like to look you up and you're so you're teaching screenwriting at UCLA. Is that right?
I do. Yeah, I'm on a leave currently because Wildcat is an all consuming process.
But yeah, I have been a teacher with UCLA Writers Studio for quite a while. Yes.
(08:20):
Wow. Okay. So like, yeah, okay.
So maybe we can just start off and just like, maybe if you could just tell me
like a little bit about your journey now, like what you're up to now,
I guess we could just go from there.
Yeah. So I, so I had been a screenwriter in LA for quite a few years and,
and then subsequently I was, I taught screenwriting and creative writing at
the UCLA school, the UCLA extension writer's studio.
(08:45):
And then I during it
was during COVID where there was just a contraction
in the you know in the film industry and everything was going to streaming and
the multiplexes a lot of multiplexes were closing during COVID and I was sort
of looking into you know my future and wondering well you know what can I do
so I was like I want to have a venue where I want to just be able to write direct,
(09:09):
and produce my own events and be able to also have a teaching component to it,
have classes and workshops, and also if I could have some sort of a club or a venue.
And so it was a tall order to find a venue that could accommodate all those things.
So it was just a pipe dream, kind of, where I was just like,
(09:31):
is there a venue out there?
And that's how I landed in Franklin, Pennsylvania, after having lived in LA for...
Pretty much my whole adult life. So it was quite a culture shock.
But the venue, and I don't know if you had a chance to see it when you were
staying there, but there's a mansion that was built in 1900 that also has a ballroom.
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And as I mentioned, there's a space for a club. It's really unique space.
Fun fact that it had originally been an oil barons mansion, but then Then in 1960, it was a convent.
So the nuns built the addition to it, which is why I can have,
the ballroom had previously been a chapel.
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And then the club, which I'm calling the Glen, had originally been the cafeteria
for the nuns. And then the third floor had been the boarding for the nuns.
It's very, very difficult to envision if you can't see it.
And then there's a giant carriage house, and that's where you and your bandmates
stayed. and the Carriage House is currently in the process of completing.
(10:36):
We have a 20. Did you see the cinema at the end of the hallway?
Yeah, I mean, gosh, like we have stayed at so many different places,
but I feel like we in every year we give like a golden trident award to like
our favorite on the podcast.
And like this really takes a cake. Yeah, it was just sort of like and I had
(10:58):
Meet the Robinsons in my head after you said that.
So it was sort of like kind of like a little bit in this like retro futuristic
kind of like, like, like a crazy fun house, man.
Like, I love what you've done with the place.
Speaking of crazy fun house, did you open up the wardrobe at the end of the
hallway and see the secret chamber?
(11:19):
Okay, so we did. I tried to be like, guys, we're going to like not snoop around.
But the morning we left, the band was like, all right. So we went and we looked
and somebody like left a note from like the 1800s somewhere.
And like the band had all these like tales.
I think we did see the secret chamber. We saw the cat on site.
(11:40):
Like our drummer was sort of like, dude, I think there was a cat that just went.
And I was like, oh, that's sweet potato. That's sweet potato.
Well, and I don't know if you saw it because this is very much this is the big
we're going to be revealing it for Halloween in October. But at the very end
of the hallway, across from the 20-seat movie theater, there is a wardrobe.
(12:01):
And then if you open the wardrobe and go through it, you'll see that it's a secret chamber.
And there's Egyptian hieroglyphics on the walls. And then you turn a corner,
and then you're in a pyramid-shaped room.
And then there's a bookshelf at the far end of the room.
And then if you pull one of the books, it unlatches the door.
And then you step into the secret chamber lounge.
(12:22):
So this is something that I, if I had been there, unfortunately I wasn't there.
Otherwise I would have insisted on showing you, but that's the newest feature at our venue.
So we have, in addition to the Wildcat Cinema, the Speakeasy Cabaret Lounge,
the Secret Chamber, we're also putting in a virtual reality immersive race car experience.
(12:45):
So it's going to be an entertainment complex with many things to do.
And this is in addition to having 30 rooms for lodging and it's on 24 acres.
And there are, did you get a chance to go? You guys were pretty, you got in late.
You, I don't know, but there's like waterfalls in the backwoods.
There's like a stone fireplace, a stone oven, there's hiking trails.
(13:09):
So, so going full circle. So when I saw this venue, it was being used as a rehab
treatment center. And I was like, okay, well, it's going to take a while to
sort of re-imagine this place.
It had a bit of an institutional vibe.
I love that. I'm sort of getting goosebumps because a lot of the things you're
(13:30):
saying sort of aligns with what I'm trying to do here.
With this wild and crazy band tribute going all over the country and doing a creative thing.
So, so congratulations on three years.
Thank you. Well, it's been an arduous three years.
That's been three years of a very, very vigorous remodel.
(13:51):
It's been a lot of work, but we're pretty much, we're like, I'd say we're about 90, close to 95% there.
So, so the end is near, the finish line is near. or then I get to really properly
promote it now. And that's the part that gets me really excited.
That's cool. So we're coming in on the ground floor, a little merman,
like, yeah, for the final stretch here,
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you know, they were like snooping around, like just the rooms and seeing like,
oh, like a murder mystery type situation could unfold here too.
Well, and you were, yeah, the mansion is especially well suited for a Clue-style
immersive mystery, which is in the works.
(14:35):
And yeah, the mansion is... I'm just bummed I wasn't there because I could have
given you guys a tour of the mansion.
And it's just straight out of X-Men. It looks a lot like the X-Men mansion.
Man, that's so cool. We just watched the X-Men 97 show on Disney+.
We talked about it on the podcast.
And Grau's going to be delighted to hear you mention that.
(14:57):
So speaking of Grau, i just wanted to forge you the questions
he sent me to ask you i guess he was more trying to
ask you just like the writer room stuff not not
to completely shift gears here you wrote the script that
got greenlit and started this like
the meet the robinsons like do you can you tell me anything you remember about
(15:19):
that i was just like of course so i had i had written a screenplay called beautiful
that was made into a movie that sally field directed and many drivers starred
in it And that script attracted the attention of two executives at Disney,
Karen Rupert and Leo Chu.
And so they brought me in for a meeting and then they said, we have a picture
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book, a William Joyce picture book called A Day with Wilbur Robinson.
And, you know, William Joyce, Disney owns a lot of William Joyce properties.
His style of animation is really original and really authentic.
And he has a very sort of irreverent point of view.
And so they were like, can you, do you have any ideas for how to adapt this
(16:02):
into a screenplay? So the book, and if anyone gets a chance who's listening
to this, the picture book's just so, it's the source material for the movie.
And it really captures just the bold imagination of the movie.
But there was no narrative.
There was no narrative, cohesive storyline to it.
