The Chaser Report - Disney Bound Adults | Emma Holland

Episode Date: May 15, 2023

Emma Holland takes a break from touring her acclaimed show "Save The Orangutans" to inform Charles and Dom on topics such as Disney adults, Disney bounding, and gobbies. Find tickets to Emma's show here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Thank you for your patience. Your call is important. Can't take being on hold anymore. Fizz is 100% online, so you can make the switch in minutes. Mobile plans start at $15 a month. Certain conditions apply. Details at Fizz.ca. The Chaser Report is recorded on Gatigul Land.

Striving for mediocrity in a world of excellence. This is the Chaser Report. Hello, and welcome to the Chaser Report with Dom and Charles. Hello, Charles. Hello, how you going. And our guest today is another fabulous comedian playing at the Sydney Comedy Festival. Emma Holland, welcome. Hello, thank you for having me, even after the ordeal that was last time.

Tell us about that. What happened? Because I wasn't in that conversation, I don't think. Yeah, I think I just maybe wasn't prepared, but the laptop I was on diet mid-interview, and then that also meant I lost recordings on my end, and so I had to jump on my phone and do it via my phone. And the audio just sounds awful. And God bless Gabby, Bob.

She dealt with it very well, very professionally. But I was like, they're never having me back. There's no way. So this is very validating to me. Well, I guess, to be fair, the reason we're having you back is total ignorance of like Charles and I were away that day and Gabby was in charge. Yes. But I'm also informed that Gabby basically lost control of her bodily functions

laughing at your show this year in Melbourne. Oh, really? So either the show is a shit hot show or she's remembering the interview she did with you and the lost audience. No, it was my goal to make the audience. some piss and vomit. I was like, if I'm not getting laughter, I may as well have some fluids.

Actually, I've just checked my notes and it said that she lost her voice from laughing at your show. And I'm an amazing way to take out another comedian. Very. Yeah, even that she sings. All part of the plan,

all part of my greater purpose, to be the sole female comedian in Australia. But Emma, you were nominated for the award formerly known as the Barry, now known as the most outstanding show. That is awesome. That is awesome.

Congratulations, quite apart from the whole name thing. That's an incredible thing. And 600 plus show festival, then in the top five or so. Go you. Yeah, it's absolutely not. It was very unexpected. And what's the process for getting, like,

like, did you know that there were judges amongst you in the audience? No, I had no clue. I didn't even know I was being considered for it in any capacity. But I later found out that the night before they announced the awards, I think 11 people were in who were potentially judges. There you go. Which is great because it was a. hot night. It was really good.

Awesome. So, no, I got asked to consider being a judge once. Oh, wow. But I wasn't there. I never went to the festival again, so I didn't really work out. But now, they recruit, yeah, secret stroppers to come and sit in and see that. Yeah, I have no idea who they were or when they were in or like that I was being watched at all, which is kind of nice.

I kind of prefer it that way. Oh, yeah. 100%. So the show's saved the orangutan. From what? From what? From bad Zoom interviews? What's the threat we're talking about?

And then just from everything, they're so vulnerable. The show's kind of centred around. I spent most of my childhood in Indonesia. And it was a very heavy weight on orangutan conservation there with my school. So every time we'd have a funerangene, it would all go towards orangutan conservation or saving the orangutans. I think from deforestation, it was never really made clear. But we got to see lots of photos of little baby orangutans having a nice time.

And I was like, well, I'm doing my part. so I don't need to research further into this. Did that get tedious? I'm not sure it's an important cause, but by the third or fourth, bike sale for the orangutans, can we just think about world hunger or maybe the whales?

Well, we swapped over at one point to like earthquakes and so every time there was a bad earthquake, we'd have like a breakfast. But it got to the point where I think kids were associating good breakfasts with natural disasters. And so we started to get like quite happy

when they happened because they're like, oh, okay, we're getting pancakes. Oh, wow. So I think they maybe had to switch that Pavlov I'll be in response off from us and go back to the orangutans. It is nice to know something good can come out of terrible natural disasters. Yeah, and I think that's beautiful.

