Why I Think Disney Is A Cult

I remember enjoying Disneyland and Disney movies greatly when I was a child, but recently my trips have left me a little disillusioned. I'll admit, this might be because...

1. I now have to pay for my own tickets, which sucks....
2. When you've been on 5 million roller coasters at places where the only thing the coasters have going for them is speed and how many loops they have, rides like Thunder Mountain lose their thrill.
3. I'm now old enough that I don't enjoy being banged about on roller coasters that were built ages ago.
   
4. For being the happiest place on earth, I see a lot of unhappy people at Disneyland.
   

I remember back when Disneyland was just a bunch of fun rides, back when there were fish on strings in the Yellow Submarine ride and no one had ever thought about turning Pirates of the Caribbean into a movie. It seemed like Disney was more interested in providing genuine fun - not continuously promoting other Disney products.

This shows up in more areas than just around Disneyland. The Disney classics (like Snow White, The Little Mermaid, Sleeping Beauty, etc.) have been mass marketed so much that I'm actually afraid to see any of the sequels, TV shows, or toys based on them just because they'll corrupt the childhood memories I have of when a movie was just a movie, not a ploy to steal all your money.

So here's my comparison to a cult:

What are they selling?
"Magic" - If you've ever seen Fantasmic or the fireworks show you know what I'm talking about.

What do they want from you?
It's all about money baby.

Where's the harm?
Well if you don't mind that they're corrupting children with the never-ending permutations of Disney products just begging to be bought and stealing all your money... then there is none.

I know a lot of people that are obsessed with Disneyland and will hear none of this, but every time I go and every time I see the newest version of some Disney title I used to enjoy, I cry a little bit inside. At Disneyland in particular I see a lot of people trying to buy into the "magic" and the "happiness" of it all, but when there is nearly a riot trying to get on the tram back to the parking lot, you see what's really underneath it all.