When youâre reading this, Iâll have already sat in the movie theater, sang along to âBe our Guest,â and re-experienced childhood all over again. Yes, Iâm talking about seeing the much-anticipated remake of Beauty and the Beast. Confession: Iâve had my tickets since January.
This isnât the first time since I was a kid that Iâve counted down to the opening day of a Disney movie.
Two years ago, when the live-action Disney Cinderella film was released in theaters, my friend and I bought advance tickets for opening day. We dressed up. We wore Disney t-shirts. We relived our childhood in 114 glorious minutes.
To be fair, that one was really more of my friendâs childhood. I was always a fan of Belle, while she aspired to be the princess with the wicked stepsisters. A year before Cinderella came out, when we watched the first trailer for it on YouTube â a mere 30-second shot of a rotating glass slipper â our countdown until its theatrical release began.
All this to say, I have been a Disney fan for as long as I can remember, and I donât think thatâs going to end.
My excitement over Disney films and music seems to have impacted all areas of my life. For example, I recently started taking mandolin lessons, and my instructor told me I could choose some songs to begin practicing. I told him I had found a Disney mandolin scorebook (it included âUnder the Seaâ from The Little Mermaid; how could I resist?). When I showed it to my instructor, he kindly held back a laugh and then proceeded to ask, âHow old are you?â
I donât believe that Disney fans are defined by age. Not only did Disney films debut long before my generation and my parentsâ generation was even born (the first full-length movie was Snow White in 1937), but the Disney stories and their messages are timeless. Cinderella tells you âhave courage and be kind.â Beauty and the Beast invites you to look past exteriors and see into the heart. The Little Mermaid promotes reaching for your dreams, no matter how far out of reach.
In this way, adults can enjoy the stories as well. Actually, many of the characters were written to entertain both a young and mature audiences. Even today, Iâll watch my old favorite Disney movies and notice lines that were completely over my head as a kid (In The Lion King, Scar uses the phrase âquid pro quoâ and Belle sings about her âprovincialâ life in Beauty and the Beast.) Disney films are accessible at all ages.
In this accessibility, there is unity. You can quote lines from the movie with parents, friends, grandparents, and kids. You can bond over favorite Disney films with complete strangers. It places people on positive, common ground.
And thatâs magic.
