This is genuinely the best thing I’ve read in a long time, and so far my most favorite thing I’ve read from you. It really took me back 💙 esp the dance competition stuff (although mine involved less Disney, more waterparks the afternoon after) Thank you 💙💙💙
"everything is about the next release, the next drop, the next way to monetize a feeling. it’s not about story or magic anymore. it’s about content. consumption. spectacle. the magic has been boiled down into something branded and hyper-optimized, and people still eat it up"
Literally why I've pulled away from short-form content socials. So difficult to deal with
I love how you put this feeling into words, especially the “nostalgia isn’t regression, it’s survival” part. It’s a nice reminder that sometimes, the magic in the familiar is still there, we just need to find it again
I love the whimsical nature of old Disney films too! I can't seem to find it these days, and I often wonder — has Disney changed, or am I just becoming one of those people who’s nostalgic about the past?
I feel this intensely about Harry Potter. The more cheap polyester Gryffindor items they produce, the more diluted with the real world that world becomes.
Just read Bonjour Tristesse and couldn't agree more! It had me yearning for fantasy days, eating seafood pastas and swimming leisurely in the Mediterranean.
I loveee the old Disney princess movies. The animation, the music, the opening credits, it's just all so beautiful and nostalgic. I cannot wait to show them to my kids eventually!
this made me feel so warm, like a little slice of nostalgic “comfort media” that in itself reassures why it feels comforting in the first place - and it’s such an accurate reflection of how so many of us feel about disney now. i wonder if our children will feel the same about it.
Thank you for writing this. It was a beautiful read. The frustration of seeing something we used to love turning into the unrecognizable is indeed painful. That's why I'm so thankful for Hayao Miyazaki for being as stubborn as bull in staying true to the spirit of what a Ghibli animation film is. Waha. Sending you all love from the Philippines
I hardly try to remember my past, but even though I don't want it, it still comes to me, with a smell in a evening walk, or anything that smells nostalgic. Smell has always been a thing that makes me remember days I don't usually remember. After reading this article by you I again remembered my childhood. Thank you for reminding me that I can also feel. 🦋
Nostalgia is irrational. I would have felt it during the time I'm nostalgic for. Yet, the world really is getting worse in all the ways which matter: the past WAS superior.
That's what's new. Nostalgia used to be complete bullshit. Now it's still emotionally based, but has a real argument on the facts, which it didn't before.
Beautifully written. I, too, grew up in the golden days of Disney, when Walt's vision was still there. We used to be able to go for free when I was very little, when the parking lot was where CA Adventure now is, we could walk around and only pay if we wanted to go on a ride. It was like OC's best neighborhood park. Later, in High School, we all had passes and would hang out dancing on Friday and Saturday nights, safe behind the gates of The Happiest Place on Earth, until our parents picked us up. When our kids were little, in the early 2000's, we spent hundreds of hours at the parks, on Tom Sawyer's Island (as it shall always be called by me) losing and finding them again, experiencing the rides all over again through their eyes. Now, my favorite place is the Star Wars area, because for the first time in decades, there is someplace new and exciting and more magical, to me, than the rest of it. Rise of the Resistance makes my jaw drop every time I step out into space. I'm not thrilled Disney bought the franchise or with some of the newer releases, but that ride holds pure magic, real Disney magic, pure childhood glee for me. In a world that looks darker every day, I love Disney for giving me those moments even as a 53 year old. To be honest, I'm voluntarily stuck with my 26 year old mentality, so that may help. Delight and wonder are treasures. Disney is still pretty good at offering those. Also, how do we tip on Substack?
felt this so much, I will now go watch my favorite childhood movie with a warm cup of tea 🌟🌟🌟
This is genuinely the best thing I’ve read in a long time, and so far my most favorite thing I’ve read from you. It really took me back 💙 esp the dance competition stuff (although mine involved less Disney, more waterparks the afternoon after) Thank you 💙💙💙
"everything is about the next release, the next drop, the next way to monetize a feeling. it’s not about story or magic anymore. it’s about content. consumption. spectacle. the magic has been boiled down into something branded and hyper-optimized, and people still eat it up"
Literally why I've pulled away from short-form content socials. So difficult to deal with
I love how you put this feeling into words, especially the “nostalgia isn’t regression, it’s survival” part. It’s a nice reminder that sometimes, the magic in the familiar is still there, we just need to find it again
There is something about reconnecting to the magic of childhood… when the magic was real and genuine.
I really love your prose
I love the whimsical nature of old Disney films too! I can't seem to find it these days, and I often wonder — has Disney changed, or am I just becoming one of those people who’s nostalgic about the past?
I feel this intensely about Harry Potter. The more cheap polyester Gryffindor items they produce, the more diluted with the real world that world becomes.
Just read Bonjour Tristesse and couldn't agree more! It had me yearning for fantasy days, eating seafood pastas and swimming leisurely in the Mediterranean.
I loveee the old Disney princess movies. The animation, the music, the opening credits, it's just all so beautiful and nostalgic. I cannot wait to show them to my kids eventually!
this made me feel so warm, like a little slice of nostalgic “comfort media” that in itself reassures why it feels comforting in the first place - and it’s such an accurate reflection of how so many of us feel about disney now. i wonder if our children will feel the same about it.
Thank you for writing this. It was a beautiful read. The frustration of seeing something we used to love turning into the unrecognizable is indeed painful. That's why I'm so thankful for Hayao Miyazaki for being as stubborn as bull in staying true to the spirit of what a Ghibli animation film is. Waha. Sending you all love from the Philippines
you have the best book recs <3
I hardly try to remember my past, but even though I don't want it, it still comes to me, with a smell in a evening walk, or anything that smells nostalgic. Smell has always been a thing that makes me remember days I don't usually remember. After reading this article by you I again remembered my childhood. Thank you for reminding me that I can also feel. 🦋
Nostalgia is irrational. I would have felt it during the time I'm nostalgic for. Yet, the world really is getting worse in all the ways which matter: the past WAS superior.
That's what's new. Nostalgia used to be complete bullshit. Now it's still emotionally based, but has a real argument on the facts, which it didn't before.
Beautifully written. I, too, grew up in the golden days of Disney, when Walt's vision was still there. We used to be able to go for free when I was very little, when the parking lot was where CA Adventure now is, we could walk around and only pay if we wanted to go on a ride. It was like OC's best neighborhood park. Later, in High School, we all had passes and would hang out dancing on Friday and Saturday nights, safe behind the gates of The Happiest Place on Earth, until our parents picked us up. When our kids were little, in the early 2000's, we spent hundreds of hours at the parks, on Tom Sawyer's Island (as it shall always be called by me) losing and finding them again, experiencing the rides all over again through their eyes. Now, my favorite place is the Star Wars area, because for the first time in decades, there is someplace new and exciting and more magical, to me, than the rest of it. Rise of the Resistance makes my jaw drop every time I step out into space. I'm not thrilled Disney bought the franchise or with some of the newer releases, but that ride holds pure magic, real Disney magic, pure childhood glee for me. In a world that looks darker every day, I love Disney for giving me those moments even as a 53 year old. To be honest, I'm voluntarily stuck with my 26 year old mentality, so that may help. Delight and wonder are treasures. Disney is still pretty good at offering those. Also, how do we tip on Substack?
NVM. Saw the link in your post. :)