As the decade comes to a close, several members of The DisInsider team is reminiscing on their favorite Disney movies and memories from 2019 and the 2010’s as a whole!
The end of the 2010’s is upon us! As a Disney fan, what has been your favorite memory of 2019, and/or the decade in general?
Skyler: In 2019 it was the site reaching over one million visits, it made the hard work and efforts of the team that much sweeter. Favorite memory of the decade was taking my mom to the 2017 Beauty and the Beast premiere where she got to meet and hug the original voice of Belle, Paige O’Hara.
Julia: Most of my favorites have involved being at the Disney parks and resorts. Finally getting to go to the Be Our Guest Restaurant after years of waiting was amazing. This year it was definitely getting to go to the D23 Expo for the first time!
Derek: In 2011, I bought my wife and I (girlfriend at the time) Disney passes for her birthday. I hadn’t been there since I was 8 or so, so that was really cool!
Victoria: My most recent favorite was seeing Avengers: Endgame! I don’t remember the last time I anticipated something so much that was on this big of a scale. I saw it twice in the movie theaters and it was just so awesome to experience something that took 10 years to build up to. I had so many emotions as I watched so many beloved heros finish their journeys or even start their new ones.
Cami: My favorite memory of 2019 has been experiencing Avengers: Endgame. A closing of a huge chapter in the MCU, and with what was announced of the MCU’s future this year I couldn’t be more excited! My favorite memories of the decade were visiting Walt Disney World and Tokyo Disneyland Resort for the first time AND when Disneyland celebrated its 60th, I started to become more involved with the Disney community and made many friends. I’ve been super happy!
Josh: My favorite memory in 2019 was going to the D23 Expo in August for the first time and meeting so many wonderful people. It was amazing to experience that Disney magic in a whole new way with others that share an appreciation and love for this thing. It was quite powerful.
2019 was without a doubt a banner year for Disney movies, with 8 of the 10 films released hitting the worldwide top 10 of the year. With plenty of nostalgia from the live action remakes and closure from several beloved franchises to go around, was there a particular film or scene that resonated with you?
Cami: My favorite Disney film of this year was Aladdin. I wasn’t too happy with the previews and when I finally saw it in theaters I thought it was incredible. My love for the original came back too and I can’t stop listening to both soundtracks.
Derek: Avengers: Endgame for sure. End of an era.
Josh: Toy Story 4 and Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker were both films that resonated with me. I so enjoyed doing the 25 Weeks of Pixar and completing it with Toy Story 4 was a rewarding and fun experience for me. I was also beyond excited for Episode IX after enjoying the Star Wars films since the age of 7.
Victoria: The end of The Rise of Skywalker really hit home for me. Seeing a female be the center and actual chosen one, and not Luke like we all thought before was very powerful for me. Rey’s journey of understanding who she was and what her purpose was was simply entertaining to watch and resonates with me because as humans we all want to belong and know what our place is in the universe. This year, I had a similar internal journey and as the year comes to an end, I feel as though I have discovered my answer just as Rey did.
The 2010’s have been HUGE for Disney. Not only has it been widely considered a second renaissance for the animated movies, the Marvel Cinematic Universe has grown exponentially and Disney has expanded upon the Star Wars universe. Plus we got plenty of other big movies from the live action and Pixar departments. Which movies have stood out the most to you and why?
Victoria: The ones that stood out most for me were Inside Out and Coco! Inside out came out during an important time for me when I was beginning my mental health journey. It helped me to better accept where I was in that stage of my life and that it was okay to process and feel every emotion, good or bad. Coco was an important film that touched on a cultural experience and allowed others to understand it better. I love that this decade brought more POC into the films and are teaching while entertaining.
Skyler: One has to be The Avengers and the other the Alice In Wonderland remake, both sparked something that will change the landscape of cinema forever. I also loved 2013’s Saving Mr. Banks; I love the behind the scenes and inner working of Walt Disney’s life and Mary Poppins is an all-time favorite so seeing the story of how hard it was to get the film made is what I enjoyed.
Derek: Captain America: The Winter Soldier, saw it seven times in the theaters and it stands alone among the rest.
Josh: There are two films in particular that have really stood out to me this past decade for different reasons. Saving Mr. Banks was a film that renewed my interest in classic Disney and made me want to learn more about Disney history. Into the Woods was a film that came at an important time in my life while I was discovering myself and my love for musical theatre while in high school.
Cami: Cinderella, Tangled, Spider-Man: Homecoming, and Star Wars: The Force Awakens were all something very new to a different crowd and I’m incredibly proud of how they handled the character and storylines! They hold a special place in many people’s hearts.
Julia: Frozen drove me to return to making it a priority to see animated Disney films in the theatre, Coco made me want to create more stories of my own, and several of the Marvel movies pulled me deeper and deeper into the lore and fandom, with Avengers: Infinity War being the movie that pushed me to shift my focus as a journalist to more serialized and scripted forms of entertainment.
How has your relationship with Disney – or any of it’s sub-brands – changed over the decade? Did you discover a new (or old but new-to-you) favorite film or property? Or maybe you were inspired by Disney to create some sort of content of your own?
Josh: My relationship with Disney has completely changed over the decade! I learned so much about the company and gained my interest of reading and writing about Disney history. I was able to join The DisInsider as a writer which has been extremely rewarding and also got to meet other Disney buffs, both inside and out of the company.
Julia: At the beginning of the 2010’s not only had I never watched a Star Wars or Marvel movie, I’d also never been to a Disney park. Over the course of the decade I’ve gotten to experience and explore all of the American ones and that has brought a whole new dimension to my Disney fandom! It also brought me back to watching a lot of Disney movies in the theatre since there were a few years of my life when I pretty much stopped doing that entirely.
Derek: I was always interested in Marvel and Star Wars, not so much Disney in general. It wasn’t until summer of 2018 when I became head writer and co EIC of this site when I really fell into it.
Skyler: The company in general inspired me to create the website.
Victoria: My love of the Disney parks and fandom allowed me to start blogging about it as a way to express and share my knowledge of things I learn along the way with others. As the years went by, I did begin to understand that Disney was a business and not everyone is going to like the changes and decisions they make. This was sort of an inspiration for making my podcast too. In the beginning, Disney sort of was my coping mechanism. But as the year ends, I’m learning to enjoy it as a fan more and understand that it’s not everything. Criticism of what you love is fine but doing it all the time takes the fun out of it.
In keeping with Walt Disney’s motto of “keep moving forward”, let’s look to the future! What are you excited for or hoping to see in the decade ahead?
Josh: This next decade, I am hoping for more original live action and animated films, specifically a traditionally animated one.
Cami: In the new year and decade, I’m looking forward to all the changes in the Disney parks (and maybe a new park) that draw in the community even closer and attract new crowds!
Julia: I’m hoping for more original live action movies and I’m also very excited to see where Star Wars and particularly Marvel go after such big ends to their respective eras this past year. And I’m eagerly anticipating seeing what Walt Disney World plans for its 50th anniversary in 2021!
Victoria: I am very much looking forward to the changes in the parks! I am interested to see Epcot’s transformation and this possible Darth Maul Disney Plus show, since he is my favorite from the franchise. I am interested to see the growth of the streaming service and the new original content it will bring. I hope to see more spotlight on POC and LGBTQ in the films and shows that aren’t just 3 second little clips.
Skyler: I hope to see the site flourish and grow with my team still intact and continue to cover the company and events for years to come.
Share your favorite memories of the past year and decade below, and we’ll see you in 2020!
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