“That’s the real trouble with the world, too many people grow up.”

So, what is it about Disney that we all love so much? That’s the questioned I asked, and one I plan to answer over the course of my blog.

This blog has been set up as part of my coursework and links to an investigative report I am writing on Disney and how many of their viewers are adults, people who grew up in the “Disney Renaissance” between 1989 and 1999. Is this why we adults love Disney so much, because we were lucky enough to grow up in that time, when some of the best Disney movies were released? I’ve had a look at some of the factors that I believe contribute to our reasons for loving Disney. Over the next few blogs I’ll share these with you starting with, the Disney Renaissance and the characters created by Disney.

Disney Renaissance / Nostalgia

The golden years for Disney is believed to have been between 1989 and 1999 when the best and most successful Disney movies were released. People who grew up in this time experienced something amazing which has possibly stuck with them since, I for one am certainly one of those people. I believe that experiencing those movies from the start has contributed to my feelings towards Disney today and has helped create that sense of nostalgia every time I watch a Disney movie. Every time I watch a Disney movie, especially the likes of The Lion King (1994), which was released in this period, I get a sense of my childhood and the worry free life I led and the innocence within myself. The Disney Renaissance has helped to shape Disney today, the success in those years has led families to introduce their children to Disney and the movies that made their childhood with hope that it will do the same for their children. Adults in their 20’s and 30’s today are the ones who keep the brand and the movies alive. Watching these movies remind us of the innocence of childhood and makes us feel young again. We are reminded of hope and that good can always win, watching the movies allows us to forget our troubles and be five again. It’s not just the Disney movies that allow us to connect with our childhoods again, the Disney resorts allow us to meet our hero’s or for many, be our hero’s. At Disney resorts, you can be whoever you want to be. The Little Mermaid (1989) definitely reminds me of five-year-old me dancing around my living room with my Ariel doll singing away to Part of Your World.

Characters

As well as the music we all share a connection with the characters in the Disney movies, whether it’s because we see ourselves in them or perhaps we see the person we want to be. Disney have made many characters that people from all generations will like, old or young, they are loved by many. In the beginning we all loved the idea of our one true love coming to sweep us off our feet, this has since developed to strong women who share the love of their families or of themselves. Whoever the character we all share a connection in one way or another. Many Disney characters are still as strong today as they were on day one, through the likes of the Disney resorts we can all see them and give our inner child something they may have always wished for. The likes of Mickey Mouse and Snow White, our first Disney characters are loves just as much today, by the old and the young.

My next post will look into soundtracks and romance in the movies.

Again feel free to ask me any questions about Disney and my posts.

Claire 🙂