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Growing up Disney: Are You Ever Too Old?

I think it starts with the tooth fairy and goes on from there. The
next time it´s Santa Claus, after that you´re suddenly too old to go trick or
treating and before you know, you´re too old to watch cartoons.

Suddenly, the fact you watched Aladdin last night is your hidden secret. You
start to pack away your Lion King poster and your Little Mermaid figurines and
replace them with more “adult” things, like candles and crystal vases.

I ask you, why? Why is it so wrong that you still know all of the words to
every song in Beauty and the Beast? Why is it so wrong you have a stuffed Mickey
Mouse on your bed?

As a child, I was a Disney fanatic to the core. My bedroom was adorned with
Disney figurines and posters. All of my favorite movies were Disney movies and
all I ever watched on television was the Disney channel.

However, as I got older, watching Disney cartoons became less and less “cool”
and so, as most children do, I “grew up” and slowly stopped watching cartoons
and animated movies. I packed away my childhood into a box and stored it in my
closet.

Before I knew it, my favorite Disney channel television shows were gone.
Disney animated movies entered the digital era and I waited for them to come out
on video, before I could see them, not daring to enter a movie theatre to see a
“kid´s movie.”

It wasn´t until 2003 that I realized I could no longer wait for the months it
took for a movie to go onto video or DVD. I had to see it. So, my friend and I
used her little sister as a “cover” and went to see Finding Nemo
in the movie theatre. It was the only way we could justify being in a movie
theatre at the age of 20, with a bunch of 10 year olds.

It seemed that with every passing year, it became harder and harder to keep a
hold of my “Disney childhood.” I didn´t go to Disney World for a long time
because I thought that perhaps I was too old to go there anymore. I stopped
watching Disney movies all together, and there eventually was no longer a trace
of my love for Disney in my bedroom.

It eventually took some adult size problems for me to realize that perhaps,
it was okay for me to act like a kid now and then. Liking something that is
geared towards kids, doesn´t make you childish either. Plenty of adults go to
Disney World, without children, every day and I am sure many of them own a
collection of Disney movies and watch them on weekends, with not a child in
sight.

I admit it. I pre-ordered The Little Mermaid special 2-disc edition a month
before it came out. What´s wrong with that? Not only am I going to watch the
movie half a dozen times this month, but I am going to put the movie on my iPod
and watch it on the train to work. It´s exactly what I need during rush hour.

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About Lou Mongello

Lou Mongello is a former attorney who left the practice to pursue his passion, and is now a recognized Disney expert, author, speaker, and host of WDW Radio. Learn more…

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