11 Times Disney Showed a Deeper Love

Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)

One act of heroism that is often overlooked from Walt Disney's first full-length animated film deals with the Huntsman. After the evil queen's magic mirror informs her that Snow White is still the “fairest of them all,” she commands that the Huntsman kill Snow White and bring back her heart back in a jeweled box to prove that the deed was done. As instructed, the Huntsman leads the young woman into the woods on the guise of a social visit. Just when he is about to do the deed, he is overcome with guilt. With tears in his eyes, he not only admits that he cannot kill her, but begs for her forgiveness and then tells her to run away as far as she can and never return. Then, on his journey back, the Huntsman kills a rabbit and places its heart in the box as a substitute for the girl's. It's a good enough job to fool the queen at first, but we don't really know what happens to the Huntsman when the mirror reveals later that Snow White is still alive. It is very possible that the Huntsman risked his own life so that Snow White could live.

Cinderella (1950)

Cinderella has never been considered a religious movie, and yet, one small scene could work as an allegory for the Holy Spirit working in our lives and God's great love for us. After Cinderella' s dress has been destroyed by her evil stepsisters, she runs out the garden, collapses on a marble bench and says, "I can't believe...not anymore. There's nothing left to believe in. Nothing." During this time, the fairy godmother appears stroking the girl's hair saying, "Nothing my dear? Now you don't really mean that."

"Oh, but I do."

"Nonsense child. If you lost all of your faith, I couldn't be here. And here I am!"

How many times in your life have you felt like throwing it all away because of a lack of faith or your situation seemed hopeless? Just like this simple illustration, God shows up when we least expect it but need it most.

The Jungle Book (1967)

The ending of The Jungle Book is almost a mirror image of what parents go through when on the verge of having an empty nest. Up to this point, Bagheera, the black panther and Baloo the bear have acted like adopted parents to little Mowgli and protect him from the other wild animals. The two bring the boy to the edge of the man-village. There, Mowgli is struck with curiosity about a little girl fetching water for her family. Intrigued as he has never seen a human girl befoe, the boy follows the girl into her village. Baloo whispers, "Stay" while Bagheera says "Go." Bagheera knows that the time has come for the Mowgli to learn life from his own kind. Baloo knows it too, but it doesn't make it any easier for him to let go. Sometimes we need to sacrifice our own happiness so that others can thrive.

The Little Mermaid (1989)

The Little Mermaid can also been seen as an allegory about our relationship with Jesus. Near the end of the story, Arial is captured by Ursula’s minions and because of the deal she made with the sea witch, she is destined to die as a piece of seaweed. To her surprise, her father, King Triton, takes her place and endures the punishment meant for Ariel. Even though Ariel disobeyed her father, he still loves her, trades places with her and gives up his life for her. In a sense, King Triton is like Jesus dying on the cross for our sins giving the enemy the false impression that they are now in control. Just like when Jesus rose again from the grave, so does King Triton and banishes Ursula from the sea.

Beauty and the Beast (1991)

The type of love displayed in Beauty and the Beast is most obvious as Belle, over time, has learned that there is more to the Beast than what everyone else sees on the outside. She can even see beyond his bad manners and violent reactions. In turn, when fighting Gaston, the Beast spares Gaston's life only to be double-crossed by him and is wounded fatally. Belle arrives just in time to scoop up the Beast in her arms and tell him that she loves him. What makes the story so beautiful though is that Belle was able to fall in love with someone unlovable without knowing the Beast's true identity. The fact that he was really a handsome prince was just an extra benefit.

The Lion King (1994)

The relationship between Mufasa and his son Simba can also be seen as a representation of our relationship with God. Like Simba, we tend to follow the rules of our father one minute, and then go down the Elephant Graveyard on our own the next. We know that we are born of royalty but struggle with the boundaries that keep us in line. Whenever Simba wanders off the “straight and narrow path,” his father finds him and leads him back home. Later in the film, Simba find himself in the middle of a stampeded of wildebeest. Just like Jesus dying on the cross to save us from our sins, Mufasa risks his own life to save his son. Even later, an older Simba feels that he is all alone, but the voice of Musfasa again speaks to him through the stars above. He tells Simba to look at his reflection in the water. As he does so, he realizes, for the first time, that he looks like his father, just as Bible tells us that we too were made in the image of God.

Tarzan (1999)

The movie Tarzan begins with infant Tarzan and his parents landing on an island after a shipwreck. The couple builds a makeshift treehouse but are attacked by a leopardess. The baby cries out and Kala, a female gorilla who had recently lost her own infant, comes to the rescue, saves Tarzan and then adopts the boy as her own. Things go well for this new kind of family until one day the younger gorillas tease Tarzan for not being like them. Tarzan then has the following conversation with his mother: "Close your eyes," she tells him. "Now forget what you see." She places Tarzan's hand to his chest. "What do you feel?" He says, "My heart." Then Kala puts Tarzan's head on her chest and he says, "Your heart." Smiley she tells her son, "See? We're exactly the same." Yes the story is unrealistic, but the message is speaks volumes about the love that a parent can have for their children even if they are not their own flesh and blood.

The Emperor's New Groove (2000)

In Disney's The Emporer's New Groove, the Emporer Kuzco threatens to take away Pacha the peasant's family's land in order to build a summer home. When Kuzco is turned into a llama by his evil advisor Yzma, who wants the throne for herself, and winds up at Pacha's home, he asks Pacha for his help getting back to the palace. Pacha agrees on the condition that Kuzco will spare Pacha and his family. Unfortunately, Kuzco goes back on his word numerous times and Pacha pretends to leave the llama to fend for himself in the jungle. However, the kind-hearted Pacha has more love in his heart for his fellow man. He stays behind to make sure that Kuzco gets to palace safely. Pacha chooses to forgive his enemies.

Frozen (2013)

While others are afraid of Elsa, Anna is not. She believes in her sister and will do anything for her. Near the end of the movie, Anna is just about to become frozen herself. If she can make her way to Kristoff, her true love, she will be saved. However, when she sees that Elsa is about to be killed by Hans, she bravely steps between the two of them and then freezes solid which protects Elsa. She had the choice of seeing her own happiness or sacrificing herself for the happiness of her sister. Olaf the snowman has a similar realization when he starts a fire in the palace fireplace to warm up Anna. She warns him that he will melt, but he replies, “Some people are worth melting for.”