Aladdin Central Messageboard

[Fez_Head]

I hope this is an acceptable comment to put on the messageboard, but I was wondering if I would be able to interview some of you guys, either through email or possibly Skype, about your love for Disney. For my journalism class in university, we have to write our final feature article on a growing trend and obviously I chose to talk about Disney. Honestly, I can just hear everyone I know saying "There's a big surprise!" since who doesn't love to talk about Disney when they get the chance?

My specific topic is the growing trend of adults ignoring the stigma of the Disney Company as a company solely for children and deciding to demonstrate their love for the company at this older age. I know that I have never met any of you in person, but from reading all of your comments on this messageboard, I believe that your opinions on this growing trend would be quite fascinating and add colour to my piece. I am still working on questions to ask other individuals I would like to interview, but I would be eternally appreciative if anyone would like to help. If anyone is interested, and if you don't want to I am totally accepting of that, please let me know. As I wrote before, I would be forever in your debt.

Thanks so much
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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

[Meesh]

I'd be happy to - I'll send you a pm
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[Fez_Head]

Thank you so much! You are so awesome!

Once I have all of the questions that I would like to ask, I will send them to you through a private message since I agree that Skype would be difficult, especially with us living in such different time zones.
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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

[imekitty]

I could help, too!

[Fez_Head]

Thanks so much for offering to help too, imekitty! You and Meesh are amazing! A group hug is definitely in order. "Mind if I kiss the monkey?"

As I wrote to Meesh, once I figure out the questions I would like to ask, I will send them to you through the private message function on this message board, if that works for you. I'll try to do that for some time next week.

Seriously though, I can't say thanks enough to you two
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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

[imekitty]

I think the notion that Disney is just for kids grew from people starting to associate cartoons with only children. In the beginning, animation was for all ages, and a lot of the time, it was actually aimed at adults. As the animation process became accessible to more companies, the subject matter of cartoons started to change and were geared more towards children. Saturday morning cartoons really started to solidify cartoons as "just for kids."

The other problem is that the Disney Channel definitely IS meant for children. As an adult, I don't find any enjoyment in that channel anymore. Ironically, the only shows I ever did like from that channel were animated! Radio Disney is also meant for children. Things like that make people think that Disney is all about kids. Sure, there are ABC shows that are aimed at an older audience like Once Upon a Time, but most people have no idea that ABC is owned by Disney. There are also plenty of more mature movies that Disney distributes, but people don't realize it because Disney often chooses to use different names.

So, yes, while it's possible to like Disney as an adult, I can't say I like everything Disney has to offer, especially nowadays. I think even they have fallen victim to thinking they have to aim at children most of the time. That's why they sometimes hide behind other names like Touchstone.

[Fez_Head]

Those are some fascinating points about the relationship between adults and the Disney brand. I'm curious though, because you did mention Disney's more adult brands, such as ABC or even Touchstone, what you think caused this particular rise in adults liking the more stereotypical Disney aspects, such as the cartoon films or television shows? Do you think the Disney Company itself is catering to this particular demographic of adult Disney lovers or not?

Sorry to ask so many questions and if Meesh sees these, feel free to answer them, but I'm curious to know what you think. Thanks!
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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

[imekitty]

Some of it could just be that many adults like animation. It's an art form, after all, and it can be a very sophisticated and beautiful one. For the non-animated aspects, I imagine many adults like the whimsy and magic of Disney. It can allow them to escape their own lives. Also, a lot of it is probably nostalgia. We were all kids at one point and most likely grew up with Disney, so we like it as adults, too.

I think another thing is that Disney offers SO MUCH. Not just movies and TV shows but very high quality merchandise, music, fantastic theme parks all over the world, and beyond. Collectors love Disney because they are always creating and offering amazing things from dolls to pins to snowglobes to ornaments to so much else. Thrillseekers and vacationers love the theme parks because they are very well-maintained and always changing with the times. Disney always puts 100% into everything they do. They never take shortcuts with anything. I know many think Disney is obsessed with money, but they have earned and deserve everything they have now. They have so much money and power because they worked for it. Walt Disney laid the foundation of a fantastic company where quality is a very high priority. He never took shortcuts either and cared much more about the quality of his products than money. People always seem to think of Walt as money-grubbing, but that was never the case. Walt had many dreams and worked very hard to make them come true. As an adult, I very much admire that which is part of the reason why I have such respect and admiration for Disney today. It's really quite inspiring.

