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There’s something about Disney that bothers me. Not catchy tunes or implausible plot lines. It’s their entire business model. When targeting teens and adults, embracing the concept of “sex sells” has put people in mansions. But how can they reliably sell to children? By feeding them a fantasy that empowers them – the total absence of parents.
Death or buffoonery
Think of any Disney movie. It has a hero of some form, overcoming odds and eventually triumphing over evil or self-doubt. Yet almost without fail, the only way a hero can be thrust into discovering their strength is through by removing their parents from the picture. Whether death or circumstances, no Disney hero can go on an adventure when being tied down by their overprotective and out-of-touch parents. And we’re glad for that, because Disney parents are the worst.
Consider how parents are often portrayed. Often they are overbearing and cautious, telling our hero they can’t do something. Yet when the parents are removed from the picture, we get to see just how wrong they were all along.
- Frozen: Elsa’s parents want her to conceal her power, cloistering her in her bedroom for years. The empowering song “Let It Go” is even a celebration of her finding her freedom apart from the fear her parents instilled in her.
- Moana: The chief is perfectly content to let his people die. But when Moana goes on a harrowing adventure, she’s able to return and show everyone she was right all along.
- Tangled: Rapunzel is taught that the world is a big, scary place. Mother Gothel even sings a song that puts Gothel as the hero, constantly proclaiming “Mother knows best” while we all know she’s a manipulative villain.
- Pocahontas: Chief Powhatan is ready to go to war with the English, but Pocahontas and her forbidden love are able to save the day.
- Cinderella: Her loving parents are dead, and now her only parent figure is a monster who treats her like a worthless servant while spoiling her favorite children.
And this is the typical Disney trend we see throughout their movies. Parents are either clueless, stubborn, or complete morons who only serve to hold their children back. And this speaks to our kids because they feel the same way.
Subtle escapism
To be clear, I’m not claiming that Disney is waging war on the family. They aren’t secretly plotting to undermine parents like some… well, like a Disney villain. I think they’re just smart enough to know what their audience wants.
Kids want to put themselves in the shoes of a movie’s hero, cheering for them as they adventure. But those heroes need to be relatable, and most children can empathize with feelings of frustration and resentment toward parents.
After all, a parent’s main goal is to teach a child to recognize, and go against, their sin nature. Children want to gorge themselves on candy and video games, be selfish, hurt others in retaliation, and throw self-control to the wind as they do whatever their little hearts desire. And they could enjoy all those things they want if only their parental figure would stop saying “no.”
Disney allows them to enjoy a touch of escapism by telling kids it’s okay to resent them. They create stories that rely on the removal of, or rebellion against, authority. Kids are right, and Disney is happy to reinforce the idea that parents are either clueless and need ot be rescued from their ignorance and outdated beliefs.
Fostering a worldview
Will kids walk away from Frozen 2 and set their house on fire? Probably not. A Disney movie is mostly harmless on its own. They really are stories of friendship and bravery where good always triumphs over evil. Most kids will walk away from a Disney movie wanting to try out a cool action sequence or pretend to be the hero they spent 90 minutes cheering for. The very concept of questioning a parent’s authority will probably never enter their minds.
However, that doesn’t stop it from being another building block in their worldview. After all, Disney isn’t alone in this sort of thinking. What kids show doesn’t portray the parents and bumbling idiots, completely incapable of understanding their children?
Consider what we see in commerciald and TV shows. Dad is a bumbling fool who is always wrong. Mom is either an airhead or an overbearing control freak. They are two-dimensional figures who only exist to make us laugh or create drama for our young heroes. If children are going to be entertained by something, parents are required to be the comic relief or the villains.
One movie wont warp how a child views the world. However, we are created to recognize patterns. We learn truth not just through what is said to us, but through what we observe. If women are regularly sexualized, is it any wonder that boys and girls develop an idea that looks are so critical? If holidays are stuffed with ads telling them they need this toy or device, are we really so surprised when they tell us they need it?
Likewise, we should consider what they’re being taught when their entertainment seems to confirm their own feelings. Parents don’t “get it.” Parents don’t want kids to be themselves. Parents would let them date this person is they just knew them better.
And so parental authority begins to mean less and less. Truth and understanding isn’t found by respecting the wisdom of people who love them and have grown from decades of mistakes. Right and wrong doesn’t come from people who are against their children.
Instead, it’s the child who holds all the power. They are the only ones who really see the world for what it is. They need only follow their heart, even if that path sets them against the wishes of their parents. After all, what do their parents really know?
Our responsibility
In our lifelong desire to honor Christ, we want our parenting decisions to always point towards Him. It can be easy to knee-jerk and just purge Disney from the house. And for some, that may be the right choice. However, our children live in a world where authority is questioned at every turn. We can hide them from it, or we can teach them to think through it.
As parents, recognizing how Disney (or any form of entertainment) appeals to kids is important. It gives us things to discuss with our children, enabling them to develop critical thinking and discernment skills. Likewise, it reminds us of how important it is for us to be their primary guide, not the media.
We must always remember that someone is willing to teach our children about the world. It can be tempting to slip in to passivity, going along and trusting that our kids will just grow up and catch the proper worldview. Yet out of love for these tiny lives God has trusted to us, we need to always be looking at where our children are truly gaining their truth. Does that truth increase their desire to honor God, or seek out their own desires?
