Aside from being completely devoid of violence or overtly sexual scenes, there’s another reason why children’s movies are great for kids. They almost always have a moral lesson to learn at the end. This is especially true for Disney movies, especially animated ones. They’re great for the whole family, and kids can really learn a lesson if parents explain them to them.
There is an entire library of Disney movies, but the one I am going to talk about in this article is the one that started it all. I’m talking about Snow White, which was released in 1937 and is the first in a long line of Disney animated classics. I’m not going to bother with the plot, I’m going to discuss the moral behind the story, so that you, as a parent, can explain it to your child in your own words.
As you probably know, the villain of the movie is the Evil Queen, who is very vain and self-absorbed in her own beauty. To reinforce her own vanity, she asked the magic mirror, “Who is the most beautiful of all?”, to which the mirror replied that she was.
Then one day, the magic mirror changed its answer, replying that Snow White was now the fairest of all. Enraged by the answer, the Queen disguises herself as an old witch and tricks Snow White into biting into a poisonous apple.
So what is the lesson here? The first lesson is to avoid becoming so obsessed with your own appearance that you forget about the other qualities of beauty. Parents should use the Queen’s narcissism as an example of why you should never take too much pleasure in your own appearance. Teach your children the inner qualities of kindness, generosity, and humility. Outer beauty fades with age and time, but inner beauty lasts forever, and these are the qualities that people will remember you for.
When Snow White bites into the apple the old woman gave her, she falls into an eternal sleep. As an added lesson for her children, she could use this scene as an example of why she should never accept anything from strangers.
I highly recommend having a family movie night with your kids. Just let them enjoy the movie as it plays, and when it’s over, ask them if they learned anything. Please supplement your answer with some comments of your own. The combined elements of learning and entertainment are always a good educational tactic.