There's So Much More to Me

On Monday, August 11th, 2014, social media blew up with the news of Robin Williams' passing away. It came as a shock to the world and he will be sorely missed as an actor, philanthropist and most importantly, a fantastic human being. This post is dedicated to him.

I actually wasn't planning on taking on the Aladdin meme next as part of my "Defend Disney" series, but in light of Robin Williams' death last week, I felt it was only fitting. After all, he provided the voice of the most beloved character in the entire story.

The original meme stated: "Show Her the World, Then Show Her the D." This is one of the memes that bothered me the most.

First of all, that's one of the great things about Disney films: the characters' relationship isn't supposed to be focused on sex. It's focused on love; even if it is young love a majority of the time. But Disney's able to make good movies without focusing on that (really, no one should have to make sex the focus in order to make a good movie, but, here we are in 2014). Making that the take away point from Aladdin is quite pathetic, to be honest.

And furthermore - who said Aladdin is the type of boy that pays attention to a girl just so he can get in her pants by the end of the night? I mean, come on. Seriously.

Is he physically attracted to her? We assume so, considering he acts twitter-patted the moment he sees her. But, guess what! You can be physically attracted to someone without trying to sleep with that person! I know - mind boggling, isn't it?!

Tell your friends, tell your family, cause it's kind of a big deal.

For those out there that truly believe that's all there is to love, I feel for you and I hope one day you have a much different experience than what you have obviously experienced in life so far.

Now for my take away point:

I think this point is more of a reflection of some things that have been on my mind lately than something that I actually understood as a kid, but I still thinks it's important.

Aladdin showcases a journey of freeing yourself from the cages that society tends to put people in. 

Take all three main characters for example: Aladdin feels trapped because everyone looks down on him for being a street urchin, Jasmine feels trapped because she isn't free to make her own choices, and Genie literally is a slave to anyone that happens to rub his lamp. They all have to go on quite the journey before they find themselves free of their metaphorical chains at the end of the movie.

What we don't understand as children, at least what I didn't understand, is that it's cool that Aladdin and Jasmine end up together; but it's REALLY cool that Jasmine gets to end up with someone of HER CHOICE.

Aladdin didn't just save the day and get a girl. He finds someone that's willing to look closer and see that there's more to him than just a poor boy. And, even more importantly, HE discovers what he's made of and who he can be and he knows by the end of the movie that he's more than a street rat.

And let's take a good look at Genie. The essence of Genie's very existence is to be used and abused by other people. (If that's not a cage, I don't know what is.) And yet, even he is able to find someone that sees him as more than that. In fact, Genie uses one of the wishes to save his "master's" life. Why? Because Aladdin becomes more than that. Genie ends up with a friend instead of a master at the end of the movie.

Aladdin should be one of the easiest movies to identify with because everyone struggles with feeling like they're stuck or trapped at least one time in their life. Everyone knows what it's like for society to not see and appreciate the real you. And everyone's felt used before.

But have hope. It works out in the end. Through the very trials we go through, we may find ourselves empowered with the ability to free ourselves from whatever cage we feel we're living in.

Shakespeare meets Tim Rice and Elton John

What do you get when you mix a Shakespeare classic with Tim Rice and Elton John?

One of the top Disney movies of all time! (complete with Broadway musical)

In case you were unaware: June, 2014 marks the 20th anniversary for The Lion King! If you are not a fan of this movie, I just don't know how you live with yourself.

Seriously.

Okay, not seriously.

But still.

Dang.

I decided to redo The Lion King meme from the previous collection that I discussed in my last post as my... anniversary? birthday? I don't know - as my gift to Lion King for reaching this wonderful mile stone.

The original meme stated that The Lion King taught children to run away from their problems.

Which I, of course, completely disagree with. If you only watch the first half of the movie, that may indeed be the impression that you get. But the whole plot leads up to Simba realizing that running from your problems doesn't do any good. For crying out loud - HIS DEAD FATHER COMES TO HIM IN A CLOUD AND TELLS HIM TO GET HIS ACT TOGETHER AND GO BACK.

Admit it: you still get chills when you hear James Earl Jones tell Matthew Broderick to "remember who you are..."

I don't know... I feel like Disney really hit home with this one. It's not that hakuna matata is bad. I think we all need to remember to not get wound up too tightly in life. In fact, I plan on taking the next couple days to practice this hakuna matata philosophy myself.

But the whole point of the movie is showing that TOO MUCH of that can be detrimental to our well being, as well as those we care about. Simba goes back. Why? Because he got some sense knocked into him, thanks to his childhood best friend, a crazy monkey and his deceased father.

