Top 20 Gospel-Paralleling Disney Movie Quotes

20 Things Disney Characters Have Said that Parallel Biblical Principles

 

Who doesn’t love a good Disney movie? The animation is out of this world, the storytellers are the world’s greatest, and there is usually a moment toward the movie’s end that makes you work to choke back tears. Don’t worry—your secret’s safe with me. Simply put, Disney is pure cinematic genius.

 

Some call the emotive scene at the end of the movie a “moral,” but there’s more to it than that. Our hearts tug on stories with a redemptive component because we were made for redemption. God himself placed a deep longing in our hearts for the kind of redemption that only he provides.

 

We know that the world is broken and if we’re honest, we feel it inside us too. Even so, a story that reminds us that “all is redeemable” is power. And the good news, folks? The theme of redemption comes from a place of truth. So, share these clips with your kids and let the conversation follow. With no further ado, introducing the top 20 Disney movie quotes paralleling gospel truths:

 

20. “You used to be much more…muchier. You’ve lost your muchness.”

-The Mad Hatter to Alice, Alice in Wonderland (2010)

“For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline.” –2 Timothy 1:7

 

The Mad Hatter is Alice’s biggest cheerleader. That’s why he has to call her out a little in order to call her up. There’s a grand purpose for her life, and he’s not going to let her miss it.

 

 

19. “My life was meaningless.”

-Joe Gardner to himself, Soul

“Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless!” – Ecclesiastes 1:2

 

In a fatal twist of events, Joe has a chance to explore the true meaning of life. Even after finally landing his covetous moment of fame, Joe realizes there’s more to life than what he thought it was cracked up to be.

 

 

18. “Success doesn’t come for free, Miguel. You have to be willing to do whatever it takes to seize your moment.”

-Ernesto de la Cruz to Miguel, Coco

 

“What will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?” -Matthew 16:26

 

Ernesto de la Cruz is the epitome of soul-forfeiting success. He turns his back on his best friend and even his own family to maintain his reputation of ever-increasing fame and fortune. His selfish desires for personal gain rule over his decisions, and he is willing to hurt anyone in the way of his dream. Jesus, in one of his most difficult teachings, warned against this kind of living. Earlier in this same passage, Jesus completely turned the tables on what we think of as “truly living.” He said that “whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:24-25).

 

17. “Mirabel and I were having a conversation about how I carry too much, so I tried not to carry so much, but I realized it was putting me behind, and I knew I was letting everyone down.”

-Luisa to Mirabel, Encanto

 

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

-Matthew 11:28-30

 

Luisa is learning the hard way that trying to carry all your burdens alone (along with everyone else’s) is exhausting and not the way we were meant to live. One of God’s most emphasized commandments is honoring the Sabbath. We would be wise to learn how to do it well. Jesus teaches us to come to him for our rest, to “cast our cares” on him, and to share our load with others. In fact, Galatians 6:2 tells us that we “fulfill the law of Christ” by sharing each other’s burdens. Luisa also feels the weight lifted when she shares the secret of her burden with her sister, and together they pave a new way.

 

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16. “Love is an open door.”

-Princess Anna in Frozen’s “Love is an Open Door”

 

“…We throw open our doors to God and discover at the same moment that he has already thrown open his door to us. We find ourselves standing where we always hoped we might stand—out in the wide open spaces of God’s grace and glory…”

-Romans 5:1-2 (MSG)

 

Princess Anna may have been rash—foolish even—in her rush toward romance, but her words aren’t wrong. Love does open doors—significant ones. While we were far from God in our sin—in the most epic move in all of history—the God of the universe drew near to us. God made a way for us to be near him because it was his plan from the beginning. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ, God took the doors that were closed to us and forever threw them open. There is now no barrier between him and those who believe. Now that’s a kind of love to sing about.

 

15. “Everything is possible, even the impossible.”

-Mary Poppins in Mary Poppins

 

With God, all things are possible.” -Matthew 19:26

 

Mary Poppins has a way of bending the rules, stretching the boundaries, and broadening our capacity to classify more things in the category of “possible.” This is a noble skill to attain, because in the reality of our faith, “everything is possible, even the impossible.” And “[w]ith God, all things are possible.” There is no better way to sum it up than the last two sentences.

 

 

14. “People make bad choices if they’re mad or scared or stressed…Everyone’s a bit of a fixer upper.”

-the trolls in Frozen’s “Fixer Upper”

 

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” -Romans 3:23

 

Do you ever wish you could start your day over? Maybe you woke up on the wrong side of the bed, you forgot to do something important, or were short with someone you love. Regardless of how we arrive at days like this, we just want a do-over. We are well aware of our human shortcomings.