Sorry, I rambled a lot. I don't even know if that answered your question. :b Basically, I think adults are drawn to quality, effort, and variety, and Disney exhibits that very well generally speaking. Things that are aimed specifically at children don't interest them. I don't think Disney ever specifically targets adults, but the things that are meant to be for all ages are almost always successful at attracting everyone.

[Fez_Head]

It's alright. I like when you ramble because you always have such great points And believe me, you've made such great points that I want to definitely find a way to incorporate into my article. I have another question: there is a rather negative stigma that surrounds adults who like aspects of the Disney company, be it watching the movies or even going to the parks without children, so I'm curious (since you enjoy Disney), what are your feelings on this opinion and why do you think this stigma exists?

I love your answers so far, so that's why I keep asking questions. I hope it isn't annoying you.
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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

[Sinister Cutlass]

I have strong, passionate opinions on this topic, and would love to participate.

[Fez_Head]

Thanks so much Sinister Cutlass. I would love to hear what your strong, passionate feelings on this subject of adults liking Disney are. I'll send you, Meesh, and imekitty some other questions that I have thought of tomorrow, so keep a look out on this site as this is the only place I can contact you.
I'm so happy and slightly surprised that so many people have wanted to help me and I welcome any others, if they want.
Thanks so much.
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"You're only given a little spark of madness. You mustn't lose it." - Robin Williams

[imekitty]

[Sinister Cutlass]

Looking forward to it, Fez_Head.

@imekitty: just curious, why do you think Disney is going through a dark time now? I'm under the impression that they were going through a dark time between the late 1990s and most of the 2000s, before resurfacing with The Princess and the Frog in 2009, Tangled in 2010, Wreck-It Ralph in 2012, Frozen in 2013, Big Hero Six in 2014, and Zootopia in 2016. They've gotten much better and more innovative in their storytelling and the personalities and relationships of their characters. Personally, I believe those who are dubbing the current time period as "The Disney Revival" or "The New Disney Renaissance".

[imekitty]

It's definitely a personal opinion. Everyone defines "dark period" in their own way. I'm sure Disney thinks of it as a time when their movies are not successful, so they obviously don't think they're going through one now.

I just feel like Disney hasn't been living up to their potential. It kind of started with Tarzan and has been persisting until today. I know a lot of people really like Big Hero 6, Frozen, Tangled, Wreck-It Ralph, and Zootopia. I like them, too, honestly, but none of those movies feel like Disney to me. They're missing that Disney magic. I remember having high hopes for Princess and the Frog, and I was so disappointed with how it turned out, and since then, I just don't think they've been able to create anything really spectacular. They seem to be too focused on being funny or politically correct or even emotional. They're not just letting their characters and stories blossom and play out on their own. They all seem so...controlled, if that makes sense.

The best example I can give is in Frozen. The antagonist, Hans, was so weak which ended up leading to a weak climax. For whatever reason, Disney decided they wanted to make him "evil." Why? It didn't make any sense. It seemed so fake and contrived. They were trying really hard to teach some sort of weird lesson about how you can't "fall in love at first sight." Okay, well, they could've done that without making him evil. It would've been much more interesting and far more believable if they had made him a normal guy that simply wasn't Anna's true love. When his kiss fails to save her from Elsa's magic (perhaps not because he didn't love her but because Anna had fallen in love with Kristoff instead by this point), that could've set off a chain of events where Hans blames Elsa and thinks that she really did try to hurt Anna leading him to want to kill her not because he's evil but because he's human. The way they did it in the actual movie is kind of lame, honestly, and definitely forced. I don't think it's the way Disney would've handled it in the past. They would've been a lot more creative.

There are examples in the other movies as well, but I'm not going to go through them all (unless you want me to, haha). Suffice it to say that I haven't felt a good amount of magic in a Disney movie in a long time. Perhaps this is just the new Disney, a modern, hip Disney. I still like what they're turning out, but I hope that if they're really going to keep going in this direction that they'll be able to find a new kind of magic just like they did in the late 80s and early 90s.

[Meesh]