I personally have benefited from the concept of an eternal youth and a pervasive childhood experience. Disneyland has remained a part of me ever since I could walk, but every time my ticket is scanned I enter the gates with an undeniable frenzy. I am fully transported from my seemingly mundane life, existing just outside the park, to one of every ounce of grandeur a place could offer. It fascinates me that Disneyland has profited immensely through its preservation of individuals’ youth and has continuously innovated to further excite its audience. Whether it be the traditional characters of Mickey Mouse and Minnie, or the cherished symbol of the pink castle, the park has succeeded in granting each person the ability to relive an outdated past. An avid Disney fan myself, I personally love the Animation Studio more than anything else in the extensively ornate attraction, as the culmination of the music and film strips instantly evokes deep memories.

Disney has stakes in a business that simply will never cease to exist as long as there is a yearning for childhood rejuvenation. I was sitting on a bench overlooking Main Street, and observed a father and his daughter walking hand in hand. While one could instantly see the admiration in the child’s eye, with a glance three seconds longer one could also perceive an even greater passage of joy occurring through the heart of the father. He walked that street as he had probably done so years past, and such a feeling of remembrance is the reason the Disney industry is so special. It continues to find ways to touch the most vulnerable emotions within individuals in a way that induces deep consciousness of youth.

Neverland in itself is a symbol for the lacking desire to age and become a product of time, standing as a promise of blissful adolescence. With sheer ignorance of reality individuals are able to live the mind of their youth. I think this idea of a place where the iconic line, “I won’t grow up,” governs thoughts is very interesting to conceptualize. I have always been one to want to grow older, but now I realize that there is definitely something about my childhood that casts a spell I could never resist to relive.