The Magic of Disney.

I recently overheard a girl in my English class talk about Disney films with another one of my classmates. In her discussion, she complained about how Disney didn’t prepare her as a little girl for the real world. The Disney fantasy world was filled with happy and beautiful princesses with problems that could be solved with a kiss, charming husbands and happy endings while real life was not so pleasant. A child would believe and dwell upon notions of true everlasting love only to have that notion shattered when her parents get a divorce. Though it may seem that filling a naïve child’s mind with such imaginary ideals would be disappointing and detrimental later in life, such is not the case. I believe that Disney Movies or any fantastic, captivating ideas thought up for children are not meant to provide shelter but rather a mold from which a good person can develop. During our early years, we are at our purest and our most imaginative and movies such as Disney influence us with wonderful inklings of what could be. When I was a young girl, I dreamt that I could be a talented beautiful princess like Cinderella or be a brave hearted warrior like Mulan or find true love as Snow White did. These movies filled my head with images of a bright and glamorous future to aim for. Also, Disney clearly forms a distinction between right and wrong that really imprints on a child’s morals regardless of the fact that most of the movie situations are simplified and unrealistic. If children were made to watch more realistic shows such as soap operas or Desperate Housewives, they would be led down a wrong path where deceptive people end up achieving what they want while good people get crushed. Of course, now that I’m more mature I know that the latter shows are more representative of life but because I watched Disney movies as an absorptive young tyke, I know what type of decisions and choices are more auspicious towards a better lifestyle. With that said, I believe it is also important to allow children to believe in ideals in order to give them hope and show them how joyous life can and could be even if it only lasts an hour and thirty minutes.