Disney’s Encanto is a movie for all the performers. All the achievers. All the perfectionists. And in this weary-worn world full of anxiety to perform, achieve, and perfect, we all need a message. A message about rest and about where our identity lies. Because isn’t that why we’re all tired? We’re trying to perfect an image of ourselves that is unsustainable. We are attempting to create our own self-worth. The worth of ourselves only ever came from Read more
Disney’s Coco offers us a parable for Jesus’s most challenging words in all the Bible. Set in the vibrant town of Santa Cecilia, Mexico during its annual Day of the Dead rituals, a young Miguel wrestles with his family heritage that stands in direct opposition to the ache burning in his soul to pursue becoming a musician.
Miguel’s story begins like the plot arcs of so many other Disney characters—Merida in Brave, Rapunzel in Tangled, Ariel in The Little Mermaid, Moana in the movie with her namesake, and more recently, Luca in Luca. Essentially, the main character comes of age by acknowledging their own Read more
This is how the story begins. The narrator sets the scene. It sounds severely and sorely familiar.
I’m queued in. I know this story. The one where the people live harmoniously with their God, and the people live in peace with each other.
But it doesn’t last. There’s a disruption. There’s a force that is opposite—that is not. It is the antithesis to all of this peace and harmony, and this force, whatever it is, is set on destruction. The force, in this case called Read more
Planning to finally sit down with your family and watch Disney’s Soul over Spring Break? It’s an intriguing new movie from Pixar Studios where end-of-life and after-life themes get wrapped up in a psychedelic-techno dream-like animated package suitable for a child. At least it’s supposed to be since it’s animated and it comes from Disney. But it doesn’t take long to realize there’s going to be some heavy stuff in this movie, interplaying with (as Disney so genius-ly does) a silly mix of antics from our main character, Joe Gardner, whose psyche and circumstance are so relatable to just about any adult-trying-to-adult and any child who loves talking cats. Yes…umm, you’ll just have to watch.
But even though there are forthright references to end-of-life scenarios that some kids might not be ready for and spiritual undertones from an amalgamation of world religions and belief systems, I still found a way to see the truth of my Christian faith alive and well in the heart of the message that Joe’s life and journey convey. And as usual, it came up in conversation with my kiddos. (Psst! Read more
“How deep the Father’s love for us,
How vast beyond all measure,
That he should give His only Son,
To make a wretch His treasure.”
-“How Deep the Father’s Love For Us” lyrics, Stuart Townend
Finding Nemo is one of my personal favs in the world of Disney. Not only is it a menagerie of God’s creation of aquatic life set off the coast of Oceana and a beautifully animated tale about a school of fish riding a magic school bus (insert an enthusiastic stingray in place of the red-headed, eccentrically dressed nut), but it’s a larger-than-life adventure of a clownfish in search of his lost son. Beneath the cuteness of the story is Read more
“There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear.” -1 John 4:18
On this earth, there is no perfect love. No matter how great our earthly relationships, whether family or friends that God has placed in our lives, we have not experienced a love that is without its insecurities. Life is uncertain. Some know this reality all too well. Death, divorce, abuse, personal struggles with insecurity, and other hardships can make relationships seem all too, well…broken. Frozen’s Elsa is one who knows this truth well. In her musical duet with Anna, “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise),” where the sisters duo back and forth with increasing intensity, Elsa finally cries out, “There’s so much fear!”
Because of her childhood memory of accidentally hurting her sister with her icy powers, and her parents’ subsequent plan to keep her hidden away in her bedroom, Elsa has little faith or trust in love or relationships. She feels that she alone is responsible for keeping her personal world safe, and that she will do—by remaining in isolation from all people.
The movie depicts Elsa’s condition as having a “frozen heart.” She has learned through her circumstances to bury her feelings and remain coldhearted to the people all around her. She won’t let anyone in. It’s a depressing situation for Elsa and those closest to her.
All of this, Elsa admits, is motivated by Keep Reading
On the first day of school this year, my son came home saying a boy on the bus told him there were two things he needed to do to be cool: 1) own a pair of Vans (a brand of shoes that were, mind you, brag-worthy in my day and have made a recent comeback) and 2) play a certain well-known video game. That’s it. That was this kid’s recipe for cool. Only problem was, Keep Reading
I’m not sure how to say this out loud, but the original The Lion King was never one of my favorites growing up. Too sad. In fact, it was the first movie in which I cried while watching. So, whenever I look back on the movie, it’s the Read more
IF THERE’S ONE LANGUAGE OUR KIDS KNOW, IT’S THE LANGUAGE OF PRINCESSES & PIRATES.
