I agree - Disney is really on kids minds again. They're doing it right now.
I remember going to
Disneyland as a kid back in the early 80s, before Little Mermaid or any of the new Disney movies. Mickey cartoons were all old. None of the movies were anything to write home about past the 1950s. Fox and the Hound, Artistocats, Rescuers, Pete's Dragon, Herbie, etc. All just so-so movies. Warner Bros was more exciting. I knew Bugs Bunny, Scooby Doo and the Smurfs much more than anything Disney. I remember seeing the Three Little Pigs walking down Main Street with Winnie the Pooh. Old! Only good for pre-school kids and their parents.
I enjoyed Disneyland, but I felt sad. I didn't know how much longer the theme park could last. It was sooooo OLD. I imagined that Disneyland had maybe 10 years left before it was closed down. Like, nobody cares about Mickey anymore! All I knew about him was re-runs of the Mickey Mouse club.
The new Disney movies - Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Lion King, Aladdin - Disney re-invigorated itself with great music and great stories. It was back. No longer just 1940s and 1950s music. New stuff now. And the Disney Channel put Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, etc. back in the mainstream.