Lessons I learned from Disney

"I would rather entertain and hope that people learned something than educate people and hope they were entertained." -Walt Disney

I had a very happy childhood and big portion of that was filled watching, singing, dressing and doing all things Disney!

In honor of the 50th animated film being made- I just wanted to share a few things that I learned growing up with Disney...(right about now you should be envisioning Sleeping Beauty's castle painted across the screen with Tinkerbell doing her thing)

Whistle while you work and don't take food from strangers. When you wish upon a star your dreams come true; go to school! Don't try to get water buckets filled by using brooms and Hippos might be large but they are excellent dancers. A mother loves her baby and sometimes we find friends in unexpected places; that said, drinking leads to scary dreams and you might end up in a tree. Being twitterpated makes you feel like your walking on air. Friends make for many adventures and sombreros make you break out into song and dance. Hats have feelings too. Jack has nothing on Mickey, Donald and Goofy. Little Toot could have blamed it on the samba but instead he decided to grow up. Never get in a car when a toad is driving and beware of headless horsemen.

A dream is a wish your heart makes and be nice to mice, you never know when they'll save your life. Don't go following white rabbits and snooping around holes but if you can't help it; embrace the nonsense and sing along. You can fly- all it takes is faith and trust and a little bit of Pixie dust(my dad calls me Pixie)...and Hook really is a codfish. Spaghetti and meatballs is a very romantic meal. Sometimes magic is needed to get the chores done and a true love's kiss is sometimes what it takes to get me out of bed. Dogs have secret codes when they bark. Little servant boys can still grow up to be kings. Sometimes people want to be like you; look for necessities and forget about your worries and your strife; own that little red underwear and as exciting as the jungle may be- a girl is even better.

Apparently, everybody wants to be cat. It's OK to rob the rich to feed the poor as long as you sing and dance and don't get caught. Obsessions with honey always leaves your head in a pot. Again, little mice do big things. Friends come from unexpected places. Stay away from black cauldrons. Mice not only save lives, make dresses and sing and dance but they also make great detectives. Even Charles Dickens was affected by the eighties. Sometimes wanting to be a part of their world gets you in trouble with daddy; kiss the girl and never underestimate the power of body language.

Moms should be more careful letting their little boys run off into the outback but when there's trouble, mice won't just rescue their own countrymen, they're willing to travel down under. Be nice to beasts, you never know when they might turn into a prince; try not to be so beautiful that you make conceited men crazy and if you find yourself being entertained by appliances and housewares- well, good luck with that. You'd be surprised what you can live through and when life gets tricky- hop on a carpet and visit a whole new world. The circle of life moves us all, uncles named scar probably shouldn't be trusted, warthogs are gassy but make loyal friends, baboons are wise while hyenas make an excellent chorus line; hakuna matata is much easier to feel when surrounded by paradise versus the desert.

If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew you never knew. People are always watching, sometimes envying us and we must be kind to everyone. You can go from zero to hero when you realize you're a child of a God, you mean "hunkules" and people do crazy things when they're in love. Women can be very powerful and girls like that don't come along every dynasty. Swinging through the trees while being rescued is one heck of a first date, be mindful of your boots (especially the ones daddy bought you) and family is stronger than blood. (Never saw Fantasia 2000- still freaked out by the first one, but someday). When traveling in a herd be sure you can trust your leader, whether he's a dinosaur or not. Don't throw off someone's groove and when you get flustered, go wash something.

Atlantis does exist. Family means nobody gets left behind and Elvis can help in the transformation of anyone or anything. Friendship is powerful, some villains still have consciences and be careful when dancing with androids named Lupe. Crazy things happen where the light touches the earth but spending a few days in your enemies' skin gives you a whole new perspective. Cows mean business. Believe the chicken. Keep moving forward. Styrofoam does not suck powers from dogs but love and loyalty can give you strength to walk through fire. Dream big, even if you find yourself falling in love with a frog. (And finally,) Don't sweat the bad hair days, frying pans aren't just for cooking, mother knows best, never stop looking for the light and if surrounded by big angry men there is only one thing that can save you- (no, not the the mice)-a song and a dance.

Yes, I have learned a lot over the years. While I have not yet encouraged the mice to join in, I do enjoy living life with a little music and a lot of magic. Regardless of how many times the villain comes back- good always wins and love conquers all!

"Our heritage and ideals, our code and standards - the things we live by and teach our children - are preserved or diminished by how freely we exchange ideas and feelings."
-Walt Disney


For your reference: (because I'm sure you were wondering:)
1.) Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
2.) Pinocchio (1940)
3.) Fantasia (1940)
4.) Dumbo (1941)
5.) Bambi (1942)
6.) Saludos Amigos (1942)
7.) The Three Caballeros (1944)
8.) Make Mine Music (1946)
9.) Fun and Fancy Free (1947)
10.) Melody Time (1948)
11.) The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr. Toad (1949)
12.) Cinderella (1950)
13.) Alice in Wonderland (1951)
14.) Peter Pan (1953)
15.) Lady and the Tramp (1955)
16.) Sleeping Beauty (1959)
17.) One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961)
18.) The Sword in the Stone (1963)
19.) The Jungle Book (1967)
20.) The Aristocats (1970)
21.) Robin Hood (1973)
22.) The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (1977)
23.) The Rescuers (1977)
24.) The Fox and the Hound (1981)
25.) The Black Cauldron (1985)
26.) The Great Mouse Detective (1986)
27.) Oliver & Company (1988)
28.) The Little Mermaid (1989)
29.) The Rescuers Down Under (1990)
30.) Beauty and the Beast (1991)
31.) Aladdin (1992)
32.) The Lion King (1994)
33.) Pocahontas (1995)
34.) The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
35.) Hercules (1997)
36.) Mulan (1998)
37.) Tarzan (1999)
38.) Fantasia 2000 (1999)
39.) Dinosaur (2000)
40.) The Emperor’s New Groove (2000)
41.) Atlantis: The Lost Empire (2001)
42.) Lilo & Stitch (2002)
43.) Treasure Planet (2002)
44.) Brother Bear (2003)
45.) Home on the Range (2004)
46.) Chicken Little (2005)
47.) Meet the Robinsons (2007)
48.) Bolt (2008)
49.) The Princess and the Frog (2009)
50.) Tangled (2010)


Thanks for all the entertainment and lessons; you made every little boy want to swing a sword and every little girl believe she was a princess- who am I fooling- we never grow out of that...