Disney Adults! Is Disney A Religion? Is Disney the Last Piece of Cultural Glue that Binds Our Society? Or Has Disney Indirectly Shaped Our Imaginations Towards Consumption & Individualism?

The Best Paragraph I've Read: "SarahRachul grew up in the 1990s, during the so-called “Disney Renaissance”, when Disney debuted a string of critically successful films and re-released its earlier classics on VHS. Merchandising reached new heights: 7,000 products were released to promote 1997’s Hercules alone. It was, Rachul says, “almost like you couldn’t avoid having [Disney] as part of your childhood”. She wept when she saw Goofy in the parks because the anthropomorphic dog was her late grandfather’s favourite character, and her grandfather was her best friend. For Rachul, hugging Goofy was like having “this little piece of my grandpa back”. Over the past 100 years, the Walt Disney Company has entwined itself with our families, memories and personal histories. In many ways, Disney is a religion that one is born into, the same way a 15th-century English baby was predestined to be baptised Catholic. Choice doesn’t necessarily come into it – we see Mickey Mouse around us like our ancestors saw the cross; a symbol that both 18-month-olds and 80-year-olds recognise." This paragraph comes from The New Statesman. The essay is titled: "The Disney Adult Industrial Complex." The author is Amelia Tait. You can read the full essay here: https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/2024/02/disney-adult-superfan-industrial-complex Zac & Don wonder about Disney's hold on our society's imagination and collective knowledge. They wonder if Disney is the final piece of glue that most people in America have in common. They also discuss the idea of the Disney Adult and whether the essay's author is correct that Disney could be seen as a religion.