The Lion King taught me there is more to me than what I see when I look at my reflection.

"You see? He lives in you."

You can take this to mean whatever you want. As a member of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I'm going to take it to mean that we all have a more divine identity than what we usually settle for. We've been given this life as an opportunity. How many of us really take advantage of that and do something worthwhile with it?

Disney didn't teach me to run away from my problems. It taught me that running away doesn't do anything. If something in the past is unresolved, rest assured that it will eventually catch up to you. So don't give it the upper hand. Learn from it. Go back. Take care of your responsibilities. Remember, you are more than what you have become.

We all have someone we are meant to be. And, the truth is, even with all the crap in the world, the person that is most likely to keep you from that, is you.

And... My Mama Bear Side Comes Out...

HI!!

So, I realize that it's been, like, over a year since I've really updated this at all... Basically, now you guys know what reading my journal used to be like. In fact, I think it's going to be hilarious when years from now my great-great-granddaughter finds one of my earlier journals and thinks "Yay! This will be so interesting!" And then finds out that up until college I really only used my journal as a check-point.

October 3rd, 2003

I guess I should write in here since it's been over a year... 

Still alive. Now in 6th grade. Yep... Ok, till next time!

February 15, 2006

Oh look at that! How the time flies... Note to future prosperity: 

Junior High Valentine's Day dances are about the most

 awkward thing ever. Do not attend.

May 20, 2010

Oh by the way, I'm graduating in like 2 weeks!

Anyway, you guys get the drift. Sorry for turning this blog into just another diary sitting in my room collecting dust. Today, however, the dust is brushed aside and the book is opened once again! Not necessarily because I have so much more time to devote to it now than in the past year (although that is most definitely true), but more so because I came across something the other week (Disney-related, obviously) that I haven't been able to shake, so I figured I might as well use this as my ranting ground.

I came across a collection of life lessons learned from Disney movies in the form of memes. I won't say they were all bad; some I thought were rather clever. But, as a whole, I felt that the collection was uncouth and base (I've placed it here -  just for you; cause I know you're curious now).

 I realize this is coming from me and anyone that knows me knows that I'm probably overly defensive of certain things at times. But there are just certain things you don't mess with!! And Disney is one of them!!! I realize that not everyone sees Disney as cute and childlike as I do. But I really do associate Disney with childhood (my childhood, to be more precise) and innocence and so when I saw these memes, I was kind of disgusted, to be completely honest. I'm not saying there are not innuendos throughout (probably) every Disney movie. What I'm saying is that those are NOT the life lessons. And I feel bad for the person whose comprehension can only go that deep.

I realize the memes were made to be a joke;  to be someone's attempt at generating more likes and views on the internet. And, to their credit, I'm sure they did exactly that. But it's been almost 3 weeks and I still can't stop thinking about how ridiculous those memes are. So, I'm using them as my motivation to get back into updating this. I plan on taking each one and making my own life lesson meme from it. You may think I'm thinking WAY too much into this (which, is probably true - thank you for your concern), in which case, feel free to ignore the next dozen or so posts throughout the coming months.

But, this is for every hardcore Disney fan out there that has trouble looking at Disney movies through such a distorted, tinted window.

Stay tuned for the alternate ending to Walt Taught Me: Life Lessons from Disney Movies in Memes...

Mother's Day Appreciation Post!

So, I do realize that this is actually a couple of days late for Mother's Day. But I'm a slacker. And it's summer. And to be on top of things right now would be so responsible, it would be verging on irresponsible. But it's OK, because we should ALWAYS appreciate our mothers - not just on Mother's Day. So here's a Disney's Mother Appreciation post! Two days after Mother's Day...

I've actually thought about the presence and absence of parents in Disney movies a lot before - way before ever starting this blog. I find it really interesting that the absence of at least one parent is a recurring theme in Disney movies... which helped me grasp something, even as a little kid, pretty easily.

And that's that parents are freakin' important.

MOTHERS are freakin' important.

There's a good 2 dozen Disney movies (just ones that I'm thinking about right now) where at least one of the main characters has a mother that is dead or just plain absent throughout the show.

And poor Snow White and Cinderella - they have step mothers who also happen to be the villain in their story (I guess Rapunzel kind of fits into that category as well).

But I find it even more interesting that many of these stories, when a mother is absent, a new mother figure has to be found. I mean, take the lost boys for instance - they kind of appoint Wendy to be their new mother because that's what they're missing. And Tarzan, Oliver and Company, Fox and the Hound - there's a lot of them that have "adopted" mothers created in the story because of the lack of mother figure.