(16:22):
So I got to sort of, you know, sit on it and work on it. And the two executives
at the studio were fantastic and very, it was a very collaborative process.
And, and we kind of cracked it.
We, we found a way into this really surreal, absurdist story.
(16:45):
And, and then I, that was my draft that got the project greenlit.
And then the way it works at Disney, usually with most animated movies,
there are multiple writers.
And, and the reason for that is, you know, animation is a beast.
It takes at least three years to get an animated project from concept to execution,
(17:09):
sometimes usually much longer.
And they storyboard the walls of the studio when they're working on an animated movie.
And you can just see these storyboarded scenes and sequences.
And then you realize it's just...
Thousands of five by seven cards that sort of visually tell the story.
(17:29):
And so frequently what they'll do is they'll be like, okay, now let's get a
writer who we like, who writes action sequences.
With the credited writers of Meet the Robinsons, there were,
I believe, two animators who actually got a writer credit.
In the heart of the story was what was most important to me.
I remember the moment when I was sort of like, okay, when it all,
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when you figure it out, when you crack it, you know, you sit with it for a long
time and you, and you sort of just really study William Joyce's brilliant animation.
And you kind of are like, how can I honor the, the, you know,
the, the spirit of his animation and locate a story that sort of reflects that vibe that he creates.
And so, and then when I was, but it's gotta have heart, you know,
(18:14):
it's gotta have an authentic emotional punish at the
end or what's the point and and so when i sort of
figured it all out i just remember like oh
just really being emotional when you know during the the
final sequence and uh you're not going to believe this
but that was his other question he literally said i cried so much at the end
while watching this did you cry while writing it so man shout out to growl for
(18:37):
for totally nailing it on the head yeah you know it's what's what's been really
nice is is that foster kids and anyone who was adopted.
Kids who have had experience in the foster care system, families,
foster families, these are the people where it really resonates for them.
(19:00):
And I remember early on in early act one,
just like tapping into, you know, you're introducing the protagonist and you're
trying to contemplate like, you know, what's to be the kid who's sort
of aged out where he's no longer adoptable and, and that his brilliance is,
is perceived as a nuisance,
you know, to, to have some sort of quirky brilliance that is unrecognized.
(19:23):
Those were some of the key building blocks in, in the process,
like that, that was meaningful to me to sort of, you know, you're a kid and
you're just misperceived and you've just got this brilliant future.
And, and is the family going to, is the adoptive family going to recognize you?
Family and belonging is definitely a theme that I'm often thinking about.
(19:49):
You know, a lot of what kind of resonates with like my day-to-day life is,
you know, like number one, like I've bamboozled these Broadway level talented
musicians and singers to play these state fairs with me and county fairs.
(20:10):
And so you gotta imagine like flights are getting canceled like
oh we thought we're gonna get lunch provided well this backstage lady
now she's rushing us through soundcheck so it's
really that moment like when we when we see like um or
like a kid just like really just like rocking out
or like we'll do like a phil collins song you'll
be in my heart and we'll just see like a really like and like
(20:32):
from the stage you can kind of see everything so it's sort of like i don't
know yeah it's that's really that's that's it's just really sweet to
to see that that that number one like that was like a big thing for you to include
from the book to the script and and and just yeah that foster kids are like
resonating with this movie man that's that's such a that's such a sweet thing
(20:53):
yeah it's it's been meaningful to me as well yeah.
So i i was just sort of just kind of thinking
about you know like one of the things we
do in our shows is we do like we do
this like make a wish moment in the show everybody on the count of three
like in the middle of a song it's like dream believe achieve
so you know the importance of dreams and another like i guess i and now this
(21:19):
is some time ago but i guess i was just wondering since you were you're like
first listed writing credit on anywhere i can find this movie like what i guess
what were some other themes that just sort of like.
I don't know. Yeah. Just just in terms of like what inspired you to write this,
what what made what made it like I guess what I'm trying to ask,
(21:41):
what were some themes of the film that inspired you to to take this on and set
the ball in motion for this?
Uh, yeah, well, so I, well, first of all, celebrating your failures was a big one.
That was a big theme. And of course, keep moving forward.
And the fact that Walt Disney had actually said that at some point,
(22:02):
because that was something I hadn't known.
And that at the end of the postscript, they, you know, referenced that it's
a Walt Disney quote as well.
So to identify the fact that if you're struggling now, obviously tomorrow might be brighter.
And the fact that I had one scene that when I was a kid, I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana,
(22:24):
and I remember, and I was always a very, creative writing was always my thing,
but there weren't a lot of creative writing classes at my school.
And so frequently I was sort of, you know, really slogging through algebra and
geometry, barely getting by, you know, like feeling as though,
gosh, you know, I feel like I have something to offer.
(22:45):
And, and that it's just public school is not offering.
I feel like I could do really well. And I had this idea for a scene where it's
a science fair and that the kid has this science fair project,
this invention that's a time travel machine.
And that the judges scoff and it looks, it was like I had like,
(23:08):
it was a tackle box and it was, and then the way that I sort of conceived it
back then, there were elements of it in the screenplay actually.
And that my premise from way back when I was like in middle school,
early high school was what if there's this genius kid who has this genius invention
(23:29):
at a science fair and the judges just,
you know, sort of patronize him and they don't see it and they move on to the
next one and they have no idea, oh, you know, what he's got.
And so that always lingered with me. I wrote a short story about it.
And then it sort of came back in a flashback when I was developing the source
material, you know, for a day with Wilbur Robinson.
(23:50):
And I was like, I wonder if I could have a set piece that's the science fair.
Maybe I can re-explore that and sort of, you know, reframe it and make it work for this story.
So that was core idea. So the main themes of celebrating failure to,
oh, the family of the future.
That's another main theme that I was really happy that came through in the final
(24:11):
outcome of the movie that, you know, sometimes if you're, you know,
he's, he's sort of preoccupied with the family of his past.
Why did his mother, you know, abandon him, put him up for adoption?
You know, you see in the opening, the, you can't get a clear picture of her
and he's so, you know, sort of racked with, he's tormented by it.
(24:32):
And I think this is something that a lot of kids in foster care,
a lot of kids who were adopted, They all want to know why they give me up.
I want to know. I just want to know.
But then the notion of instead of sort of being preoccupied with the family
of your past, start thinking about the family of your future.
And so that was a big one, too. And that was sort of a guiding light for me.
(24:53):
That was my North Star, who is his family of the future.
And that's when things really started coming together story-wise.
Man that's that's cool this is like oh man i'm so excited this is gonna be like literally our
greatest episode i don't know if you've
ever do you ever like when you're having like a bad
day do you ever just go on like youtube and and like there's a lot of videos
(25:13):
like with millions of views are like meet the robinsons like this is an underappreciated
classic and like here's what i love about this movie and a lot of them are talking
about the first act like what you're just saying and it's really cool to see
that like the science fair thing and And, yeah,
man, this is really fun.
