“Disney Insider” is back giving viewers a look at some of the big things Disney has been working on across all of the company’s platforms. The eighth episode of this Disney+ Original takes a look at a new collaboration between Disney and Cirque du Soleil, the Muppets latest special on Disney+ and a tour of the Disney lot in California.

My favorite of these three segments is the look at “The Muppets Haunted Mansion.” I am a huge Muppets fan. I will watch almost anything they do, and I, personally, think this is the best thing the Muppets have done since, at least, the Jason Segel-led “The Muppets;” and maybe even as far back as “Muppet Treasure Island.” I’ve always loved the behind-the-scenes specials into some of my favorite things, so this featurette was always going to be right up my alley. I enjoyed hearing from the puppeteer for Pepe the King Prawn, as well as the Imagineer who is also the daughter of the original Madame Leota, Kim Irvine. This segment made me want to watch a full-length behind the scenes documentary like Marvel does with its “Assembled” series. I hope Disney+ gets on that, because that is a great way to add content.

My least favorite of these three segments was the inside look at the Cirque du Soleil show, “Drawn to Life.” And, I should note that I was captivate through that segment as well, it just grabbed my attention the least of the three. I know what Cirque du Soleil is, but I’ve never seen a show, so it didn’t resonate with me the way the Muppets do. But, I love that they are incorporating the history of animation into a show at a Disney park, so I want to see the show and I want to learn far more about it.

In between those two was the Disney lot tour. If the Muppets had not been on this episode, this would’ve been my favorite segment. I love seeing how and where they do things. I loved learning about how Pluto’s Corner came to be. This is another segment that I would love to see expanded so that we get a full length documentary about the lot. There may already be one that I’m not thinking about right now.

This is the strongest episode of this series to date. It does exactly what it needs to do. It gives some fun information about three different things going on with the Walt Disney Company and makes the viewer want to dive in and know more. I know this type of series really struggled during the height of the pandemic because everything was shut down and the things it was previewing were either delayed or canceled. But, with parks open and filming resumed, this series has a chance to be a strong contender for its information and its enjoyment.

Ranking: 4 stars out of 5

What did you think of this episode of “Disney Insider?”

Jeremy Brown

Jeremy has been a big Disney fan since he was a kid growing up during the Disney Renaissance. One day he hopes to go to every Disney Park in the world.

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