Disney movies are awesome. Disney characters are always the first choice for kid’s party, bed time stories, and Halloween costumes. Walt Disney has turned many novels, fables, fairy tales and folk tales into feature films and stories. When most of the people think of fairy tales, they typically conjure up images of beautiful Princess, idealized Prince Charming and a lavish Castle. From the early hand-drawn films to the 3D masterpieces of today, there are many hidden lessons in these stories. The messages that one can glean from these movies may seem simple at first, but they are actually quite practical and complex. Their stories not only entertain, but they also open the minds of young viewers. Let’s give it a thought what lessons children learn from Disney stories?
We went to Disneyland, LA last month. Those who have been to Disneyland know that there is a Snow White castle which narrates the Snow White story. We hopped on the train and started our ride into the castle. It was beautifully built but quite spooky… After our LA trip, for few days, whenever I talked about Snow White, my daughter would ask me not to discuss about Disneyland. When I asked her, if she had so much fun visiting Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and other Disney character’s houses, then why she doesn’t want to talk about it? She said, “I like Snow White but I didn’t like the spooky ride there..🙂” After some trials to tell her that it’s just pretend (which she knew very well), I finally decided to explain it to her in a different way. I asked her to think of all the good and fun things we did at Disneyland and then think about something that she didn’t like. She counted and came up with an answer that good things are more. This gave her a satisfactory answer and to me an idea to write this post – ‘What lessons children learn from Disney stories?’
Disney stands for friendship and unity and for all that is true. Above all, it stands for dreams that come true. Whether it be Snow White, Cinderella, Ariel or other princesses; Pied Piper of Hameline, Dumbo or most recent Frozen each one of them has some or the other message to deliver to the young readers. If I go one-by-one then this post will look like story so, I am sharing my thoughts in general.
Most of the movies or stories helps people see the bright side of bad situations. As the saying goes “every cloud has a silver lining.” There’s always a good side after every storm. We often teach our children to be nice and kind to others. We show them the good part in everything but sometimes even wonderful people go through hardships. Unfortunately, in the real world, everything is not always good. The bottom line is doing what you feel right. Through hard work, determination, and the will to keep going, anything is possible. Another moral is also pertinent to real life i.e beauty truly is found only within. Don’t judge on appearances. Inner beauty is what matters. Believing in yourself is another message that young readers should learn. We all have read the story of The Pied Piper of Hameline. It’s a wonderful story to teach our children a lesson in morality, keep your promises and do not back out on a deal.
I am sure there is lot more to add. And every viewer has a different perspective so are the different messages they learned from these old classics. So, next time when you pick up any of the Disney stories to read, don’t forget to look for ‘what lessons children learn from Disney stories?’. And share it with your fellow readers.