Okay, so here's a fun question.
(25:35):
So as the leader of the nation's number one Disney tribute band,
and I know this because Google says so, there's one out of Denver,
there's a couple people who are trying to duplicate what we do.
Like, we really get to kind of build out, like, our mission statement is,
like, the magic of Disney.
And a lot of these things that we've been talking about here, or
(25:57):
just like you know inclusion and and this
nostalgia and also like and just they keep
moving forward like all this stuff is like a big
part of our show already we get to like you know it's sort of like you know
when we saw the band foreigner and everyone's like sing at the top of your lungs
and it's sort of this rock concert experience but it's also a wholesome family
(26:17):
experience so anyways my question is oh i had it right here gosh darn all right yeah okay Okay,
so if you were to design Meet the Robinsons-themed concert experience,
what elements would you include to make it both entertaining and emotionally impactful?
(26:46):
Ah, well, did I mention I own a venue and the venue actually resembles the mansion of his future.
Like that was something that I have thought many times where I'm like, I've moved it.
I'm sort of, I feel as though I have stepped into certain aspects of the movie.
And so I would have it on the front lawn of my mansion, which resembled the
(27:10):
mansion of Meet the Robinsons.
And I would have the little merman playing at it.
And I would definitely make sure I have the rights to it and I'm allowed to
do it and that I'm not going to get Disney mad at me. But yeah,
that would be it. I would love to host.
That would be truly, truly awesome to host a Meet the Robinsons event with you
(27:32):
guys playing it. That would be truly, truly awesome.
And I feel like it's a good venue for it because it's, as mentioned,
it's got a secret chamber. It's got a club.
It's got a virtual reality race car immersive. coercive.
It's got, you know, a lot of things that are sort of really cool and really imaginative.
(27:52):
So, so yeah, that's, that would be, that's what springs to mind.
We just got to find some singing frogs.
Well, I got, you know, we got a lot of frogs. We got a lot of frogs.
So I got that covered because there's the springs in the back that,
you know, we're right across the street from the Allegheny river and,
and there are springs and waterfalls in the woods behind the mansion.
(28:15):
And so in the spring, early summer, the bullfrogs are singing.
Yes, they are hopping through the grounds. So I got that covered.
Heck yeah. And also, I mean, we got to mention like in that carriage house,
you got Lewis, Wilbur, and Buster, right? The dog. Yeah, that's right.
(28:37):
One up the stairs. And then past like the Rob Thomas.
Poster on the way in. Oh, cool, cool, cool, cool.
Yeah, it was, it's very, you know, I got to tell you that my background,
I was in a group called the Young Americans.
I don't know if you've heard of them. They're like the nation's show choir.
And I had, when I was still in high school in Indianapolis, I went with two
(29:01):
friends to Boyne Island, Michigan, and then the Young Americans had a dinner theater there.
And that was how, that was my way to LA.
And I started my whole trajectory into becoming a screenwriter in LA by being
a performer with the young Americans in Orange County.
And, and I think that that dinner theater at Boyne Highland,
(29:23):
Michigan with these, you know, like super talented young Americans who would
like sing and dance their hearts out, and then they would bust tables and then
they would refill iced teas and lemonade.
And, And then, you know, and then they go back to singing and dancing and then
they're, you know, serving desserts.
And I was like, that's awesome. I want a piece of that.
(29:45):
And it really stayed with me. And then Young Americans back in the day,
I think, I don't know, but they had Tibby's and they had Baxter Street,
which were two dinner theaters in Orange County.
And I just loved that. I thought that was just awesome. And so I'm hoping that
this club that, you know, I'm close to finishing at the mansion,
that I may be able to have some variation of that.
(30:07):
So, so just tell you for you guys, like between your, you know, being,
you know, a Disney cover band and then also, you know, your love of Disney,
obviously, but for me, the Disney connection, but then also the,
you know, the singing, the performing connection.
So I do feel as though you, of all my guests that I've had at the mansion,
(30:29):
you guys are the ones who sort of speak my language.
I'm so i'm so glad we found it it was it was our drummer who found the listing
and i was like wait i was just looking at the photos i was like this looks so
this looks so you move it's so cool how far was it from your gig it's sort of
remote so how how how far did you have to travel to your gig
oh it actually it was like just just an hour we we do uh this summer we're doing
(30:53):
a lot of the county fairs of pennsylvania county we do a lot of state fairs
a state fair is like kind of i like i I explained it on the podcast,
like a state fair is like playing Disney World.
It's like this great big stage is a huge attraction.
And in county fair is a little bit like playing like Coney Island,
like theme park or something like that.
(31:13):
But but there's so many there's so many happening this summer.
So this is our last one that we did.
And yeah, man, it was just yeah, it's just sort of like the stars kind of aligned for us.
We did two shows. And this week prior, we did the seashell stage of New Hampshire,
which is always a fun because like the little merman at the seashell stage. We did a show in Maine.
(31:35):
And then on our way down to Pennsylvania, I was just like, yeah, OK.
So this one, they provided us hotels on the second night, but we had to drive in the night before.
So we're like, we're kind of scrambling a little bit to be like,
all right, we got to find out some lodging. And yeah, and that's kind of how we came to you.
But no, it was like the most perfect thing. and everyone was just like in a
(31:55):
good mood the next day because everyone was like, yes, I saw this at the Wildcat place.
Everyone had like a little story in the van ride over to the show.
Yeah, there are more stories. I want you guys to see the mansion as well.
And also, you ought to know that my experience, not to be competitive,
but my experience with county fairs and state fairs, I, 100 years ago,
(32:16):
worked at Calico, hired me to sing and dance with the Rainbow Bright Show,
the Cabbage Patch Kids Show, and the Berenstain Bears Show.
So it was me. I was like the host of Rainbowland.
And then I would fly into these different cities. And then Coleco would arrange the dance studio.
And I'd meet like these 16-year-old girls who I'd suit up in the giant character costumes.
(32:39):
And they would be like Rainbow Bright, Twink, and Lurky.
Or the Cabbage Patch Kids, Marilyn, Suzanne, who wants to be a movie star,
Reggie Pete, who wants to be a
baseball player, Otis Lee, who wants to be president of the United States.
And then I would, and I'd be the host and I'd be singing and dancing with these
teenagers and these giant character costumes would be sort of,
(33:02):
you know, like with foods that are the size of like microwave ovens.
And, and just, that was, that was my turn at State Fair and County Fair.
So I get another thing we share in common.
Wow. Yeah. We're just like same, same, same track. What a small world.
Cool. All right. Well, listen, this has been great and I don't want to take
(33:25):
up too much of your time. We just got a couple more questions before we wrap up. Of course.
