As a child and still today, I have been someone who loves Disney and the things Disney movies have taught me. Many movies, although funny, corny and at times old-school, still have valuable lessons to teach. Many of them come as no surprise whereas some come as common sense. They all come across better when told by a princess or a fun cartoon with a big nose — people are more apt to retain the lessons this way, or so it seems.
THE LITTLE MERMAID:
"The seaweed is always greener in somebody else's lake.”
Even though you’ll constantly be wanting more out of life, take a step back and look — appreciate what you have.
ALICE IN WONDERLAND:
"Why sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast."
Every day you wake up and it’s a new day, a day that brings on new chances and new adventures. So there's no reason to stop being curious, go forth and explore!
MARY POPPINS:
"Open different doors, you may find a you there that you never knew was yours, anything can happen."
Be curious about not only the world but about yourself, too. You’re important. Never stop trying to find things that interest you. You never know — you might be our next president or even the next big singing sensation. Don’t stop looking for that light inside you, it’s there. I promise.
DUMBO:
The very things that hold you down are going to lift you up.
This is a very important lesson and from such a cute movie! Because who doesn’t love an adorable elephant? And he flies, too! That’s just a bonus here. This teaches you that it's important to love yourself and accept your own flaws. Those flaws are what set you apart in this world and what make people pay attention to you. Dumbo was a baby elephant with big ears and everyone made fun of him, but nobody was laughing when he got the magic feather and started to fly, all the other animals who used to look down at him were looking up now.
FINDING NEMO:
"Just keep swimming, just keep swimming, just keep swimming."
To put it simply, do not ever give up.
ALADDIN:
"You’re only a fool if you give up."
Believe in yourself, it may sound hard but you are strong, you have the world in front of you.
LADY & THE TRAMP: "There’s a great big hunk of the world down there with no fence around it."
A push to keep moving forward and trying new things in life — no matter what you’ll be led down the right path.
JUNGLE BOOK:
"And don’t spend your time lookin’ around for something you want that can’t be found."
In this life, we spend some much time looking for things that we don’t really need. What we really need to do is just let the necessities come to us for a while. Although that may seem hard to do, just sit around and wait. Good things do indeed come to those who wait.
SLEEPING BEAUTY:
"They say if you dream a thing more than once, it’s sure to come true."
It just takes a little self-assurance once in awhile to see what you are capable of. You can do wonderful things if you set your mind to it.
THE FOX & THE HOUND:
"Darlin,’ forever is a long, long time, and time has a way of changing things."
This is a very hard lesson from one of Disney’s older movies. But it's true, you can’t always get what you want. Still, life has a habit of changing at the most unexpected times and causing the most unexpected things. They could either be in your favor or not, but the way you choose to handle those things is up to you.
PETER PAN:
"Think happy thoughts / you can fly, you can fly, you can fly!"
I felt like this deserved both of these quotes and rightfully so. When it comes to think happy thoughts, even when things are bad, it may seem like it takes a lot to think about happy things or even smile just a little bit but if you do, it changes the course of everything. You can accomplish the smallest of things, even flying if you think positively. In terms of You can fly, you can fly, you can fly! It’s as the quote implies, you can do anything you set your mind to, no matter how impossible it seems — it may take you a little longer than expected but that doesn’t mean it won’t happen!
BAMBI:
"If you cannot say anything nice, don’t say nothing at all"
Who would’ve thought that our little friend Thumper would be imparting so much wisdom on us at such a young age? Enough said.
