People often ask me why I can watch movies like The Little Mermaid and Tangled over and over because they are "kids movies." This is completely untrue! Walt Disney claimed that he made movies for everyone, not just children. Although I am a child at heart, these movies do not only entertain us with very well-written stories, songs and characters, they teach us lessons. In my opinion, if adults watched more Disney movies, they'd learn a lot about how to treat people and how to be a good person.
So in the spirit of trying to spread some more pure Disney magic, I thought that I'd talk about Disney movies that I love and tell you about why I love them and what I learned from them. I carry these lessons with me in everyday life and they have helped shape me into the person that I am today, not only a Disnerd but a person who lives life every day trying to make it better than it was the day before.
With that said, here we go!
A is for:
ALADDIN: Aladdin was my favorite movie growing up and still is my favorite Disney movie to this day, sharing its coveted spot with Peter Pan; but that's for another blog. Aladdin truly shows you that changing who you are to impress someone else or get them to like you, doesn't work. Jasmine loved Aladdin even though he was a street rat and hated who he was when he pretended to be a prince. Basically, this movie taught me to stay true to myself.
When you talk about Aladdin, you cannot forget Robin Williams' unforgettable character, Genie. Aladdin made a promise to set Genie free with his third and final wish. However, when he didn't keep his word, Jafar ended up being Genie's new master and taking over Agrabah. Aladdin learned his lesson, of course and set Genie free in the final moments of the movie. Here, Aladdin shows us that keeping our promises is important and that doing so helps us define our character.
B is for:
BEAUTY AND THE BEAST: This movie is regarded as one of Disney's most treasured films, as it should be. Although I was afraid of the beast for a while during my younger years, I still loved Belle. I always felt a really big connection to her. Belle was so much like me: brunette, hazel-eyed and a bookworm that felt like she didn't belong in her home town. Despite how different she was from everyone else and how they treated her because of it, she never changed for anyone. She taught me that no matter what, loving myself is more important than being just like everyone else.
It also taught the important message to look beyond appearances and not be judgmental. Nobody could blame Belle for being afraid of the beast when she first met him because he portrayed himself as the monster he was cursed to be. However, she was able to look past everything and get to know him for who he truly was, thus allowing him to fall in love with her. They both accepted each other and they both understood each other in a way that nobody else did. In the end, of course, true love conquered all and the beast turned back into Prince Adam. (Yes, he does have a name.)
C is for:
CINDERELLA: Ah, Cinderella, Disney's classic film. I had this movie on repeat when I was a kid, although I would fast-forward past the part where the step-sisters ripped her dress; I just couldn't stand to see Cinderella cry like that. I always used to wonder why Cinderella didn't just leave or tell her step-family to stop bossing her around but I realized that she had nowhere else to go. And staying there didn't make her weak; it made her strong for being able to put up with everything that she did and still remain kind towards the world. No matter what, she never stopped believing that things would get better and she never stopped being kind. To me, that says a lot about her character and just how special she was. Cinderella also taught me that karma is powerful because in the end, she did win and she did get the happily ever after that she always dreamed of, while her step-family ended up miserable and longing for the life that she now had.
Cinderella also taught me the power of friendship. Her animal friends were always there to help her. They made her dress for the ball, they pulled her carriage and they helped get her out of the locked attic at the end of the movie. She didn't even have to ask for them to do that, they just did it out of loyalty to her and their strong, everlasting friendship. Friendship is truly an underrepresented part in this film. Everyone talks about the ball, her slipper and her fancy dress while I think the most beautiful part of the film was Cinderella's relationships with the other characters.
D is for:
DUMBO: The beginning of Dumbo always breaks my heart. The scenes with his mother just bring tears to my eyes! But when everyone thinks of Dumbo, they don't think about his mom, they think about his ears, of course. Dumbo is teased about his ears because they're "weird" and "abnormal" and "make him look funny", to paraphrase. Simply because the other characters have never seen anything like them before, they find it comical to pick on poor, little Dumbo. Later in the movie he finds out that with the help of his ears, he can fly! Basically, the moral of the story is to be happy with what you have because sometimes something that you don't really like about yourself can be a blessing in disguise.
Also, going back to the mother for a minute, this story is also about the importance of family. Dumbo's mother is taken away and locked up in a cage for quite some time during the movie. Dumbo is very young and needs his mother to look after him and help him. Sadly, that's not an option but they do find time to be with each other, however little it may be. They appreciate the time that they have together and find comfort in each other. Nothing else matters during those moments. I cannot imagine being away from my mother, so these scenes hit me very hard and choke me up. So in short, Dumbo taught me to appreciate my mother and never take her for granted because there are people in the world who don't have access to their mothers every day like I do. And I take that lesson very seriously.
So that's all for today! I hope that you enjoyed me showing you a little bit more of my nerdy side! If there's anything that you'd like to share about what you learned from these movies, feel free to leave a comment below!
Happy Wednesday!
Chelsea
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