If you know me, or have been following this blog for a little while, then you’re probably aware that I like Disney. Recently, I put on a Disney playlist and belted along in the shower as I often do. I’ve long known that Disney films tend to have a profound meaning to them behind their seemingly simple subject matter; a ‘moral of the story’ that might go over your head as a child, but as an adult, pierces to your core.
However, during this particular karaoke session, I was struck with the realisation that their songs are no different. They are more than their complex musicality, pleasant melodies, wholesome lyrics and sentimental undertones. “More often than not—“ (bonus point if you can tell me which song I’ve quoted from here) —there is a depth that we do not always appreciate in the light of the sheer familiarity of these beloved tunes.
So, I decided to take a closer look at some of my favourite Disney and/or Pixar songs and spend some time delving into what they are really saying.
I’ve made a Spotify playlist of the songs featured, and I’d recommend having a listen to them as you go along: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/12VMcGVMcNWPplbDnr2uqL?si=phi7SnxsTzaMOxe3vq2U9Q&pi=e-V_p7hst-S5WX
Ready?
You’ve Got A Friend In Me
Toy Story (1995)
“Some other folks might be a little bit smarter than I am
Bigger and stronger too, maybe
But none of them will ever love you the way I do
It’s me and you, boy”
Awww. These words melt my heart every time. There is a certain type of love than transcends physical attraction, expectations or material things. It bonds over shared values and hobbies, celebrates differences, and overcomes many challenges through forgiveness, mutual acceptance and understanding.
I’m not referring to a lover, but to another type of individual who was once a stranger, but now, you can no longer imagine life without.
I’m talking about a true friend— a rare gift to be cherished and preserved. Friends are commonly referred to as the ‘family we choose.’ This has certainly been true for me. We are wired to love our family unconditionally, but how special it is to choose to love unconditionally a person who does not share your blood. How meaningful is every sacrifice, every storm weathered together, every precious memory shared.
I’m grateful for my friends.
Part of Your World
The Little Mermaid (1989)
“Bet’cha on land they understand
Bet they don’t reprimand their daughters”
Oop.
The epitome of “The grass is always greener on the other side.” Ariel has an alarmingly idealistic view of life outside of the sea. We humans know exactly how messy things can be up here, so I think this song is both genius and comical in its juxtaposition of her innocent assumptions and the harsh realities of life on land.
This song— just like the film— is a cautionary tale about the dangers of wishing for a life that isn’t yours, without truly understanding what comes with it. At the same time, it’s a reminder of the ingratitude that we, at times, nurture; magnifying the perceived downsides of our current situation whilst longing with tunnel vision for the perfect, shiny new thing that looks much better indeed. We don’t want the bad bits; we don’t even want to imagine them— we just want that other thing.
Ariel’s desire for legs— for jumping, dancing and strolling, to be exact— has caused her to forget the usefulness of her fins. Despite the vast waters that I’m sure she’s been able to traverse over the course of her life, she does not feel that flipping one’s fins gets one very far. But I don’t blame Ariel at all, because we all do it. I am very much appealing to myself when I say that there is great joy and satisfaction to be found in embracing gratitude for the present, whilst pursuing a realistic view of the things we desire.
For example, I know that marriage is bound to be amazing, but I am glad that I am not completely oblivious to its challenges. This is in part thanks to the transparency of some of the married people in my life, and learning to see through the rose-tinted lens of social media. I also try to live in a state of conscious awareness of how beautiful my life is right now. Unsurprisingly, I’m not perfect at this, but an objective assessment of the little wins, big wins and innumerable blessings I have enjoyed, usually helps me back.
I can both empathise and relate with Ariel. I feel the depths of her curious yearning with everything inside me when my favourite line comes up: “What’s a fire and why does it… what’s the word? …Burnnn?” The unknown is frustratingly enticing and enticingly frustrating. But with the privilege of living on land, comes the knowledge that although fire is necessary and good for warmth, food and even new growth, ecologically speaking— it causes untold destruction when not contained; and you could get hurt if you get too close.
It is okay to desire something, whilst being grateful for where you are and what you have, whilst preparing yourself for the challenges and unforeseen hurdles that the desired thing may bring. I’m learning that this is probably the best place to be.
I Won’t Say (I’m In Love)
Hercules (1997)
“I thought my heart had learned its lesson
It feels so good when you start out
My head is screaming, “Get a grip, girl!”
