I am 21 and A Disney Freak..
Yeah, I know what you’re thinking. Everyone has that inner child and will always love Disney. True statement.
I’ve been to Disney a few times in the past growing up. But when I went during winter break last year, it was different. It was better. As soon as I stepped onto the grounds of magic kingdom I immediately went from college student to kindergartner. Its a feeling I can’t put into words. Hearing the songs, seeing the castle, watching the fireworks, eating the Mickey-shaped ice cream bars. Then a few days later it was back to the reality of studying and struggling not to have a mental breakdown about the adult world. Man, what I would do to take another trip down there…
I always loved Disney growing up. Ariel was and still is my favorite princess. I can not tell you how many times I would be swimming in a pool singing Part of Your World pretending I would go from human to mermaid, which is the opposite of Ariel’s dream. Every time I watched that movie (which was multiple times a week) I would hear Ariel sing about her dream of being human and I would always wish I could trade places with her.
And I know, it’s cute that a little girl would have that dream. The sad part is, I would still make that deal. Here’s the thing. I am 21 years old and a Disney freak, who just dreams of escaping the reality of, well reality. Graduation is creeping up faster and faster. With school work piling up, internships, and job applications, where is there time to even breathe? Adulting, man I didn’t ask for this! Ariel, you sure you want to be human? Cause Sebastian was not wrong. Our world really is a mess.
I know I don’t have fins or a little fish friend named Flounder (who is clearly not a flounder by the way), but I have realized I honestly am a lot like Ariel. A young, independent girl who always seemed off in her own world, almost a loner in her own society, wants to explore a place completely new and sets out to get what she wants. Sure, you can argue that no woman should change herself for any man. But she WANTED to. She had a choice that she wanted to make and she did it. On her own.
I’ve always felt that I was just like her. Not wanting to be stuck in the same place, wanting to adventure, being independent, being kind of a loner and making myself what I want to be. She wanted to be human and did it. I want to be…well I’m not quite sure yet but I sure am busting my butt to figure it out.
Now that I am older and have more of an understanding of life and have actually lived it, I’m starting to see metaphors and relationships between me and these movies I loved growing up.
The thing is, I watch all these movies, and see how they can relate to us now. I know every one out there has that one movie that portrays a lesson that at one point in their own life learned. Whether it is The Little Mermaid, The Lion King, Peter Pan, etc. We can relate. Especially when you watch them when you’re older, you can see the connection it has to present day issues that young adults our age have gone through.
Examples:
- Elsa not being able to let people in and shutting them out
- Wendy not wanting to grow up
- Beast showing his vulnerability when the right person comes along
- Hercules following his heart
- Mulan’s pressure to make her father proud
- Alice in Wonderland showing you never know where each path is going to take you
There are so many more out there!
Yeah, life can be hard without sea witches, pirates, and fire breathing dragons. You can’t just fight off anxiety with a sword. But it shows our fears can be tamed.
I have so much more of an appreciation for these movies now that I am older. Of course I still love to sing along in car rides and annoy the hell out of my boyfriend. But it’s okay. It’s okay to be in your 20’s and still love Disney. Or anything you loved as a kid. Yeah, I am interning, working, being a student, a daughter, a sister, an aunt a girlfriend, a best friend. I have responsibilities. We all do! But we owe it to ourselves that one little thing that brings us back to being innocent and irresponsible and along the rode it helps us pull through.
While reaching the homestretch of my senior year, upon all the hard work I have to put up with until I get that diploma, I will continue to kick back and enjoy a good Disney movie to set my mind free for a little bit. And by graduation, I know I’ll be “ready to staaaaaand.”