It is no secret that I am in love with animated Disney movies. I can watch them over and over again and never get bored. Even though some Disney movies came out way before my time, I still have a connection to each one that I watched during my childhood.
As I was watching possibly my favorite Disney movie, Hercules, a thought struck me: not only do Disney movies entertain us with their sinister evil villains and the passionate love stories, they also teach us important things about life. So, I made a list of five things that Disney characters actually teach us.
1. You can be a woman and kick a**.
In Mulan, she saved her father’s life by sacrificing her own. By entering the war as an undercover man, Mulan protected the one person in her life she couldn’t bear to lose. Throughout the entire Disney movie, she shows the men soldiers up, and proves to herself, and others, that she can do anything she puts her mind to. She is a true inspiration to women who want to take initiative to do what they want!
2. You don’t have to explain your odd friendships.
In Fox and the Hound, Tod and Copper are the most unlikely of friends. Even though society tries to try them apart, they find a way to get back together. They look out for one another and they care deeply about one another. Sometimes in life, people will tell you not to be friends with someone because they are “weird.” But don’t listen to those people. You can be friends with anyone who puts a smile on your face!
3. “Classy, never trashy, and a little bit sassy.”
Meg from Hercules is true to this phrase. When she enters the scene, she is automatically fierce and independent. She is not looking for anyone, especially a man, to “save” her. I may be biased, but Meg is one of my favorite Disney characters. She taught me that everyone has trust issues, but letting your guard down may lead you to happiness I especially love her line: “People do crazy things, when they’re in love.”
4. Be careful what you wish for.
Even though Ariel is one of my favorite Disney characters, she wants something so bad she does not look at the consequences of her decision. When she makes the deal with Ursula to switch her fins to legs, she has to pay by Ursula taking her voice. Even though Ariel still gets the guy, it is important to see where she went wrong. Sometimes we are so eager to get what we want that we don’t see any faults in our decision-making. It is important to take a step back and analyze your choice before you jump all in. Of course you don’t want to take forever to make a decision, but being patient and rationally making a decision is never a bad thing.
5. You will always find your home.
Simba from The Lion King runs away when he thinks he caused his father’s death. Even though we all may not have experienced the death of a family member or friend, we have all experienced the urge to run away when we did something wrong. When we get lost or scared, we feel down-and-out and like no one understand us. But, eventually we see that there are people around us that are there for us, whether they are related to us or not. Home is where the heart is, and no matter what, we will always find it.