It’s a World of Laughter, a World of Cheer

Today’s my birthday.

I have a mental list of the three other big influences in my life, and it’s only appropriate that this one falls on today.

I have a lifelong love for Disney.

Yes, I admire the man Walt Disney. He was a brilliant, talented innovator. But when I say Disney, I mean the characters, the music, the colors, the humor, the excitement, the joy.

I mean this guy,

 

And these guys,

And so many, many more.

I remember being a teenager and becoming constantly frustrated with the movies my friends and I would watch. Horror movies, movies filled with sex and violence, movies with family drama and dysfunction, movies with more bad language than I would use in my lifetime…and I would find myself wishing for Disney.

So yes, I was picked on (good-naturedly, of course) by my friends. But I believed then, and still believe today, that entertainment ought to do just that. Entertain. Movies should make you laugh, but not at the expense of others. Movies could make you cry, but not because of the harsh reality portrayed, but because something spoke to you deep down in your heart. Movies should make you smile and feel like the world is a good place, filled with good people. A movie should be an escape, not a effects-laden version of the evening news. When you see a movie like that, it makes you want to be one of those good people, who sees the world a bit sunnier than you did before.

Disney movies do that for me.

I love music, and learned the words to every Disney song. Even today, my kids and I have the soundtrack to the new movie “The Muppets” memorized and we sing it in the car everywhere we go. You can’t sing “Life’s a Happy Song” and not feel like maybe it is.

I could go on further about my love for Walt Disney World and some of my best memories there. I made some of my dearest friends while on a church trip to the happiest place on earth. DisneyWorld makes me want to sing and dance as I walk around the park. What a wonderful, joy-filled place.

I love to be entertained, but even more than that, I want my entertainment to make me feel good. I’m so thankful for Disney for the quality entertainment, but also for some of the most fun movie lines, songs and memories of my life.