Disney fans, unlike the title of this blog post, are very obviously not one sided. I mean, just look at the picture! You don't see that side of me all that often! As in my right side...
Alright, alright, in all seriousness, we're not talking about physical sides of us Disney fans. No, we're talking about the various...fandom sides. I suppose that's what you'd call it since there isn't really a better term for all of the various obsessions we have. And then we have our different moods on top of it, and really, Disney fans become quite difficult to figure out unless you're a fan yourself.
For instance, there's the Disney Parks Side, which has us all excited to head to Florida. Split that up and you get three areas: Waiting to go to Disney, At Disney, and Leaving Disney. Waiting to go to Disney is how we spend most of our time, constantly wondering if there's anything else can do to plan, making lists of every shape and size, and making countdown crafts. When we're actually at Disney we're usually at our happiest, with Mickey or Minnie ears on our heads and a smile on our faces as we head out into the parks to experience our favorite attractions and foods for the 18 zillionth time. It never gets old for us. Remember that. And then there's the absolute worst part of every Disney fan's life: leaving Disney. We get uncontrollably sad, we may cry, and will also immediately start planning another trip. That's just how it works. And then the cycle repeats.
Back home, there's the Movie Fan Side of us. The part that's perfectly content to curl up on the couch with some Mickey Waffles and watch every single Disney movie until we can no longer keep our eyes open. It's the side that rushes to the movie theater when a new film comes out, or, likewise, rushes to the store to buy the latest DVD. We end up collecting everything relating to our favorite films, and then proceed to argue with others about which Disney movie is obviously the best. Although, in the end, we all pretty much agree to disagree because they're all awesome.
There's the Musical Side of every fan, and I don't just mean the Disney Broadway Musicals. No, the part of us that constantly sings along with every recording of every Disney song ever created, because obviously we learned the lyrics to "In a World of my Own" from Alice in Wonderland years ago. We tend to annoy others with this habit, but really they're probably singing along with us.
There's the Foodie Side, which would give anything to have a Dole Whip during the long months between trips, and longs to go to the Epcot Food and Wine Festival every fall. The Obsessive Side, which refreshes the page every two seconds during the D23 Expo and other fan events, looks up all the possible information about our favorite animators, actors, characters, and films, and memorizes every line in our favorite films. There's the Historical Side, which researches Walt Disney, Disney films, and the parks like our lives depend on it, and the Calm Side, which rarely comes out for a visit.
But most importantly, there's the Dreamer Side, which makes us all believe that anything is possible and that our dreams really can become a reality if we pursue them with hard work, dedication, and a bit of pixie dust. One side alone wouldn't make up a Disney fan, and I'm sure there are plenty of others that I can't even remember to list, but the important part is that every side of a Disney fan helps make up the unique combination of our fandom, and I wouldn't want anything else.
Have a magical day!
