For years Disney has filled me with dreams, the confidence to believe in myself and the notion that anything is possible. I’m sure I’m not the only one with nostalgic and sentimental feelings toward movies like Pocahontas and Hercules. Even as a 21-year-old, I binge-watch these movies on Netflix, with the occasional glass of wine and plate of cheese, and find myself transported back to the years of grape juice boxes and Ritz crackers. It’s nice to feel like a kid sometimes, but recently I have been watching these lighthearted movies through my “young adulthood lens.” What I have found has rocked me to my core. These movies are not just fun and well crafted, but they also have a lot of incredibly wise and deep notions about life. Don’t believe me? Check out these clips and see for yourself.
The Hunchback of Notre Dame
Sure, this scene is all about not being afraid to go to a festival just because Quasi looks a little different, but there is a much more profound meaning that I never understood as a kid. Life is not a spectator sport. If you never take a risk, like go to a festival, all you do is watch your life go by. Watching this as an adult, I often cry a little because isn’t that one of our worst fears as we get older, that we have wasted the little time we have here, sitting on the sidelines?
Pocahontas
First of all, no one can deny that Grandmother Willow is hands down the best character in this movie. Besides that, however, this scene is so much more than I originally thought when I was ten years old. I always thought Grandmother Willow meant that love is not an easy path, but after further review, and having faced tougher decisions than what Lip Smackers I was going to wear that day, I know she means the right decisions in life are almost always the hard ones. Not an extremely comforting notion, but it’s good to know that maybe our dreams and subconscious, or even older and wiser family members, can sometimes help us navigate through these hard decisions.
The Incredibles
Beside the fact that this is one of my favorite movies of all time and this is my favorite scene in that movie, the message that comes out of this two-minute interaction is one for the books. This is a superhero movie, yet the value is always put on identity and not the super power. I think that is one of the best messages Disney has ever put out there, hands down. Beyond that though, Helen Park assures Violet that when the time comes, she’ll know what to do, which sounds a lot like she is referring to her powers. After watching this movie probably over a hundred times, this scene is actually referring to something different. It’s about trusting your instincts and knowing that you’re grown up enough to make those tough calls.
Alice in Wonderland
Only the first five seconds of this clip are important, but overall this is a pretty heavy scene in general. I was never a huge fan of the Alice in Wonderland movie, but the books are actually some of my favorites. Mostly because the insight on life and growing up is incredibly intelligent. At first glance the speed of this scene breezes over maybe one of the most important philosophies we should all live by: “If you don’t think, then you shouldn’t talk.” I can’t get past how important that statement is, especially in lieu of political elections where there is little thought and intelligence.
A Bug’s Life
Speaking of political, this scene is as political as it gets for Disney. I find it hard to believe that I have to explain why this scene is incredibly poignant, but I can sum it up in one word: election! If this isn’t incredibly important to watch and think about before these political elections I don’t know what else is. I know I got more out of this scene than the debates this past Monday. We are the ants, people! We are the power!