Living a Fairytale

I'm sitting here. Walt Disney's "Cinderella" is murmuring quietly on my TV. I like to have a little noise when I write...plus it is Princess Weekend on ABC Family and I do not plan to miss that.

I keep glancing over at the TV, reciting lines and singing a line or two with the classic songs. It is no mystery that I love Disney, which is precisely why I had an afternoon date with myself to see "Saving Mr. Banks." I felt a little bit like a little old lady for going to see a movie all by myself but was relieved to find the theater was in fact filled with actual little old ladies. Kindred spritis I suppose.

I had been intensely looking forward to seeing "Saving Mr. Banks" because I have always had a deep love for Mary Poppins. In addition, I couldn't possibly pass up the opportunity to see two of my absolute favorite people combined into one (I'm pretty sure that Tom Hanks is Walt Disney reincarnated).

I could tell you that I watched this movie like a normal human and not one smiling like a fool and sometimes crying painfully silent tears when necessary but that would be a bold. face. lie. In all of the ways that Disney's most recent animated feature "Frozen" disappointed me, "Saving Mr. Banks" sent my expectations flying.

Walt Disney has given us some pretty incredible stories over the years. Tales of triumph, fear, sacrifice and love. "Saving Mr. Banks" takes us one step further and reminds us that there is always more to a story than what you read on the page or see on the screen. People like to separate the fairytale from reality but the truth is that they are one in the same. A fairytale is the channel in which real life can be truly understood. I know I'll never have the pleasure of meeting Walt in person but based on my experiences viewing his classic films and even working for his amazing company, I believe that he would agree with me.

I just looked back at my TV. The Fairy Godmother has just said the magical words and given Cinderella her new gown for the ball. I remember hearing once that this small piece of animation was the favorite to Walt Disney himself. Transformation is a magical thing. Pixie dust or not.

When you look at the world of Disney it is filled with princesses, unlikely heroes, talking animals and unbelievable adventures. These are the characters that help us tell real life stories and they always will. I'm so thankful for the film "Saving Mr. Banks." I'm thankful for the real story of Mary Poppins and for the way stories just like hers happen every day around our world.

May we always remember that we are living our fairytale and recognize that our own story is just as brilliant as the next.

It is all in the way we tell it. 

"Thats what we storytellers do. We restore order with imagination. We instill hope again and again and again." - Walt Disney, Saving Mr. Banks