The Power and Peculiar Psychology of ‘Disney Adults’

The Town with Matthew Belloni

The Ringer

Society & Culture

4.3 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 14 August 2025

⏱️ 30 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

Matt is joined by A.J. Wolfe, creator of the website Disney Food Blog and author of a new book, ‘Disney Adults: Exploring (And Falling In Love With) A Magical Subculture’. They dive into the "Disney adult" culture and its growing community, how Disney caters to this specific demo, the millennial connection, and thoughts on Josh D'Amaro, as well as the power this community has over Disney (02:28). Matt finishes the show with a prediction on the ratings for the 'Kennedy Center Honors’ broadcast on CBS later this year (26:51). For a 20 percent discount on Matt’s Hollywood insider newsletter, ‘What I’m Hearing ...,’ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠click here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Email us your thoughts! ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠thetown@spotify.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Host: Matt Belloni Guest: A.J. Wolfe Producers: Craig Horlbeck and Jessie Lopez Theme Song: Devon Renaldo Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hey, it's Danny Kelly and it's officially fantasy football season, which means the
0:04.0	Ringer Fantasy Football Show is back with the latest news from around the NFL and everything
0:08.0	you need to get ready for the fantasy football season. So join us at the Ringer Fantasy Football
0:12.6	Show on Spotify or on our new YouTube channel.
0:18.5	It is Wednesday, August 13. Heading into Disney's earnings reveal last week, a lot of people were worried that its Parks and Experiences Division would take a hit due to the Trump tariffs and the new competition in Florida from Universal's Epic Universe Park.
0:32.6	Turns out the Disney domestic parks revenue jumped 10% to $6.4 billion in the quarter.
0:39.4	That also includes the popular Disney cruise line.
0:42.0	The international numbers were equally strong.
0:44.4	A big reason for that can be explained with two words, Disney adults.
0:49.1	These are grown-up men and women who for the most part do not have children and yet
0:53.1	return to the theme parks
0:54.5	over and over again, often as annual passholders. These superfans, the Disney nerds, the addicts,
1:01.1	whatever you want to call them, you probably know one. Producer Jesse on this show is a proud
1:05.1	Disney adult. We'll talk to him. Disney adults have always been a powerful subset of the company's
1:10.5	customers.
1:11.0	Even back in the 1930s, Walt was selling Mickey watches for kids and adults.
1:16.1	When he launched Disneyland in 1955, he said,
1:18.9	You're dead if you only aim for kids.
1:21.8	But recently, thanks to social media and the pandemic,
1:24.4	when the Disney fandom really transitioned online,
1:27.1	and the fact that millennials and Gen Z are starting families later in life, if at all,
1:31.8	Disney increasingly caters to this demo that is looking not for a way to entertain their kids,
	...

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