I will never hate Disney. I understand things happens, eventually there might come a time when I disagree with something Disney does but ultimately I will never ever hate Disney. It's more than just about nostalgia or memories, I am physically incapable of disliking Disney for the state of its subsidiaries and subcompanies. I have a connection with the Walt Disney Company that clicks with me. The parks (more specifically Walt Disney World) are my second home. The movies (even the new releases) are fresh and amazing every time I watch them. I even flip between Disney Channel and TNT when I'm bored. Everything about my life surrounds Disney and one day I really hope I can work for them and make movies for them.
Given all of this, I'm not blind. I'm not naive, I'm not stupid. I am very aware that half the company doesn't have its ******** together. If anything, this makes me care for the company more, because I can see that a lot of the subcompanies are struggling with half-decent ideas, and I want them to start seeing the problem they're facing.
And really, the problem isn't that their ideas are bad. The shows on Disney Channel are actually not bad ideas in theory, in concept they're actually very clever and interesting. I mean, sure a talking dog with a blog, but what the dog was intended to do for the main characters is actually nice -- the parents buy the dog because their children are step-siblings and begin with a rivalry. Because they discover the dog's secret, they decide to settle their fight for his benefit. Which, if done during the golden age would've been taken to its full potential. Jessie is a nanny for the adopted children of celebrity parents, children of different race and ethnicity, which actually has been addressed a few times. Again, if it were a golden age show it would have been executed perfectly. The problem isn't that their ideas and concepts are terrible, the problem is that the shows, as well as many things in the company, are being used to their full potential and only cover generic plots because it's so much simpler to do that, and younger kids will then flock to these shows because they're just dumbed down. Personally, though, I see promise for the channel now. I mainly watch the channel regularly because I have younger cousins who have been attached to me since I was 10 and now I'm stuck in a commitment with the Disney Channel that I honestly didn't want in the first place. Recently, I have seen some of the newer shows. Liv and Maddie is the only one that will go nowhere, but Girl Meets World is the most similar to the golden age, which is SO refreshing. The last episode alone was impressive enough. While it's still basic in concept, what it's done so far (on its first season no less) has been amazing -- lessons on cultural appropriation and the definition of "pretty" among a couple topics that really stood out to me. Then there's I Didn't Do It, which has a rocky start but I'm still hanging on because of the show's plot development -- the show starts with one scene that's all chaotic and intense in some way and the kids are asked what happened that led up that point and the rest of the episode explains it, and the chain of events are actually, genuinely funny when considering how it all ends.
Don't even try bringing Shake It Up as a counterargument, please. That is literally the only show I never saw hope for. Bella Thorne's acting made me cringe, it brought up extremely problematic issues (and never even tried addressing them in a negative light) and I just felt sorry for Zendaya in every episode because the girl actually has talent and she's wasting it on being Disney Channels go-to girl. Shake It Up is a blemish in an otherwise perfect run of interesting and engaging concepts.
Where Disney Interactive is concerned, I accepted a long time ago that Kingdom Hearts, Epic Mickey and Disney Infinity would be the only real GOOD things to come out of it. The problem here is that DI has only ever focused on using currently owned properties to fuel their games, which isn't actually a bad thing... if that wasn't the only thing they relied on. Literally the one thing all three games I've mentioned have in common is that they borrow other Disney titles. Disney Interactive hasn't tried making something original separate from other the franchises, and it's not like they couldn't. They could easily be on par with Ubisoft and other gaming studios if they pulled themselves together and actually debated on what unique and innovative ideas could they do to make a hit for Disney in the video game world. I have no doubt that Disney could have a completely original fantasy game similar to Legend of Zelda or something. Furthermore, DI has also mainly focused more on mobile games, which again isn't bad... if that wasn't the only thing they relied on. Disney Hidden Worlds and Tsum Tsum are like the only things they have that are both decent and popular among their mobile gaming community, and one of them isn't even promoted as much as it could be. Like, Disney Interactive is a huge mess in even corporate handling, it's a freaking embarrassment. And don't get me started on exactly what my feelings about the Marvel expansion in Disney Infinity are. I have conflicting and intense opinions on why they are overdoing it with releasing all of the major Marvel titles and so few Disney titles within the span of three months. I repeat: a mess in even corporate handling.
Disney parks, I don't have much to complain over, since even when I went to Disneyland several years ago it was still a magical experience despite its obvious uncleanliness and it coming off as more of a side-view amusement park than a magic-filled theme park. While I agree with the whole underwhelment of New Fantasyland, millions and billions of dollars put into a C-grade project that practically looks A+. Be Our Guest and Seven Dwarfs are the only actual impressive things presented. TLM was a nice ride and I still felt the magic, but I mean, it was still a C-ticket. Over the summer my family and I used the MyMagic system and, while it still has a few hurtles and things to fix up, I honestly think people here and people in general are being dramatic, it's not a terrible system. I actually prefer it. And Fastpass+, while ultimately not necessary if you want to and can casually get on rides, it's still useful to have at your disposal for the rides you know are going to have ridiculously long stand-by times. My parents and I just used it so we wouldn't have to worry about not riding specific rides. All in all, we went on attractions like we normally would, the FP+ didn't completely dismantle the casual experience we like. I'm excited for the additions and expansions, as well. I understand why people wouldn't, but at the same time, I just really think people are so dramatic when it comes to the parks. Yes, many of the attractions replaced are classics, but Walt never intended for the parks to stay the same. He expected them to change, to take away and add. Just because you don't want something to go away, or just because want it to be replaced by what is taking its place, doesn't mean it shouldn't see change. You can be upset about it, but in the end your being upset over it doesn't matter.