I’m not ashamed to admit that I absolutely love Disney movies. As a little kid with a big imagination, the magical worlds created by the Walt Disney team kept me spellbound while feeding into my own daydreams/creative musings. Even now, at 21, I still take pleasure in going back and re-watching some of my favorite classics, like "The Lion King" or "The Aristocats" (I’ve always had a strange affinity for stories that include talking animals). I love singing along with the familiar, catchy songs and reminiscing about my childhood memories.
But watching Disney as an adult can be a bit of a challenging and cringe-worthy experience at times. You realize there was a lot of stuff you missed or didn’t understand as a child, most of which tends to be rather unpleasant. Like the use of negative, racist-leaning stereotypes in some of the movies, or the annoying gender norms reinforced, or even just straight-out sexual innuendos that can either be hilarious or extremely disturbing. You might also begin to comprehend better some of the more positive messages or lessons woven into your favorite Disney tales.
I’m always curious to know what lessons or “morals of the story” people take away from what they are watching or reading. Disney is especially interesting because you can come back to a piece that you haven’t watched since you were a kid and have a new and deeper understanding of what the story was trying to get across. I think that sharing with others what we took away from watching Disney movies or other films is a way to bridge gaps and create a common dialogue between people.
In the spirit of contributing to that dialogue, I would like to share some of my own takeaways and lessons offered by Disney movies. Ones that I have come to love partially because of their messages.
1. A little positive thinking can go a long way ("Mary Poppins").
Just like Mary Poppins tells the Banks children, “just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down.” So does a little bit of optimism, and thinking on the positive side goes towards helping you get through some of life’s most difficult or tedious trials.
Watching "Mary Poppins" again more recently, I was reminded of how valuable this message is for both children and adults alike. Being able to find ways to make a task or problem that you’re stuck on into something that can be both an interesting and fun challenge for you is an invaluable skill to have. I often find that when I engage in this type of positive mental exercise, I can get a lot more tasks done in a shorter amount of time.
2. Stay curious about what you don’t know ("Tarzan").
In the movie "Tarzan," Jane Porter and her father's curiosity about Tarzan’s lifestyle leads them to become advocates for the jungle and its inhabitants. (They end up stopping an evil poacher from killing off Tarzan’s ape family.) I think this says something to the power of curiosity towards the “other” or "unknown." Often we are afraid of what we don’t know, but we tend to lose our fear of people whom we see as different or “other” when we take the chance to learn about them and their own cultures. In some cases, like with Jane and her father, we may even come to respect and deeply care about other cultures and their experiences.
I think if we want to grow as people, we have to be willing to challenge our own worldviews and ask questions of ourselves and others. It’s easier for people to be controlled by others if they remain ignorant of the world around them. If we want to tackle things like racism or Islamophobia, we are going to need to understand the power that curiosity has in ending ignorance.
3. Anyone can be a hero ("Treasure Planet").
"Treasure Planet" is one of the less well-known Disney movies, but it’s one of my all-time favorites. It’s basically the plot of the classic book “Treasure Island,” but set in space instead of the Caribbean. The main character, Jim, is a sullen teenager being raised by his mother, an innkeeper. For most of his life, Jim has been told that he’s a failure who will never amount to anything. That changes when he meets Silver, the "cook.” Silver tells Jim that he has “the makings of greatness” and encourages him to believe in himself and his own abilities.
Despite the fact that everyone sees Jim as a nobody, he takes Silver’s words to heart and ends up saving friends, becoming a hero in the process. I think that just like Jim does at the start of the movie, a lot of people underestimate their potential to be heroes in their own lives. You don’t have to be big or strong to make a difference in another person’s life. Jim certainly wasn’t -- he was just a teenager.
I think this is why I love this movie so much. Jim shows how you don’t have to have a superpower or be rich and famous to be a hero. You just have to believe in yourself.
4. There is nothing wrong with being who you are ("Mulan").
I think this is one of the most powerful messages that I have received from both Disney and my parents. Being yourself can be really hard, especially when you're being bullied or shunned because of it.
In the movie "Mulan," the character Mulan is shunned by Chinese society because of her outspoken personality. She ends up risking her life to save her father by impersonating a male soldier in the Chinese imperial army. Eventually, she is accepted by her family and fellow soldiers for the fierce and outspoken woman that she is.
Being true to herself and her own values/principles ultimately helped Mulan find happiness and acceptance in her life. I think that if we try to do the same in our lives, we might be able to find the same things that she did.
5. Your real family are the ones who won’t give up on you ("Lilo & Stitch").
Lilo tells her sister Nani, “Ohana means family, and family means no one gets left behind or forgotten.” Your family is the one group of people who will always love you no matter who you are. Their love is unconditional and shouldn’t have to come with strings attached.
Even if you don’t have any family by blood, there are people out there who love you just as much as any family member would/should. People who won’t give up on you, just like Lilo wouldn’t give up on Stitch and her sister Nani wouldn’t give up on her. Those are the people whom you should really consider your family. The ones who will always have your back, even as they might be challenging you and pushing you to be/do your best.
These are just a few of the Disney movies I really liked as a kid that had some insightful lessons to offer my childhood self. Watching these movies again as an adult has made me realize just how universal Disney actually is. Everyone takes away their own lessons and insights when they watch Disney movies, and these change when you watch them again as an adult. I’m curious to know what others have come up with.
What are your favorite Disney movies, and what are some of the insights/lessons you have picked up from them? If you haven’t watched any Disney for a while, then I urge you to go back and take a look. Maybe you’ll discover something new about yourself in the process.
