Dear Journal: Like Magic

Dear Journal,

I had a conversation with a younger friend of mine the other day about Disney movies. I told her I was going with my family to see the new Disney movie “Inside Out” this weekend, and she was so jealous. “I wish I had kids just so I would have an excuse to go see Disney movies. It’s just not cool for an adult to see a kids’ movie anymore!”

And I just chuckled inside, knowing as I did that it was the only reason I decided to have kids. Okay, so I’m kidding, but it’s great to be able to go up to the ticket counter, say “Four for ‘Inside Out,'” and have the kids there as a convenient billboard of acceptance for me into the community of those who are allowed past the front gates.

It’s like going to see a chick flick with my wife, even though she’s really just going so I don’t have to go alone and get looks from the one hundred women (and two other guys) sitting in the theater. But Disney, it’s like magic. The characters, the story lines, the voices, and the MUSIC. Ah yes, the music. I can show you the world. Shining, shimmering, splendid…

And the innuendo. I can always count on those “over tiny heads” moments just for adults when we GET it, even though the kids are still waiting for the next kid joke or pratfall. I love sitting there and wondering when the next one is going to come. It’s become a sort of game between me and my wife, to see who notices the “over tiny heads” moments more, and I know it’s going to be sad when my kids actually start getting those references. Perhaps the end of an era.

But until then I’m content to sit back, to sometimes slip on my 3D glasses (Toy Story 3 is still burned into my retina due to those stupid glasses), and laugh my ass off at the crazy characters, insane plotlines, and heartwarming endings to those magical Disney films.

Oh, and I’ll rent out my kids to some of my friends who don’t have ones of their own. You know, so they’ll fit in. And I won’t charge an arm and a leg either. Maybe just some Skittles. You know they’re ridiculously expensive in the movie theater.

Sam