They’re cute, they’re animated, they make you laugh, they make you cry and their target audience is 5-year-olds, yet everyone aged 3 to 80 makes time to watch them over and over again. Yes, you guessed right, I am talking about Disney movies.
With the recent release of Disney Pixar’s "Monster’s University" I started thinking about why, no matter our age, we spend our time watching these movies. Some of the first movies I watched as a little girl were "Cinderella" and "The Lion King," and I still love watching them. I mean, at the age of 3 I would watch "The Lion King" about four times a day wrapped up in my Lion King sleeping bag while laying in my Lion King tent; I had the whole nine yards.
The Disney Empire is immortal. It has to be more than the fact that as a child they helped our imagination grow and as a young adult they make our hearts melt.
What does Disney do that makes us come back for more and more year after year? It’s more than Disney magic, I’m sure. There is just something in the air that makes the little kid in all of us come out to play when the castle lights up at the end of the previews.
Here is why I think we love Disney movies at every age:
1. They teach us how to dream
As a child, Disney characters like Cinderella, Snow White and Ariel make us believe that anything can happen if we put our minds to it. Even "Alice in Wonderland," which is a complete dream, shows us just how vast our imagination can be. "Peter Pan" is one of my favorites and might be the best example of learning how to dream. From the fairy tale land to the creative characters, viewers learn that they can create and make any place into something spectacular.
2. As we grow up they help us hold onto our childhood
I still love watching Disney movies, and I’m 19. I would rather watch a Disney movie over some romantic comedy because essentially they are the same. Peter Pan’s motto is “never grow up,” and with a little pixie dust in our hair we never have to when we watch a Disney movie.
3. They teach us how to be ourselves
3. They teach us how to be ourselves
"Tarzan" is the story of a boy who grows up his whole life among gorillas only to fall in love with another human and must decide which “life” is for him. Pinocchio has to learn how to stop lying and prove he is worth “being a real boy” by just being himself. Disney lesson #456 -- always, always, always be yourself.
4. They make us think anything is possible
4. They make us think anything is possible
Dumbo, for example, is the cutest elephant with the biggest ears ever and are the butt of many jokes. However, with the help of his little mouse friend, Timothy Dumbo proves to the entire circus that his wings give him a special gift -- he can fly. Anything is possible if you try, according to Disney, and I really think that people carry this message with them their entire lives. "The Princess and the Frog," from Disney Pixar, is a great example of doing the impossible. Tiana never thought she would own her own restaurant but she didn’t think she could do it until reaching her lowest point -- being turned into a frog. With a little Disney magic, she reached her goal.
5. They give us unrealistic expectations of love
5. They give us unrealistic expectations of love
Seriously, think about it. Prince Charming hunted down Cinderella after she lost her shoe, Prince Eric loved Ariel even though she was a mermaid, and Belle managed to turn a beast into a handsome young man. I think the hidden message here is that love conquers all or something like that, but come on, no guy is going to chase down a girl if she loses a shoe. "Up," a classic Disney Pixar movie, is honestly an adorable love story, and most people would probably give anything to have a love like Ellie and Carl did. I know I would.
6. They help us understand that family is the most important
6. They help us understand that family is the most important
"Brave," a Disney Pixar movie, taught us that no matter how embarrassing or annoying our family members get, at the end of the day you will always love them. Wishing they were different doesn’t do anything to improve relationships. "Tangled" is another movie that highlights the importance of family. I mean, not all of us are kidnapped princesses, but still, it tugs on your heart strings that her parents continuously look for her and send lanterns into the night sky for her. Also, my mother now sings the song “Mother Knows Best” whenever I fail to take her advice, so the music in the movies sends some message as well.
Why do you love Disney movies? Let us know in the comments below.
By: Katie Johns
Lalalalove this! I have grown up in a Disney obsessed family and the magic never has faded!
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