Yeah. So I guess there's something you have in common, probably among many other things with Barack Obama, are going to school in Indonesia for a long period of time. Oh, man. Everyone said they knew him. When that news dropped that he had spent some time in Jakarta, literally everyone there was like, my dad knows him. My dad went to school with him.

My cousins said that they met him at the mall. It's like you could not get through. It was like a whole year of people just telling me. me that they knew Barack Obama. And now that you've been nominated for this award, and is it the same thing happening now? People are saying, yeah, we know, we know, we know, ma. We were at an orangutan fundraiser with her.

Yeah, it's mostly Barack Obama trying to call me. And I'm like, no, I told you, I blocked you. I don't want to hear from you anymore. You're obsessed. It's enough enough, you know. What was that like going to school? I can't quite imagine it. It was awesome.

I loved it. It was very, I mean, I didn't really know it was any, like it wasn't normal, that it was any different. And then I got back to Australia when I was 16. And I was like, oh, no, I'm weird. It was, I mean, I had a weird accent. I like, I didn't know any slang. I was very, like, culturally unaware of things.

Like, I remember someone talking about Nolze and I was like, what the? I don't know what you guys are talking about. Oh, my God, you had an idyllic upbringing in a land without Shed and Nol. That's incredible. Dreamy. It was so beautiful. But now I'm been exposed to him. And honestly, I feel my life is richer for it.

Do you feel like it was an immersion catch-up? learning how to speak a new language of Australian slang and all the shit pop culture that we're producing this fine land. I mean, I've got this part in my show where I talk about how, like, I lived through a heap of natural disasters and, like, survived a flash flood, but the most traumatic incident in my life was having to ask my dad what gobbie men. Like, that's the kind of information.

Are you allowed to put that in this podcast? Yeah. Okay, great. I don't know what gobbies. What's gobi? It's a very, like, teenage Australian slang for oral sex. Oh, okay, yeah, okay. But I didn't find that out until quite late.

It was very of my time. Yeah, right, okay, yeah. Because I'm 47 and I still don't know. Charles went to school in Australia. He doesn't know anything. Yeah, that's right. No one was offering me gobbies. Now, you can ask me what it means,

and I can transfer that trauma up to you. Did you think it was like an abbreviation for the gobble dock or something? Yeah, I assumed it was. So, coming back at 16 into the ordinary Australian school, that must have been, was it a bit like the movie Mean Girls? I don't know if that might be before your time. genuinely yes that like i remember that movie coming out and i was like oh i feel so seen like but yeah that experience of her like just being a bit socially awkward and like they're all

these like social dynamics that i'd never seen before that's that's exactly what it felt like i was like oh i thought every class just had 14 kids in it and you all had to get along because there was no other choice and then suddenly there's clicks and like people are popular the student leaders it was this like hierarchy it's very surreal so look you won't boast about your So clearly it's amazingly good if it's been nominated for most outstanding show in all sincerity. Those shows are always excellent. You can catch it second to the 7th of May at the Brisbane Comedy Festival. The 12th of May in Perth and it's 21st of May at the Sydney Comedy Festival.

Having plugged the show, Emma, I'm keen to get onto the main game here, which is your Disney update because this is important stuff. We've brought you on to fill us in on what's happening in the world of Disney. I'm not across it, but I hear big shit's going down in Mousetown. It's pretty huge. I should, before I get into the news part, state that when I was told I could do any topic, I've been very obsessed with, like, the Disney adult community for the past few months. Hang on.

What's that? So it's basically just adults who love Disney and love Disneyland, and they've kind of made it like a big chunk of their personality. Wow. And I thought it was, I didn't realize how, like, deep this community goes. There's, like, subgenres of it. There's, like, it's the whole thing. So I remember, I remember hearing about bronies. And bronies are an adult man who are way too into my little pony.

