Last week I happened to catch "Aladdin" on the Disney Channel and it got me in the mood to go to my mom's house and borrow a bunch of the Disney movies she has on VHS. To my horror, she told me she had taken them all up to the store where she is a vendor. The 10-year-old within me burst forth, stomped her feet and demanded they be returned.
I know tantrums aren't attractive, but I stand firm that my mom came very close to committing a tragedy. Everyone knows that Disney puts their animated flicks on shelves for a limited time only, and only every few years. The rest of the time they're locked away in the "Disney Vault." (Does anybody else imagine a bank vault -- with a door in the shape of Mickey Mouse's head, of course -- guarded by a bunch of cartoons a la "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" No? Just me? Ok...)
Anyway, until these movies all come out on DVD and are part of my collection, the VHS copies are sacred. You will all be happy to know that they are now safe and sound in my apartment.
So this whole scenario got me to thinking: What is the big deal with these movies? Why do I have such an attachment? I'm 28... and a half... for Christ sakes!
After viewing them again for the first time in probably 15 years, a few things jumped out at me that I never really paid attention to before: Why do none of these girls have mothers? Why are they drawn to look like Barbie dolls when they're supposed to be 16-year-old kids? Why are they the misfit or screw-up in the story? And why, oh why, do they need to be rescued by the hero at the end when they've been feisty and independent throughout the whole rest of the story?
Alot of people take issue with these movies because they feel that they paint an unrealistic portrait of love and life. If the above points were the only evidence, I would be inclined to agree.
However, these issues don't take away from more important themes: Be true to your heart. Don't judge a book by its cover. Fight for what you believe in. Good triumphs over evil. The right person will love you for exactly who you are.
I never believed I would grow up, have a magical adventure and find the love of my life right around the same time I got my driver's license. I certainly never thought I'd look like a Barbie doll.
I do, however, firmly believe that people should be true to their hearts, not judge books by their covers and fight for what they believe in. I think good really does triumph over evil. And I will not settle for anyone who does not love me for exactly who I am.
And if that's what a little girl who loved (and still loves) these movies grew up to believe, how misleading can they really be?
Final note for the record:
Belle from "Beauty and the Beast" has always been my favorite Disney heroine. She's a spunky brunette bookworm who sees right through the advances of the town stud and says "thanks but no thanks." She stands up for herself when she's on the business end of one of the Beast's hissy fits. And, best of all, SHE saves HIM in the end.
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