Unless you’re dying to cry your heart out”
We hear you, Meg. It can be difficult to open up to the possibility of romantic love when you’ve been burnt by its flames. However, Meg takes the most subtle first step in exploring that part of life again: admitting to herself, if to no else, that she is, in fact, in love. Only time will tell what it will take to chip away at those walls, and allow even the beginnings of a tiny, single spark.
“At least out loud
I won’t say I’m in love”
We Are One
The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998)
“As you go through life you’ll see
There is so much that we
Don’t understand
And the only thing we know
Is things don’t always go
The way we planned”
In a full circle moment, grown-up Simba shares some simple yet profound wisdom with his young daughter through the words of this underrated ‘makes-you-feel-like-you-can-do-anything’ song. I am only now appreciating that he is drawing from the traumatic experience of not only losing his father at a young age, but believing for many agonising years that he was responsible. He is trying to instil in Kiara the resilience she will need to face the unexpected turns life may take.
Simba reassures young Kiara that although there will be tears, they will not all be of pain; she will never truly be alone; and she will be able to endure heartache and disappointment with courage, loving support and hope.
Things don’t always go the way we planned.
This is a difficult concept to grasp when life has not yet threatened our carefree optimism nor the innate selfishness which has not quite yet been checked. I don’t think the message sank in for me as a child, but now that I am a little (yes, a little) bit older, I can look back and say that life has certainly proven this to be true— and so has the Bible.
The book of Proverbs is widely accepted to have primarily been written by King Solomon, the wise son of King David. Much of the writings carry the voice of a father expressing heartfelt appeals to his son— which reminds me of Mufasa’s pleas to Simba, and now, Simba’s to Kiara.
“A man’s heart plans his way, But the Lord directs his steps.”
Proverbs 16:9 NKJV
“You can make many plans, but the Lord’s purpose will prevail.”
Proverbs 19:21 NLT
It hasn’t been easy when my plans haven’t turned out the way I wanted them to. In fact, it’s been nothing short of heartbreaking and excruciating at times. Simba sings of hope, but in these moments, hope can feel like a thin thread I’m desperately holding onto. The fear of letting go and plummeting into despair tightens my grip as I struggle to stay suspended.
In a relationship with Jesus, hope— however fragile it may feel in the weakness of our human frame— is never absent. And with hope comes peace. His Spirit is that of peace and He’s the Prince of it.
Peace accompanies the knowledge that the Person who made the sun and the stars, and you and me, is both good in nature and an excellent planner— and His plans always turn out the way He wants them to.
Peace is believing that these plans, like Him, are good.
Peace comes from thankfully bringing our requests to Him, and then leaving them there; trusting Him to do with them as He pleases.
“You will keep in perfect and constant peace the one whose mind is steadfast [that is, committed and focused on You—in both inclination and character],
Because he trusts and takes refuge in You [with hope and confident expectation].
Isaiah 26:3 AMP
“May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 15:13 NIV
I am beginning to understand that there is something— or rather, someone— better to hold onto than hope. Yes, you’ve guessed right; it’s the God of hope and He’s holding onto me too. In my moments of weakness, when I feel my fingers slipping and my grip fails, I find that I’m not free falling. I can’t always hold on, but He can.
Things don’t always go the way we planned.
It’s unspeakably hard, but with His help, I’m learning to trust that His plans are better. My hope is not in the confidence that He will answer all my prayers in the way I want Him to, but that His answer will be good.
One of Us
The Lion King II: Simba’s Pride (1998)
“Born in grief, raised in hate
Helpless to defy his fate
Let him run, let him live
But do not forget what we cannot forgive”
Deception.
Disgrace.
I had to go for two in a row because this soundtrack is just too good.
In sharp contrast to ‘We Are One’ is this song of prejudice and ostracism. Kovu’s first crime was being born into a family of exiled followers of a murderous usurper. His next, a scar bearing a resemblance to that of his aforementioned predecessor.
As soon as the Pridelanders think that they have caught him in error, they reveal what they have really thought of him all along. The irony being that they were, and still are, wrong about him.
“Evil as plain as the scar on his face”
“He asked for trouble the moment he came”
“He has never been one of us”
“Helpless to defy his fate”
And the line which sums it all up:
“For we knew he would do what he’s done”
How often do we judge based on appearances and first impressions, proceeding to make assumptions about the character of a person? This could be conscious or subconscious, said or unsaid.
In the years since I first saw this film, I have been both the prejudger and the prejudged. Every day learning to be less of the former, and deal with the latter with more graceful resolve.
Which leads us nicely onto the next song.
