Disney Dystopia

I sighed from joy as I got in the line for splash mountain. It was a good thing Disneyland had long lines, because it would be hard to handle all the happiness otherwise!

“Mom?”

I looked down. “Yes Simba?”

“I’m thirsty,” Simba whined.

“Me too,” agreed Rapunzel.

“Is it because we’re in line for a water ride?” I asked, chuckling.

“Maybe,” Simba said.

“Well, we can go get a drink after, okay?”

“Okay!”

He walked away and started swinging on the banister. Rapunzel frowned at something and tugged on my shirt.

“Hey mom, who’s that?” Rapunzel asked, pointing.

I followed her gaze. There, only a couple hundred meters away, was Shrek. I gasped.

“Who is it mom?”

I shook my head, “I shouldn’t say his name.” Ever since Disney had taken over the entire entertainment market, every non-Disney movie was banned. Even if it was from a studio owned by Disney.

“He kinda looks like a big, ugly frog,” Simba said.

After my initial shock faded, I realized it wasn’t actually Shrek. It was just a man in a Shrek costume. The costume seemed to be very old, and it was falling apart. I heard him yelling something, and I strained to hear it.

“Death to Disney!” Shrek proclaimed, “Let creativity flow!”

As I stared at Shrek, dozens of other banned movies from my childhood came to mind. I remembered that there used to be books other than Disney fan fiction. Video games that weren’t Disney themed. How had I forgotten? I began hearing mumbles from those around me.

“I used to watch Marvel movies with my friends!”

“They took away a book I’d been writing for years.”

“I forgot why all my shelves were empty, I just went and bought Disney junk to fill them!”

One comment hushed the rest of us.

“My daughter! They took away my daughter because her name was Astrid! And then I forgot about her!”

Then it all came back. My friends, my family, my teachers. So many of them had non-Disney names, and they had all disappeared. The rest of us never looked for them. I remembered my school felt so empty after they were gone, but I couldn’t remember if it had ever been more full. I was one of the lucky ones. My name was in some obscure Disney short, so I was allowed to stay. What had happened to all those other people?

The people around me started calling out the names of lost loved ones. My children clung to me, terrified. They had never known anything but Disney. When we left here, I would tell them about the past. A world where people could create whatever they wanted. A world where I had lots of friends, and a big family. A world where we were free.

I could see people moving towards Shrek, and they started yelling with him. If not for my kids, I would have joined them.

Something caught my eye. Security guards. I watched, horrified, as they used their clubs to beat through the crowd, trying to get to Shrek. Some people saw the clubs and hurried out of the way. Many blocked them, not willing to submit. Not again. The security guards casually hit them aside, as though they weighed nothing. Before long, they were dragging Shrek away. One guard threw something grey and round in the air. I watched as it flew up, then slowed and plummeted towards the ground. Then, it shattered—

I blinked and looked around. I felt like there had been something I had just been doing, but I had no idea what it was.

“Mom, I’m thirsty!” Simba said.

Oh! That must have been it.

“We can get a drink afterwards.” I said. I picked up Simba, grabbed Rapunzel’s hand, and stepped forward in line.