By Kavya Thirunavukkarasan (25S03I)

Sitting on a couch in the centre of my living room, four-year-old me was awestruck by the Disney film Tangled. It was a pivotal moment in my young life: magic flower, magic hair, magic powers. 

That was the start of it all. Toy Story, Cinderella, Finding Nemo, Ratatouille, Sleeping Beauty—the list goes on. It was truly incredible when the shoe fit Cinderella, when Ariel reunited with Prince Eric, and when Prince Philip kissed Princess Aurora to break the curse. They all lived happily ever after.

Until they didn’t. The magic seemed to fade, perhaps because the pixie dust wore off, or maybe because I was no longer the four-year-old kid sitting on that couch in the centre of my living room. The wonder of a new world in Toy Story, the breathtaking underwater scenes in Finding Nemo, and the unforgettable taste of dreams in Ratatouille—they don’t evoke the same feelings now. 

Disney doesn’t feel the same anymore. 

So, what changed? And whose fault is it? Mine? Or Disney’s?