Beauty and the Beast
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
“Bittersweet and strange
Finding you can change
Learning you were wrong”
A story of two unlikely friends turned two unlikely lovers, but this principle can be applied to any relationship. Challenging prejudice, having the courage to be wrong, laying down pride, interrogating first impressions, and learning to see through to someone’s heart… who knows the beauty that may lie on the other side of these?
Colours of the Wind
Pocahontas (1995)
“You think the only people who are people
Are the people who look and think like you
But if you walk the footsteps of a stranger
You’ll learn things you never knew you never knew”
Are you noticing a theme here?
“Come roll in all the riches all around you
And for once
Never wonder what they’re worth”
Pocahontas challenges colonisers to enjoy the treasures of a foreign land without planning how they can leverage them for financial gain. Her words are well meaning, and totally ignored.
I sometimes hear people blaming ‘religion’ for wars. I’m no expert on war, but I know that money usually seems to play some sort of role. Many lives have been lost and people groups displaced, because of money— or, rather, the love of it. Here’s a glimpse into the heart of God concerning money. I’m sure that if every human being on Earth heeded these words, this world would be a safer and more harmonious place.
“Yet true godliness with contentment is itself great wealth. After all, we brought nothing with us when we came into the world, and we can’t take anything with us when we leave it. So if we have enough food and clothing, let us be content. But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows.”
1 Timothy 6:6-10 NLT
The Bare Necessities
The Jungle Book (1967)
“When you find out you can live without it
And go along not thinkin’ about it
I’ll tell you something true
The bare necessities of life will come to you”
I don’t observe Lent anymore; not because I don’t see the value in laying something down for a period of time, but because I realised that I was quite mindlessly following a tradition without understanding it. Now that I do have some understanding of it, I would say that fasting is biblical, but strictly observing Lent is not a commandment. Fasting in any form is helpful if done with a genuine and conscious heart that is seeking God, and can be done at any time of year.
But that’s not why I brought up Lent. In 2013, I decided to give up sugar for Lent. By this, I mean ‘physical’ sugar, not sugar that’s already an ingredient in something else. I probably would not have been able to eat anything at all otherwise.
So, I essentially would not add sugar to anything— which pretty much amounted to having no sugar in my teas and coffees. I was expecting this to be difficult, and it was at first. But as the forty day mark drew nearer, I realised that I didn’t really want to add sugar to my teas and coffees. It was as though my taste for sugar had changed. Something I thought I couldn’t do without, was no longer of much interest to me.
All this to say: I think that we, at times, believe that something is necessary just because it has always been there. Maybe it provides some sort of comfort or pleasure that we fear we will lack in its absence, and yet we probably have never tested this theory.
You never know what trying to give something up for a while could do to your taste for it, and to your perception of what is truly necessary in your life. It’s easy for life to get cluttered with stuff. How rewarding it can be for one to look at one’s life, reflect, take stock and strip things down to identify what really matters. Right down to the simplest, plainest, most basic, most essential, and dare I say it, barest necessities.
Life becomes a little simpler, a little lighter, and a lot more gratitude-filled when we realise how much of it is actually a luxury.
Strangers Like Me
Tarzan (1999)
“Every gesture, every move that she makes
Makes me feel like never before
Why do I have
This growing need to be beside her?”
Before I go any further, I MUST take a moment to acknowledge the sheer GENIUS of Phil Collins and the EPIC soundtrack he provided for this timeless movie. I would include every last song if I had the time and strength. With that being said, let’s continue.
I am always fascinated by Tarzan’s child-like curiosity, intrigue, internal conflict, and wide-eyed amazement when faced with the novelty of humans. Despite having been one all his life, he had no prior concept of this reality. His sense of self had been forged in an environment where everyone looked different to him. I doubt that he had ever considered it possible that others “like him” even existed; he had no conception of it. As far as he was concerned, he was a funny-looking gorilla.
Until he sees her.
As ‘her’ becomes ‘them’, the mystery of his very existence begins to unravel. Emotions he “never knew” start to poke at his heart, as he tries to make sense of a beauty that he has no language for. The possibility of romantic love is now present, but he doesn’t even know what this means yet. How utterly unexpected, bewildering, terrifying and wonderful.
Our environment and upbringing play a vital role in the development of our world views and self-perception. But in the words of Tarzan, “there’s so much to learn” outside of our immediate reality. When we come into contact with situations, people and revelations that challenge what we’ve always known, however uncomfortable, we are usually on the brink of discovery and growth. We might even find out more about ourselves than we ever thought possible.
