Disney+ was released at the perfect time, right as college students are wrapping up midterms and preparing for the long Thanksgiving weekend. They've allowed us access to some of the most iconic children's entertainment ever. These movies and shows were my childhood and I will take zero judgment as I belt Part of Your World. Here are 7 must-sees while you're laying in your Thanksgiving food coma this week.
1. Aladdin.
https://www.simplemost.com/tom-cruise-inspired-disneys-aladdin/
AKA the best Disney movie ever! TBH, the Genie makes this movie, and me and my sister still laugh at the impressions scene. This is truly adult humor, we just didn't realize it until we grew up.
2. Tangled.
https://www.npr.org/2010/11/19/131447298/in-tangled-a-fairy-tale-princess-unleashed
This movie teaches youth about having fun while finding yourself. The soundtrack is great, the animation is great, and the message is great. Also, I declare Flynn Rider as the best Disney prince. He definitely had the best character development. The relationship between him and Rapunzel was more two sided rather than her doing everything she can to make him like her.
3. The Little Mermaid.
https://variety.com/2019/film/news/oral-history-the-little-mermaid-1203379538/
Speaking of which... this movie may teach young kids that you should change in order for someone to love you, but it gives the perfect opportunity to prove this isn't true. The main takeaway is that you SHOULDN'T change for your partner, no matter what your body looks like-- legs or tail. If it's meant to be, it's meant to be. If not, there are other fish in the sea (see what I did there?).
4. Phineas and Ferb.
https://phineasandferb.fandom.com/wiki/Last_Day_of_Summer
This show gives viewers a new dynamic that's not all about romance. Sure, there is still a story line involving Candace and Jeremy, and Phineas and Isabella, but the show is overall about creativity in youth. Plus, Dr. Doofenshmirtz adds a clever, villainous layer to the series.
5. That's So Raven.
That's So Raven is truly the epitome of the early 2000s. It gave us high school humor and drama that was often real-life. In one episode, Raven even faced blatant racism, her potential employer literally saying, "Truth is, I don't hire black people." Even though we may not have realized the importance of this episode as kids, today we can look back on it and compare Raven's situation to the current time. We needed this awareness then and we need it now, and Disney (surprisingly) gave it to us crystal clearly.
6. The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
https://amp.insider.com/suite-life-of-zack-and-cody-cast-then-and-now-2018-3
The Suite Life told us that family doesn't always have to be blood related. Disney also gave us realness in this show by showing us a single mother raising her twin sons. Disney shows often write the family role as complete with a mother, father, and a couple of kids in a fancy house at the end of the cul-de-sac. This was challenged in The Suite Life by the protagonist family having no recurring father/husband figure, and by them living in a hotel. TBH, it was a breath of fresh air because we know the nuclear family dynamic they try to shove down our throats is not always true.
7. Lilo and Stitch.
https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/disney-takes-aim-live-action-lilo-stitch/
Kids LOVE Frozen, right? Well, this movie encouraged the same message as Frozen through the relationships between Lilo and Nani, and Lilo and Stitch. The most important love is sometimes the love within a family, not romance. This movie highlighted what it means to be a family in a new, non heteronormative, nuclear family way. That yelling scene between Nani and Lilo is real life, and it's important for kids to see this type of situation in a friendly movie.
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