My Guilty Pleasures – Disney Edition

Written by Shae Rufe

Hey guys! It's been a while since I've done one these. So, I thought why not talk about those wonderful guilty pleasures that bring about all kinds of joy and today, I figured it would be fun to share with all of you my geeky Disney Guilty Pleasures. Because let's face it, deep down inside, I am a total Disney girl.

First up has to be the movie I annoyed my mom with by singing its soundtrack non-stop, The Little Mermaid. I was convinced at one point that if I put on enough cherry flavored chapstick, my lips would be as red as Ariel's. They never were and I have to tell you, that was really crushing. I also wanted my hair to be as bright red as Ariel's. Well, The Little Mermaid probably had a generation of us pretending to be mermaids in the pool. I can guarantee I tried to swim like I had a fin for years after seeing that movie. But it was, and still is, near and dear to my heart. As most princesses from that era, Ariel now gets a bit of a bad rep for being a silly girl who runs off with a prince. She wasn't just some moody teenager, she was a character that wanted more out of her life and a change of scenery. The prince was an added bonus. Plus, she was rebellious and always getting into trouble…which I kind of really related to.

Speaking of rebellious women, bring on Belle from Beauty and the Beast. A classic tale with a romantic twist and another catchy sound track. Not going to lie to you guys, this came out at a time where I was little enough to wrap a blanket around me and pretend it was a cloak. And I did. Every time I watched this movie. Unfortunately, no matter how many times I kissed my grandpa's dog on the nose, he never turned into a handsome prince. Nor did any of the dishes start to talk. That never stopped me from trying. Belle, though, was awesome. Her hair was brown like mine had eventually turned, she sang, she was scrappy….and she never fell for that jerk, Gaston. As a young impressionable kid, it was awesome. She taught that you should love/like a person for who they are on the inside, now what they are on the out. And, she fell for a beast who turned into a prince. That's not a terrible life lesson. Plus, there was some French…and by some French I mean, I learned to say Bonjour and that's about it. Belle was a great example of what a girl should be. She also read a lot and made reading look cool!

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Reading is always fun, and being a princess is cool, but who wants to be a princess when you can save China? Enter, Mulan. This movie I was old enough to truly appreciate. I still made my parents take me to this. (There's really no force involved, really. They willingly see kid movies, sometimes). The movie was a blast. I never laughed so hard at an animated cartoon movie before. Mulan was a strong, independent, woman who entered the army so her elderly father didn't have to. She won friends, beat Hun's, and later won the affections of the hot general. Watching Mulan now, I see how she bends gender rules/roles and probably has Shang questioning his sexuality. However, cross dressing never seemed like a bad or wrong thing. Despite the fact that Mulan does cross dress, it's totally okay. Because it's funny. And really, who cares if you're a chick in dude’s clothes or a dude in chick clothes? Kids don't! 

Totally going out of timeline order here, but I have to mention The Lion King and I thought here would be a good spot for it. Despite The Lion King being an animated telling of Hamlet it is still one of the most fantastic films of all times. I saw this in theaters with my parents, and it is one of the fondest memories I have. Even they were blown away! (My mom's a tough critic!) The catchy music, lovable sidekicks, and heart wrenching death scene; The Lion King was the most amazing childhood movie. It had a great cast, fantastic animation, and a really cool set of action figures. Yeah, I owned all of them….why? I was 8…and they were cooler than Barbie.

Lastly, I have to comment on Tangled. It gets a bit of a bad rep for many reasons. I, however, love this movie. Yes, I'm an adult, but that means nothing when it comes to Disney. Tangled was fun, funny, and Flynn Rider is, so far, the best 'prince' out there. Plus, come on! Pascel!? He's awesome. Maximus is a little over the top as far as animal sidekicks go, but he's okay. Rapunzel's story has a new spin on it and she learns to be out in the world and finds her parents. Plus, she finds out she's a princess after she falls in love with our charming thief. Plus, there's the awesome Tangled Ever After which is an animated short that takes place over Rapunzel and Flynn's wedding. It was cute! If you haven't seen it, check it out!

What's your Favorite Disney Movies? Or your opinion on Princesses? 

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