Let’s face it: We’re never too old to watch Disney movies. They bring us back to our childhood. My favorite movie as a little girl was Beauty and the Beast. Okay, it still is. I would watch it over and over and was even Belle for Halloween one year. What we don’t realize when we’re young is what these movies are teaching us. Some believe that there’s more bad than good in Disney movies, but I’m telling you the opposite. In each classic movie, there is an important message that we can all use in our everyday lives.
1. “A Dream is a Wish your Heart Makes” – Cinderella
We watch as Cinderella goes from being bossed around by her ugly stepsisters and her awful stepmother to being the prettiest princess in all the land. She was tormented by her stepsisters’ getting ready for the ball, and she kept wishing she could go. Her fairy godmother came to her rescue and BOOM! She met her Prince Charming. What do we take away from this, you ask? Never stop believing in your dreams. Granted, not all of us have fairy godmothers (although they would come in handy); eventually all of our dreams will come true. Just as Cinderella said, “If you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.”
2. “There May Be Something There That Wasn’t There Before” – Beauty and the Beast
Belle gets trapped in an enchanted castle. Luckily for her, she’s far out of reach of that creeper Gaston. However, she is stuck in a house with a talking teapot, a dancing candlestick, and a hideous Beast. At first, the Beast was not so appealing. He had his guard up and lashed out at Belle for ridiculous reasons. Soon, as the last petal of the rose dropped, they fell in love. Once the Beast let his guard down, Belle saw something in him that she didn’t see before. This goes hand in hand with never judging a book by its cover. You never know how great a person can be on the inside by what they look like on the outside.
3. “Part of your World” – The Little Mermaid
Ariel is Daddy’s little mermaid princess. Who can keep track of her other than Sebastian? She’s always off on adventures and ends up falling in love with a human! She has everything she can ever ask for but wants nothing more than to be part of the world where people dance on their feet. She trades her voice with the evil Ursula for legs. The lesson we should all take away from this is sometimes, for love, you have to make sacrifices. She hadn’t even exchanged words with this human, and she took a chance, left her family, traded her voice, and ended up falling in love with a prince. Taking a risk might be worth it. You’ll never know unless you try.
4. “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” – Toy Story
One of the most beloved Disney movies of all time offers one of the most valuable lessons we can ever learn. Be a friend. Woody was Andy’s favorite toy until Buzz came along. They became what we call “frenemies” and eventually, they became best friends. Buzz helped save Woody from Al in Toy Story 2. In Toy Story 3, Woody showed his loyalty to his friends and to Andy by helping all the toys back to their owner. Through good times and bad, these toys stuck together and welcomed newcomers with open arms. So, always remember, really be a friend to someone. Help them in their time of need, and laugh with them during the good times. There’s nothing more valuable in life than friends.
5. “When Will My Life Begin” – Tangled
The newest Disney princess, and my personal favorite, has an internal issue going on. She’s stuck in this awful tower with evil Mother Gothel. Poor Rapunzel has been trapped in the tower her entire life and does the same thing every day. When her mother tells her she can’t go see the “floating lights” on her birthday, she manipulates Flynn Rider into taking her. She did not just sit back and wait for mother to let her go. She took charge of the situation, and she went to see those floating lights. We can’t all sit around and just wait for our lives to begin, all the while being stuck in the same routine. If we want something, we have to do something about it.
6. “Almost There” – The Princess and the Frog
Another newbie, Princess Tiana, had big dreams of opening up her own restaurant. She started off just working at restaurant and by the end of the movie she worked her way to having her dream restaurant. With a little hard work and dedication, Tiana accomplished her dream. We should never forget that nothing comes easy. We all have to start somewhere to become something. It takes hard work and dedication to accomplish something great! When putting in the time hitting the books, remember that it’s all to accomplish something great in the end!
7. “Hakuna Matata” – The Lion King
What a WONDERFUL phrase! It’s the problem-free philosophy! Timon and Pumba help little Simba stop worrying his little brain. After Simba ran away from his family, all he did was worry. That is no way for a little cub to spend his life! It’s no way for us to spend our lives either! Don’t sweat the small stuff! Worrying about every little thing will only stress you out! Most things in life are not worth worrying about. Live by the “Hakuna Matata” motto, and everything will become a lot less stressful. It means no worries for the rest of your days!
8. “A Spoonful of Sugar Helps the Medicine Go Down” – Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins taught us some very valuable lessons, believe it or not. My favorite one that Mary taught us was “a spoonful of sugar can help the medicine go down!” All this means is that no matter we do, finding the fun in everything will make it more enjoyable. This might seem more difficult than it really is. In Mary Poppins, she teaches the children that cleaning up their toys can be a game – and games are fun! Never let something that may not seem fun suck the life out of you! Find a way to make it fun, and it will no longer become work. “In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun!”
9. “Reflection” – Mulan
Mulan sends a powerful message out to us girls. She loses herself in what her family expects of her. When she looks into the lake at her reflection, she doesn’t know who she’s looking at. Her reflection is nothing what she is like inside. She’s unconfident in who her family is making her to be. We should all be confident in ourselves, no matter what. Everyone has something unique about them, and we should all embrace it. It’s what makes us special. Never lose sight of who you are as a person.
10. “A Whole New World” – Aladdin
Aladdin and Jasmine are another one of Disney’s royal couples who went through some turbulence. Aladdin lied to Jasmine and told her that he, too, was royalty. As orders from Jasmine’s father, she could only marry royalty. When Jasmine found out that Aladdin wasn’t really royalty, she still liked him just has much as she did before. What we can take out of this is that Aladdin went from having nothing to having everything. He did not let anything change him. We should never let success, love, or money change who we are as people.