The Little Mermaid falls under the topic of ‘heated discussions’ in our household. My husband (I would hope jokingly but I’m honestly not sure) is against the kids watching it, because Ariel deliberately disobeys her father. Then I provide the counterpoint of her father being anti-human, and how she opened his eyes to a new world. This discussion got me thinking- what if dads wrote the summaries for classic Disney movies?! It would be a riot. But it also just basically looks something like this:

The Little Mermaid: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Beauty and the Beast: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Mulan: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Pocahontas: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Frozen: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Moana: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Tarzan: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Zootopia: She should’ve listened to her dad.

And Pixar…

Finding Nemo: He should’ve listened to his dad.

Ratatouille: He should’ve listened to his dad.

Brave: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Inside Out: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Finding Dory: She should’ve listened to her dad.

Okay, you get the gist. While dads may look at this list and see ways to keep the kids safe, there’s no story, no adventure if the character listens to their dad. Worlds don’t change or expand, rules don’t evolve, crimes don’t get solved and wars don’t get won.

Disney and Pixar take the hard stance, showing how going against the grain can be a brave and important step that has to be taken. Sometimes stepping outside the boundaries is required to fix society’s problems. You don’t know how strong you are (Elsa, Mulan), how brave you are, (Merida, Belle), or how you can change the world (Ariel, Jane, Pocahontas, Moana, Judy Hoppes) if you don’t conquer your fears and be willing to be the first.

Thank you, Disney and Pixar, for teaching little ones how to be willing to take the first step for a more peaceful, loving world, and how important it is to listen to their hearts.