5 Disney Movies About Embracing Differences

Our family recently watched Zootopia 2. I'm not sure what I expected, but I didn't expect a message so warm and applicable to the world. Regardless of your affiliations in the mortal journey, I think we can all agree there's a great deal of chaos in the world. No surprised, based on the number of Biblical prophecies about our day. You don't need to go far to see how "men's hearts will fail them" (Luke 21:26) and "the love of many shall wax cold" (Matthew 24:12). It's always us against them. The more differences, the more we fight. But it doesn't have to be that way. Many Disney movies have taught us to look past those differences and these are just a few that came to my mind.

Zootopia

Both this movie and its sequel fit this theme perfectly. First it was predators against prey. In the second, it was mammals against reptiles. There were animals in Zootopia that wanted to pit the world against itself for their selfish reasons. Power. Influence. It's because Judy and Nick were able to see past those differences that Zootopia was changed for the better. Later it was Judy and Gary clinging together that returned a community of reptiles to their homes. Yeah, we're all different. But we can work together.

Hunchback of Notre Dame

Talk about different: a physically deformed Quasimodo and a pariah Esmerelda. The mad priest Frollo was bent on putting people against the gipsies because of their differences. As with many situations of us against them, We have more in common than we have different. The world will always fare better if we focus on those similarities instead of differences.

A Bug’s Life

For this movie, I’m not even talking about the different types of bugs working together. Even within the ant colony there are differences, especially with Flik and Dot. Aside from those two oddballs, the colony isn’t accustomed to working together, except to pool the food for the grasshoppers. Hopper knew that the ants had the sheer numbers to overwhelm their oppressors. Once the ants realized this and pulled together to stand against Hopper’s crew, it was easy to gain their freedom. 

The Tigger Movie

Once proud of being the only Tigger, our bouncy friend began to realize how lonely that reality is as. Off on an adventure to find his striped family, Tigger wanted to find belonging with those who would understand him. Funny how he wanted a crew of folks exactly the same as himself, not a group of Tiggers with their own personalities and interests. When other bouncy trouncy friends weren’t doing, the residents of the Hundred Acre Wood can’t together for Togger. Their differences made the community what it was. Not a group of identical Tiggers, but a diverse family of friends. 

Lilo and Stitch 

If you know me, you knew I had to include Stitch in this list. Both he and Lilo felt alone in the world: Lilo’s peers actively rejected her and Stitch was as literally the only one of his kind. Rejected by those little goths and the Galactic Council, they found a home and an Ohana together with humans and aliens alike. Just another example of how family and love are available to everyone, no matter how different we are. 

When Zootopia 2 inspired this post, I knew there was more I wanted to say about it. I still don’t feel like I’ve articulated everything I wanted from viewing that movie. So seated tuned for whatever comes to my mind and heart in future viewings. Maybe it’ll come to me during General Conference. In the meantime, check out Zootopia 2 and these other movies on Disney Plus. 

Disney Moms

Last year I wrote a post about Disney Dads and after writing that post I realized that it’s hard to find good fathers in Disney films but I didn't expect finding good Mothers in Disney to be harder.

But it is.

I can already hear you compiling a list in your brain of good mothers, but here is my criteria for a good Mom in Disney films:

1) They live; sorry Bambi’s mom you seem like a great doe

2) They raise their children which would rule out Sarabi from The Lion King because Simba runs away after Mufasa dies

3) Obviously they must be a good parent unlike Mother Gothel in Tangled

4) They must be present in the movie unlike Ariel’s mother, Queen Athena, in The Little Mermaid because we want to know how they parent

With these criteria and having over 1000 films to consider (including short films and TV movies) I have come up with 5 mothers that are great examples to everyone.

Chicha: The Emperor’s New Groove

Since this is the first pregnant woman to appear in a Disney animated film, you bet that she will be the first mother I mention in this list. I think she is a great example of a mother. In the Family Proclamation it states that Mothers nurture their children and sure enough we see Chicha do that.

In the movie we see Chicha showing affection for Pacha in front of their children showing them that they love each other. We see that she involves her children and gives them responsibilities like distracting Yzma from catching up to Pacha and Kuzco. She cares for her family and does hard things while pregnant.

Mrs. Potts: Beauty and the Beast

I don’t know about you, but I have associated Angela Lansbury with having a motherly persona. I believe that came from watching Beauty and the Beast and hearing her voice Mrs. Potts.

When I think of lessons that I could learn from Mrs. Potts I think about how we should be caring and forgiving. When the young prince and the household were transformed into a beast and household appliances those who were in his service could have been upset and stopped working for him because of his mistakes. I would have done that, but Mrs. Potts didn’t. Instead, she was Christlike and showed compassion towards Beast and became a pseudo mother that patiently taught him to become the prince with a heart.

Also, she is shown to have the most kids in a movie (minus 101 dalmatians). She has at least six kids without including Beast.

Julieta Madrigal: Encanto

I think one of the best things about Encanto is the message on family. Julieta Madrigal literally has the touch to make you feel better, after you eat her cooking.

