Being born in the 1990s, it is not surprising that I am obsessed with everything Disney. For those of us 90s babies, the obsession is kind of expected of us. We were, after all, born very soon after Disney’s animation Renaissance. It was during this time when Disney Studios returned to creating beautiful animated films based on well-known stories, arguably making it Disney’s most successful period for animated features. It is this period that gave us some of the most beloved films of all time: The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and many more to add to the arsenal of cherished classics, such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, Cinderella, and Peter Pan.
The reason all of these films are so loved and timeless is that they, and fairytales in general, provide something that, in a world full of stresses, is so vitally important: An escape. These stories transport us to another world and, even if it is just for an hour or two, allow us to breathe and forget all of our problems. This is a wonderful thing, but what I love most is that no matter the story they tell, all of these films, old and new, have one essential thing in common: They contain something to be learned. They each provide little nuggets of wisdom from which everyone can benefit. And that is what this series is about. All the life lessons that these wonderful films, which occupy such a special place in all of our hearts have to offer. So, let us start at the beginning with Walt Disney Studios first animated feature film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
1. Vanity and jealousy are not worth your time.
The conflict of this story comes from The Evil Queen’s jealousy of Snow White’s beauty. She spends the entirety of the film obsessing over this and doing everything she can to ensure that she will be the fairest in the land. But, if she didn’t care, think about all of the things that she could have accomplished. She could have put her energy into being a benevolent ruler in her kingdom. After all, she is the Queen, and yet we never see her do any actual ruling. She could have been spending her time improving the lives of her people. Or better yet, she could have tried to build a healthy, loving relationship with her step-daughter instead of a toxic one. But instead, she let her vanity and jealousy consume her and it ultimately led to her downfall. Now, I know we all get jealous sometimes, but in the end, it is just not worth it.
2. Love yourself!
Despite all of the terrible things she does, I cannot help but feel a little bad for the Queen. If we ignore her high social status and her magical powers, by today’s standards, she’s really nothing more than a bully. And bullies are never mean just for the sake of being mean. It is always the case that they are unhappy with themselves or something in their lives and they take it out on others. It is likely that the Queen does not really hate Snow White. She just lashes out at her because she does not love herself. She spends the whole film comparing her beauty to Snow’s. And where does it end up getting her? Dead. We all come in an infinite number of shapes and sizes and we are all beautiful in our own special way. Don’t spend time comparing yourself to others. It will only end up making you feel worse about yourself. Love yourself for who you are. It will make you and everyone around you much happier!
3. Do not accept food stuffs from strangers.
Okay, this one is a given. As we all know, Snow accepts the apple from a stranger (the Queen in disguise) and it makes her more or less dead. No matter how wonderful the food or drink looks/smells, how kind and innocent the person seems, and the magical things they say the food item will do for you (this would probably be your hint to run away as fast as you can), don’t eat it! No matter what. Just don’t do it. You’ll thank me later.
4. Do not leave your keys out in the open.
Did anyone else ever notice that when the dwarfs head home at the end of the day, Dopey locks the vault and then leaves the key on a nail right next to the door, out in the open for anyone to walk by and take? Granted, we never see any negative consequences of this because it is not important to the story, but still. Keep your keys on you at all times, unless of course you want someone to get into your house and steal your laptop, your money, or your room full of diamonds, if you happen to have one.
5. If you are being chased, do not go up to higher ground.
Now, I sincerely doubt that any of us will ever be in a situation where we will be chased up a mountain by seven old men and a herd of woodland creatures, but this could still hold some relevance. It’s a simple law of gravity: What goes up must come down. And if you are the one being chased up by the angry mob, I am pretty sure you are not going to like the way you come down. So, just be safe, and stick to ground level areas.
6. Learn how to be independent early.
I know that it is wonderful to have your parents cook your meals and do your laundry for you, but at some point, you should probably learn to do these things for yourself. Imagine how embarrassing it must be to be an adult and have a 14 year old princess and forest animals know how to clean a house, cook dinner and do laundry when you don’t. These are useful skills that everyone should have. And it is so rewarding when you no longer have to rely on others for basic necessities.
7. Never ignore good advice from the people you trust.
If Snow White would have listened to the dwarfs and not let any strangers in the house, she may not have succumbed to the sleeping curse in the first place. Hopefully, all the people around us want what is best for us. But sometimes, the advice they give may not be exactly what we need. You don’t have to take all the advice that anyone ever gives you, but if you love, trust and are close to the person, at least take what they have to say into strong consideration. Maybe their advice will help and maybe it won’t. But you will never know if you make their words fall on deaf ears.
8. You may find your best friends in unexpected places.
When Snow White ran into the forest, I am sure she never expected to find seven little men living in a cottage. And I am positive that she did not expect to befriend them. But these much unexpected friends turn out to be her strongest, most trusted allies. They take her in when she needs a place to stay and, although it turns out to be too late at this point, they chase away her enemy in an attempt to protect her, something that her beloved Prince Charming does not even do. And, even in sleeping death, they continue to take care of her until her prince does come to wake her up. This just goes to show that you never know where you will meet your best friends. It may be at the more obvious places like school or work. Or it could be at the grocery store. Or maybe one day, you will end up getting on the wrong bus or train and meeting someone in the same predicament. Wherever you meet them, do not discount it. You could end up being friends and allies for life.
I’m sure there are many more lessons to be learned from this film, but these are the ones that stood out to me. I hope you all can take something away from this, and until next time, stay magical!
Photo Source: http://www.fanpop.com/clubs/snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs/images/16730546/title/snow-white-seven-dwarfs-photo