A superfan who met his wife at Disneyland and visits the resort at least once a week for date nights has said the park “feels like home” despite the stigma attached to being a ‘Disney adult’.
Stevie Fernando, a freelance illustrator and videographer who lives in Irvine, California, said his “earliest memories” involve watching the Disney classics on VHS in the 90s.
Since then, the content creator has accumulated all the Disney films on VHS and watches one every day while working or relaxing at home, and he has more than 30 collectables, including figurines and posters.
Stevie, 32, remembers visiting Disneyland once or twice a year with his family when he was younger, but since 2011 he has bought and renewed an annual pass, which can cost up to 1,749 US dollars (£1,340), and he now goes to the resort at least once a week either alone, for date nights or to meet up with friends.
He even met his wife Allie, 29, who works for a tech company, at Disneyland – with the couple choosing a version of the song A Whole New World from Aladdin for their first dance at their wedding in 2019.
Stevie launched his Instagram page @disneylivin on Instagram. in 2012, which now has 106,000 followers, and celebrities such as Jim Cummings, the voice of Winnie the Pooh and Tigger; Dick Van Dyke, who played Bert in Mary Poppins; and Linda Larkin, the voice of Jasmine in Aladdin, have interacted with his content.
Although he said there is stigma attached to being a “Disney adult”, he said he wants to embrace being a “Disney nerd” and bring joy and nostalgia to others.
He told PA Real Life: “Walt himself was the biggest kid there is. I mean, there’s so much footage of him at the parks, just acting like a kid.
“That’s the beauty of Disney, I think, you can still resonate with that childlike spirit. It brings you back to the simple days of your youth.
“It’s a 100-year-old company, so I think there’s something from every generation that people can resonate with and remember, and they can bring it back to being a kid.”
Stevie’s earliest memories involve watching Disney films on VHS in his living room in the 90s, with his favourites being Aladdin (1992) and The Lion King (1994).
He said the art, animation and storylines “resonated” with him from a young age and it was the films that first “sparked” his love for Disney.
“I don’t remember an afternoon where my parents didn’t pop a tape in for me in the living room, so those are some of my earliest memories of Disney,” he said.
“Another one of my earliest memories is going to the movie theatre and seeing The Lion King on the big screen.”
Stevie still has a VHS player and said he puts a Disney film on every day, mostly in the background while he is working, as they are a “comfort” to him.
He said he now has the whole collection of Disney films on tape, which he said are priceless and his most valuable possessions, and he has accumulated many collectables over the years.
These include his “quirkiest” item – a miniature working monorail system, which runs around his Disney-themed office – along with figures of characters such as Goofy, Pumbaa, Mickey Mouse and Mulan.
“The VHS tapes are literally all the tapes from my childhood… and you can’t put a price on that,” Stevie said.
Stevie said he has visited Disneyland in California every year since he can remember – with home videos capturing him at the resort aged one – but now he visits the park at least once a week.
Given it is just a 20-minute drive away, he will either go alone to enjoy the ambience and rides and create content, to meet his friends and family there or to go on date nights.
“When I go by myself to Disneyland, even now, it’s like my happy place,” he said.
“It’s a whole community – it’s the place we go for hangout nights, date nights. It really does feel like home to me.”
Stevie said he has consistently bought an annual pass since 2011, and his total number of trips to the resort is now in “the thousands”.
He even met his wife Allie at Disneyland in December 2013 – although the location in the park was not the most romantic.
“We met at Disneyland on Main Street, and I asked her to be my girlfriend in Disneyland as well,” Stevie said.
“I would say it couldn’t get more romantic, but we met in front of a trash can – a random spot.
“So anytime we go, we’ll stand in front of that trash can and make jokes, but when I asked her to be my girlfriend, I did it in front of the castle, so I redeemed it.”
Stevie then proposed to Allie at the Great Park in Irvine with an Up-themed scrapbook, which contained the ring, and the couple got married on January 26 2019.
“A Whole New World is actually my wife and I’s first dance song – not the original version, it was a cover,” Stevie said.
“She loves that movie as well and we would always listen to it on our date nights.”
Stevie, who is a D23 member – the official Disney fan club – launched his Instagram page in 2012 “out of pure fandom” and, since then, his following has gradually increased.
However, in the last six months, he said he has gone from having 6,000 to more than 100,000 followers, with one of his most popular videos about Lilo & Stitch receiving 33 million views.
He said he loves content creating and is considering making it his full-time job.
“I’ve video edited since I was 13, so I’ve always been interested in content creating – and pairing that with my love for Disney is honestly like a dream come true,” he said.
Stevie, who can do Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck impressions, said he is incredibly “grateful” for everyone’s support, and he wants to continue creating videos and content for the foreseeable future.
Stevie said he believes anyone of any age can fall in love with Disney, and now his ultimate dream is to collaborate with Disney or join the elite Club 33 – a private membership club.
“Disneyland is a happy place for me – it’s a place where I can be alone in my thoughts, recharge, be inspired and come up with creative ideas,” he explained.
“The stories they tell are powerful and, even if you’ve never heard of Disney in your life… I think it could resonate with any age.
“The nostalgia and that childlike wonder of it is a powerful thing.”