Abuela Alma, the grandmother,  who oversaw and was the matriarch of the household was afraid of Mirabel destroying the house and, as a result, she shunned her from the family while Julieta, who knew about the prophecy, still loved her as a mother should--- telling us that family is more important than magic.

Mirabel may not have any powers and may cause more trouble than the rest of the family, but her mother loves her. How do we know this? Because Julieta sets time to spend time with her and talk with Mirabel as an equal. She tells Mirabel that even though she may not be supernatural, she is amazing. Julieta is a supportive mother that encourages her children.

Lucille: Meet the Robinsons

This is a great example of how you don’t have to be a biological parent to be a great Mother. Usually in animated movies the stepmother is usually evil. Lucille is technically an adopted mother to the protagonist Lewis yet she had a huge impact on him.

Lewis meets Lucille after winning the science fair, Lucille was the judge addicted to coffee. What is great about her is, firstly, she is educated: she is a scientist with a doctoral degree. Secondly, she encourages Lewis to become a great scientist and surpass her. Instead of being jealous of Lewis and his achievements she is supportive and proud of what he has created.

With a family motto of “keep moving forward” and the love that this family has for each other you know that Lucille is a good influence to them.  

Helen Parr (Elastigirl): The Incredibles

Last, but certainly not least, we have the most flexible parent Helen Parr---an incredible mother and wife. While Bob, Mr. Incredible, goes through a midlife crisis and tries to live in the glory days by being a hero again we see a true hero Helen come to the rescue after Bob is captured by Syndrome.

After, her two oldest children (Violet and Dash) disobey her directions and follow her to rescue Bob. She prioritizes their safety while giving them responsibility. While in the crashing plane she instructed Violet to make a shield. After Violet's failed attempts she risks her life to save her children. When they are on the island, she does her best to keep them hidden while she rescues her husband by herself. She learns from her children that families are stronger together than when they are apart.

Helen is a great example of how mother put the needs of the children above her own and being willing to be taught by them.

There are a few more great mothers in Disney that could have made this list. Maybe next year I can talk about them. 

To all mothers reading this post, Happy Mother's Day.  

 

“To all mothers in every circumstance, including those who struggle—and all will—I say, ‘Be peaceful. Believe in God and yourself. You are doing better than you think you are.’” - Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

Disney Dads

As Father’s Day approaches, I have noticed that there has been a lot of Father’s Day memes involving Darth Vader. I will admit some of them are funny but do you have to cut off your child arm to become father of the year? If anything, it says a lot about Luke forgiving him and helping him to become a Jedi again. In this post we will look at different Disney fathers that should be recognized more than Darth Vader as this holiday approaches.

Pacha: Emperor’s New Groove

When I think of excellent fatherly characters Pacha comes to mind. He goes out to meet the emperor, Kuzco, to change his mind to keep his family home as well as his villager’s home from being destroyed. Pacha is a hard worker with his duties of being a father, a llama herder, and the leader of his village. Pacha is best described as a family man, his wife and kids love him and his isn’t a dumb dad like most dads portrayed in media in the 2000's. When Pacha met Kuzco he felt that he was a spoiled brat. But when Kuzco became a llama, instead of taking the easy way out and abandoning Kuzco and having Yzma rule, he helped him--- hoping that the emperor’s attitude would change like a father would with a wayward son.

George Banks: Mary Poppins

George Banks loves his kids throughout the movie, but it never registered to his children because of how he showed his love. He wanted his children to become successful so they wouldn’t have financial problems when they become adults, which is what all parents want but his approach was not the best. He wanted them to become so successful that they could not enjoy being children. However, as George's professional life turns upside-down, he realizes the ultimate value of his family and makes real changes in his life. As he walks to his job, in one of the most beautiful scenes in cinema, you see the fear he has about the future but, as his ties to his job are finally cut, we also see the resolve develop within him to make some real changes in his life.

Mufasa: Lion King

Instead of celebrating Darth Vader on Father’s Day how about focusing on another role that James Earl Jones had where he was a sacrificing father, like Mufasa. Mufasa was king of Pride Rock. He had a good work and home life balance teaching his son and being king. He taught Simba to respect all creatures, but also having fun playing games on Zazu. He sets boundaries to protect his son, but also encourages him to explore. When his son disobeyed he reprehends him, but also forgives him. The most notable quality Mufasa has is he sacrificed himself so his son could live.

Mando: The Mandalorian

I get it--- you're probably a Star Wars fan and love all the memes that have been generated over the years. Father’s Day is another Star Wars day for you. Well thankfully Disney has created a new unorthodox father in Star Wars, Mando. After he captures and delivers Grogu to his client he goes against the code for bounty hunters and rescues Grogu and essentially adopts him until he finds a Jedi to teach him. When they finally find Luke, it was a sad departure for them because of their relationship as father and son, but Mando wanted what was best for Grogu and lets him leave. Of course, he wouldn’t stop being a father and tries to visit Grogu bringing gifts.

