From eight to 80, Disney films have been casting a spell on audience members for decades. The beautiful animation, charming characters and enchanting stories have created a following unlike any other. Fans wait months for new releases, visit theme parks, buy merchandise, and are even known for dressing as their favorite characters on occasion. And the fandom clearly hasn’t gone unseen. Proud followers of the Disney and the Disney/Pixar universe have noticed the clear increase of sequels and re-releases of popular animated and live-action sequels. In the last five years, we’ve seen the dawn of the Disney live-action remakes of classics like "Sleeping Beauty," "Cinderella," and most recently, "The Jungle Book." We’ve also seen a huge spike in highly anticipated sequels, such as "Finding Dory" and "The Incredibles 2," being brought to the big screen. But why now? Why do we see the resurgence of a well-loved animated world more than a decade after its original installment?

It’s clear that Disney is taking its sweet time with "Finding Dory" and "The Incredibles 2." Those who know the originals well know that "Finding Nemo" came out in 2003, and "The Incredibles" followed a year later, in 2004. Fast-forward, and its 2016, a full 13 years later, and "Finding Dory" is a month away (June 17, exactly 18 days away, not that I’m counting or anything). Fans are going absolutely insane with anticipation for what looks to be an amazing sequel to the well-loved first installment, which takes place primarily within an aquarium based on the famous Monterey Bay Aquarium in California. And no one is quite as excited as Ellen DeGeneres, who voices the lovely yet ever-forgetful Dory. But why the wait? The same can be said for "The Incredibles 2," which won’t be released until 2019, a full 15 years after the first time Frozone asked, “Where is my Super Suit?” (Also known as one of the all time best scenes to come out of Disney.)

Some suggest the wait is due to the audience. When an original is first released, oftentimes there is a major age group or demographic that sees that movie the most. Disney could potentially be following that age group, and releasing films at the time when the primary demographic will appreciate and go see it most. This is seen most obviously in movies like "Toy Story 3" and "Monsters University." Both films took a sizable gap between films. "Toy Story 2" was released in 1999, and "Toy Story 3" was released nearly 11 years later, when it tells the story of Andy separating from the toys due to his upcoming move to college. Audiences hypothesized that the gap and the storyline might have been due to the average age of the audience. Early millennials and '90s kids grew up with the "Toy Story" films and remembered them as a key part of childhood. Eleven years later, a lot of those kids were coming into their late teens and getting ready, going into or are currently going to college. The combination of the story and the age group created a massively emotional response to the film and a very positive review from critics. Another example of this is seen "Monsters Inc." and "Monsters University," which were released respectively in 2001 and 2013. Personally, I was six when the first one was released, and was just about to go off to college when the prequel came to the big screen. And you can bet that I was there opening week, with my equally Disney-obsessed best friends, having a moment with each other in the theater. So if their tactic was to pull at our heartstrings with the passage of time, they definitely accomplished their goal.

So what about all the remakes? Starting with "Maleficent" in 2014, Disney has started to recreate and reimagine the classics that made a name for Disney in the beginning of its reign. Films like "Sleeping Beauty" and "Cinderella" have been redone using live action instead of animation to bring the characters to life once again. With the popularity of these films, displayed most recently by the immensely well-received remake of "The Jungle Book," Disney has committed to recreating a number of classics to thrill audiences with the nostalgia factor. The "Beauty and the Beast" remake, starring Emma Watson, just released a teaser trailer, which has already caused quite a stir with original fans, even though it won’t be released until 2017.

Whether it’s following an audience, reliving a beloved classic, or simply the building of anticipation, Disney has seen huge success through these long gaps between films (as much as it pains the rest of us). "The Jungle Book" alone made $191.5 million at the box office, and the other remakes and sequels in the coming years will probably do just as well. But lucky for us, it seems, with all that time, these films have become increasingly beautiful, creative and heartfelt, and will be enjoyed by audiences for years (or decades) to come.