Sunday, November 20, 2011

My way of thinking/ For the love of Walt Disney

It will come as no surprise to my faithful readers that I dearly LOVE Disney drawn animation.  I enjoy the computer generated stuff as well, but for pure artistry, I prefer the hand drawn stuff.  There is magic in the idea that real people used pen and paper (simplifying the process but you get what I mean) to bring hundreds of thousands of drawings to life.  The sheer magnitude of such an operation is astounding to me.


Besides the artistry of the drawings is the art of telling a story.  All the truly great animated films have one thing in common.  They are the stories that tell us that love conquers all and that good will always prevail over evil.  Simple concepts though they may be, they are ideals that have a ring of truth even in our adult cynicism.  This is the way things SHOULD be.  If life isn't quite that simple, we have to ask ourselves why not.  The follow-up question becomes, what can we do to make our lives follow the outline of a fairy tale complete with the happily ever after ending?


"Bambi" begins with a beautiful tour of a densely wooded forest.  While viewing nature's masterpiece we listen to a song that tells us, "Love is a Song That Never Ends".  The tone is perfectly set for the story of love between mother and child, then the love that comes with friendship, the love between father and son, and finally the love between mates.  We also learn how destructive and careless man can be when he causes a fire in the forest (not to mention killing Bambi's mother).  These are wonderful lessons at any age.


Then there are the Disney heroines.  In the early films, the heroines were victims who were rescued from their plights by the handsome Prince Charming.  In today's films the heroines are stronger females who are just as likely to save the prince from HIS plight.  I like it either way because the message is always that love conquers any and all obstacles.  If you believe enough and try hard enough, a happy ending will be the end result.


Believe me, I understand that life is far more complex than a Disney film.  But my point is that these stories can be templates for the way we approach our lives.  If we believe in the power of love, and if we believe that good will win out in the end, we have set up our own happy ending.  If we constantly look at the struggle, and not at the goal, we have set ourselves up for devastating failure.  We have the choice to NOT allow the challenges that life so casually tosses our way to throw us.  We can choose to face these challenges with the idea that positive trumps negative.  Destiny and fate are only words to describe that future which is unknowable.  No one can ever convince me of the concept of predestination.  If that were so, why in the world would anyone bother getting out of bed?


I recently wrote about the power of dreaming.  Dreams are hopes and wishes.  Without them we are adrift in the chaos that surrounds us.  I am not saying that we can, or should, disconnect from reality, but with a little Disney imagination, we can alter our own reality to reflect the world (our part of it) as it CAN be.  The possibilities are endless.


                                              Peace and Love,


                                                 Austin/Bill


                                     www.wahjr56.blogspot.com

8 comments:

  1. I love Disney movie too, although many of them are too sad for me. Seriously. I've not seen Bambi since I was really little -- the mama's death impacted me too much. And baby Dumbo crying for his mother... heartbreaking!
    I'm better at getting through them now (with a few tears).
    And yes, I agree --- we can choose to create our own happy endings :)

    Heidi & Atticus
    http://www.atticusuncensored.com
    "commentary to give you paws..."

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  2. Heidi, The sadness in the stories is necessary to show how powerful love is in this world. The point is always that love can transcend any tragedy. The fact that love prevails over any circumstance is what I was getting at.

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  3. I will never forget seeing Bambi (tears...) I also remember Snow White, which I think was the first movie I ever saw in a theater (and of course that was the only way you could in those days!) I think it's a bit sad that people don't have much awareness of those old, hand-drawn films--how many drawings did it take for a few seconds of action?

    Stories in all forms are wonderful gifts to make us imagine new possibilities in our lives. Disney started something that continues to live on. I will say I find Pixar equally remarkable now--films like "Up and Away" have an emotional tone that "real-person" action films do not.

    Now you have me thinking of all the beautiful films I have seen!

    Judy Stone-Goldman
    The Reflective Writer
    http://www.thereflectivewriter.com
    Personal-Professional Balance Through Writing

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  4. I guess I missed the mark on this post. I meant to use Disney to make a larger point. Oh well. The films speak for themselves.

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  5. I share your love of animation, as you know. The themes in the Disney classics have been pretty clear and yes, even simple, but I can see why you would desire a world where a little of that magic could rub off on all of us. We live in a cynical world, but it's these little gems that show us a light, a hope, that things can be different. As long as people are watching them, they'll be inspired to be a part of them and make some of their own.

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  6. Thank you Dennis for getting the point I was trying to make. If we can believe in magic even a little, it opens up so many possibilities. Happy endings DO exist. They're just hard to see sometimes.

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  7. Bill, I love Disney movies too and prefer happy endings (but usually end up in tears on the way there!). Wizard of Oz is my all time favorite (I know it's not a Disney movie but I loved the message and think it's similar to what you're saying here). Happy endings do exist and we can create them. Always love your posts.

    Trish
    www.robertssister.com
    caregiving. family. advocacy.

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  8. Thank you, Trish. I love "The Wizard of Oz" too. It has the same kind of message that I am talking about. Love between friends, love of family, good conquers evil. All themes that inspire me. Nice to know you agree that happy endings are possible, especially when you create your own happy endings. So many people choose to think that everything is up to fate or preordained. I know with absolute certainty that that is not true. Life is what we make it!

    Bill
    Austin's Thoughts
    www.wahjr56.blodspot.com

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