We all have things from our childhood we will never forget. Whether it be a certain show or movie or even food, it is something we will always relate to our childhood. Of course different people grow up with different things, though, as well. With this being said, something that may have been a huge part of one person’s childhood may be completely unheard of to another. This can be attributed to the discretion of the parent or, in some cases, the parent may not even be familiar with the show or character, etc. But one thing that all children can relate to is an iconic company that the majority of children and families worldwide know and love...Disney.
Personally, I have been exposed to Disney literally my whole life, as the “theme” for all my various baby items was Pooh Bear. He was one of my mom’s favorite characters, and thus my introduction to the character as well. I remember having multiple VHS tapes of his various adventures and watching them very often. I also remember going to see various other Disney movies in the theater and how my excitement built when I saw the iconic Disney castle logo. (And the hum of the THX Surround Sound logo; how come no movie has that anymore?) I even remember my mom telling me how all the movies were made by a large group of people who liked to draw. This blew my mind because I could not imagine how anyone could draw so much. I also remember how Disney movies such as "Hercules," "Tarzan" and "Atlantis" exposed me to completely new areas of literature. I grew up thinking that the Disney versions of these characters were the only versions, which of course was very wrong. However, I did not enjoy all the Disney movies I saw. Honestly, I found "The Fox and The Hound," "Bambi" and "The Little Mermaid" just boring as a boy. I didn’t rewatch them as I did the others, and once I did, as I was older, I understand that they weren’t boring...they were kinda sad.
The first time I watched "Toy Story," I remember something that I hadn’t seen before at the beginning of the movie: a hopping lamp forming the word “Pixar.” I thought it was cool and expected it to be at the beginning of all Disney movies after it. I soon began to look forward to it as well. I also noticed that all the movies with this at the beginning were much more colorful and the characters were more complex. This of course was because Pixar movies are made with CGI. As I grew older, I realized that these movies were my childhood favorites. "Toy Story," "Monsters, Inc.," "Finding Nemo," "The Incredibles," and the list goes on! The fact that all my friends grew up on these movies too (and you probably did too!) makes me happy. While I may not agree with a lot of what’s happening in society now, I can agree on the fact that Disney movies defined a generation.
