Have you ever wondered why Disney films and characters are so universally popular? The reason is that many of our favorite fictional characters possess incredibly human traits.
It’s almost as if the film is talking to us through us. To get a better idea of what I mean — check out these Disney characters with realistic issues adults can definitely relate to.
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Belle suffers from Stockholm syndrome in *Beauty And The Beast*.
Make no mistake — The Beast is Belle’s captor. In exchange for her father’s freedom, he makes her swear to become his prisoner in perpetuity.
The Beast berates her, imposes his will upon her, yet somehow in spite of all this she falls in love? I don’t think so.
*Peter Pan* lives in a perpetual state of arrested development.
Peter Pan is both literally and figuratively the boy who refused to grow up. How many of us have at least one person in our lives that fit that description?
They don’t call it ‘ Peter Pan Syndrome ‘ for nothing, after all.
Gaston from *Beauty And The Beast* is an egomaniac.
Gaston relates to the world through his accolades and achievements. He is constantly seeking outside validation from the world around him, whether it be through hunting, drinking, spitting, etc.
To Gaston, Belle is an object; just another trophy to hang on the wall.
*Shrek* suffers from severe social anxiety.
I think all of us have grown a little more ogre-ly when it comes to our interactions with other human beings this past year.
I’m not saying that I condone putting up “GO AWAY” signs all over your property, I’m merely stating that I understand the compulsion to do so.
The Beast from *Beauty And The Beast* has serious anger issues.
That is not the face of a person who is in control of their emotions. The Beast is your classic hot-head, no question about it.
He’s a bully who does nothing more than bark orders and strikes fear into the hearts of those closest to him.
Elsa from *Frozen* is an extreme introvert.
Elsa showcases the dangers that can come with sheltering and shielding your emotions not only from the world but from yourself.
That said, after living through 2020, I now totally understand the desire to lock yourself away from the world in a frozen ice castle.
Scar from *The Lion King* is consumed by greed and jealousy.
Disney is literally showing us that scar is green with envy. He lived in the shadow of his older brother for his entire life until finally, he could take it no more.
Scar is a complete and total sociopath.
Ariel from *The Little Mermaid* might have OCD.
Ariel is a hoarder and she isn’t afraid to show it. Gadgets, gizmos, thing-a-ma-bobs — she has it all.
I’m all for having a place for everything and everything in its place, but Ariel takes things to an entirely new level.
Alice from *Alice In Wonderland* is having a complete and total mental breakdown.
Alice in Wonderland is a wild drug-infused allegory that speaks to the fragility of the human psyche.
One minute, you’re sitting comfortably in a field, playing with your cat. The next, you’re tumbling down the rabbit hole.
King Triton is a little bit racist in *The Little Mermaid*.
Call it racism, call it xenophobia, but whatever label you put on him Triton still comes out a bigot in the end.
He refers to humans as “fish-eaters” and “barbarians.” Why does he hate them so much? Could that be how Triton lost his wife?
The Evil Queen from *Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs* is the epitome of narcissism.
The Evil Queen literally has nothing better to do with her time than to stand in front of a mirror and constantly be told how beautiful she looks.
Why the insecurity? It’s a tad vain, don’t you think?
*Pinocchio* is a compulsive liar.
This may be a bit on-the-nose, I mean — it is the underlying element of the entire movie.
But sometimes, you just have to call a spade and spade, and Pinocchio is one pathological lying spade if ever there was one.
The Tramp in *Lady And The Tramp* has issues with abandonment.
The Tramp is a stray. He was abandoned by his mother and grew up without the luxury of a father.
As a result, he displays incredibly misogynistic characteristics and exudes a stereotypically male fear of commitment.
Woody from *Toy Story* suffers from Metathesiophobia.
Metathesiophobia is a big long drawn-out word to describe someone with a staggering fear of change or the unknown.
Sure, Woody was cool as a cucumber when he was Andy’s favorite toy, but as soon as Buzz Lightyear came along it rocked him to his very foundation.
Joe from *Soul* took his entire life for granted.
Joe lived his entire life aspiring and defining his worth through the enactment of a single goal. When he finally achieved this by playing in the jazz quartet, he discovered he felt exactly the same as he did before.
It was then Joe realized that life is a series of fleeting desires, and that the moments we are truly alive are occupied in the space between.