Is it somewhat similar? Is there any irony involved? Or is it so ironic that it's actually a genuine love for I don't know, Elsa and the Frozen gang or something? No irony. And I think it's because it's like, you know, Disney's all about magic. And so people, I think, want to embrace the like magical side of life. And so there's this part of Disney, like adult Disney culture called Disney Bounding,

which I'm obsessed with. But it's people, when you're an adult, you're not allowed to dress up when you go to Disney parks because it'll confuse kids. Oh. And like they don't want kids coming up and hugging random strangers. So you're not allowed to dress up as a character when you go there. That seems like a very good rule in terms of, you know. Yeah, I agree. Pederval prediction, but also protection of IP, which matters even more to Disney.

I mean, which is where you know is the most important. You don't want to see Mickey Mouse doing something bad, do you? Like breaking the copyright Actions that are reported. It's like that era when everyone could get verified on Twitter and people kept impersonating like companies. Similar vibe. Like you don't want people impersonating the mouse.

I so what now. I so want now to sneak into a Disneyland with a Mickey Mouse outfit, put her in the park through and they act drunk. I think that's just stagger around the park, just being terrible. How long do you reckon it to take them to shut you down? Is it like seconds,

have they got cameras everywhere for fake Mickey's? I reckon they're watching. I reckon, like, again, I'm very ingrained in this community. I think they're always watching in there. That's amazing. What a great idea. So what do they do? But Disney bounding is the solution.

So what is Disney bounding? So Disney bounding is the adults who aren't allowed to dress up but still want to be a part of like the experience. They do Disney bounding, which is where you dress in the colors and essence of a character. So like, for example, you could Disney boundaries Winnie the Pooh and you'd wear like a red shirt, yellow pants and like a necklace with a honeypot on it. So it's just like the. vibe of the character.

Oh, so it's exactly the line before the IP genuine definitely. Exactly. It's as close as you can get to like riding that line without crossing it. It's like the way Ed Sheeran writes music. It listens to a Marvin gay song and then goes right up to the line. I must say, the only thing I could think of that's more

pathetic than a grown adult dressing as Winnie the Pooh is a grown adult wanting to dress as Winnie the Pooh but not quite being able to pull it off because of the law. It's like, oh, I really wanted to, I just can't, because I've got the honey tie. See, I'm almost, oh, that's, but yeah, it's crazy. There's a whole community. There's, like, people who call themselves Disney Park Food and Drink influences,

and their whole job is just to go to Disneyland and go to the restaurants and try the food and, like, make TikToks about the food. I'm telling it, there's so, this is what I mean, there's so many subgenres of, like, Disney fans. Right, so there's a sort of, so Michelin does French restaurants and world-class restaurants. There is a sort of Michelin-star style rating for Disney food. Yes, yeah, as there should be. There should be. I mean, it's so expensive.

It would probably cost as much as a cordon-blur restaurant. I'd want to know if it's good. I want to know if it's good. Oh, probably more, to be honest. Like, the price is in there are crazy. Yeah, one of my friends went to the Harry Potter world not long ago and went for three. This is Universal Studios.

I think it was in Florida. Went for a couple of days. And it cost thousands of dollars. Apparently, to have the full experience. You'd want to know that you were going to the least. catering outlet while in the knowledge that any food at a theme park isn't going to be very important. That's what I mean. They're doing the Lord's work. They're doing what other people won't. It is very valuable. Because my daughter, five years old, fully into all Disney princesses,

particularly Elsa, but, you know, Encanto as well, which has no technical princesses from what I understand. And I frequently dress her in outfits that are, you know, Elsa-esque, but don't, you know, they're the Kmart Elsa without the logo on it. It's $10 cheaper. She thinks it's the same as the real thing. Disney Bounding. That's what it is. It's Kmart costumes. Yeah, and they're sparkly. As long as they're sparkly,

at some point, she's going to reject the ones without the IP on them though, isn't she? I mean, if you raise her as a Disney adult, she might not, you know? Like, you can start this process now. You could raise it to be a Disney founder. I mean, we once held,

and I know this is part of the broader Disney IP, but we once held my five-year-old, back when it was five, a Star Wars party. Yeah. And hot tip, if you've ever got a five-year-old, what you do is you buy those pull noodles you know those pool noodles you get them for two two bucks at bunnings cut them up there's

three you can make three lightsaber length uh swords out of each pool noodle that's right so you're talking like 70 cents per per per per lightaber a bit of gaffer tape black gaffer tape acts as a handle or silver gaffer tape right and you give one to every single person at the party and you can tell in at the end and they all have sword fight that's the party Like, that's two, three hours of fun. That's brilliant. And you call it a Star Wars party. It's sort of Star Wars party.