The writers, producers and artists of Disney have often been heralded the greatest storytellers of modern times, and rightly so: the Walt Disney Company is currently worth anywhere between $100-150 billion. Kids all over America (and some places around the world) are absorbed in Disney culture. It’s not hard to imagine a child wrapping up in her favorite blanket, the one with a few well-known princesses on it before listening to her favorite Disney-themed bedtime book. Or it wouldn’t be hard to picture a child’s playroom where more than one set of big black ears can be found. Young ones and their caregivers who have been to a Disney theme park consider it one of their most memorable vacations. Even for those who haven’t yet been, Disney is on their toothbrushes, their backpacks and even the snacks their parents bring home from the grocery store.
Every time a child sees their favorite Disney character, they are reminded of the storyline and adventure that character journeyed through. But what they don’t always realize (for young and old people alike) is why these stories speak so strongly to their hearts. The truth is, we were made for these stories. These are stories not just of fairytale, but of redemption.
In the last two decades specifically, Disney has progressed toward more complex characters and storylines. Take Queen Elsa from Frozen, for example. One could argue whether she is the protagonist or the antagonist of this story. Isn’t this the story of the human experience? She represents the struggle of divine proportions that is going on between our flesh and our spirit.
While the Bible acutely depicts this fallen nature of every human life, it also portrays the loving nature of our creator God, the journey of God’s people in all their victories and failures, and the unfolding of God’s big, redemptive plan through His Son Jesus Christ. Jesus of Nazareth comes in the most unexpected of ways, even though He was spoken of in the very beginning. It is the greatest story ever told. At the pinnacle of this greatest story ever told is the Gospel: the greatest love story to ever exist.
Using the Bible as our model, we find that the way Jesus taught His disciples most often was through parables. He used illustrations that the people He was talking to were already familiar with: stories about farmers and gardeners and keeping lamps burning. He paralleled His Father’s love with the great love of an earthly father to a prodigal son. The list goes on. God knew that the people were more likely to understand the concepts of God and the workings of God through their everyday context.
So, why not utilize the greatest icon in storytelling—Walt Disney’s team of animators and storytellers—to communicate these deep Biblical truths? These stories have been pointing toward the Gospel in powerful ways for decades: through tales of getting lost on the journey and found into a much grander plan than the character could have dreamt up in his or her own finite wit. In the last two decades, gospel-lending messages are increasingly portrayed through Disney’s colorful stories of struggle and mighty tales of redemption. Modern-day parables, if you will.
Finding Nemo, for example, is a beautifully animated tale about a school of fish riding a magic school bus (insert an enthusiastic stingray in place of the red-headed, eccentrically dressed nut). It’s a menagerie of God’s creation of aquatic life set off the coast of Oceana, and it’s a larger-than-life adventure of a clown fish in search of his lost son. But beneath the cuteness of the story is a tale of a kind of love so powerful and so true that its original source can only be traced back to our heavenly Father. Specifically, the story of Nemo and his father Marlin mirrors the experience of the prodigal son and his father’s unabashed love for him found in Luke 15.
“Filmmaking communicates deep truths, whether or not the events really took place”
-Nate Scoggins, actor
Cinema is one of the most influential and strategic tools we have to share the gospel in our culture. The ultimate goal of Disney Gospels is that extracting parables from Disney movies would serve as a useful training tool in helping people, big and small, learn to find the God-truths in everything they view and encounter throughout life. I am passionate about sharing this powerful lens through which the Gospel can be seen and experienced in a new way.
Think about this: Seeing the truth of God when the world around you is seemingly telling you a much different story is not an easy task. It can be difficult to rectify in our hearts the disparity between what we see and hear in the news or in our everyday life with what God says is true—a truth perhaps not yet fully realized. But having the scales removed from our eyes and seeing everything through the lens of God’s great story of love and grace is life-giving. You can subscribe HERE to go on this truth-seeking, sight-restoring and life-giving journey with me.
