A Marathon

I watched Frozen about one and a half year ago. It rekindled my love for Disney, which has been frozen for many years due to the restricted time I had for entertainment and movies. The release of Frozen in Malaysia was so timely as Christmas was just around the corner and children did not have to go to school. After returning home from the cinema, the adrenaline rush that pumped through my veins made me zoom into my store room to dig out some Disney films. Thankfully after all these years, my mother did not throw them away and the DVDs still worked fine although they were covered in dust. I grabbed some Pringles, got cozy on the couch, fixated my eyes on the television screen and I stayed in that position for the next few days.

Movie marathons are the only kind of marathon I would partake in willingly. I started off my Disney movie marathon with Beauty and The Beast, produced in 1991. This movie focuses on the relationship between the Beast, a prince who was magically transformed into a monster as a punishment for his arrogance by a witch, and Belle, a young damsel who is imprisoned in the Beast's castle in exchange for her father. To become a prince again, Beast must win her love or else he remains a monster forever. In the movie, Belle had an unquenchable thirst for knowledge and an insatiable desire to read. Even up to this day, how often do we see a female portrayed as as an intelligent learner in films?  The appearance of a person does not influence Belle's opinion as well. She did not want to be Gaston's wife despite other female villagers throw themselves at his feet. Despite being scared off by the Beast several times due to his behavior, she approached him and eventually changed him.

A person's biggest enemy is themselves. The biggest obstacle to achieve a dream is self-doubt. The Lion King tells the story of Simba, a young lion who is to succeed his father, Mufasa, as king. However, after Simba's uncle Scar murders Mufasa, Simba is manipulated into thinking he was responsible and flees into exile in shame and despair. With some help from his friend and shaman, Simba conquered his fear to become the leader that he was meant to be. He challenged Scar to end his tyranny. That is the kind of bravery that both children and adults should be exposed to more frequently. This Disney classic can build up children's confidence and be ready to take on challenges in life.

Pocahontas is a film inspired by the known history and folklore surrounding the Native American woman Pocahontas and portrays a fictionalized account of her historical encounter with an Englishman named John Smith. Pocahontas who was proud of her roots cherished the nature that birthed and raised her. We should develop environmental awareness and actually practice "Go Green" activities because the Earth has given us everything we ever need. If we continue with our ignorance towards the destruction of the environment, our children will have to suffer the consequences due to our irresponsibility.

Mulan's plot takes place during the Han Dynasty, where Fa Mulan, daughter of aged warrior Fa Zhou, impersonates a man to take her father's place during a general conscription to counter a Hun invasion. Mulan's love for her father as a filial daughter which made her chose to fight in her father's place is truly admirable. She respected her father and decided to protect him for a change. Mulan also did not want to conform to society's idea of being a 'normal' female. She wanted to be comfortable being herself. Children should be comfortable in their own skin and allowed to represent themselves the way they want.

I ended my marathon with Tangled. The film tells the story of a lost, young princess named Rapunzel who had long magical hair who was captured by a witch, who identifies herself as her 'mother' when she was still an infant. She yearns to leave her secluded tower. Against her mother's wishes, she accepts the aid of a handsome intruder to take her out into the world which she has never seen. Rapunzel left her abusive mother who abused her magical powers for good and searched for a better life outside her tower and eventually found herself a new identity. We should always try to look for positive light and not settle for any less.

Disney movies played a huge role in our childhood. This marathon made me walk down memory lane and left me feeling very nostalgic of my childhood. Carefully crafted, it gave us memorable moments to laugh, cry and rejoice, but most importantly, they gave us unforgettable lessons that cannot be learned through textbooks. For that, I commend all filmmakers and animators for giving their all in producing these masterpieces that will continue to inspire future generations.