Disney is known for its lessons – from being nice to all creatures to dreams can come true. I love Disney and these are the lessons that I've taken away from it:
1. Family is Important
"Lilo and Stitch" taught me that your family is important. You can't forget your family or leave them behind. "Lilo and Stitch" also taught me that family doesn't have to be blood.
2. Be nice to all creatures
"Snow White" teaches us to be nice to all creatures – big and small. She takes care of the dwarfs and the animals. She doesn't care who you are, she knows who she is and she will be nice to anyone and everyone.
3. Love is not impossible
"Tarzan" teaches you that love is not impossible. The gorillas learned to love him for who he is. Jane learns to love "Tarzan" even though he is not who she necessarily wants him to be.
4. Not all heroes are attractive
Quasimodo teaches us that not everyone is beautiful and even if you are "deformed" you can be a good person. He saves the gypsy Esmeralda from his "evil" guardian.
5. Family bonds are the strongest
Anna and Elsa teach us that family is everything. Elsa and Anna teach us that love can thaw a frozen heart, and it doesn't have to be a true love's kiss – it can be a tear from a sister that is showing love.
6. Woman can do anything men can do
"Mulan" taught us that woman can be in the army and defeat an enemy – even the Hun. She took her father's place in the army and risked everything – her life, her family's name, and her country – but showed she could do it.
7. Adventure is out there
"Up" taught us that adventure is out there. It shows that you are never too old or young to find the adventure that is calling for you. Carl takes the spirit of Ellie on an adventure that they dreamed up as children and had focused their whole lives around.
8. Dreams can come true
Rapunzel went on a journey to her dream -- to see the floating lights. Her adventure shows that our dreams can come true, even if they need a little work.9. Never Grow Up
Being a child forever is not impossible if you let your inner child out! You can't be an adult all the time, and "Peter Pan" shows us that children can be happy forever. Growing up may be inevitable, but keep the spirit of your childhood in your heart forever.10. Accept difference
"Pocahontas" taught her whole village to accept John Smith. She wants people to accept all others regardless of skin color and speech.11. Don't judge a book by its cover
Belle falls in love with the Beast, regardless of his exterior image. She loves him for who he is. She doesn't find him bad because he is not the most handsome man in the world.12. Be honest
Why would you lie if you thought your nose was going to grow? "Pinocchio" learned not to lie, so we can too!13. Just Keep Swimming
Who wouldn't take advice from Dory? She may be forgetful but the advice "just keep swimming" is the best advice anyone could give.14. Don't stress!
"It means no worries, for the rest of your days." Who wouldn't want to live a problem free life? Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba teach us how to live in "Hakuna Matata."15. Don't run from your problems
Rafiki hitting Simba in the head with his staff gave me the motivation to learn from my past and not run from my problems. You may think your problems are too big to handle, but if you face them and conquer them, that can be your biggest victory yet.16. You control your fate
Merida teaches us that our fate is in our control. She fought for her own hand because she did not want to be some pawn in the clans. She shows everyone that she is in control of her own fate.17. Different is okay
Dumbo is a flying elephant; you can't get much more different than that. Dumbo teaches us to stand out and be different.18. Put yourself in someone else's shoes
Kenai is a hunter for his tribe that hates bears. He becomes bears and helps the young cub, Koda find his mom. He is put into a bear's body to teach him that you can't hate something (or someone) if you haven't been in their shoes.19. It's okay to cry
I haven't found a Disney movie that hasn't made me cry. I have learned to bring a box of tissues when I watch a Disney movie. Some movies I can cry over and over again, "Brother Bear" is definitely one of those. But I have also learned, it's okay to cry.