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What kid doesn't grow up on Disney? Seriously, it's like multiple generations at this point. My parents grew up on Disney films. I'm pretty sure my grandpa watched the first Mickey Mouses when he was like 10. I think ten is a big year, it's the first time you have two digits, and so you feel bigger than the younger kids "I-am-not-nine-I-am-ten" sort of mentality. But more than that, it's the things that inspire you at that age that make a huge impact as you hit that next phase of growing up. For my grandpa, it would have been early cartoons. During my parents' formative years, Disney was all about live action films like Swiss Family Robinson. Disney actually did hit a low point for some years after Walt's death. But my most cherished time was the release of The Lion King when I was ten years old. I must have dragged everyone I knew to see that movie. I know we kept going when it was at the Dollar Saver theater that showed movies months later at a discount. All told, I probably saw it something like thirty times.

Now, I loved other Disney films and shows before that, Rescuers: Down Under, The Great Mouse Detective, and the old classics like Pinocchio or my prior favorite The Jungle Book. And I loved the shorts with Goofy and Donald, and the Disney Afternoon block of cartoons like Rescue Rangers, Duck Tales and Darkwing Duck. Heck, I think that Darkwing Duck was the icebreaker in second grade that resulted in me still having my best friend to this day. But there were very specific moments when Disney wowed us in the theatres, and showed that they were still really the unchallenged champions of animation into the 90s. 1988 brought us Roger Rabbit, which combined all sorts of our favorite toons into Toon Town brilliantly. The music of The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast was great, and good villains too. I think the entire world was impressed with that famous ballroom shot incorporating 3D animation too. Then of course, we got the wonderful Robin Williams as the genie, ain't he really the best!? He was also great in Fern Gully, for the record.

But Lion King... I don't know.. there's something just special and perfect about that movie. It really made me want to do some form of art as a career, and soon I'll actualy be going to art school for animation. Isn't that crazy??

My family never had a ton of money, so we never really had certain ameneties like cable (I have to go to other houses to watch cable!) or a second vehicle, and my parents don't drink or smoke. One thing they do save up for are trips, and I have to say that I really appreciate that they have made travel such an important value in my life. I guess I'm pretty lucky and privileged to have gotten to go to both Disneyland and Disney World -- with my favorite especially being Epcot. In the 80s, Epcot had an entire exhibit dedicated to imagination, and you entered that world through a rainbow tunnel, like the bridge to Asgard.

Disney has always been part of my life, like for most people around the globe! We had Radio Disney so we could hear the lost verse of Hakuna Matata, Disney Adventures magazing, we had Disney Channel and lunchbox, some decent nintendo and Sega games (and some not so decent ones), and certainly toys and merch. I think there's been more Mickey Mouse merchandising than any other character, besides maybe Superman or Spider-Man -- but I think it's Mickey since he's been around longer.

ah, what a time to be alive. Disney is now often lampooned for being a huge corporation, and that's more than fair. They've already purchased up other companies, they're trying to buy Pixar and who knows how big they will get.

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