I think Disney shows the importance of mothers as much in the absence of mothers in a lot of movies as well as in how they try to bring the mother figure back in.

I'll be honest. I would never go up against Sarabi (Lion King), Sarah Hawkins (Treasure Planet), Chicha (Emperor's New Groove), or Kala (Tarzan). Really, you should just never go up against a mother in general. That's just asking for trouble that you won't be able to finish. But these mothers mean business.

They do the hard things. They show no fear. And they show unbelievable love - even to someone that isn't technically their's. 

I'd put my own mother up there in a heart beat - along with countless other mothers that I've had the privilege of getting to meet and know.

They do the hard things. Even when they're tired. Even when they're afraid. 

I learned how to love anyone and everyone through watching my own mother do that exact thing.

I learned to believe through my mother. 

Pretty much - Mothers are the real Disney. 

It'll Be Hard to Say Goodbye

If there ever comes a day when we can't be together, keep me in your heart - I'll stay there forever.

~ Winnie the Pooh

What would be the end of another great school year without a bit of commentary on the whole situation?

I don't think I can really say that I've discovered something about myself, because I seem to "discover" this every year - so it's more of a rediscovery... 

But I'm really bad at goodbyes.

I wish I could say this is simply because I haven't had enough of them in my life, but I feel like I've had my share of them. I just don't like the end of things. I'm a beginnings kind of girl. 

I love starting a new book. I love spring. I love the beginning of a new school year. I love meeting new people. I love starting new adventures. And I love the first bite of a delicious meal!

So endings, although easier for me now than when I was little, are still not my favorite.
But here's the thing to remember about goodbyes:

If it's bringing a tear now, it probably brought a smile before.

And really, that's what you're after.

Life isn't about trying to find the path with no pain. It's about finding the path that's worth the pain.

If the goodbye is hard now, that's because the journey has been worth it. That person has made you smile. That place has been a home.

You want to find those things in life that are difficult to let go. Those are the things that stay with you.

There are many people this past year that have impacted my life - big and small. And quite a few of them I have to say goodbye to now. And it kind of sucks. 

But you know what? 

I'd rather it suck because it's been amazing than have it be easy because I didn't care.

Here's to a year that's been so amazing, it'll be hard to say goodbye.

Savages

Do you remember watching Pocahontas as a kid?

(or an adult - I'm obviously the last person that would judge you for that)

Do you remember the part where everything has gone wrong? Kocoum has just been shot. Both sides are angry and bloodthirsty. 

Do you remember the song they sing as they prepare for battle?

Do you remember how ridiculous it sounds?

They're vermin.

They're savages.

They're only good when dead.

They're not like you and me, which means they must be evil.

The paleface is a demon.

I wonder if they even bleed.

Barely even human.

They're different from us, which means they can't be trusted.

Demons.

Devils.

They're just a bunch of filthy, stinky SAVAGES.

And while you're listening to it you think, "How can someone really think like that? (And let's keep in mind that it's BOTH sides that are acting this way!) How can they be so close minded? How can they be so blind..."

But then.... 

They're weird.

It's unnatural.

They're obviously a terrorist.

They're the spawn of Satan.

They're different.

To be completely honest, I'm not even comfortable putting up most of the words that would help make this point.

I like to think when watching Pocahontas that it's just a cute little Disney story (which, to some extent, it is). But then I have to wonder... how much of it is actually a mirror to even today's society?

We think we're so civilized. We think this is just something that happened in the past. 

I'm not saying the world is a terrible place. And I think tolerance for someone different than you is more prevalent today than it has been in the past. 

I'm also not saying that there aren't bad people out there. Or even people that do things that I personally don't agree with. 

I'm saying that being different is not a crime.

If you spend your whole life thinking that the only people who are people, are the people who look and think like you - you're going to spend your life 1) very lonely and 2) very cynical/angry. 

Neither of which is fun.

Isn't it funny how once you get to really know someone, they really don't seem that different. 

Everyone laughs in the same language and everyone bleeds the same color.

But you do have to get through the differences first to find the similarities.

They're just...

Different.

A Jack of Many Trades

You guys - this comes out next week.

And it's going to be awesome!

Lesson learned from Disney:

Not only CAN you have a bad a** side (really, any of the Marvel movies)  as well as a cute side (think probably Disney princess movies)...

But you SHOULD.

Let's not be one dimensional here. 

Disney sure isn't.