Like, it's sort of, there's lightsaber. They're not really lightsaber. And because they're five, they don't have the critical apparatus to know that they look really shit and cheap, but nothing like a real life. Oh, no, it's all about the imagination. And you can whack the things and no one really gets hurt. And then at the end of the party, no need for party bags or anything like that. This 70 cents item is like the coolest thing in the world that they've ever gone home from a party with.

And then they take it home and takes up so much room. living room. Your parents love it. Yeah, they love it. Yeah, we've got like three pool noodles leaning against the wall of our lounge room. So, all right, so there's the Disney adult community. You say obsessed with them to the point of joining MMASK or is it or do you find it bizarre?

Oh, look, I'm a passionate observer from the outside. I kind of go through phases of just being obsessed with different like internet communities and Disney's my most recent one. I fear if I did join up, I'd probably be too good at it because I've been told I'd dressed like a Disney Bounder anyway, even without intending to. That's quite insulting. Like, which character did they say? It was the meanest thing that anyone's ever sent to me.

Which character you meant to have been trying to channel? Various. My friend was just like, have you ever noticed you dress like a Disney Bounder? And she meant this is like it was a pattern in my behavior, which is worse than being called out once, you know? Oh my God. Are you still friends with this person? That's devastating.

Oh, I'll say it's comedian Daniel Walker. I'll call her out. I don't know shit. She knows what she did. That is hurtful. But who are you supposed to address? Well, every time I see her, she pulls up a photo of someone else. She's like, you're goofy today and will, like, Google, goofy and show me.

And the worst part is she's right. I dress very brightly normally. I mean, I'm wearing a black shirt right now. Is she Disney gaslighting you in some way? I think so. I mean, I kind of hope it's gaslighting because otherwise it's just the truth, you know? It's not often that gaslighting is the better option, but this is like that. Thank you for your patience.

Your call is important. Can't take being on hold anymore. FIS is 100% online, so you can make the switch in minutes. Mobile plans start at $15 a month. Certain conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. The Chaser Report, news you can't trust. Now, all this said with the Disney adult community,

there's some upsetting news out of Disney that we're talking about. They are restructuring their entire business, because Bob Iger's come back as CEO and he's basically getting rid of between 4 to 7,000 jobs which obviously my first concern is are we talking about frontliners? Are we talking about bickies? Are we talking about the else's at the parks?

Who are they getting rid of? You know what he's done, don't you? He's realized that if he just sacks all of the people who dress up in those outfits, a bunch of dorks are going to come and do it. He's like, all right, we're getting rid of Disney Bounding, we're getting rid of the rule. You can dress as a character, but we're getting rid of all of ours.

Yeah, dress is Winnie the Pooh, or you're like, try not to touch kids inappropriately, but, you know. But if they want a photo, you have to take it. He's just sacked 5 to 7,000 IP lawyers. That's upsetting, isn't it? The notion of Disney sacking anybody when it's supposed to be a place of joy and fun is, is sad. It's hurtful, but isn't it supposed to be basically a kind of hellscape to work for?