One big one here is since, you know, you, you got like a Hollywood script under
your belt, you have this incredible, incredible space, this incredible mansion,
this incredible event space.
And, and you're, you're, you know, you're just, you're out there creating and,
and, and you're making all this success happen.
(33:46):
So we got to ask you, what advice would you give to aspiring writers,
creators, and entrepreneurs who are looking to follow in your footsteps?
Well, the advice that I would give is.
Ah, you know, locate your authenticity, be true to thine own heart, be true.
You know, like the, the, the journey of, of claiming ownership to your voice,
(34:09):
your authentic voice is a lifelong journey.
And that's been the thing that I sort of glad about with my wildcat experience
is that I just have a point of view.
I have a creative point of view that I didn't have when I was younger.
And that it takes a while to really have the confidence to claim ownership to
(34:31):
your point of view and your authentic creative voice.
So that's the thing, because when executives are reading scripts in LA,
they're looking for authenticity.
They're looking for originality. They're looking for just a voice that they haven't heard before.
And that's not easy. that it's a it's an
honest impulse to try to emulate other
(34:53):
voices emulate you know source material that of
a movie that you really liked a lot and so you try to mimic it
you know there's just a lot of ways that you that creatives
will you know not know what their truth is what their creative truth is so that's
that's to me and the way that you sort of slowly start identifying that is start
(35:16):
learning what genres you take for what you like and what you don't like.
And those are clues. Those are clues. But strive for originality.
It's really important to be original.
Heck yeah. Yeah. I support that too. You know, even though I am the leader of
a cover band, you know, originality first and foremost, thanks so much for sharing that.
(35:41):
Be sure to include that. And okay. So then last final question,
where can our listeners find more information about Wildcat Mansion and connect
with you online? line? Aha. Well, thank you for asking.
So we're on social media. We're on Instagram and Facebook as Wildcat Mansion.
We're starting, there's nothing, no content posted yet, but we do have both
(36:04):
a YouTube channel and a TikTok channel for Wildcat Mansion, but there's really
not much on there yet, but there soon will be.
And the website is wildcatmansion.com and also wildcatweddings.com.
If you're looking for a wedding venue, we do weddings as well.
So those are all the places where anyone who is interested in a thoroughly original
(36:28):
venue, that's where they can find me.
I can attest, listeners, I can attest this is one of the most original venues you'll ever find.
And John, thank you so much for your incredible insights, your incredible stories,
your passion for storytelling and creating unique experiences.
Experiences, truly inspiring.
(36:48):
We're excited to see what the future holds for Wildcat Mansioners.
Listeners, make sure to check out Wildcat and be sure to revisit Meet the Robinsons.
It's a Disney classic and it's just as relevant today as ever.
All right, bonus question. John, what's your favorite Disney movie of all time?
Ah, I gotta say Mary Poppins. Gotta say Mary Poppins.
(37:11):
Classic. Yep, yep, yep, yep. Yep, that was a big influence.
Yeah that's the one i'm going with well well
thanks again john it's been a magical conversation we're sure
our listeners are going to love hearing your perspective and guys keep moving
forward hey okay thank you alexis it's really truly been a pleasure and best
(37:33):
of luck to you and the little mermen The Little Merman.
Join us on patreon for exclusive content bonus
episodes behind the scene insights and more visit patreon.com
slash the little mermen to become part of our merfam and enjoy all the extra
perks we have to offer that's it guys thanks so much for tuning in for this
(37:56):
special episode where we met the man behind meet the robinsons now whatever
you do don't forget to dream believe
Believe and achieve. See you next Monday, fam.
Music.
(00:10):
Welcome to Merman Mondays, the podcast where the Little Merman Band share behind-the-scenes
tour stories, discuss popular Disney content, and celebrate Disney's musical legacy.
I'm your host, Alexis Babini, founder of the ultimate Disney tribute band, The Little Merman.
Now, today's episode is something extra special because while my co-host,
(00:35):
Andrew Grau, is off on a well-deserved vacation,
we've got an incredible interview lined up with John Bernstein,
the mastermind screenwriter who brought Disney's 2007 film Meet the Robinsons
to life and got it greenlit as a Disney Studio feature.
And hold on to your bowler hats because it all came about with a crazy turn of events.
(00:57):
So here's how it all happened. During last week's tour, our band was on the
way to rock the Erie County Fair in Wattsburg, Pennsylvania.
While we unexpectedly found ourselves in need of a place to stay,
so we found this spot called Wild Cat Mansion, and it turned out to be a vibrant
and whimsical venue that's located in Franklin, Pennsylvania.
(01:19):
And here's the kicker. The owner was none other than John Bernstein himself.
Talk about a Disney-worthy twist of fate. So I realized, hey,
we got to get this guy on the podcast.
So we did. And I don't know how this all just magically coincided with happening
on the week that Growl was out, and we didn't know what we were going to make the podcast about,
(01:40):
and I don't know how this all just magically fell into place as we found this
mansion on the way to play the Pennsylvania Fair, and the owner just happened
to be a Disney movie writer.
But anyways, I believe in Disney magic. I can't wait to get into this episode.
But before we do, I'm going to toss it over to our boy Growl.
So, before we can go the distance, we are still a touring band,
(02:03):
and we got some shows coming in the fall and winter already lined up,
so let's get down to business.
Here are some fall and winter dates. Saturday, September 14th at Ventureland.com.
Tuna iowa saturday september 28th
laura center for the arts hanover massachusetts sunday october
13th hard rock cafe pittsburgh pennsylvania thursday
(02:24):
october 24th the cutting room new york new york and that's going to be a very
fun halloween show sunday december 22nd plymouth memorial hall plymouth massachusetts
more information like ticket links or rsvp links can be found on our website
at thelittlemerman.com slash tickets.
This spring, the first visitor to the future will discover a strange new world
(02:48):
and a family that's even stranger.
Why is your dog wearing glasses? Because his insurance won't pay for contacts.
Meet the Robinsons. So let me just set the scene for y'all because we were looking
for a place to stay on our way to rock the Erie County Fair.
We found this crazy-looking mansion on Airbnb and were put up in the carriage
(03:12):
house connected to the mansion.
So let me tell you, stepping in there and walking down the hallways,
it felt like entering a cross between Pee Wee's Playhouse and the Willy Wonka
Factory, full of surprises,
retro-futuristic colors, and cartoons around every corner.
And walking in, we were greeted by framed artwork from the film.
(03:34):
We're greeted by the framed copy of the Rob Thomas song from the movie and character cutouts.
But most importantly, I clocked right as we walked in the famous Walt Disney quote. And it was this.
Around here, we don't look backwards for very long.
We keep moving forward, opening up new doors and doing new things because we're
(03:59):
curious. curious and curiosity keeps leading us down new paths.
