Faith, trust, and pixie dust is what I was raised on. Seeking adventure while fighting evil queens and dragons in hope for my Prince Charming is what my childhood consisted of. I dreamed of being every single Disney princess because they all had their own unique beauty, and I dreamed of escaping to Neverland because I knew Peter Pan would never force me to grow up. Oh, I should probably mention I’m not 5 years old—I’m actually 21.
Telling me that Disney is for children is the biggest lie there is. Telling me that I’m immature for liking a genre of movies that is “catered to children” isn’t true, and it’s not going to stop me from being in love with this magical company a mouse once created. Here’s exactly why I’ll never be too old for Disney.
My imagination is never going away.
Disney allows you to be put in the character’s world. It allows you to take part in the adventure they’re on and diverge into a world completely separate from reality.
These were my first role models.
The first movie I can ever remember watching was "Snow White and the Seven Dwarves." Of course I thought it was natural to talk to animals and I wondered why birds didn’t just fly onto my arm like they did towards her. Cinderella made me want to cook and clean, and whenever it was on, my room resulted in being organized. The characters I grew up watching were the characters I wanted to be. Even though they were animations I saw them as real life people and wanted to do everything they did with charm, poise, class, and beauty. And the best part was, majority of those princesses were characters my mom grew up watching, giving us a common perspective on these stories.
The first word I ever knew to spell was M-I-C-K-E-Y
The famous Mickey Mouse Club theme song helped me learn to spell “Mickey Mouse” and always stuck with me as the first word I could confidently spell. I was even more confident in spelling the boss’s name than my own.
Fireworks have never made me happier
Don’t get me wrong. I love New Year’s, and I love celebrating America’s birthday on the 4th of July. But no firework show will ever compare to what the Disney parks can offer. The magic of seeing the night sky illuminated by sparkles and light is something so magical in itself that it makes you forget about everything else that’s around you.
Disney teaches you a lot.
Whether it’s a valuable lesson that each and every character has taught me, or what Disney as a company has had to offer; I’ve learned so much from Walt himself. When I was 4, Jiminy Cricket taught me to always follow my conscious. When I was 19, Epcot taught me about every country around the world that I dreamed of visiting. And finally, when I was 20, Disney taught me that there are friends and people out there in my life that I never knew I needed, who still continue to be a positive addition to my life.
There’s always something to look forward to.
As a company, Disney has come a long way in the 93 years they’ve been in business. From the days that my mother was a child to my time now, Disney has only improved and progressed towards being what Walt wanted it to be. A company that allows imagination, adventure, and more to be a part of everyone’s life. New characters and movies are coming out, new projects are being created on the park’s property, and around the world children are being introduced to this fantastic company. This is something that will be around forever that I will be lucky enough to introduce to my children when they are young, to then carry on throughout their life.
It brings out the inner child in us all.
Coming from a mother who has traveled all over the world and seen everything there is out there, taking her to Disney World was the best experience I could have witnessed. For a week I saw the carefree woman in her change into the young child that I never got to see. Her innocence and spunk made her trip worthwhile and she enjoyed every aspect that Disney had to offer. And for once, I felt like she finally understood the joy that Disney brings to me.
So the next time a new Disney movie comes out and I’m the first to see it, don’t be weirded out that I’m acting like a little kid. It’s only because the inner child in me never went away and she’s still here to indulge in all of that Disney magic.