Goofy: Disney

Speaking of unorthodox parents, we couldn’t ignore Goofy: a single father. Goofy may be silly but he is also a wonderful role model for a father. With a teenager going through angst, he manages to show kindness and compassion making him aspirational for fathers. He works a demanding job, so they are financially stable. When his son, Max, is struggling he plans a father-and-son trip to lift his spirits because he cares about Max’s emotional health. He lets his son be an individual and takes interests in Max’s hobbies. He trusts his son completely, he allows Max to choose stops along their road trip. Even when Goofy suspects that Max is changing their road trip destination, he gives Max the responsibility of being the navigator because of that trust. Finally, he pays attention to his son’s feelings and gives him space. If you don’t believe me watch “A Goofy Movie”.

Scott Lang: Ant-Man

When divorce happens it hard for a father to be fully invested in their children. In Ant-Man we see Scott Lang doing his best to be a father while respecting his former wife's boundaries. After being released from jail he wants to be part of his daughter’s life and tries to be law-abiding by working at Baskin Robbins even though he has an engineering degree. He wants to make his daughter proud and be a good example for her. He becomes Ant-Man at first because of his thieving skills, but transitions to being selfless. He helps Captain America and saves Janet Van Dyne from the quantum realm. In Avenger’s Endgame we see Scott come out of the quantum realm to find his daughter aged by five years. We see the depression on his face when he realized how much of his daughter’s life he has missed.

Agustín and Félix: Encanto

This one is cheating a bit because I couldn’t choose which of these fathers to talk about. They are both good examples of being part of their children’s life. Agustín is sympathetic and understands how it feels not belong in the family and tries to comfort his daughter Mirabel when she obtains no magical gift. We see in the movie that he pays attention to all his daughters’ feelings. For example, when Luisa loses her strength and runs away saddened, he chases after her. We don’t know much about Félix, but he is also present with his children and supportive to his wife, presenting a positive attitude even when it rains.

Mr. Incredible: Incredibles

We couldn’t end the list without the most recognized superhero father, Mr. Incredible. After the first movie Mr. Incredible, Bob Parr, learned to keep his selfish interests in check and become involved with his children more. Instead of giving up on helping his son, Dash, on his homework, he learns how the new approach and helps Dash. He also cares about his children’s feeling by helping his daughter, Violet, talk to her crush by taking the family to the diner where he works. It turned out horribly, but he does the most honorable thing a father can do, apologize to his daughter for making things worse.

These are just eight honorable Dads we decided to mentioned in this post, but Disney has produced more decent fathers. Here is a list of honorable mentions.

• Marlin: Finding Nemo
• Pongo: 101 Dalmatians
• James: The Princess and the Frog
• Carl: Up
• Geppetto: Pinocchio
• Héctor: Coco
• Mr. Potatohead: Toy Story
• Vision: Avengers
• T’Chaka: Black Panther

Pixar Popcorn

Last month, Pixar released 10 shorts that they call Pixar Popcorn. It's 10 short films, ranging from 1 to 5 minutes long. (Thank goodness the longest one is Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele just riffing on each other for 5 minutes!) Head on over to Disney Plus and spend 22 minutes munching on these popcorn snacks. 

And bite-sized shorts deserve bite-sized reviews: 10 shorts, 10 words per review, 10 kernel rating. 

"To Fitness and Beyond" 10 Word Review: Rex tries push-ups. Hamm attempts sit-ups. Need I say more?  Rating: 6/10

"Unparalleled Parking" 10 Word Review: Montage of cars parking. Reminds me of adolescence. Lizzie FTW.   Rating: 5/10

"Dory Finding" 10 Word Review: Best parts: Dory's glasses, Ellen's vocalizations, and all the bubbles. Rating: 7/10

"Soul of the City" 10 Word Review: This is Gorgeous. Orderly. Life-affirming. Familiar. Tranquil. Geared towards adults.   Rating: 9/10

"Fluffy Stuff with Ducky & Bunny: Love" 10 Word Review: A Ducky versus Bunny debate (d)evolves into a rap riff.   Rating: 10/10

"Chore Day - The Incredibles Way" 10 Word Review: Clones and laser eyes make chores easy. S'mores with Jack-Jack! Rating: 8/10

"A Day in the Life of the Dead" 10 Word Review: How skeletons live their (after)lives. Fun with dead body parts!  Rating: 6/10

"Fluffy Stuff with Ducky & Bunny: Three Heads" 10 Word Review: Keegan-Michael Key and Jordan Peele are "denomic" geniuses. More banter!    Rating: 10/10

"Dancing with the Cars" 10 Word Review: I enjoyed the title ... and the conga ending the short. Rating: 4/10

"Cookie Num Num" 10 Word Review: The Incredibles use powers to win a cookie. So fun! 🍪🦸💪  Rating: 10/10

One of the fun things to watch for in the Pixar Popcorn (besides Pixar's famous Easter Eggs) is the various interactions that Luxo Jr. has with popcorn kernels in the opening logo. Enjoy this Pixar snack!