Keep moving forward. That's the Walt Disney quote.
That's the quote from this film. And that's what we just did this week,
getting screenwriter and mansion owner, John Bernstein on the pod.
So in our conversation, John takes us through his journey from Hollywood screenwriting
(04:23):
to transforming this mansion into a one of a kind destination.
He even shares some behind-the-scenes stories that are just as captivating as
our tour stories that we've talked about on this podcast.
So trust me, you don't want to miss this. So without further ado,
here's my conversation with John Bernstein, Hollywood veteran and screenwriter
(04:43):
of Disney's Meet the Robinsons and other feature films.
And he's now a Destination Venue creator.
So, yeah. So did you have the chance to check out some of the episodes?
I know you said you're kind of doing a little bit of a deep dive on the band and.
Uh yeah i many times and
i showed it to a few people and uh the big question is
(05:05):
why are why are there women in the little mermaid bands can
you offer an explanation yeah you know when we first started this it was sort
of like you know it's it's evolved over the years and i think for us it's sort
of like i i have so many fun answers for this i'm trying to think of what because
we We get this question a lot.
(05:26):
We do have a lot of special guests and we do want everyone to,
we want it to be an inclusive thing.
I guess I compare it to the Marvel X-Men and how sometimes everybody's favorite
X-Men character is like Storm or Rogue,
but we've started kind of billing ourselves as like the ultimate Disney trivia
(05:47):
band, the Little Merman and all that kind of stuff. We just celebrated 10 years.
Well, the Little Merman is such a good name
and i i think that audiences will be forgiving so and did you just say that
you've been doing it for 10 years now you've had this band for 10 years dude
believe it or not yeah we the first little merman show was me and it was sort
(06:09):
of like a garage band group of like ragtag musicians.
And since then it has evolved into this whole like
production um over the years
that for the past five years it's sort of been kicking into high gear
booking agent doing big
state fairs we played the iowa state fair right before foreigner last week but
(06:29):
yeah it's just been this sort of like crazy journey for us congratulations it's
a great idea it's a great premise thanks man well that means a lot coming from
you because because i'm gonna i'm gonna throw some praise on on you
too sir because i did my research we and
this kind of came together so serendipitously like
number one just like the airbnb connection and then
(06:52):
number two was like my co-host i have
a co-host for this podcast this is like was going to be his week off so we were
kind of going to do our first ever like dark monday and i was i was talking
to andrew he sent me some questions to ask because like he mentioned meet the
robinsons again like one of his favorite disney movies like Like I watched it
again recently. I love it.
(07:13):
We're big fans of your work. It's been a part of our like travels and yeah,
that's so wild. Thank you.
So one of the things we're doing here is we're kind of new to this podcast.
We've we're on like episode 12 now and we're starting our fans are starting
to kind of like listen in.
And it's really all about like celebrating Disney's legacy, dive into the magic
(07:36):
and just talking a little about
like our stories, like traveling and are like cool places we've seen.
So like that's kind of funny. Like I feel like just off of that,
like like we're checking all the boxes, like we stayed at your your really cool like.
And I have so many questions about like how Wildcat Mansion started.
(07:57):
And I also have so many questions about your work as a writer.
And I like to look you up and you're so you're teaching screenwriting at UCLA. Is that right?
I do. Yeah, I'm on a leave currently because Wildcat is an all consuming process.
But yeah, I have been a teacher with UCLA Writers Studio for quite a while. Yes.
(08:20):
Wow. Okay. So like, yeah, okay.
So maybe we can just start off and just like, maybe if you could just tell me
like a little bit about your journey now, like what you're up to now,
I guess we could just go from there.
Yeah. So I, so I had been a screenwriter in LA for quite a few years and,
and then subsequently I was, I taught screenwriting and creative writing at
the UCLA school, the UCLA extension writer's studio.
(08:45):
And then I during it
was during COVID where there was just a contraction
in the you know in the film industry and everything was going to streaming and
the multiplexes a lot of multiplexes were closing during COVID and I was sort
of looking into you know my future and wondering well you know what can I do
so I was like I want to have a venue where I want to just be able to write direct,
(09:09):
and produce my own events and be able to also have a teaching component to it,
have classes and workshops, and also if I could have some sort of a club or a venue.
And so it was a tall order to find a venue that could accommodate all those things.
So it was just a pipe dream, kind of, where I was just like,
(09:31):
is there a venue out there?
And that's how I landed in Franklin, Pennsylvania, after having lived in LA for...
Pretty much my whole adult life. So it was quite a culture shock.
But the venue, and I don't know if you had a chance to see it when you were
staying there, but there's a mansion that was built in 1900 that also has a ballroom.
(09:54):
And as I mentioned, there's a space for a club. It's really unique space.
Fun fact that it had originally been an oil barons mansion, but then Then in 1960, it was a convent.
So the nuns built the addition to it, which is why I can have,
the ballroom had previously been a chapel.
(10:14):
And then the club, which I'm calling the Glen, had originally been the cafeteria
for the nuns. And then the third floor had been the boarding for the nuns.
It's very, very difficult to envision if you can't see it.
And then there's a giant carriage house, and that's where you and your bandmates
stayed. and the Carriage House is currently in the process of completing.
(10:36):
We have a 20. Did you see the cinema at the end of the hallway?
Yeah, I mean, gosh, like we have stayed at so many different places,
but I feel like we in every year we give like a golden trident award to like
our favorite on the podcast.
And like this really takes a cake. Yeah, it was just sort of like and I had
(10:58):
Meet the Robinsons in my head after you said that.
So it was sort of like kind of like a little bit in this like retro futuristic
kind of like, like, like a crazy fun house, man.
Like, I love what you've done with the place.
Speaking of crazy fun house, did you open up the wardrobe at the end of the
hallway and see the secret chamber?
(11:19):
Okay, so we did. I tried to be like, guys, we're going to like not snoop around.
But the morning we left, the band was like, all right. So we went and we looked
and somebody like left a note from like the 1800s somewhere.
And like the band had all these like tales.
I think we did see the secret chamber. We saw the cat on site.
(11:40):
Like our drummer was sort of like, dude, I think there was a cat that just went.
And I was like, oh, that's sweet potato. That's sweet potato.
Well, and I don't know if you saw it because this is very much this is the big
we're going to be revealing it for Halloween in October. But at the very end
of the hallway, across from the 20-seat movie theater, there is a wardrobe.
(12:01):
And then if you open the wardrobe and go through it, you'll see that it's a secret chamber.
And there's Egyptian hieroglyphics on the walls. And then you turn a corner,
and then you're in a pyramid-shaped room.
And then there's a bookshelf at the far end of the room.
And then if you pull one of the books, it unlatches the door.
And then you step into the secret chamber lounge.