I liken the experience to getting to know Jesus. I once thought I was just a girl who, like everyone else, was born by chance into a world that had some sort of consciousness of some sort of distant God. When my eyes and heart were opened to the truth of Jesus’ life, death and resurrection, I ‘woke up’ and realised that I was actually made for a totally different life. I finally knew who I was, and I’m still learning every day.
Belle
Beauty and the Beast (1991)
“Marie! The baguettes! Hurry up!”
Apart from being an excellent song and one which gave us the iconic line above (if you know, you know), this one says a lot about how society treats a person who differs from the norm.
Belle has interests, hobbies and values which are different from the community around her. The beautiful, bold and brilliant young lady is deemed strange because she would rather enjoy a good book than be found in a crowd. She is branded odd because she dreams of a world that is bigger and fuller than the one she currently sees. She is even regarded unhinged for turning down the advances of a handsome, arrogant and insufferable man.
The real beauty of this song is in the contrast it draws between the two opposing threads, like two complimentary colours wound in a DNA-like double helix to highlight their stark differences; the town’s outspoken displeasure, and Belle’s unfazed (or perhaps, blissfully oblivious) delight. Her joyful confidence stands out against a backdrop of unrelenting reproach.
The lesson I have drawn from it all is this:
If being weird means that my qualities are not understood by all, then I am okay with being weird. I would rather be happy with my peculiar self, than be everyone’s cup of tea. As long as I am doing right by God, others and myself, then I am quite alright with being misunderstood. In fact, if I am anything like Belle, and the naysayers anything like her fellow townsfolk, then I shall take their disapproval as a high compliment.
I Am Moana
Moana (2016)
“The people you love will change you
The things you have learned will guide you
And nothing on Earth can silence
The quiet voice still inside you”
You might have noticed already that I’m quite big on identity. A significant part of my journey has been the process of pinpointing and learning about the things that make up Christine, but ultimately embracing that my identity is defined by, and found in, Christ. I explore how forgetting our identity can keep us from flourishing in our purpose in ‘Remember.’
At a crossroads moment, when Moana feels the most lost, we get a profound monologue as she responds to the question, “Do you know who you are?” She recognises the internal conflict that arises from her love for her island and her love for the sea. Although the two seem to be battling for her affection and loyalty, she is starting to understand that they can co-exist— see ‘Black British’ for more on this.
She doesn’t leave out the parts that are inconvenient or that she’s had to grapple with, confidently stating, “I am the daughter of the village chief”— despite the fact that she has grown up resenting this. She acknowledges her roots, and the part that her heritage has played in the shaping of the young woman she is today. She starts with who she is, then moves on to what she’s done— giving a nod to everything she’s learnt along the way.
She finally realises that, all long, the sea has not in fact been calling her— no, she’s been listening to the cry of her own heart; “And the call isn’t out there at all, it’s inside me.”
In the positively epic culmination of it all, she confidently belts, “I AM MOANA!!!!” And I have definitely played this more times than I can tell you.
Over the course of my very own personal voyage, I’ve learned more about myself by seeking God and leaning into what He has put in my heart, than by giving in to the external pulls of the world. All along, the answer has not been “out there” but “in here” where He resides. And I too, instead of trying and failing to sum up the definition of me, can confidently state, “I am Christine!”
Tale as old as time
There are many, and I mean many, other songs that could have made the cut, but these were the ones that stood out to me for one reason or another. I didn’t bother attempting anything from The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996), as a single song would need its own post.
I was intrigued to notice that the ‘newest’ song I have featured here was released nine years ago. Does this say something about my appreciation for a good, old fashioned nostalgic classic, or are the messages of Disney becoming lighter and less convicting? Possibly, to an extent. What I will say, though, is that Disney songs nowadays seem to be a little more ‘matter of fact’ when it comes to their storytelling, and a little less nuanced. I don’t find myself moved by the weightiness of their meaning as much as I’m drawn to their feel-good and catchy nature. I’ll always love a Disney tune, but I know the ones I want my children to know all the words to.
Whether you’re a big Disney fan or not, I hope you’ve enjoyed reading this little piece of my heart— I definitely had fun writing it! I hope the lessons resonated with you as they did me.
Are there any Disney songs that you love, and if so, what have they taught you? I’d love to hear about them.
All my love,
Xtine
This is so beautifully worded and you are so humble, kind and amazing. Thank you for kind words and encouragement. You are deeply loved by many.
Thank you so much for your kind words, Mary. ☺️