Didn't someone write a book about, was it a Corrie? Do you write a book about how terrible Disney was? I've seen, again, this is all part of the law, but there's people who work for like Disney cruisers. And they apparently get, I mean, this is probably something to do like background research on, but from what I've seen on TikTok, which is we all know it was true,

apparently they put a Disney tax on top of your already taxed money and it goes towards paying for things like star food and stuff like transportation. But it's just like they're taking the money from your, paycheck. That's what I've heard on the grapevine. But also, I can't imagine working on a Disney cruise ship. Oh, with no escape. You're not getting away without norovirus. No, you definitely not. It's a small norovirus after all. Have you seen the serious succession that's doing the rounds? Because I was trying to grow up. I have it. I need to get on to it. It's amazing. Have you watched Succession? It's amazingly good. But basically the kind of

faux Fox Corporation or whatever, it's called Waystar Royco. And it has many of the same businesses as Fox. it's got a toxic news channel, it's got a movie studio, it's got newspapers. But it also has theme parks and cruises. And I wondered why on earth, I mean, theme parks was probably, certainly it's a parody of Disney in some ways, but I wanted, why the fuck was cruises in there? And clearly, that's what it is. There must be some evil aspect of Disney cruises that I was previously unaware of. That's it.

Did you know they have a private island in the Bahamas? No. So Disney cruises stop at Disney Island. Is it shaped like Mickey's head? Oh, God, I don't. Probably. Disney Island. That's the only way, reason, like, only thing it's used for is...

Is that where Walt Disney... Sell the island. Give people their jobs back. Sell the island. Is that where Walt Disney's frozen body is stored? It's not, we could thaw out. There's no way. They're not putting him in the tropics.

You could sell that his body off and pay the staff their entitlements. But I must say, I have been enjoying it. As evil as Disney, clearly are from what you're saying. I have been enjoying their battle against Ron DeSantis in Florida. Oh, yeah, obsessed with it. that aspect of it. It's so frustrating with like two evil companies like verse each other and then you have to pick a side. Well, because clearly they're much better at it than he is. This is the whole thing where Ron DeSantis is determined to basically stamping out any

mention of homosexuality. Disney had a sort of rainbow event. Ron DeSanis got upset and tried to sack everyone from the kind of Disney were allowed to run their own town basically and have their own, apply their own laws. And so Ron tried to install all his people on the body that governed their area, but then they just, the previous board had restricted their own power and then voted themselves out, something like that. So you basically ran, Disney ran rings around Ronda Satis. I mean, I don't know who to back, I suppose, Disney. They do bring joy.

In this specific instance, I'll back Disney, but in the widest sense of their labour practices, I probably wouldn't align myself with them. It's like making an alliance with the Sith Lord. Yeah, that's right. Yeah, it's like if the Sith Lord went to pride, and you're like, oh, I need it much. Respect. I do respect the behaviour.

I mean, Sith Lord's famously bad IR policy. Constantly choking colleagues in the workplace. Very, very unfair. But rainbow flags on the starship. Yeah, that's true. That's true. That's true. Hashtag ally. Yeah.

All right. I love what they've done with the death start. It's fabulous. Oh, it's beautiful, isn't it? Greenwashing, they put a tree in the middle. They're all for anti global warming. It does make sense. doesn't it, the Disney own Star Wars now.

It's just, it's come full circle. They own ESPN as well. I didn't know that. That's right. They do. They know a lot of stuff. And ABC, American ABC they own. They own Jimmy Kimmel.

Jimmy Kimmel is a pimp for Mickey Mouse. They own Mr Kimmel. I'm going to Disney Bound as Jimmy Kimmel, I reckon. That would be, that's well worth. No, you want to win comedy awards, though, don't you? Oh, oh, you got him. I mean, my whole show is just me Disney bounding as various talk show hosts. So maybe I should check.

That is well worth, that's about the best plug we can possibly come up with. Go and see Emma Holland's show, save the ring tans. As I said, 2nd and 7th of May in Brisbane, 12th of May in Perth, 8th to the 21st in Sydney. And I must say we've had a lot of, I'm away for the next few weeks, but that is one show I can actually get to go and see because I'll be back in town. By the time you're on, and that must be the final week. So now I know that if you don't see it, it's by choice. That's because I'm a judge.

You've done yourself a hold there. Secret awards, judge. Hey Emma, thank you for joining us. It's been delightful having you on the podcast. Thank you so much for having me. Aggie is from Road, and we're part of the Iconoclast Podcast Network. See you later. See ya. Thank you for your patience. Your call is important.

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