(12:22):
So this is something that I, if I had been there, unfortunately I wasn't there.
Otherwise I would have insisted on showing you, but that's the newest feature at our venue.
So we have, in addition to the Wildcat Cinema, the Speakeasy Cabaret Lounge,
the Secret Chamber, we're also putting in a virtual reality immersive race car experience.
(12:45):
So it's going to be an entertainment complex with many things to do.
And this is in addition to having 30 rooms for lodging and it's on 24 acres.
And there are, did you get a chance to go? You guys were pretty, you got in late.
You, I don't know, but there's like waterfalls in the backwoods.
There's like a stone fireplace, a stone oven, there's hiking trails.
(13:09):
So, so going full circle. So when I saw this venue, it was being used as a rehab
treatment center. And I was like, okay, well, it's going to take a while to
sort of re-imagine this place.
It had a bit of an institutional vibe.
I love that. I'm sort of getting goosebumps because a lot of the things you're
(13:30):
saying sort of aligns with what I'm trying to do here.
With this wild and crazy band tribute going all over the country and doing a creative thing.
So, so congratulations on three years.
Thank you. Well, it's been an arduous three years.
That's been three years of a very, very vigorous remodel.
(13:51):
It's been a lot of work, but we're pretty much, we're like, I'd say we're about 90, close to 95% there.
So, so the end is near, the finish line is near. or then I get to really properly
promote it now. And that's the part that gets me really excited.
That's cool. So we're coming in on the ground floor, a little merman,
like, yeah, for the final stretch here,
(14:14):
you know, they were like snooping around, like just the rooms and seeing like,
oh, like a murder mystery type situation could unfold here too.
Well, and you were, yeah, the mansion is especially well suited for a Clue-style
immersive mystery, which is in the works.
(14:35):
And yeah, the mansion is... I'm just bummed I wasn't there because I could have
given you guys a tour of the mansion.
And it's just straight out of X-Men. It looks a lot like the X-Men mansion.
Man, that's so cool. We just watched the X-Men 97 show on Disney+.
We talked about it on the podcast.
And Grau's going to be delighted to hear you mention that.
(14:57):
So speaking of Grau, i just wanted to forge you the questions
he sent me to ask you i guess he was more trying to
ask you just like the writer room stuff not not
to completely shift gears here you wrote the script that
got greenlit and started this like
the meet the robinsons like do you can you tell me anything you remember about
(15:19):
that i was just like of course so i had i had written a screenplay called beautiful
that was made into a movie that sally field directed and many drivers starred
in it And that script attracted the attention of two executives at Disney,
Karen Rupert and Leo Chu.
And so they brought me in for a meeting and then they said, we have a picture
(15:39):
book, a William Joyce picture book called A Day with Wilbur Robinson.
And, you know, William Joyce, Disney owns a lot of William Joyce properties.
His style of animation is really original and really authentic.
And he has a very sort of irreverent point of view.
And so they were like, can you, do you have any ideas for how to adapt this
(16:02):
into a screenplay? So the book, and if anyone gets a chance who's listening
to this, the picture book's just so, it's the source material for the movie.
And it really captures just the bold imagination of the movie.
But there was no narrative.
There was no narrative, cohesive storyline to it.
(16:22):
So I got to sort of, you know, sit on it and work on it. And the two executives
at the studio were fantastic and very, it was a very collaborative process.
And, and we kind of cracked it.
We, we found a way into this really surreal, absurdist story.
(16:45):
And, and then I, that was my draft that got the project greenlit.
And then the way it works at Disney, usually with most animated movies,
there are multiple writers.
And, and the reason for that is, you know, animation is a beast.
It takes at least three years to get an animated project from concept to execution,
(17:09):
sometimes usually much longer.
And they storyboard the walls of the studio when they're working on an animated movie.
And you can just see these storyboarded scenes and sequences.
And then you realize it's just...
Thousands of five by seven cards that sort of visually tell the story.
(17:29):
And so frequently what they'll do is they'll be like, okay, now let's get a
writer who we like, who writes action sequences.
With the credited writers of Meet the Robinsons, there were,
I believe, two animators who actually got a writer credit.
In the heart of the story was what was most important to me.
I remember the moment when I was sort of like, okay, when it all,
(17:52):
when you figure it out, when you crack it, you know, you sit with it for a long
time and you, and you sort of just really study William Joyce's brilliant animation.
And you kind of are like, how can I honor the, the, you know,
the, the spirit of his animation and locate a story that sort of reflects that vibe that he creates.
And so, and then when I was, but it's gotta have heart, you know,
(18:14):
it's gotta have an authentic emotional punish at the
end or what's the point and and so when i sort of
figured it all out i just remember like oh
just really being emotional when you know during the the
final sequence and uh you're not going to believe this
but that was his other question he literally said i cried so much at the end
while watching this did you cry while writing it so man shout out to growl for
(18:37):
for totally nailing it on the head yeah you know it's what's what's been really
nice is is that foster kids and anyone who was adopted.
Kids who have had experience in the foster care system, families,
foster families, these are the people where it really resonates for them.
(19:00):
And I remember early on in early act one,
just like tapping into, you know, you're introducing the protagonist and you're
trying to contemplate like, you know, what's to be the kid who's sort
of aged out where he's no longer adoptable and, and that his brilliance is,
is perceived as a nuisance,
you know, to, to have some sort of quirky brilliance that is unrecognized.
(19:23):
Those were some of the key building blocks in, in the process,
like that, that was meaningful to me to sort of, you know, you're a kid and
you're just misperceived and you've just got this brilliant future.
And, and is the family going to, is the adoptive family going to recognize you?
Family and belonging is definitely a theme that I'm often thinking about.
(19:49):
You know, a lot of what kind of resonates with like my day-to-day life is,
you know, like number one, like I've bamboozled these Broadway level talented
musicians and singers to play these state fairs with me and county fairs.
(20:10):
And so you gotta imagine like flights are getting canceled like
oh we thought we're gonna get lunch provided well this backstage lady
now she's rushing us through soundcheck so it's
really that moment like when we when we see like um or
like a kid just like really just like rocking out
or like we'll do like a phil collins song you'll
be in my heart and we'll just see like a really like and like
(20:32):
from the stage you can kind of see everything so it's sort of like i don't
know yeah it's that's really that's that's it's just really sweet to
to see that that that number one like that was like a big thing for you to include
from the book to the script and and and just yeah that foster kids are like
resonating with this movie man that's that's such a that's such a sweet thing
(20:53):
yeah it's it's been meaningful to me as well yeah.
So i i was just sort of just kind of thinking
about you know like one of the things we
do in our shows is we do like we do
this like make a wish moment in the show everybody on the count of three
like in the middle of a song it's like dream believe achieve
so you know the importance of dreams and another like i guess i and now this
(21:19):
is some time ago but i guess i was just wondering since you were you're like
first listed writing credit on anywhere i can find this movie like what i guess
what were some other themes that just sort of like.
