Brother Bear

Brother bear starts with a man who goes after a bear once it kills his brother.  He seeks revenge to kill the bear that killed his brother, but he does not realize that the bear was just trying to protect his cub. Once he kills the bear, the bear’s spirit enters him to turn him into a bear. His family then tries to kill him, so he must run away. The man then goes through all this trials to which he must survive which makes him realize how hard it was to be the bear in which he killed. This moral comes back to walking a mile in somebody else in somebody else’s shoes before judging them. This is such an important lesson in today’s society. Everybody seems to be judging what everybody else does. This might happen in a small setting where you are walking through Walmart and see a person wearing slippers, or it may happen it the Hollywood world where people are constantly judging what Catelyn Jenner is doing. Our society has turned into a setting where people are constantly being conscious of what they are doing in order to not be judged. This movie is important because it helps tell people at a young age what not to do. You never know what the other person is going through. The bear attacks the man’s brother because it is trying to protect itself. He does not realize this because he did not know what the bear was going through before he was put in that position. This can be related back to how we view people. We may sit and judge the person who is always dressed in old clothing that is not top of the line, but we do not realize that that person can only afford those clothes. They may have gotten them handed down to them and think those clothes are the world, but if the world is always judging them about it then they feel bad about themselves.  The boy who always walks into school late may have had to walk because he does not have a parent at home to help him get up and to school on time. People judging him for this will make him shut down and hate school. We as a society need to look into the moral that Brother Bear is trying to tell us. We need to think of all the things that are happening to others before judging them for a situation. We need to figuratively put ourselves in their shoes before casting down a judgement upon them. We as a society may end up in that position one day, so we need to not be like the man in Brother Bear and see the damage judgement does to others. Take a walk in another pair of shoes sometime, and you will be surprised what you may learn.

Up

Up is definitely one of the cutest movies that I have ever seen. Not only is it cute, but it also holds many lessons. From the very beginning, we see the touching love story between Carl and Ellie. Even though there are no words, it is one of the most touching moments in an animated movie. You can truly see how much they love each other and that they would do anything for each other. It also shows and reiterates that love can last a lifetime. We also learn that a love for adventure cannot be restricted by age. Carl finally gets to go on the adventure that he had planned with Ellie and he does not let anything slow him down. This is important not only relating to age, but also relating to never restricting our dreams. It is never too late to go out and fulfill them, and it is never too late to start chasing our dreams. Another lesson that we are taught is that you do not have to be blood to be family. Carl and Russel go through a lot together and eventually become very close. From the beginning to the end of the story we see an amazing transformation of Carl in regards to his attitude toward Russel. At the end of the film he even presents him with his Ellie Badge. I believe that this movie is important for many people to see. Even though many believe that a children’s film cannot teach them something new, it is able to stress the importance of many things in life. I think many people get so caught up in what they think they can’t do that they miss out on many amazing things. Also, many people restrict themselves to things that they are familiar with. It is important to branch out and learn what the world has to offer. If you are able to do this, you will meet new people, explore new places, and do things that you never dreamt were possible. If you have not seen it, I highly recommend this movie to watch with your family. 

Lilo and Stitch

Sometimes there can be a fine line between family and friends. In the movie Lilo and Stitch, Lilo is a little girl whose mom and dad die when she is young. She lives with her older sister who she always gives a hard time to. Lilo’s sister decides it would be a good idea to let Lilo get a pet. The only thing is that Lilo picks out an alien who has a bad streak and wanted by the aliens in space. She picks him and names him Stitch, but he goes through all these bad streaks. Then he almost gets taken back, but they decide to let him stay. One line that is repeated in the whole movie is “Ohana means family, and family means nobody gets left behind.” This is extended to Stitch even though he is not family by blood. This movie gives the concept that family is not defined by blood, but it instead is defined by love and acceptance. Sometimes people who are family end up not being the true people they need to be. They can be negative and not supportive which makes them feel like non family. There are also friends that people have that may not be related by blood, but they become family. I have a friend who came into my life my freshman year of college as my roommate. We have grown into different types of people with different things happening in our lives, but we are still best friends. She has become like a sister to me and has been accepted into my family even though we are not related by blood. This is the type of relationships that Lilo and Stitch is trying to connect to people. It does not matter how long somebody has been in your life or even if they are blood related to you. Anybody can become a family member, and anybody can turn your life into something more meaningful. This story gives a good moral not only to young children, but it can also connect to our lives as adults. There will always be people entering your life that can become your Ohana. This may be a childhood friend who has always been there, or it could be a college roommate that you had no idea would become so important to you. As we grow older, we realize who our true family is and who we never want to leave behind.

The Blind Side

The Blind Side is no doubt one of my absolute favorites. It is a story about a homeless boy who has been in and out of school for years. When a wealthy family takes him in, they learn about each other and not only does his life change, but theirs does as well. This movie is full of many lessons that have touched the lives of many. First off, we learn that people will judge you when you reach out to help others. Some people are so caught up in what they think they need that they do not realize how much they have compared to others. When Leigh Ann and her husband take in Michael, her friends begin judging her for inviting him into their home. They are very judgmental and are not able to see the different that the Tuohy’s are making in his life. Leigh Ann stands up for Michael and realizes that her friends are not who she thought they were. Along with this, we are able to see how many obstacles can come with helping others. When Leigh Ann learns about Michael’s home life, she goes to where he lives and meets with his mother and even stands up to some dangerous people who are in the neighborhood. We also learn that people are a lot different than what we see on the outside. At the beginning of the film when we meet Michael, he is a very tall and built guy. Many people appear to think he is intimidating and are afraid of him. At football practice the coach is continually yelling at Michael for not being aggressive enough. Leigh Ann goes and talks to Michael on the field and he instantly improves. When she goes to the coach she says, “Michael scored in the 98% percentile in protective instincts.” This is important in understanding that you can never truly know who someone is just by the way they look or initially act. It takes time to get to know someone, and sometimes when you do get to know them, they will truly surprise you. I highly recommend watching The Blind Side. It is a great story line that the whole family will enjoy. 

