I am a huge Disney fan. You would just have to take a quick tour of my home to figure that out. Amidst my new collection of jolly Santas, you can find classic Mickey figurines, stuffed animals, sofa pillows, phones and snow globes. I am a Disney fan. Always have been, always will be. My family’s yearly vacation consists of a visit to the land of Mickey Mouse.
I was so excited when the Disney Channel first aired in 1983. Even though it was a “premium” channel—in other words, you had to pay extra for it—you were guaranteed to see some of your favorite movies that had not yet made it to video. In addition, you were always guaranteed to see Mickey Mouse cartoons, known as “D TV” and archived, black and white episodes of The Mickey Mouse Club.
In my adult life I did not always have the budget to be able to afford cable television or premium channels, so you can imagine my excitement that when I finally DID get cable, the Disney Channel was included for free. However, the Disney Channel had changed. It was no longer offering those movies on video—you had to make sure you went to the store and bought them. It was no longer offering those cartoons or episodes of the Mickey Mouse Club. It was offering things for teenagers—sitcoms, almost in the form of teenage soap operas.
The problem is, however, that not only teenagers are watching programs like That’s So Raven and Hannah Montana. Five year olds—preschoolers, mind you—are watching these programs, leaving childhood, and learning about almost adult situations. Given the moral degradation of society, these programs are about the only things our kids can watch without overloading on situations out of their age ranges. The marketing on these Disney Channel selections has been astronomical. Babies are wearing Hannah Montana t-shirts.
Once in a while, I’ll catch a Disney movie on the Disney Channel. It’s rare, but it does happen. Disney has diverted their movies to ABC’s The Family Channel as well as their classic cartoons and specials. With the introduction of Hannah Montana, Raven, Jonas Brothers, the Suite Life of Zack and Cody, little girls became grown up girls very quickly.
There is this world between childhood and adulthood. It’s called adolescence. It is no longer innocent. Little girls exchange their tiaras for chat rooms and text messaging. They grow up much too quickly. People tell me that it’s the up and coming thing, the way of the world. If that’s the case, why do movies like Disney’s “The Princess Diaries” and “Enchanted” become major hits when released in the theaters? Because, deep down, girls dream of being royalty—and their parents want to keep them princesses.
My daughter is a special needs teenager. Her world revolves around Disney—the old Disney. She is sixteen years of age, but spends her down time watching Disney animation or exactly those princess movies. She rarely watches the Disney Channel because there are shows that she cannot relate to.
When I heard about Disney’s “Princess Protection Program” movie, I applauded. I am hopeful that this will be a chance to bring innocence, dreams and fairy tales back to female adolescence. With so much to be responsible for in adulthood, can we keep our daughters protected within dreams for a little while longer? Can we show them that it’s ok to wait for Prince Charming to share intimacy with, without forcing them to succumb to teenage immoral temptation? Can we also show them how a lady should behave?
I admit that my daughter, though sixteen, is different. She does not have the burden that a normal sixteen year old has. Her goal in life at present time is to BE a Princess, and I will allow her to. But what about the twelve year old girls out there? Isn’t it ok for them to dream just a little bit longer? Isn’t it ok for them to still play with Barbie dolls, have pajama parties with their girlfriends (not their boyfriends) and dress all in pink? What dreams do our little girls still have? Or, have they all been thwarted by the reality of having to grow up faster than we did?
I applaud Disney for attempting to bring back a little bit of innocence nestled in fairy tales, ball gowns and tiaras. This is going to be one mom who makes an effort to sit down and watch the Disney Channel when Princess Protection Program airs. Available on DVD June 30, 2009.