I don't know. Yeah. Just just in terms of like what inspired you to write this,
what what made what made it like I guess what I'm trying to ask,
(21:41):
what were some themes of the film that inspired you to to take this on and set
the ball in motion for this?
Uh, yeah, well, so I, well, first of all, celebrating your failures was a big one.
That was a big theme. And of course, keep moving forward.
And the fact that Walt Disney had actually said that at some point,
(22:02):
because that was something I hadn't known.
And that at the end of the postscript, they, you know, referenced that it's
a Walt Disney quote as well.
So to identify the fact that if you're struggling now, obviously tomorrow might be brighter.
And the fact that I had one scene that when I was a kid, I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana,
(22:24):
and I remember, and I was always a very, creative writing was always my thing,
but there weren't a lot of creative writing classes at my school.
And so frequently I was sort of, you know, really slogging through algebra and
geometry, barely getting by, you know, like feeling as though,
gosh, you know, I feel like I have something to offer.
(22:45):
And, and that it's just public school is not offering.
I feel like I could do really well. And I had this idea for a scene where it's
a science fair and that the kid has this science fair project,
this invention that's a time travel machine.
And that the judges scoff and it looks, it was like I had like,
(23:08):
it was a tackle box and it was, and then the way that I sort of conceived it
back then, there were elements of it in the screenplay actually.
And that my premise from way back when I was like in middle school,
early high school was what if there's this genius kid who has this genius invention
(23:29):
at a science fair and the judges just,
you know, sort of patronize him and they don't see it and they move on to the
next one and they have no idea, oh, you know, what he's got.
And so that always lingered with me. I wrote a short story about it.
And then it sort of came back in a flashback when I was developing the source
material, you know, for a day with Wilbur Robinson.
(23:50):
And I was like, I wonder if I could have a set piece that's the science fair.
Maybe I can re-explore that and sort of, you know, reframe it and make it work for this story.
So that was core idea. So the main themes of celebrating failure to,
oh, the family of the future.
That's another main theme that I was really happy that came through in the final
(24:11):
outcome of the movie that, you know, sometimes if you're, you know,
he's, he's sort of preoccupied with the family of his past.
Why did his mother, you know, abandon him, put him up for adoption?
You know, you see in the opening, the, you can't get a clear picture of her
and he's so, you know, sort of racked with, he's tormented by it.
(24:32):
And I think this is something that a lot of kids in foster care,
a lot of kids who were adopted, They all want to know why they give me up.
I want to know. I just want to know.
But then the notion of instead of sort of being preoccupied with the family
of your past, start thinking about the family of your future.
And so that was a big one, too. And that was sort of a guiding light for me.
(24:53):
That was my North Star, who is his family of the future.
And that's when things really started coming together story-wise.
Man that's that's cool this is like oh man i'm so excited this is gonna be like literally our
greatest episode i don't know if you've
ever do you ever like when you're having like a bad
day do you ever just go on like youtube and and like there's a lot of videos
(25:13):
like with millions of views are like meet the robinsons like this is an underappreciated
classic and like here's what i love about this movie and a lot of them are talking
about the first act like what you're just saying and it's really cool to see
that like the science fair thing and And, yeah,
man, this is really fun.
Okay, so here's a fun question.
(25:35):
So as the leader of the nation's number one Disney tribute band,
and I know this because Google says so, there's one out of Denver,
there's a couple people who are trying to duplicate what we do.
Like, we really get to kind of build out, like, our mission statement is,
like, the magic of Disney.
And a lot of these things that we've been talking about here, or
(25:57):
just like you know inclusion and and this
nostalgia and also like and just they keep
moving forward like all this stuff is like a big
part of our show already we get to like you know it's sort of like you know
when we saw the band foreigner and everyone's like sing at the top of your lungs
and it's sort of this rock concert experience but it's also a wholesome family
(26:17):
experience so anyways my question is oh i had it right here gosh darn all right yeah okay Okay,
so if you were to design Meet the Robinsons-themed concert experience,
what elements would you include to make it both entertaining and emotionally impactful?
(26:46):
Ah, well, did I mention I own a venue and the venue actually resembles the mansion of his future.
Like that was something that I have thought many times where I'm like, I've moved it.
I'm sort of, I feel as though I have stepped into certain aspects of the movie.
And so I would have it on the front lawn of my mansion, which resembled the
(27:10):
mansion of Meet the Robinsons.
And I would have the little merman playing at it.
And I would definitely make sure I have the rights to it and I'm allowed to
do it and that I'm not going to get Disney mad at me. But yeah,
that would be it. I would love to host.
That would be truly, truly awesome to host a Meet the Robinsons event with you
(27:32):
guys playing it. That would be truly, truly awesome.
And I feel like it's a good venue for it because it's, as mentioned,
it's got a secret chamber. It's got a club.
It's got a virtual reality race car immersive. coercive.
It's got, you know, a lot of things that are sort of really cool and really imaginative.
(27:52):
So, so yeah, that's, that would be, that's what springs to mind.
We just got to find some singing frogs.
Well, I got, you know, we got a lot of frogs. We got a lot of frogs.
So I got that covered because there's the springs in the back that,
you know, we're right across the street from the Allegheny river and,
and there are springs and waterfalls in the woods behind the mansion.
(28:15):
And so in the spring, early summer, the bullfrogs are singing.
Yes, they are hopping through the grounds. So I got that covered.
Heck yeah. And also, I mean, we got to mention like in that carriage house,
you got Lewis, Wilbur, and Buster, right? The dog. Yeah, that's right.
(28:37):
One up the stairs. And then past like the Rob Thomas.
Poster on the way in. Oh, cool, cool, cool, cool.
Yeah, it was, it's very, you know, I got to tell you that my background,
I was in a group called the Young Americans.
I don't know if you've heard of them. They're like the nation's show choir.
And I had, when I was still in high school in Indianapolis, I went with two
(29:01):
friends to Boyne Island, Michigan, and then the Young Americans had a dinner theater there.
And that was how, that was my way to LA.
And I started my whole trajectory into becoming a screenwriter in LA by being
a performer with the young Americans in Orange County.
And, and I think that that dinner theater at Boyne Highland,
(29:23):
Michigan with these, you know, like super talented young Americans who would
like sing and dance their hearts out, and then they would bust tables and then
they would refill iced teas and lemonade.
And, And then, you know, and then they go back to singing and dancing and then
they're, you know, serving desserts.
And I was like, that's awesome. I want a piece of that.
(29:45):
And it really stayed with me. And then Young Americans back in the day,
I think, I don't know, but they had Tibby's and they had Baxter Street,
which were two dinner theaters in Orange County.
