Growing Up Disney…

I fully admit to being a Disney kid. I watched all those animated movies growing up and still love to watch them today. I was always excited to watch a new film when it first came out, either when I was a child, teenager, or even a grown adult with my own family now. It does help that my husband is a Disney lover, and we’ve made our children Disney lovers/addicts as well.

After watching Disney’s newest animated film, Elemental, for maybe the umpteenth time with my son, I started thinking about how these movies have helped shape me into who I am today. And, don’t judge. I’m not saying that a pudgy yellow bear taught me how to dress, or a Polynesian girl taught me how to write. But, I am saying the lessons and meanings drawn from many of these movies I’ve watched hundreds of times have helped shape the person I wanted to become.

As I’ve gotten older, I have begun to understand more of the innuendos filtered throughout the movies that children aren’t meant to catch or even the shade thrown at certain topics. But, to children, the fun storyline and the even more dazzling characters are meant to be simply both entertaining and captivating.

Looking back now on those animated movies of my childhood and even in recent years, there are quotes that have stuck with me throughout my life, whether personally or professionally. And, they have continued to guide my life in many ways.

“I am on my way
I can go the distance
I don’t care how far
Somehow, I’ll be strong

I knew every mile
Will be with my while
I would go most anywhere
To find where I belong”
– Hercules, Go The Distance

These lines stick in my head to the point where I will randomly sing them for no reason, even when I have not watched the movie in years. The message it covers is deep and powerful throughout my life and carries more meaning than I could ever express.

I’ve watched many of these movies over and over again. The lyrics have been drilled into my head beyond memorization decades later because of their meaning and value to who I am today.

“You got the makings of greatness in you, but you gotta take the helm and chart your own course. Stick to it, no matter the squalls.” – Capt. Jack Sparrow, Treasure Planet

If only life was as easy as a Disney movie… everything seems perfect, conflict arises, there is usually a lot of singing, and there is usually a triumphant hero or a heroine at the end. We all know life is not that neat and tidy, and everything is not cleaned up and settled in 90-120 minutes. Except the stories are loveable, just like the characters, and the meaning behind the lines and the actions speak louder than the plots.

“Goodbye may seem forever, farewell is like the end. But in my heart’s a memory, and there you’ll always be.” – Widow Tweed, The Fox and the Hound

“No matter how the wind howls, the mountain cannot bow to it.” – The Emperor, Mulan

“There are those who say fate is something beyond our command. That destiny is not our own, but I know better. Our fate lives within us, you only have to be brave enough to see it” – Merida, Brave

“You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem and smarter than you think”
– Winnie-The-Pooh, The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh

Growing up, my perception of love was drawn from the Disney movies. I believed in the fairy tale, the knight in shining armor riding up on his white horse. I now understand that love isn’t that perfect, and that true love happens in all different ways. It can come instantly, a moment you feel with someone and choose whether to explore it over time or walk away. 

“Tale as old as time, tune as old song. Bittersweet and strange, finding you can change. Learning you were wrong.” – Mrs. Potts, Beauty and the Beast

“To face the future with another, who means more than any other, is to be loved.” –The Rescuers

“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” –Cinderella, Cinderella

Professionally, these movies have taught me one of the truest lessons I try to remember daily – I have to believe in myself first before others start believing in me too. It all starts with me. I don’t credit Disney movies for my writing abilities or even my people skills. Instead, part of the reason I am the person I am today is that I listened to the messages these movies convey and eventually understood them, and have tried to live by more than a few.

“There’s been trials and tribulations, you know I’ve had my share But I’ve climbed the mountain, crossed the river And I’m almost there!” – Tiana, The Princess and The Frog

“Believe in yourself, and there will come a day when others have no choice but to believe with you.”
– Mufusa, The Lion King

“All our dreams can come true if we dare to pursue them.” – Mickey Mouse

The whole world of Disney helps people stay young at heart while also experiencing that same pure joy and love with their children. This feeling is true with an animated film, a theme park, a cruise, or all the millions of other things that Disney has to offer. It opens up a part of our souls that often seems locked away after a certain age.

And for me, it comes alive when I hear the songs of my youth from those animated films that would lift me up. Or the new songs that I hear my sons hum in the backseat of the car now.

One definite undeniable lesson that Disney teaches in every movie and every story is life is short so just go out and live it to the fullest.

“I could go running, and racing, and dancing, and chasing, and leaping, and bounding, hair flying, heart pounding, and splashing, and reeling, and finally feeling now’s when my life begins!” – Rapunzel, Tangled

So, thank you, Disney, for creating an untouched world of imagination for countless generations that has helped women and men understand their worth, and their potential, and, of course, allowed them to hold tight to their inner child.

“We see how bright you burn
We see how brave you’ve been
Now, see yourself in turn
You’re the real gift, kid, let us in.” – Encanto