I am writing this post to applaud the Disney trilogy called Descendants. Over the years, I have watched all three movies with my kids. We recently watched the third one and I am excited about the themes that the films bring up. It questions current criminal justice systems that condenm people for life, as well as their families in some ways, ignoring Jesus' teaching of forgiveness. It questions immigration policies and attitudes of priviledged citizens toward immigrants. It also promotes the effort and dream of rescuing youth from the cycle of poverty and all that comes with it.
The setting is a fairy tale land called Auradon, which is inhabited by all of the good characters in fairy tales and their offspring. The king and queen are Beaty and the Beast. They have one son named Ben. Ben becomes king upon turning 18 and makes his first decision as king to bring four youth from "The Isle" to their boarding school at Auredon.
The Isle is where all the villains from fairy tales are kept with a magical barrier around the island that keeps them from leaving and keeps the island magic free. Ben chooses the children of Malificent, the Evil Queen from Snow White, Cruela Devil, and Jafar from Aladdin to come to Auredon in an attempt to forgive and give them a chance. He is an idealist who never gives up hope.
These kids, especially Mal, the daughter of Malificent, are under the order of their parents to steal the Fairy Godmother's wand in an attempt to free them from the island and give them back their powers. Mal, therefore, puts Ben, the new young king, under a love spell. She later feels bad as her heart is beginning to soften as she develops true feelings for him. She tries to reverse the spell, but he confesses that he knew all along as the spell had already worn off when he swam in the enchanted lake.
Anyway, the meaning of the first movie is that she and the other three kids choose to go against their parents' will and be good. They choose good over evil and in doing so, overcome the evil that crept into Auradon. The movie also reveals the fear that the residents of Auradon have of the villain kids and their superior attitude some have towards them. Ben breaks through this notion, and Mal and the others don't disappoint him.
In the second movie, Mal attempts to self destruct, thinking she's not good enough for Ben and Auradon. She goes back to The Isle, and Ben goes after her. Despite the mistreatment he faced while there, he never stopped seeing the good in his abusers and encouraging peace. By the end of the movie, he agreed to allow Evie, the daughter of the Evil Queen and Mal's best friend, to come up with a list of kids from the Isle who she thought would thrive at Auradon Prep.
During the third movie, which is quite musical, four more kids from The Isle are taken to Auradon. However, Hades almost escaped while the barrier was open, causing a scare. A decision is made to shut the barrier forever. Then an Auradon resident goes crazy and takes a crown and scepter from the museum of magic. She uses them to wreak havoc on Auradon. Who saved the day? Villains from The Isle. This puts a twist in plans and the trilogy ends when the barrier is taken down forever, giving villains a second chance, and their children a first chance.
I generally raise a concerned eyebrown when my kids are watching shows with magic, including My Little Ponies, because I take seriously what the Bible says about such practices where powers come from something other than God. Also, we live in a place where magic is practiced in a deliberate attachment to Satan from what I understand from testimonies of people who have grown up in households where this was practiced. So I have learned to not take it lightly.
Nonetheless, in movies where there is good use of magic and bad use of magic, as well as minimal demon possession type imagery, I often equate the good magic to God's power. I wouldn't want to keep them from learning such powerful lessons in an entertaining way out of excessive fear.
Leading up to the recent election, I have heard points of view that I don't understand. I have heard a perhaps excessive fear of socialism and even sentiments that seem to equate global peace, communication, and collaboration through efforts such as the United Nations with something that comes from a dark place. I understand that The Descedants is a Disney movie. It is extremely simplified. However, I think it captures a glimpse of what God does intend for his creations.
"Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves."
-Philippians 2:3
I see you
You see me
Imperfect
Perfectly
Face to face we can see clearly