And I just loved that. I thought that was just awesome. And so I'm hoping that
this club that, you know, I'm close to finishing at the mansion,
that I may be able to have some variation of that.
(30:07):
So, so just tell you for you guys, like between your, you know, being,
you know, a Disney cover band and then also, you know, your love of Disney,
obviously, but for me, the Disney connection, but then also the,
you know, the singing, the performing connection.
So I do feel as though you, of all my guests that I've had at the mansion,
(30:29):
you guys are the ones who sort of speak my language.
I'm so i'm so glad we found it it was it was our drummer who found the listing
and i was like wait i was just looking at the photos i was like this looks so
this looks so you move it's so cool how far was it from your gig it's sort of
remote so how how how far did you have to travel to your gig
oh it actually it was like just just an hour we we do uh this summer we're doing
(30:53):
a lot of the county fairs of pennsylvania county we do a lot of state fairs
a state fair is like kind of i like i I explained it on the podcast,
like a state fair is like playing Disney World.
It's like this great big stage is a huge attraction.
And in county fair is a little bit like playing like Coney Island,
like theme park or something like that.
(31:13):
But but there's so many there's so many happening this summer.
So this is our last one that we did.
And yeah, man, it was just yeah, it's just sort of like the stars kind of aligned for us.
We did two shows. And this week prior, we did the seashell stage of New Hampshire,
which is always a fun because like the little merman at the seashell stage. We did a show in Maine.
(31:35):
And then on our way down to Pennsylvania, I was just like, yeah, OK.
So this one, they provided us hotels on the second night, but we had to drive in the night before.
So we're like, we're kind of scrambling a little bit to be like,
all right, we got to find out some lodging. And yeah, and that's kind of how we came to you.
But no, it was like the most perfect thing. and everyone was just like in a
(31:55):
good mood the next day because everyone was like, yes, I saw this at the Wildcat place.
Everyone had like a little story in the van ride over to the show.
Yeah, there are more stories. I want you guys to see the mansion as well.
And also, you ought to know that my experience, not to be competitive,
but my experience with county fairs and state fairs, I, 100 years ago,
(32:16):
worked at Calico, hired me to sing and dance with the Rainbow Bright Show,
the Cabbage Patch Kids Show, and the Berenstain Bears Show.
So it was me. I was like the host of Rainbowland.
And then I would fly into these different cities. And then Coleco would arrange the dance studio.
And I'd meet like these 16-year-old girls who I'd suit up in the giant character costumes.
(32:39):
And they would be like Rainbow Bright, Twink, and Lurky.
Or the Cabbage Patch Kids, Marilyn, Suzanne, who wants to be a movie star,
Reggie Pete, who wants to be a
baseball player, Otis Lee, who wants to be president of the United States.
And then I would, and I'd be the host and I'd be singing and dancing with these
teenagers and these giant character costumes would be sort of,
(33:02):
you know, like with foods that are the size of like microwave ovens.
And, and just, that was, that was my turn at State Fair and County Fair.
So I get another thing we share in common.
Wow. Yeah. We're just like same, same, same track. What a small world.
Cool. All right. Well, listen, this has been great and I don't want to take
(33:25):
up too much of your time. We just got a couple more questions before we wrap up. Of course.
One big one here is since, you know, you, you got like a Hollywood script under
your belt, you have this incredible, incredible space, this incredible mansion,
this incredible event space.
And, and you're, you're, you know, you're just, you're out there creating and,
and, and you're making all this success happen.
(33:46):
So we got to ask you, what advice would you give to aspiring writers,
creators, and entrepreneurs who are looking to follow in your footsteps?
Well, the advice that I would give is.
Ah, you know, locate your authenticity, be true to thine own heart, be true.
You know, like the, the, the journey of, of claiming ownership to your voice,
(34:09):
your authentic voice is a lifelong journey.
And that's been the thing that I sort of glad about with my wildcat experience
is that I just have a point of view.
I have a creative point of view that I didn't have when I was younger.
And that it takes a while to really have the confidence to claim ownership to
(34:31):
your point of view and your authentic creative voice.
So that's the thing, because when executives are reading scripts in LA,
they're looking for authenticity.
They're looking for originality. They're looking for just a voice that they haven't heard before.
And that's not easy. that it's a it's an
honest impulse to try to emulate other
(34:53):
voices emulate you know source material that of
a movie that you really liked a lot and so you try to mimic it
you know there's just a lot of ways that you that creatives
will you know not know what their truth is what their creative truth is so that's
that's to me and the way that you sort of slowly start identifying that is start
(35:16):
learning what genres you take for what you like and what you don't like.
And those are clues. Those are clues. But strive for originality.
It's really important to be original.
Heck yeah. Yeah. I support that too. You know, even though I am the leader of
a cover band, you know, originality first and foremost, thanks so much for sharing that.
(35:41):
Be sure to include that. And okay. So then last final question,
where can our listeners find more information about Wildcat Mansion and connect
with you online? line? Aha. Well, thank you for asking.
So we're on social media. We're on Instagram and Facebook as Wildcat Mansion.
We're starting, there's nothing, no content posted yet, but we do have both
(36:04):
a YouTube channel and a TikTok channel for Wildcat Mansion, but there's really
not much on there yet, but there soon will be.
And the website is wildcatmansion.com and also wildcatweddings.com.
If you're looking for a wedding venue, we do weddings as well.
So those are all the places where anyone who is interested in a thoroughly original
(36:28):
venue, that's where they can find me.
I can attest, listeners, I can attest this is one of the most original venues you'll ever find.
And John, thank you so much for your incredible insights, your incredible stories,
your passion for storytelling and creating unique experiences.
Experiences, truly inspiring.
(36:48):
We're excited to see what the future holds for Wildcat Mansioners.
Listeners, make sure to check out Wildcat and be sure to revisit Meet the Robinsons.
It's a Disney classic and it's just as relevant today as ever.
All right, bonus question. John, what's your favorite Disney movie of all time?
Ah, I gotta say Mary Poppins. Gotta say Mary Poppins.
(37:11):
Classic. Yep, yep, yep, yep. Yep, that was a big influence.
Yeah that's the one i'm going with well well
thanks again john it's been a magical conversation we're sure
our listeners are going to love hearing your perspective and guys keep moving
forward hey okay thank you alexis it's really truly been a pleasure and best
(37:33):
of luck to you and the little mermen The Little Merman.
Join us on patreon for exclusive content bonus
episodes behind the scene insights and more visit patreon.com
slash the little mermen to become part of our merfam and enjoy all the extra
perks we have to offer that's it guys thanks so much for tuning in for this
(37:56):
special episode where we met the man behind meet the robinsons now whatever
you do don't forget to dream believe
Believe and achieve. See you next Monday, fam.
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