Disney100: Saving Mr. Banks

They said only God could make a tree.

The new Disney film Wish tells us that when it comes to the universe, we’re all shareholders, but when it comes to Disney itself, we cannot all be categorized into the same group. I have long thought that we can all be placed into four groups regarding the Walt Disney Company.

In the first camp, we have the True Believers. These are the people who think that everything Disney does is perfect, that fairy tales are real, dreams always come true, etc. They adore Disney. Disney can do no wrong. The second camp, logically, would be the True Unbelievers. (Or Disbelievers. Take your pick.) If the first camp is full of people who adore Disney, the second camp is made up of those who loathe Disney and all it stands for; these people see Disney as a corporate monopoly destroying Western society in every one of its moves.

The third camp is likely the most sizable, and I’ll call it the Shruggers. These are the people who shrug when asked about Disney, not because they don’t watch their films or visit the theme parks. It’s because they don’t have a strong enough opinion on Disney. Oh, sure, they’ve seen some of the movies, they’ve visited the theme parks (though they’re likely to confuse Disneyland and Walt Disney World), and all that. But Disney’s just a part of their multifaceted lives, not its sole defining factor.

The fourth camp is one that I’m part of, and one you may be part of if you’re here. It’s the Conditional Fans. Disney can make brilliant films, tell amazing stories, create memorable characters, and build wonderful theme parks. But they also can screw up, so this group understands that to have conditional affection for Disney is about as far as it should go.

When it comes to these groups, then, who exactly is Saving Mr. Banks for?