Disney enjoys nostalgic return

By Alayna Yates

It’s no doubt that a plague has been roaming the halls of Peet, Holmes and even the high school. Many people all across the nation are guilty of singing High School Musical, Hannah Montana, Jonas Brothers and also Camp Rock. No one is safe from the plague that is Disney Mania.

What is it that makes teens go crazy for their childhood TV shows and movies? Nostalgia. These movies are memories of easier times. Times where we weren’t afraid of being judged for enjoying something cheesy. Times of zero stress because our homework only involved coloring. These were the good days, and it’s not only Disney shows that give us this sense of nostalgia. It’s Spongebob, LazyTown, ICarly, Boy Meets World and that’s only to name a few.

Everywhere I go, whether it’s on the bus, in the halls or at practice, I never fail to hear one of my friends singing some old kids show song. Some of the most popular being “Bop to the Top” from High School Musical and “Wouldn’t Change a Thing” from Camp Rock 2.

With the recent Hannah Montana marathon, the Disney Mania plague continues to grow. I found myself on the couch all day Saturday just reliving my eight year-old life. And it’s not just me, I know that plenty of others did too.

Peet freshman Emma DeWitt agreed that this “plague” is based on mostly a nostalgic feel. “I think people love the old Disney channel so much because it reminds them of their childhood, and when they see or hear shows or songs, they remember a piece of them they forgot,” DeWitt said.

I think kids nowadays are deprived of good, funny and silly TV shows. In my opinion, Disney shows today are definitely silly, sometimes funny, but surely not as good as what we had when we were younger.

The Hannah Montana Marathon that went on this last week was a real mood booster for a lot of old Disney fans. “Watching Hannah Montana this weekend made me really happy because I’ve looked everywhere and haven’t been able to find them on DVD. I was also excited because it puts me in a good mood watching them because I get to relive my childhood. It’s the best Christmas gift I could get,” DeWitt said.

Like DeWitt, from kindergarten all the way through the fifth grade, Hannah Montana was my everything. Miley Cyrus was my hero. I admired her and how “perfect” I thought she was. I had a Hannah Montana birthday cake when I was in kindergarten, and I dressed up like her for Halloween when I was in the first grade. I had Hannah Montana dolls, shirts and every Miley or Hannah CD, which I still do have. I was obsessed!

People at school and the adults around me were seeing her change as she got older. I chose not to believe that she could ever change. She would always be Hannah Montana in my eyes and because of that she could do no wrong.

As I got older I started to understand that she would change, and I’d have to accept that, but I never thought she would do what she did on the 2013 MTV VMAs, dancing inappropriately in a revealing outfit with Robin Thicke.

That night and those feelings of complete betrayal and heartbreak will never fade. This was the first time my “hero” let me down. I learned then that the only people I could idolize were my parents and people I actually knew. They told me not to idolize celebrities because they would only let me down, but I ignored them, and because of that I had a lot of heartache that week.

Seeing these old Hannah Montana episodes being replayed is refreshing to me. Although I felt betrayed by who I put so high up on a pedestal, Miley still brings me those feelings of being an eight year-old. Those feelings of disappointment have passed, and now I choose to only think of the good memories. The memories who made me the kid that I once was and the person I will always be.

It’s sounds crazy, but Disney mania has changed my life and many others.