How Disney Had Us All Wishing on a Star
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Before I dreamed of becoming a beautiful princess or a whimsical fairy, I wanted to be a musketeer. One of the first Disney movies I had ever watched as a child was Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers (2004), where the iconic trio were swashbuckling, adventurous musketeers in 17th century France, taking on the task of protecting their home. Jam-packed with comedic antics, daring sword fights, and catchy songs, my six-year-old self became obsessed with the story and characters, so naturally, I eagerly embodied the role of a musketeer.
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During recess at school, I would have my friends play “Musketeers” with me. We would run around the playground yelling “All for one, and one for all” while pretending to sword fight and destroy the villains, who were nothing more than innocent elementary school kids trying to play a simple game of Four Corners. Despite my disheveled hair and my sand-covered school uniform, I felt just as brave and heroic as Mickey did, and for a moment in time, I believed I could do anything. This movie was the first of many Disney projects that introduced me to various themes about one’s self and life, and even today, I’m still learning from them. From Pixar to Marvel to Star Wars and even the Muppets, Disney owns and produces a plethora of content, thus making them more involved in our childhoods than we believe.
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During my career as a valiant musketeer, I was able to turn any setting, whether it be an ordinary playground or the confines of my bedroom, into an alternative landscape, one similar to that in the film. My imagination became my greatest asset, and upon reflection, it was Disney’s too. The worlds that Disney created were vibrant and fun, which is what made the stories being told so compelling to us as children. From the bright, aquatic hues that colored Mermaid Lagoon in Peter Pan (1953) to the bleak, frightening shades of black and green depicting Scar’s lair in The Lion King (1994), Disney’s use of worldbuilding made each project more immersive, pulling us into a different universe and making us feel a part of the narrative.
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These worlds became more enthralling through the creation of memorable characters, both good and evil. My introduction to what was considered morally right and wrong was through Disney, ranging from the importance of compassion to the dangers of greed. How I shaped my sense of self came from what characters I felt most drawn to. Growing up, Fawn from the Tinkerbell franchise was an influential character for me. Not only did I believe that she was similar to me, but I hoped to have the ability to talk to animals and live in Pixie Hollow, too. I started looking outside my window for the “second star to the right”, and hoped that if I dreamed long enough, maybe I would be bestowed with Pixie Dust. I was able to believe in such a world and character because of how close it was to me, and this is fundamental in Disney’s storytelling. Disney’s ability to form a universe and imaginative society that people could emotionally connect to is what helped shape our interactions between ourselves and those around us.
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Along with the creation of memorable settings and comforting characters, the stories being told not only allowed us to believe but also furthered our beliefs. A prominent and ongoing theme in Disney media is love and how it is expressed. As a child, my expectations for romance were shaped by the phrase we all have heard repeated in every fairy tale and picture book: “Happily Ever After”. I believed that I would experience love the way Disney illustrated it to be, which is that I would find my “true love” and engage in a passionate, romantic story. While it can be debated that Disney’s definition of true love is quite rigid and formed high expectations that reach beyond the scope of what is possible, I would argue otherwise. Through watching variations of plotlines exploring love, I would like to think that Disney taught us to believe that we all deserve to love and be loved. Disney’s 2021 film, Encanto, emphasized that we are loved for the content of our character, not by having extraordinary gifts. We don’t need to have a reason to be appreciated, we simply should be, and Disney highlighted this. Love, whether it was romantic, platonic, or familial, became a symbol of hope, teaching us from a young age that we can achieve and strive for positivity, and life – no matter how dark it can become – is filled with promise. By providing optimism through its themes and fostering our sense of buoyancy, we as viewers were raised to view the world with the hope and belief that it can be better.
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Considering that Disney has left a cultural stamp on our consumption of entertainment, it’s important to mention just how extensive its reach is. From various theme parks across the world to an extensive catalog of animation studios, production companies, and media conglomerates under its belt, Disney can target any audience, thus allowing their brand to spread beyond the content we grew up with. For instance, Disney controls a significant portion of sports broadcasting through its ownership of ESPN, the streaming of various television shows and films under its partial ownership of Hulu, and the delivery of important news through its inheritance of ABC. The messages that Disney provides for their audiences have transformed from simple teaching moments to consequently affecting society. Disney has the authority to dictate what is culturally accepted and not, what we should believe and what we shouldn’t, and how we should think and how we shouldn’t. Their influence now goes beyond our childhoods as they continue to follow us into adulthood; therefore, their impact, while it can be positive and nostalgic, such influence can also be controlling and purposeful in how we interact as a society.
Having both a nostalgic and societal impact, Disney’s branding and storytelling formula will continue to raise generations beyond ours and influence their perception of the world, just as it did ours. While Disney gave me a sense of hope and wonder (as well as a potential career path as a musketeer), others may feel the opposite; however, it’s important to recognize just how large of a reach Disney has had and will continue to have.
Strike out,
Writer: Sophia Ferraro
Editor: Addy Crosby
Graphic Designer: Katie Esguerra
Tallahassee