For generations, Disney has been entertaining millions and bajillions of individuals, both children and adults. The stories are captivating, the characters compelling, the villains wicked as can be, and the settings quite often stunning. There was a brilliant man who identified all these traits independently of the Disney mission. This man was J.R.R. Tolkien and he wrote an essay called “On Fairy-Stories.”

The reason that the Disney movies, especially the classics, have withstood the test of time and continue to enchant people all over the world is for the simple reason that Tolkien gives....