With Disney-Pixar’s Toy Story 3 as the top-grossing film of 2010, the popularity of animated movies with “kids” of all ages has increased tremendously. From adults who grew up with these movies to children who are being introduced to them for the first time, animated movies have a solid fanbase that continues to grow.
And so it should not shock anyone that a group of college students get together to watch their favorite childhood movies every Thursday evening.
The Disney Movie Club was started by Tony Whitehead, a sophomore in electrical and computer engineering, who is also the club president. There was an identical club at Whitehead’s high school, the North Carolina School of Science and Math, and he thought it was a club worth having here as well.
The club began having meetings last semester, around October.
“It’s a way for all of us to meet people who love Disney movies and have a good time,” Whitehead said.
The usual order of events at a typical meeting is to play Disney Jeopardy, where club members split into two teams and answer difficult trivia questions pertaining to Disney films. Next, they watch the selected film for the week.
The club gained notice from students because of its advertising in the Free Expression tunnel and around campus. They decide during each meeting if and when they want to paint an advertisement.
“If we want to paint a mural, we get people to do that,” Whitehead said.
When the club showed The Lion King last semester, club members went out to the Free Expression tunnel and painted a mural that featured Simba, the main character of the film.
The club also ventured out a few weeks ago to see the new film, I Am Number Four, which is distributed by Touchstone Pictures, an alternate film label associated with Disney.
The club members all enjoy the club for many reasons, but mainly because they get to watch Disney movies and reminisce about their childhoods.
“I haven’t seen a Disney movie in forever,” said Travis Kling, a junior in history. “It’s fairly nostalgic to watch them,”
Kling also enjoys attending meetings because he likes being exposed to films he may not have seen.
“And there are, oddly enough, Disney movies that I haven’t seen,” he said.
Kling explained that he enjoys that the films that are relatively simple compared to more adult-oriented films.
“There’s so much in modern society where there’s so much innuendo. It’s a breath of fresh air,” Kling said.
Clayton Price, a freshman in electrical and computer engineering, loves watching the films because they are a part of our popular culture.
“I enjoy watching these movies,” Price said. “I mean, they’re really well known movies and they’re fun.”
Kling attended meetings of the club after being invited by Whitehead.
“I worked with Tony at summer camp and he was like, ‘Do you want to come see a Disney movie?'” Kling said.
Price was involved in the club at NCSSM along with Whitehead.
“And it’s a fun environment so I joined it here,” Price said.
Whitehead said he started the club as a way to meet new people and have fun with something everyone enjoyed.
“I figured the coolest people to meet and the one thing we would have in common is that we like Disney movies,” he said.
All of the members would encourage other students to join the club or just to attend a few meetings.
“We have an entire room. And it’s lots of fun,” Kling said. “It’s a great way to meet new people.”
”I could watch it at home on my own,” Whitehead said, “but it’s more fun to watch with a bunch of people who like Disney movies. We always have a good time.”