Disney Morals of Success

Who’s Better?

I was cracking my head on what to write about this week when amazingly, a friend was gushing about the new Aladdin film. Ah yes of course, one might argue that the 1992 version was the better success. Robin Williams and Will Smith are special in their own way and I definitely cannot choose between them. Disney films always pack in a degree of morality in them and in turn, provokes conversation. Right, let’s get a little in-depth with Aladdin.

Success… Maybe

There are some articles online that garbled about the terrible lessons you can learn from Aladdin and I thought they were funny. “It’s completely fine to run off with a total stranger.” Let’s maybe not tell your children that and focus on the other lessons. Here’s a good commentary that’s done on my favourite lesson of Aladdin.

How to be more. How we shouldn’t settle for less than what we deserve. But what if all of that isn’t the truth? What if you and I could be happy with what we have right here, right now? The world would be a better place. Now, there’s nothing wrong with having a desire for more. It’s when the desire for more begins to consume you, this is when the desire is wrong. Be careful that your desire isn’t consuming and changing you.

The desire for more isn’t what life is about

I remember reading on identifying your unhealthy desires is to ask yourself if they are going to have an ending to it. If it’s never going to be enough, like money, for most people, that should raise a red flag. That’s one of the biggest takeaways for me. And we should always reevaluate our own definition of success.

“What is success? To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate the beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch Or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!”

Ralph Waldo Emerson

What was Aladdin’s definition of success? Do you think it changed along the way? Would you free the Genie just as he did?