Disney movies often explore themes of grief and loss. I mean, can you name a Disney movie in which the main character has both parents still alive and not cursed? It’s ok, I’ll wait. But with those characters and situations, there are valuable lessons on how to cope with these heavy emotions.
While watching A LOT of Disney+ during my compounded grief journey (as you probably guessed from my post about how we can learn to Let It Go from Elsa), I started to see more than amusing storylines and catchy earworms – genuine character growth. I mean, as genuine as it can be for a fictional 2D character created by a team. Well, I jotted some thoughts down 6 ways Disney taught me to grieve and maybe it’ll help someone else going through their own grief journey.
1. Finding a way to remember loved ones
In the movie Up, the character Carl learns to cope with the loss of his wife by building a house and tying it to helium balloons, taking it to the place they always dreamed of visiting. This shows that finding a way to remember loved ones and keep their memory alive can be a healthy way to cope with grief.
2. Embrace emotions
In the movie Inside Out, the character Riley goes through a difficult time when her family moves to a new city. The movie shows that it’s important to allow yourself to feel and process all of your emotions, including sadness and grief.
3. Seek support
In the movie The Lion King, the character Simba is dealing with the loss of his father, Mufasa. His friends, Timon and Pumbaa, offer him support and help him to cope with his grief. This shows that seeking support from trusted friends and loved ones can be important when coping with grief.
4. Finding a new purpose
In the movie Toy Story 3, the character Andy is saying goodbye to his childhood toys and moving on to college. The toys, including Woody, Buzz and Jessie, find a new purpose by being donated to a new child, Bonnie. This shows that finding a new purpose or goal can be helpful when coping with grief and loss.
5. Learn to accept and move forward
In the movie Coco, the character Miguel struggles with the death of his great-great-grandfather, Hector. Throughout the movie, he learns to accept that Hector is gone and to move forward. This shows that accepting the reality of the loss, and learning to move forward, is an important part of coping with grief.
6. Focus on what we have that fulfils us
In the movie WALL-E, he is much happier and fulfilled with EVE. He persevered and really did keep on keeping on in the face of great adversity (I mean, alone on an abandoned planet), but had a new chance at joy with someone to share experiences with. But sometimes putting one foot in front of the other feels pointless, but it is worthwhile.
These are just a few examples, Disney movies have many more to offer. They can help us to understand and process our grief in a healthy way. I mean, this isn’t unexpected given the parental mortality rate of main characters in Disney films, right? Ultimately, it takes all of these in real life to move forward. We never truly leave grief behind, but we muddle through with it weighing on us less and less, or at least in different ways.
