By Angelica Mozol, Staff Writer
Nostalgic is the best word to describe how this year has been in the world of entertainment. Just in 2019 alone, we’ve seen bands announcing their comebacks, movies being remade, Netflix striking a multi-million dollar deal with Nickelodeon, and the launch of Disney+ which aims to steal our hearts, phone space and cash by cataloging all the shows and movies that we’ve all grown up with.
For example, the Jonas Brothers had one hell of a year. In February, the Jonas Brothers took to social media with the announcement of their comeback and new studio album after a six year hiatus. In June, their fifth studio album “Happiness Begins” was released.
On Halloween day, My Chemical Romance revealed their long-awaited return and the following day, Rage Against the Machine were set to reunite once more after a nine-year hiatus.
After months of teasers and unveils, streaming services were not the only ones to hop on the nostalgia train. Movie go-ers flocked to theaters to see the reboots of classics like The Lion King, Aladdin, Child’s Play, Halloween and It.
But who cares right? And why does this old stuff matter? Well, with new trends comes great nostalgia and curiosity. Nostalgia has been a common trend and millenials somehow ended up as the nostalgic generation.
Video games are another medium that has caught the nostalgia bug as some classic titles are being revamped too. Some of my personal favorites that I remember playing were Spyro, Crash Bandicoot, Pokemon and The Legend of Zelda series. Along with the once trending hashtags #ThrowbackThursday and #FlashbackFriday becoming popular back in 2012 according to Digital Trends.
Engineering major, Sandy Nate, explains how seeing the return of former bands and shows ranges on a “span of emotion and surprise” especially for the people who have been long-time fans prior to the breakup or simply ended up falling in love with a show that got the boot. It now provided fans, new and old, an opportunity to see them live and see what new content would be created.
“I think the accessibility of some older things to stream is convenient to get a nice nostalgic kick,” Jorge Cruz, criminal law major, said. He goes on to express how the most recent Star Wars show The Mandalorian has been one of the few Star Wars additions that has caught his interest.
These bands and shows were a big part of my childhood. I grew up watching all these different shows and movies on Disney Plus like That’s So Raven, Lilo & Stitch, Fantasia, and so many more. One thing that I can remember was flipping between Disney Channel and MTV making sure I could watch my show while making sure I didn’t miss any music video premiere on TRL. That was my life and it was a much simpler time where I could find new music to listen to and new shows to look out for.
With all the new bits of nostalgia in the media, there’s always going to be the memories of all these that will carry on.