 

In an ode to the lovable yet rough-around-the-edges Kristoff, his troll family awkwardly serenades him and Princess Anna with a song that speaks to our common human nature of imperfection. The truth is, though, we need more than just a good fixing up. We need a Savior, Jesus, to completely overhaul our hearts and make us new like the reality described in 2 Corinthians 5:17 (“new creation” verse).

 

13. “I can sense you there, like a friend I’ve always known…Are you the one I’ve been looking for all of my life? Show yourself. I’m ready to learn.”

-Elsa in Frozen II’s “Show Yourself”

 

“Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.”

-Jeremiah 33:3

 

Elsa heard a voice. She knew she was being called. To where or to whom, she did not know. Nevertheless, it persisted and pursued. It was making itself known to her, and something inside her told her she could not ignore it any longer.

 

Like Elsa, we also are being called. The God of the universe is making himself known to us in a thousand little ways and sometimes in very big ways. His Spirit nudges our spirit to listen. Like the voice that Elsa heard, he is equal parts mysterious and always revealing more of himself to us.

 

12. “Some things never change…that’s why I’m holding on tight to you.”

-Princess Anna in Frozen II’s “Some Things Never Change.”

 

“For I, the Lord, do not change.” -Malachi 3:6

 

Princess Anna was helping an anxious adolescent Olaf adapt to the changes all around him by reminding him that some things never change. That’s a comforting thought, right? When so much is constantly changing and we barely feel like we can gain our footing, God is always the same. Several verses throughout the Bible remind us that God is unchanging. He’s a constant, no matter what happens around us.

 

11. “I’ve got gadgets and gizmos a-plenty, I’ve got who’s its and what’s its galore. You want thingamabobs? I’ve got twenty. But who cares? No big deal, I want more.”

-Ariel in The Little Mermaid’s “Part of Your World

 

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the Lord God had made…So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took some of its fruit and ate…” – Genesis 3:1,6

 

Ariel is deceived by the great deceiver, Ursula, into giving up her voice in exchange for the thing she thought she had to have. This sounds quite familiar to the actual Great Deceiver we call the Devil, referenced in the Bible as our Enemy. He makes us empty promises that all the shiny things of the earth will satisfy us, hoping we will turn from the Ultimate Satisfier, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. When we let down our guard and give in to the temptation, it always leaves us empty-handed.

 

10. [scene] In the original Toy Story, Buzz turns his shoe over to remember whose he is. Seeing the name “Andy” written on the bottom reminds him that his life is worth something and that there is a higher being who cares about him.

 

“You are a letter from Christ…written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.” -2 Corinthians 3:3

 

Woody, throughout all four Toy Story movies, goes on a journey of rooting his identity—his knowing who he is and his place in the world—on one thing: the name that is imprinted onto the bottom of his shoe: ANDY. He is Andy’s and Andy is his. But when Woody is placed in new circumstances—when someone new joins the party, or Andy’s proximity changes—Woody questions whether the love of the one whose name was written on the bottom of his shoe is truly unconditional. Can it last forever?

 

When Woody focuses on his latest misfortune or listens to the negative talk of those around him, he begins to fear. But he isn’t the only one; Buzz also struggles with being secure in who he is. This sounds a lot like our journeys. The Bible secures our identity in Christ as we learn who’s with us every step of the way.

 

9. “Our time will come.”

-Sarabi to her pride, The Lion King (2019)

 

“And we rejoice in the hope of the glory of God. Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.” -Romans 5:2b-5

 

In the face of the lion pride’s greatest nightmare, Sarabi has a quiet faith that good will win. She affirms the other lions with these words amidst her pride’s darkest hour. Though the enemy seems to have taken over, she shares her hope that they will have the ultimate and final victory. There is hope in a desolate place.

 

8. “The wind is howling like this swirling storm inside, couldn’t keep it in, Heaven knows I tried.”

-Elsa in Frozen’s “Let It Go”

 

“For what I do is not the good I want to do; no, the evil I do not want to do—this I keep on doing.” –Romans 7:19 NIV

 

In the long era of Frozen’s reign in Disney moviedom, we all root for Elsa even though it is hard to tell if she is the protagonist or antagonist of this instant classic. The lines are muddied as she tries to do the right thing, but often struggles and even hurts those around her.

 

That’s exactly why we love her—Elsa reminds us of ourselves. Oh, how we try to do the right thing, but sin gets in the way. We intimately understand Elsa’s underlying cause too—the fear that surrounds her decision-making. She is oh so…human. The Bible talks about how our spirit and our flesh are always at war within us (Galatians 5:17) and it is refreshing to see even an animated Disney princess at war with herself. Elsa may feel all alone, but thanks to her, we do not.

