I met some people who were “Disney.” Maybe they are hyperfocused on a popcorn bucket of figments and may be indifferent to fund a week in Orlando using their beloved theme park ride closing or retirement fund.
They could be called enthusiastic enthusiasts. Nowadays, the more common term is “Disney Adult.”
Please don’t judge. Walt Disney World has food on the table, and its fandom isn’t too confusing with what is dedicated to college football, “Real Housewives,” Taylor Swift, and Ayrke.
Or is it?
A new book by AJ Wolfe, “Disney Adults: Exploring (and Falling in Love)” explores why Disney enthusiasts are and why people are angry about it.
It dives deep into this phenomenon and features interviews with professors, former Imagineers, journalists and self-identifying Disney adults. Of course, it goes without saying that we monitor the demographic composition of theme park queues.
Subjects ask for insider knowledge that Wolff has accumulated as a Disney fan of $17,000 in credit card debt that funded WDW’s field trip. However, Wolfe is currently the owner of Cambrick Yard Media and runs fan sites such as Disney Food Blog and Allears.
Her book, for sale now, combines light moments with sociological facts. This is a sweet spot between interesting blog posts and semester papers.
At the time, “My life revolved around figuring out how to reach Disney World, because I wasn’t happy in my career, my life. “That was my fix. It was my hit.”
Why do you dislike it?
Disney adults represent a wide range of human sashes. There are animated enthusiasts, merchant hybrids and theme park watchers. Star Wars fans have entered the fold.
“I’ve met all sorts of Disney adults, and I’ve seen them all because I’ve been doing this for 20 years,” Wolf said.
She knew that the super fanbase ridiculous laughs were commonplace and was reinforced by published stories that sometimes make adults wonder if they remain in their children’s. However, in a book interview, she was surprised by the Vitreal that Disney adults had with each other.
“I didn’t create a game plan for the book with this in mind. Disney adults also hate Disney adults,” she said.
“Every space, every fandom, you’ll find people who are uncomfortable,” Wolf said. “There will be people who push the path towards the front of the line, or they will stand with their noses raised towards the opening in the stretch room of the ghost mansion so they can reach the line first.”
Light Reading: Viewer Guide to the New Disney Star Light Parade
Wolfe said the Disney adult subset, which has been repeatedly targeted by the light corn, is people who purchase limited release items just for resale online. That falls into the unofficial Disney adult hierarchy where fans overlook the other fans. Poo probably not the annual pass holder, but the most people who have stayed at Chichi’s hotels or lacked experience in international parks.
“If you start to see that, you start to understand why Disney adults are like that and why they have to do more at all times,” Wolf said.
The stories of Disney’s adult origins are, of course, everywhere. Nostalgia, escapism, family fun, and fantasy play a role just as well as a sense of belonging.
“For many of us as Disney adults, community is difficult to come in our daily lives,” Wolf wrote in the book. “Many of us are ‘others’. We are eccentric and outsiders when it comes to more standard or socially acceptable hobbies. ”
She said most Disney adults shrugged criticism from outsiders.
“I think it appeals to most people who have Disney adults like ducks with water running from their backs.
The book offsets the odd factors in multiple heartwarming Disney adults interviews, including those who have re-registered the amputees and women who have achieved their running goals at Disney races and who have achieved another goal, who have chosen to travel to the church instead of funding another Disney World adventure.
I’ll move forward
Of course, Walt Disney Co. benefits from Disney adult demos. The state has discretionary income, repetitive business, and compulsive collectors. “Obviously, they came up with a billion ways to get money from adults in adult-specific situations,” says one Wolf book expert.
After establishing the official fan club, D23, the Fan-Friendly Disney Parks blog Moms Panel (now called Plandisney), and the company moved on to a fresh social media strategy. This includes the influencer’s pleading. Influencers may be paid from time to time to preview attractions, attend events and stay at hotels.
This will allow Disney to choose an informal partner, place influencers in a position where they pay off influencers (or may not be invited), and readers will wonder how much influencers will be affected.
“All of which is just full of danger to everyone involved, and especially the audience,” Wolf said.
Disney’s Hollywood Studio: Change to Animated Courtyard
The realm of social media, where anyone can follow aloud, gives the company the idea of Disney adult strength that may be angry at the removal of Tom Sawyer Island in Magic Kingdom, ticket prices, or Star Wars Idea: Galactic Star Kruser’s idea. Or you might be excited about the new Disney Starlight Parade, a themed cupcake, or a set of mouse ears.
“What the data shows is that even annoyed fans still have fans,” Wolf wrote. “It seems a lot of us are too big to break the connections with the company that many of us are responsible for a lot of our happiness.”
Please email dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Bluesky: @themeparksdb. Thread account: @dbevil. X Account: @themeparks. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.
Original issue: August 5, 2025 10:35am EDT
