WarriorDreamer wrote:Well to each his own or her own. Everyone is different and everyone sees things differently. I don't quite understand what you mean about 'how the general public looks at Disney' at what point was the switch made from quality films to just poor quality and money grabbing? I must have been in la la land if Disney became a different company than it used to be when I was a child.
EDIT: Woah, didn't realize this was so long as I was typing. Sorry!
I think it's worth a read though.
You're not grasping the concept of something changing
over time. You ask "at what point was the switch made from quality films..." But there was never a "point" where Disney just switched to an evil greedy company. Because, in the end, they aren't. They're just one of the biggest companies in the entire world, doing what they have to do in order to remain so.
When you were a child, to use your own example... assuming this was probably sometime in the 90s, maybe into the late 80s (correct me if I'm wrong), Disney was in a good light in the general public's eye. For a long time, people other than parents and their young children would never be caught dead going to see a Disney film. In the 70s and early 80s, no one cared about the films... or at least the ones that were being released at the time. Even the parks were wavering, and not meeting attendance anticipation. But with the release of films like The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast, Disney was put on the map again. It was no longer
only for little kids. Now, a Disney movie could be a date night for a couple teenagers, and the parents could enjoy the films
with their kids, as opposed to only "taking them to the movies." A lot of this is covered in a lot more detail in Waking Sleeping Beauty.
So, all in all, great times were had by all within Disney. Critical success was great, financial success was great, and Disney was once again on top in the general public's eyes. Back then, there were no enormous pushes for merchandise or sequels like there are now. The films were enough by themselves. They became classics.
But with success comes only one thing: the need for more success. And so, we started getting cheaply made sequels and spinoffs, merchandise became a higher priority, and the company began to spread itself thin over so many things at once. While quality movies were still released (Pixar's films, Hunchback, Hercules, Mulan, Tarzan, Lilo & Stitch, the Pirates films, etc...), all with the potential to become classics, the problem is that there was just SO MUCH content being created, that fans, let alone the average passer-by, could hardly keep up with everything. New parents that grew up on the likes of Cinderella, wanting the best for their child, went out and bought Cinderella 2 and 3. Keeping in mind that the average consumer doesn't understand, or care about, the difference between "Disney Animated Classic" and "DisneyToon Studio Sequel", many people had the reaction of "Wow, Disney just isn't what it used to be."
Disney Channel added to problem, because, like ajmrowland said, many people today know "Disney" as ONLY the Disney Channel. And so they are comparing Hannah Montana and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse to Snow White, Peter Pan, and Wonderful World of Disney. Again, keep in mind that the average person does not differentiate between who or which studio made which film or TV show. To most, "Disney" means simply that... just "Disney." And so, the general public does not see "Disney" the way they used to.
Like I said, the idea of product lines and sequels and cheaply made tv shows is not a bad thing in and of itself. But, in the long run, it hurts the company's image. Working at Disney World, I've had countless number of adults mention that "Disney sure isn't how I remember it as a kid. Spiderman? High School Musical? Where's all the classic 'Disney Magic'?" To that, I usually respond with something like, "Yes, there's quite a lot of new, different things around here... Have you seen the new movie Tangled though? I promise it feels just like one of those classic Disney Magic movies." To which I sometimes get, "No... my daughter doesn't really like all those kinds of things... she just really likes Camp Rock and the Jonas Brothers."
It's a sad thing, because like I said, us "fans" do actually understand the difference between the different aspects of the company. And we understand that the films and the parks are the heart and soul of this company. But the general public does not always, and so, Disney just isn't what it used to be.
Regardless, like you, I usually enjoy everything the company does. I'm still a Disney nerd at heart.
