Danielle's Corner: "Not true Disney created man in his own image?"

There is a congregation known as the Church of Disney.  Many people subscribe to it.  The Church of Disney is a sect of the Christian religion that believes that being a good person and doing good works will earn your salvation.  The Church of Disney believes that when you wish upon a star, all of your dreams, wants, and desires will come true.  Good will always triumph.  Believers in the Disney religion believe as Robert Schuller states, "Ultimately, God will reward the right and will never reward the unrepentant wrong."  Follow your heart is their motto.  "The Gospel of Disney is all about me.  My dreams.  My will," says Phil Vischer, co-founder of the popular animated vegetable series, Veggie Tales.  Believers also make annual pilgrimages similar to Muslims journeying to Mecca.  Their place of worship - Walt Disney World (or Disney Land, depending on your denomination and geographical placement).  

Now, can you tell me how silly that first paragraph is?  I mean, the actual idea of a religion based on Disney is absurd.  Yet the realization is a fact for some people.  Religion is defined as a body of people who adhere to a set of specific principles in order to live a better life.  Disney has become just that to Americans.  P.L. Travers was not far off when she sarcastically remarked in the film Saving Mr. Banks, "not true Disney had created man in his own image?"  For as some Disney fans know it, Disney is the teacher by which to live by and Walt Disney himself is the god of it all.  

Allow me to say that I love Disney.  If I didn't, I would not have agreed to be on a podcast all about the global phenomenon!  But this is a real wake up call for me.  It is a harsh reality check.  I have fallen victim to the Church of Disney however I don't think Disney itself is a demonizing force.  Far from it!  In this post I hope to capture why the Church of Disney exists and why, flipping the coin, Disney is important to the study of the Christian God.

***

When Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs came out, Disney took America by storm.  From a film standpoint, the movie was technologically advanced as well as visually stunning and sugared candy to the ears.  But Disney did much more with his first full length animated feature than just change the film industry.  As with reading the Bible, it is important to look at the cultural and historical aspects of this situation in a well rounded manner.  The world isn't just made of film guru's which means we need to ask the question, why else was this movie catching fire?

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937.  What was going on in America in 1937?  Well, Americans were knee deep in the Great Depression.  Following the Great Depression was World War II and following that was the Cold War.  I think it is safe to say that these were dark and heavy times for America.  When Disney popped into the entertainment scene, his movies became a symbol of hope for Americans.  His films presented a light at the end of the tunnel analogy.  Things would get better.  The films were a morale boost.  They were an easy way to give people what they desperately wanted to hear.  Disney movies told people that it pays to endure.  Just look at Snow White who says, "I will get along somehow" when she journeys through the woods.  Her positive attitude toward the hardships in her life were a representation of how one must act in difficult times.  

I have come to learn a few things growing up as a Christian and a Disney lover.  One is that being positive is always important.  It is a way of looking past obstacles and moving forward with life despite hard times.  Another thing I have learned is that it is okay to be sad or depressed.  It is okay to feel down.  No one is perfect.  Feeling down is only in human nature and sadness should be embraced.  No one can be happy all of the time.  While Disney movies are generally positive things, I don't think they embrace just happiness.  Each film has it's sad scenes.  But by the end of the films, the character is once again happy and content with their life.  I don't think the movies are saying just let it go and move on and forget it and you will be happy.  The films are saying that bad things will happen but one day you will be able to come to terms with it and move on.  That of course is just my opinion on the issue.

Disney movies have greatly influenced American Christianity whether we like to admit it or not.  Disney teaches that good deeds will get us into heaven and that prayer in times of want or need will come true and effort does not need to be put forth when it comes to belief as long as it is a belief based on faith and faith alone...and trust, and pixie dust of course.  

There are many Christians who will tell you that Disney is evil and part of the Illuminati.  However, as a Christian myself, I don't subscribe to the philosophy that Disney is a force to be dealt with.  I believe pop culture can be a great way to connect with God.  The philosophy I subscribe to then is learning from the art put forward.  Leonard Martin phrases my feelings perfectly when he says, "Magic takes you away and shows you a better life.  And then it allows you to apply it to your real life."  I came to this philosophy when I was 15 years old at a place called Camp Montrose, a church camp.  Since this was a church camp, one of our daily activities was going to chapel twice a day - morning and night.  Chapel included singing worship music, hearing a sermon from the Pastor, and some activities to make us laugh or contemplate the universe.  One night, after laughing and singing and having a great time, the Pastor had us all watch a movie clip.  I looked on excitedly and was surprised when The Lion King popped up on the screen.  Our Pastor was showing us the scene when Simba meets Rafiki and then sees his father's ghost in the sky.  I remember crying.  I wasn't crying because of the symbolism of the scene.  I was crying because of the nostalgia I felt.  This movie had a such a big impact on my childhood and to see it again and hear the music and feel the impact of that very moment was a lot to take in at such a late hour of the night.  The Pastor then went on to explain the symbolism of that scene and why it was important to us as Christians.  He said that like Simba, we all have pasts and mistakes that we are ashamed of or afraid of but we can't live our lives dictated by the past.  We must remember who we are in Christ and take the road we were meant to take no matter how scared we may be.  It was from that point on that I subconsciously subscribed to the belief that art should always be quality and if it is quality, we should take something from it and learn from it.  Disney is quality.  They are quality in music, story, characters, humor, animation...90% of the time.  Their impact on culture is one thing but shouldn't be taken into account 100% of the time.  If we are to measure a piece by it's cultural impact, than Twilight is a literary piece to conquer the ages and that makes me shudder with fear and wonder how our culture has stooped to such a low state.
"I have discovered the gospel from time to time within [Disney's] celluloid frames of animation," says Reverend Michael Catlett in his sermon Every I Needed to Know I Learned from Watching Disney.  "I have heard the gospel pronounced by some unlikely characters.  The gospel is not relegated to special places and times.  If we will but listen we can hear it spoken all around us.  Sometimes we hear the gospel through children's stories contained on VHS tapes with a mouse ears logo.  I want to listen to the gospel wherever I can find it.  Don't you?"  I have too found the gospel in unlikely places not just within Disney but within great works of literature, popular films and indie films, and even in controversial works like Harry Potter.  It is why I decided to become an English major in college, so that I could study works of fiction and see how they relate back to the gospel.  It is a really fascinating subject.
Walt Disney believed in the idea that he wasn't just making films for children but for the child in all of us.  He made films that focused on returning us to innocence.  The Bible too tells us to remain in our innocence in Luke 18:17, the verse referred to Hans Christian Anderson's Snow Queen tale.  The verse says, "Truly I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child will not enter it at all.”  This is not the only example of Christian symbolism throughout Disney.  I plan to talk about these things more in future podcast episodes and blogs.
Now, don't worry.  I'm not one of those people who plans to shove my faith on all of the listeners.  I believe that talking about this kind of stuff and having differing opinions is really important.  It's okay if we disagree on things.  In fact, I welcome it.  I won't lie when I say that I don't feel uncomfortable at times when people contradict my own way of viewing things but it is always fascinating to me as to why people believe what they believe and why they come to certain conclusions.  I'm sharing my understanding with you guys and would love to hear about your understanding.

Quotes and Facts from: The Gospel According to Disney by Mark I. Pinsky 
(BUY ON AMAZON)
This post is brought to you from Danielle's corner.  Be sure to give this post a plus if you liked it.  Do you agree with Danielle's points?  Do you disagree?  Why or why not?  Let us know in the comments!