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Credit: DisneyDisney Adults seem to be the easiest fandom to mock and ridicule nowadays, but some people have definitely taken it a bridge too far. Although plenty of parents impart their love for all things Disney onto their children, some call for outright banning childless adults from the Parks. Fortunately, Disney has a solution.
Most of Disney’s material is indeed catered to families and children, but that doesn’t mean they make up all of the company’s audience. While places like the Magic Kingdom definitely have a more kid-centric aesthetic, Disney World has more than a few places for adults to have some fun.
Disney Adults Find Their Refuge
When some think of an adult-oriented Disney Park, images of drinking around the world at EPCOT are likely the first ones that come to mind. While that’s not an incorrect description, the true oasis for the adult audience at Disney World might just be Hollywood Studios.
EPCOT definitely has more activities and exhibits directed primarily at adults, but grownups looking to show their Disney side need look no further than where Vintage Disney, Star Wars, and more mingle together. Hollywood Studios serves as that balance between the young, wide-eyed Disney fan and the seasoned adult looking for a taste of the magic without the fluff.
This writer believes that a sign of maturation in an adult Disney Park Guest is making the transition from Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios as their Park of choice, and Disney seems to share that thought as well. Where one is clearly the stereotypical Disney fantasy, the other takes a more cinematic look at the world Walt and others created.
Related: Disney Plans Massive Animal Kingdom Expansion, Updates Given
Consider what both Parks offer. Magic Kingdom is the core experience that everyone is exposed to at a very young age, but Hollywood Studios ups the ante by incorporating bigger thrills, more venues and experiences aimed at older audiences, and less of an “animated” presence.
While Disney Junior does have it’s own little corner and Hollywood Studios also plays host to Woody and the Roundup Gang, a majority of the Park seems to have much more of an older clientele. It has a tap house, bigger thrill rides like Tower of Terror and Rock ‘N’ Rollercoaster, and more of a classic and nostalgic feel than its neighbor.
The main reason Disney Adults continue to swamp the Magic Kingdom and make disgruntled parents more annoyed is that ever-present nostalgia factor. Hollywood Studios is built on that exact same element, but it acknowledges that nostalgia is a flavor and not the main course. By incorporating things like Star Wars, Rock Bands, and vintage Disney, it blends what both age groups want out of a trip to Disney World.
As long as the company continues to be the brand fans all recognize from infancy, Disney Adults are going to be an inevitability. While they might still insight the ire of parents who’ve lost the point of Walt’s design, they’ll always remember that Disney knows no age limit.
Which Disney World Park draws you in? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!