Growing up with Disney movies, I was always excited to hear that “let’s watch a Disney channel movie” song that would play before the movie started with the kids on the screen jump up and do the splits in the air. Getting to sit down and watch these great shows that have now become throwbacks. This article will cover strictly Disney movies and will not include any Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar films because these are the movies that stood out the most to me (and some of those other movies were produced during a time where the companies were not with Disney).

“Motocrossed”(2001)
Andrea (Andy) showed us that a female can do whatever a male can do. Going from cheerleader to dirt bike rider, It does empower many young girls to find their passion and make their dreams come true, even if your parents may disagree. This is the first movie that I have ever connected with and had stuck in my memory since I was four. She took her twin bother Andrew’s place in the motocross races because he had gotten injured while they were practicing. She went on to win, and the CEO of the race gave her the factory sponsorship because she had earned it.

“The Emperor’s New Groove” (2000)
Emperor Kuzco who is an arrogant ruler wanted to make a new summer home where Pacha, a villager, lived. Kuzco’s evil, purple adviser turns him into a llama with the hopes of taking over.  This movie shows that good will always conquer evil and that being mean/rude to others can affect if they choose to help you in the future. Kuzco also embodies a rich person who does not care about the feelings of others and can just choose to kick them out of the area that they are living. It’s like so many places that choose to build high rises and make offers to owners of buildings so that they can tear down places that people live in to make it bigger and un-affordable for those who need a place to live.

“Lilo & Stitch” (2002)
This is the first time that Disney came out with an animated movie that was based in Hawaii. The way that Hawaii was portrayed in this movie could have been better because not all children do hula, skip school or run around the island alone. But they do tell the truth about how there are so many tourists that come invade the beaches and don’t care about the culture or people. Showing that Lilo and Stitch, who are very different (alien and human), get along proves that no matter the race, gender, species, everyone should be able to get along with one another.

“Zenon: Z3” (2004)
“Zenon: Z3” takes place in space, where 18-year-old Zenon Kar is having to saving the universe once again. She proves that It is better to help those who need it the most and that its okay not to gain anything from anyone. She also shows that being yourself and being honest can be more powerful than anything in the world or in her case, the universe. What is also amazing is that being able to live in space and on Earth in 2004 is something that we would think would be the future, but we are not that advanced yet.

“Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board” (2007)
“Johnny Kapahala: Back on Board” a sequel to “Johnny Tsunami,” is the most that I would have seen and have gotten a feel of being in Hawaii, besides watching “Lilo & Stitch.” With many of the shows now, there is no real touch of how people speak due to the language being improper. Hawaii also focuses on family and how it’s important to the locals that family be there for the most important milestones in life. Johnny and his parents return back to the Hawaiian islands from Vermont, for the marriage of his grandfather. Chris who is Johnny’s soon to be younger uncle is into mountain boarding (All-Terrain Boarding which is just like snowboarding but has wheels and does not need snow). His grandfather has been working on opening a shop across of a rival store so it falls on Johnny and Chris to fix the store after the rival store trashes the place.

“Big Hero 6” (2014)
Marvel comics and films were not my cup of tea growing up. When “Big Hero 6” came out in 2014, this movie drew me in because of the cute robotic nurse that looked like a marshmallow named Baymax. Baymax was created to help cure those who are sick and are in need of help. If Baymax was real, it is something that could help so many people who are not able to afford health care and could be an alternative to helping third world countries who don’t have the privilege of having doctors.  The reason that I compare this movie to a Marvel one is because Hiro and his group of friends, along with Baymax, go on to fight crime and help save their city of San Fransokyo from an unknown man who is in a kabuki mask trying to get revenge on Alistair Cray because of an experiment that went wrong.