By Kayla DeKraker
Today, Disney has a reputation for being “woke” and catering to culture, but did you know they used to incorporate Bible verses and Christian principals into some films?
“Did you know that Disney used to have scripture implemented in their films?” Movieguide®’s Kaelii Williams shared on Instagram.
She then shared a clip from the original 1967 movie THE JUNGLE BOOK.
In the clip, Bagheera the panther tells young Mowgli, “Greater love hath no one than he who lays down his life for his friend.”
This quote is from John 15:13 which says exactly that: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”
Williams continued, “Christianity is not the first thing people think of when they think of Disney, but I love this. I want some more of this.”
She then asked Instagram users if they can think of any other Christian themes in Disney movies.
“He lives in you from LION KING 2 is probably the best non-worship worship song from Disney. Honestly the whole LION KING 2 soundtrack has the same vibe,” one person said.
Another person added, “Snow White praying. WDW [Walt Disney World] used to host Night of Joy Christian Concerts. Now all WDW gets is couple Christian Bands at EPCOT during Food & Wine Festival now.”
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This user is correct. In the original SNOW WHITE movie, the princess gets on her knees and prays to God for her friends the Seven Dwarfs, a far cry from the stuff we see today.
Another comment on the post said, “Why are people just finding out about this? I hope people know that Walt Disney was Christian right?” Movieguide® responded, “They don’t advertise it much I guess. Or maybe times have just changed 😪”
This is also true. Walt Disney was, in fact, a Christian.
“Walt was a very devoted Congregationalist Christian, his family’s religion,” mickeynews.com shared. “In fact, Walt owes his name in a sense to religion. Walt’s father Elias was a very good friend of Reverend Walter Parr, who preached at the Saint Paul Congregational Church, where the family attended church.”
So where did things go wrong? It seems Disney tried to keep up with the world instead of staying true to its roots.
However, there is hope for change.
Last year, Disney CEO Bob Iger said he would focus on providing quality entertainment instead of trying to stay relevant.
“I’ve always believed that we have a responsibility to do good in the world, but we know our job is not to advance any kind of agenda,” he said. “For as long as I’m in the job, I’m going to continue to be guided by a sense of decency and respect, and we’ll always trust our instincts.”
Time will tell if Iger stays true to his word. Until then, we can praise the family friendly and faith-based content that does exist, whether from Disney or not.
Read Next: Is Disney Finally on the Up and Up?
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