Disney Adults Can’t Stop Hating the Changes They BEGGED For

Disney adults, and I’m including myself in this, can sometimes be accused of not knowing exactly what we want.

I’ve been a major fan of the company’s theme parks for the majority of my life. The wonder and magic of childhood visits have long since evolved into an appreciation of the history of Imagineering and the artistry that goes into the immersive themed lands as I grew older. Like many of my fellow Disney adults, that’s given me a… complicated relationship with change at Disney parks.

Many Disney Adults, once again, I stress myself included, often complain about perceived stagnation in the parks. We’ll talk about “dead” areas of the theme parks that need an injection of life, rides that we think should be refurbished or replaced, and intellectual properties (IP) that we think Disney should be doing more with. However, as soon as changes are announced, well…

For decades now, Disney Adults have been getting angry at change announcements. The first documented instance of this came in the mid-1980s, when a group of Disney fans were angered by the announcement that Disneyland’s Adventure Thru Inner Space would be closing to make way for Star Tours. In the years that followed, fans were also “outraged” at other closures, including 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea at the Magic Kingdom, and EPCOT’s World of Motion and Horizons in the mid-1990s.

Things kicked into overdrive in 1998 with the advent of “Toad-Ins”. Using the then-nascent internet, a group of Disney fans angry about rumors that Walt Disney World’s version of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride would be closing to make way for a ride based on Winnie the Pooh organized. They built a website, arranged meet-ups in the parks, and gave interviews to the media. While the group failed to save the ride, they laid the groundwork for the next three decades.

Since the “Toad-Ins”, Disney fans have expressed online outrage at ride closures and announcements of change up to and through the closure of Muppet*Vision 3D and the Rivers of America earlier this year.

So, how is it possible to reconcile Disney Adults constantly demanding change, yet getting angry about those same changes?

Well, first and foremost, it’s important to remember that not every situation — or every fan — is created equal. While it may sometimes seem like Disney Adults are a monolith, the reality is that there are many different outlooks and opinions within the fandom.

Also, sometimes one can desire change while at the same time thinking that the execution of that change leaves much to be desired. Using myself as an example once again, I’m looking forward to the upcoming Monsters, Inc. land coming to Hollywood Studios. However, I wish that the land wasn’t coming at the expense of Muppet*Vision 3D, for example.

Beyond that, while it can be a tad hypocritical, for those Disney adults who do seem to both seek and condemn change, there may be an element of what Cinderella (that that Cinderella) once said: “You don’t know what you got till it’s gone.” It’s easy to call for change and the removal of rides or lands that seem old in the tooth, it’s quite another to actually realize they — and the nostalgia and memory associated with them — are actually disappearing forever.

Many so-called Disney Adults have a habit of both calling for and then complaining about change. However, there are often a litany of factors at play. Stay tuned to AllEars for more on Disney Adults.

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Do you find yourself torn between wanting and deriding change at Disney? Let us know in the comments below.

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