College students can recall a time where was not a midterm in sight, debt was an unknown word in our vocabularies, and the only scary, unfamiliar world beckoning you is middle school. This inner child, present throughout Disney’s multiple forms of expression, brings us back to a time when everything was simpler, when we were young versus where we are today. Then Soul, Encanto, and Luca came out, and I fell in love all over again.

After seeing Coco, I knew I would be hooked for life. I do not know if it is the sleek and beautiful flow of their animation or the stories that leave me crying, singing, and laughing as I leave the theater, but Pixar will always have my heart. One of my favorite studios of Disney will forever be Pixar. Disney accomplished all this while keeping what initially captured the attention of their audiences: a sweet, heartfelt animation story. It branched off into theme parks, cruise ships, restaurants, shows for pre-adolescent audiences, and merchandise. As we grew up, Disney had grown, too, to be more than the fun animations we used to see when we were little. Due to this, it is easy to make connections within our generation because of the love shared for Disney. Memories like those are shared with thousands of people. Our generation continues to bond over Disney I remember waiting for the new Wizards of Waverly Place episode to air every Friday and freaking out whenever I saw the cross-over episode between Wizards of Waverly Place, Hannah Montana, and The Suite Life on Deck. These films are reminders of the child we all have within. We all understand the shared experience of Disney films being present in our youths. Since that day, childhoods all over North America have been filled with Mickey’s heartfelt laugh and the image of Tinkerbell flying over Cinderella’s castle.

The Walt Disney Company started in Los Angeles, California, on October 16th, 1923.

Disney never ceases to remind me of my childhood. I always catch my mind wandering back to those times, the times of seven dwarfs running around and Cinderella running back home when the clock strikes midnight. To go back to the days of 101 Dalmatians on VCR: my beaten-up The Little Mermaid backpack happily sits on my back while I dance to the Beauty and the Beast Soundtrack and his light-up Lion King Sketchers glow as we play kickball during recess.

Relive your childhood