Disney-Pixar really knows how to tell a story with each movie that they present. It’s amazing how they portray such real and relatable situations in their movies, whether it’s moving across the country or being jealous of your peers. Every single one of their movies has a lesson hidden among the story line, and here are six of my favorites. Warning: there may be spoilers throughout the listicle (but, let's be real, we've all seen these movies).
1. "Finding Dory" -- It’s OK to have flaws.
We all have imperfections that we are self-conscious about. "Finding Dory" presents us with an equally flawed character. Dory suffers from “short-term remember loss," and throughout the movie, it is evident that she is unhappy with her flaw. However, toward the end of the film, she comes to realize that her memory loss is what makes her unique, and she begins to notice that her imperfection is a strength. And she also realizes that the people (or rather, sea creatures) around her love her for who she is, flaws and all.
2. "The Good Dinosaur" -- Accept and love others, no matter what they look like.
The unlikely friendship that exists between Arlo the dinosaur and Spot the human speaks volumes. At first, Arlo was scared of the wild human, but nature forced them to go on a wild adventure together. The friendship develops throughout the film, and Arlo’s fear and ignorance slowly fade away as he spends more time with Spot. Their relationship really starts to flourish once they embrace one another’s differences. Toward the end of the movie, the emotional connection that the two have is quite evident, and it's heartbreaking to see them separated. Now if only that could happen in real life, among the same species. I'm looking at you, humans.
3. "Inside Out" -- It’s OK to be emotional sometimes.
Emotions are part of what makes us human; there is no need to be happy all the time. "Inside Out" teaches us that sometimes, we need to be angry in order to sense injustices. We need to feel disgust and fear when we experience certain things (like broccoli) to keep us safe. And most importantly, we need to experience a little bit of sadness in our lives, because this makes those happy moments seem so much better. Like I said, it's totally okay for you to not be happy all the time. And the fact that this movie stars Amy Poehler is a plus.
4. "Ratatouille" and "The Incredibles" -- You do you, now matter what anyone says.
Remy the rat knows how to make a mean dish of linguine. He has an ardent passion for cooking, but his father and the entire world would rather see him miles away from a kitchen. That doesn't stop him from pursuing his dream, though. Remy demonstrates persistence and perseverance throughout the film, and this includes blocking out those people (and rats) who say that he can't do it. He ends up cooking in a fine-dining restaurant, and he's better than any human out there (sorry, Gordon Ramsay). And let's not forget about "The Incredibles." The government has forced the Supers into the shadows. They are legally prevented from fighting crime, even though it's in their nature. And Bob Parr isn't having it. He has these amazing superpowers, and he's tired of being told what to do with them. So naturally, he and his super family use their powers to stop some little dweeb from destroying the world. If that's not enough fuel to get you thinking about changing the world, I don't know what is.
5. "Monsters, Inc." -- Get to know someone before you judge him or her.
Although it may seem silly to us, the monsters in this parallel city are deathly afraid of human children and their white socks (see: 2319). That is, until they get to know one of them. For some reason, Mike and Sully believed that Boo was terrifying. However, we get to see how their relationship evolves throughout the movie. Any sort of ignorance on Mike and Sully's part is completely gone by the end. They learn to see Boo as a friend rather than a threat. Like Mike and Sully, we learn that the only things we need to be afraid off are snake-things like Randall.
6. The "Toy Story" Series-- We're all in this together.
The "Toy Story" series is the queen of all Pixar movies. It addresses the hard truth of growing up, and it gives people a lesson on teamwork. At first, Woody wasn't a big fan of Buzz; he thought he was going to replace him, and he became extremely jealous. However, as Buzz and Woody grew closer and the series developed, we saw that teamwork was always an essential part of the story of these toys. The audience saw selflessness, sacrifice, love, jealousy, emotion, and much more in these movies. The essence of friendship, collaboration, and unity was presented to us with beings that aren't even human. That just goes to show how well the people at Disney-Pixar are doing their jobs.
