Two-time World Series champion, 2006 World Series MVP, Mr. Ashley Eckstein, and the guy every scout said was too small to make it—David Eckstein joins the neighborhood and goes way beyond baseball.. David opens up about the gameday routines that kept him grounded (pancakes, People's Court, teriyaki chicken, four swigs of Coke—in that order), the underdog mentality that took him from doubted walk-on to October hero, and the family kidney-disease crisis that changed his entire perspective on what matters. He talks about loving the hecklers, walking away on his own terms after three errors in Kansas City, and the line that lands hardest: wherever you're at, that's your big leagues. Ashley calls him the ultimate HypeFriend—and by the end, you'll understand why. Plus: Ashley Bakes peanut-butter pudding for the man who hates trying new recipes, and both Ecksteins have books dropping (his memoir Just Enough and her novel Lucky 22).

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We could not let Thomas Schumacher out of the HypeHouse without playing a game of Bestie, Buddy, Byeeee!--exclusively with the Disney characters from across his film and Broadway career. He sorts Belle, Tarzan, the Muses, Flounder, Kuzco, Mrs. Potts, Mulan, Aladdin, Jafar, Stitch, Pumbaa, Prince Eric, Lumiere, Mushu, and Sebastian while casually dropping mini-masterclasses on why these characters actually work. (His defense of Pumbaa as the secretly smartest character in the room is worth the episode alone.) It's funny, Disney, and surprisingly revealing–and it ends with one of the most beautiful manifesting moments we've had on the show, as Tom shares what he's really thinking about next: how do we bring live entertainment to more people, everywhere?

If you have strong feelings about Disney characters, this one is for you.

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Disney theatrical and animation powerhouse Thomas Schumacher joins HypeFriend for a masterclass in how giant stories actually get made. The longtime creative force behind Disney Animation and Disney on Broadway pulls back the curtain on his nearly 40 years at Disney, spanning Beauty and the Beast, The Lion King, Aladdin, Newsies, Frozen--and the friendships that make great work possible. Tom shares why The Lion King was once the movie nobody wanted, how Aladdin’s Broadway Genie was unlocked by going back to Howard Ashman’s lost Harlem Renaissance material, and why Toy Story 2 nearly went straight to video. He talks about what it felt like inside Disney Animation, why excellence is contagious, how big egos make sure the "best idea wins," and what its like to deliver the bad news. And he leaves us with one of the most powerful things ever said on this show: you know a friend truly sees you when they notice the thing you've been hiding.

Join us in our friendship revolution, one HypeFriend (and one iconic Disney character) at a time!

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Michael J Scott here!

Ashley Eckstein here!

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