 

7. “Sometimes I think of as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

-Alice

“That is an excellent practice.”

– The Mad Hatter, Alice in Wonderland (2010)

 

 

“Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, ‘Thus far the Lord has helped us.’” -1 Samuel 7:12

 

Alice knew what the Israelites did also: in order to stare down fear and walk forward in faith, all we need to do is recount our past miracles, our “thus-far-God-has-been-with-us” moments, our impossible possibilities. I like to call them “Ebenezers,” meaning “Rock of Help,” just as the Israelites called their memorial stone in 1 Samuel 7. They knew that setting up a visual reminder of how God had come through for them would help them be courageous the next time they encountered a situation in which the odds were stacked against them. And so, Alice begins counting.

 

6. “You don’t have to keep your distance anymore…you don’t have to live in fear ‘cause …I will be right here.”

-Elsa to Anna in Frozen’s “For the First Time in Forever (Reprise)”

 

“Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence…” -Hebrews 4:16

 

Princess Anna will eventually show Elsa that love thaws a frozen heart with her extraordinary display of sacrificial, unconditional love. But it starts with her relentless pursuit up the North Mountain after Elsa goes there to hide in shame. Anna shows that love can break down all walls. Jesus broke down the curtain that separated us from God once and for all with his GOAT sacrifice on the cross, which is why the book of Hebrews tells us we can approach God’s throne with confidence. It’s his grace at work.

 

5. “While others search for what they can take, a true king searches for what he can give.”

-Mufasa to his son, Simba, The Lion King (2019)

 

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

-Mark 10:45

 

Mufasa teaches his son, Simba, the future king, many important lessons before he leaves the earth. One of them is the secret to being a great leader: humble service. Mufasa demonstrates the heart of a true servant leader in his own reign as king over the Pride Lands in his humble yet mighty ways. He truly cares for the inhabitants of his land. Meanwhile, King Jesus is the OG example of servant leadership.

 

4. “They have stolen the heart from inside you,” she continues. “But this does not define you. This is not who you are. You know who you are…who you truly are”

-Moana to TeFiti, Moana

 

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here.” -1 Corinthians 5:17

 

Moana does the unthinkable by walking bravely toward the fiery lava monster who looks like she is coming for her head. Moana’s weapon is love and truth. TeFiti’s heart had been stolen and she no longer knew who she was. She had transformed into one of the scariest creatures Disney has ever animated—they packed quite the punch. But Moana brings truth and light and nonjudgmental love.

 

“I have crossed the horizon to find you,” she gently sings to TeKa. “I know your name.” This is a picture of the kind of loving, gentle pursuit God has toward us. A love like that melts our hard shell as it did for TeKa because that’s what love does: it transforms. God gives us a new name and we are changed. In him, we become who we were always meant to be.

 

3. [scene] The animals around Pride Rock: no words, just joyful leaping, roaring, bowing to their king

–The Lion King – both versions

 

“All the earth bows down to you;

They sing praise to you,

They sing praise to your name. Selah” -Psalm 66:4

 

In the opening scene of The Lion King, as King Mufasa takes his place on the cliff overlooking the entire Pride Lands, we see how the rest of creation reveres him. The heir to the throne has been born. All of the animals acknowledge its importance—they stop whatever they are doing and make their way to the foot of the cliff and come to center around Mufasa and his newborn son. From the tallest giraffe to the tiniest mouse, they all stop to hear from their king and bow in worship. Have you heard the song “So Will I” by Hillsong? Creation is compelled to worship the One True King worthy of it.

 

2. “Love thaws a frozen heart.”

-Olaf, Frozen

 

“There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear.” 1 John 4:18

 

It was fear that caused Elsa to act so icy cold. But when she experiences the unconditional and sacrificial love of her sister who went to great lengths to bring her back from her prison of fear, Elsa’s chains are broken, and she’s set free to be her true self.

 

1. “Your Dad’s been fighting the entire ocean looking for you! …He’s traveled hundreds of miles…followed the boat you were on like a maniac…and the word is he’s headed this way right now!”

-Nigel to Nemo, Finding Nemo

“For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”  -Romans 8:38-39

 

Marlin demonstrates the love of a father to a prodigal son, much like the father and son parable Jesus uses to explain his father’s great love for us from Luke 19. Though we, like Nemo, have ignored our father’s instructions and “touched the ‘butt,” so to speak, God’s love compels him to come looking for us anyway and invite us home.

 

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