Elf

With the holiday’s right around the corner, it only seems right to look at what the movie Elf has taught us. A quick explanation for anyone who hasn’t seen it yet: After a baby crawls into Santa’s sack at an orphanage, life at the North Pole drastically changes. After discovering he isn’t really an elf, Buddy takes off on a search to find his father. He finds himself in New York, a place very different than the North Pole. The whole movie is about his adventure and Buddy finding out about his father, and eventually saving Christmas. With a character like this, there is no doubt that there will be some interesting life lessons in store for the viewers. Spread cheer… at Christmas and all the time. What is life without a little positivity and fun? Just like Buddy, try to continue to look for the positive in the things around you and point them out to others. Let other people be cheerful with you. Make smiling your favorite, and don’t take this one lightly. Nothing can turn around your day like a smile. The small act of smiling can change not only someone else's day, but your own as well. If smiling freaks you out, start with people you know, and when you see how much it brightens your day, it will help you feel more confident in spreading that cheer to others. Another lesson in the film is do what you love…. even when people judge you. Everyone has different interests, and everyone is passionate about different things. But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy yourself. Let little things in life mean a lot to you. The holidays aren’t about the presents. They are about spending time with family and friends and having a good time together. In this aspect, Buddy is a true inspiration. Can you imagine a world where everyone was excited about life and the simple but amazing things it had to offer? This holiday film is one of my family’s favorite and we always look forward to watching it around Christmas. The many life lessons and cute and hilarious aspects are what make it such an amazing movie. While some of the lessons may be considered more serious than the others, we are also able to find more light hearted lessons such as what it means to be a cotton-headed ninny muggins and the four main food groups, Candy, candy cane, candy corn, and (of course) syrup!

Mean Girls

Don't be fooled, it may seem like your typical teenage high school comedy, but it is so much more than that. After living all of her life in Africa, Cady Heron finds herself attending a high school just outside of Chicago. As you can imagine, after being homeschooled her whole life, high school is a bit of a culture shock. Through what Cady goes through, there are many lessons in the storyline. First off, we see that trendsetting and self-image are large issues portrayed in the film. Towards the beginning of the movie, Cady finds herself pretending to be part of the plastics (a popular group of girls in school) and everyone wants to be just like them. In the eyes of their peers, they can do no wrong and can pull off any outfit. Even when Cady and her friend Janice try to mess with Regina George, everyone in the school copies what they do to her. As we get farther into the film, Cady gets wrapped up in being a plastic and starts to become one herself.  A girls says, “"I saw Cady Heron wearing army pants and flip flops, so I bought army pants and flip flops." After a huge fight breaks out in the school due to the distribution of the Burn Book, all of the girls are put through what is basically a large counseling session. This portion of the film shows the importance of apologizing and forgiveness. Even the apology of, “Laura, I don't hate you because you're fat, you're fat because I hate you,” gets a positive reaction from the girls. The act of trying to be sorry is what they were looking for. By the end of the film Cady has learned that she should follow what her true interests are and that being popular isn’t everything. This positive message shows the importance of positive self-image. Cady discovers "Calling somebody else fat won't make you any skinnier. Calling someone stupid doesn't make you any smarter. And ruining Regina George's life definitely didn't make me any happier. All you can do in life is try to solve the problem in front of you." Cady wins the crown at the school dance and passes out a piece of it to everyone to show that no matter how popular you think you are, it doesn’t really matter and you're not better than anyone else, so don't act like it. Finally and most importantly we learn that on Wednesdays, we should all wear pink and never let the haters stop you from doing your thang.

The Hunger Games

The Hunger Games film series is one that leaves the watchers begging for more. Based off of the hit book trilogy from Suzanne Collins, the story of the dystopian society has taught millions of people valuable lessons. First, we see that sacrifice comes with age and maturity. When the reaping is occurring, Katniss realizes that her sister, Primrose, would never survive in The Hunger Games and takes her place in the games when her name is called. This is also an example of how Katniss is forced to leave her old life behind and go into survival mode to make it through the games. Another interesting thing that this movie teaches us is the fact that arrogance can be your downfall. While confidence is key in all parts of life, there is a fine line between arrogance and confidence. Arrogance plays a large role in the kids who come from the upper districts. Their whole lives they are training so that one day the can volunteer to represent their district. In the actual setting of the games, these people are some of the first to go because of how great they think they are. They believe that they are superior and that there is no way that they could lose. Peeta tells Katniss the night before the Hunger Games, “If I die I still want to be me.” This shows how important it is to stay true to who you are. Nothing is worth abandoning your identity. It is truly who you are and what makes your successful and conformity should never be an option. Finally, we are shown that it doesn’t really matter where you come from. Peeta and Katniss come from the lowest District and they are never valued or expected much of. These underdogs shatter these expectations by working together and surviving and eventually winning the Hunger Games. The story, as a whole, is a message describing what can happen to society. If media continues to rule people’s lives and the decisions they make, our world will take a turn for the worst. This can be shown by how obsessed everyone is with the games and the fact that they continue to watch it. If everyone rebelled and refused to watch, the Hunger Games would lose its power and the capital would be at a loss. And as crazy as the whole idea sounds, our society is really not that far off from this.