Most of us Mommies can sing a song or two from several different Disney movies. I know that when a Disney song gets stuck in my head, it usually accompanies happy childhood memories of princess and fairy tale movies that I watched.
Some of my personal childhood favorites were “Sleeping Beauty”, “Snow White”, and “The Little Mermaid”. I loved the stories and the characters!
But now, with my own young children, I am judging these seemingly innocent movies a lot more harshly. There’s a wise old saying that I refer back to when deciding on what movies are appropriate for my two toddler boys: “Garbage In, Garbage Out”.
In other words, my two little boys are in sponge stage right now…they absorb everything they hear and see. If I am constantly putting “garbage” in front of them in the way of movies, music, and media in general, then I am setting them up for failure!
When I put “garbage” into their minds, “garbage” is surely to be the thing that comes out of their mouth. This is confirmed in Scripture…Jesus says in Matthew 12:34 that “…out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.”
As a mommy, I take my duty of presenting my children holy before the Lord very seriously! I want to do whatever it takes to keep their precious minds and hearts pure and undefiled, even if that means cutting out some Disney movies that I thought at one time were harmless.
Please don’t read this as a condemnation for what movies you let your child watch. These are simply my own precautions that I am taking and that I felt compelled to share.
And not only do I cut out some movies for the sake of my children’s mind and heart, but also for the sake of my marriage. If I were to show my boys some of the “scarier” Disney movies, they would be sleeping in our bed for the next several years!! 🙂
This is My Go-To List of Mommy-Approved Disney Movies:
- Aristocats
Adorable! Lots of kittens, goofy songs, and nothing too thematic. The closest it gets to being off-limits is a funny chase scene between the butler and two dogs.
- The Fox and the Hound (I and II)
These are both great movies! The only thing you may be concerned about is how often Amos Slade yells and carries on…I haven’t found it to be too much, though.
- Winnie the Pooh
It doesn’t get much more gentle than good ol’ Pooh Bear! I have absolutely no qualms about Rudy and Mark watching this.
- Lady and the Tramp
A sweet movie about one dog protecting another. There is one chase scene with a rat that could possibly be scary, but my boys find it more exciting than anything.
- Dumbo
This is also a very gentle movie. There is a scene where Dumbo is separated from his mother, but that’s it as far as “scary” goes.
- Robin Hood
This is one of Rudy’s favorites! Not only is it hilarious and free of anything scary, but it has a lot of exciting actions scenes for toddlers! The script and the characters are so funny that parents can enjoy this one, too!
- Cinderella
This one I actually go back and forth on. It has nothing scary in it, but I am bothered by the rude way in which the two step-sisters treat Cinderella and each other.
- Mary Poppins
Lots of music and sweet dialogue. This would be a great one for us, except for the fact that Rudy is totally bored by it! 🙂
This is My List of Absolute No-No’s:
- Sleeping Beauty
As if the witch herself weren’t scary enough…she turns into a fire-breathing dragon in the end and calls on all the powers of Hell. No way!
- Little Mermaid
Ursula’s provocative manner and use of witchcraft makes this movie off-limits in our house. Also, my husband isn’t quite ready for our two young boys to already be exposed to so many bikini tops.
- Aladdin
Once again, the use of witchcraft is too much for us. Jafar is creepy and participates in demonic activities.
- Toy Story
What a shame! This is an absolutely adorable and fun movie! I’m not keeping this one off the list forever…just for now. At an age where being kind to others is so difficult, I’m not ready for my children to be exposed to Sid’s disobedience and rudeness.
- The Lion King
Another unfortunate no-no! Not many Disney movies can top the quality and emotion of Lion King. However, Scar is too menacing and scary a character for my boys to see right now.
There are so many other movies that can fit into one of these two lists, or are somewhere in between. But I wanted to share with you the ones that I find to be most extreme…for good reasons or for bad.
As mommies, we have a myriad of decisions to make everyday that influence our children in one direction or the other. I want to work hard to please the Lord in this area, knowing all the while that I am imperfect.
