Great post. I want to be clear, I do not want to be dismissive of how people react to the experience, intended or not. That's a personal matter and that's how these mediums work, you're right. I look at it for what it is at face value. This is a kids movie. Not Shakespeare. Disney do not like multi layer story elements in 90 minute movies. Lee even spoke of this to a room of adults where I am sure they would feel comfortable talking about these interpretations if there were indeed some truth to them. But they don't.
There are two sides to the art form, the creators side and then what the audience does with the material once it's in their hands so to speak. I think you are merely highlighting to me the importance of the latter.
You're right, Disney films do tend to lay everything on the table at face value. But, to be fair, Disney films also never receive the sort of post-mortem or tell all director's commentary that other studios (even on family films) allow. It's very rare that you might hear a piece of behind the scenes trivia of the subtext of a scene in a Disney movie, or how cathartic it was for the filmmaker's to bring a certain scene to life because of a critical moment in the director's life or something similar. We get a little of it from Pixar occasionally, and it's always appreciated, but also never enough to influence our personal interpretations of their films.
I don't mean to say anything on behalf of Disney or the filmmakers, but I believe that is entirely a conscious decision not to divulge any of that sort of information, should it exist, simply because Disney films are as wide-reaching and, as largely considered, universal as they are. The studio are aware of people's reactions to their films, the "Disney Magic", and the way the films stay with people throughout their lives in various ways. It seems counter intuitive to share that kind of subtext beyond how it affects the story or the film itself because it would ruin people's personal interpretations of certain lines, scenes, messages, and arcs.
I guess what I mean to say is I would never expect the filmmakers from Disney to admit to any hidden meaning in any of their films for fear of diluting the story, or discrediting the audience's takeaway and/or enjoyment of the piece.
There ARE two sides to the art form, for sure, but as far as Disney goes, we rarely get much of the creators side beyond the technical aspects or clear story elements. Interpretation isn't usually discussed, but personally, with these films, I kind of enjoy that. We, as the audience, can put as much weight and depth into a Disney film as we want, and the filmmakers will rarely tell us if we're right or wrong.