If you’ve been here a while, you know by now I love Disney and one of the many reasons I do is because within those stories there is so much hope around making your dreams come true.
Aside from just inspiration within films, there are so many amazing lyrics embedded in Disney songs that encourage us to reach for the stars, to overcome our fears, to heal our hearts, and live our happily ever afters.
So, today I’m sharing what I believe to be some of the most inspiring lyrics from animated Disney Songs!
These are listed in no particular order, just the order they came to me.
“No matter how your heart is grieving, if you keep on believing, the dream that you wish will come true.” - A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes, Cinderella
Of course I’m going to start with one of my personal favorites, Cinderella! I love this song so much and I especially love this line. This line reminds us that while we all experience sadness, doubt, pain, loss, heartache, disappointment, it doesn’t mean we still can't reach our dreams. Even in our low moments, so long as deep down within us we keep believing, holding the faith, and keep trying … our dream absolutely can still come true.
“…Fairy tales can come true. But you gotta make them happen, it all depends on you.” - Almost There, Princess and the Frog
I love Princess and the Frog and to me this is definitely the most inspiring song from it. Almost There perfectly encapsulates the journey of knowing you’re soooo close, you’ve done sooo much, but you still have a little bit left to go and yet you know no matter what you’re absolutely going to get there. This line reminds us that we can all get our happily ever afters, but it’s up to us to make them happen! We can definitely wish for it to happen, but the magic really happens when we take action. Don’t just sit around and wait for *someday*! Someday is now! Take that first step, do the work (all while simultaneously believing and wishing) and that is the true formula for success. Remember, your dreams happening really are up to you!
“But wait, if I could shake the crushing weight of expectations would that free some room up for joy,” - Surface Pressure, Encanto
I think the success of Surface Pressure showed how stressed everyone in this world really is! This line is so very true because when we live our life for others, when we try to measure up to their expectations, it crushes us and stresses us out. It gets us out of alignment to our truest selves. But, if we can let go of other’s expectations of us, it truly does free up so much space for ourselves. We can fill that space with joy, with rest, with relaxation, with fun, and with more things that align to our most authentic selves.
“It's funny how some distance makes everything seem small, And the fears that once controlled me can't get to me at all, It's time to see what I can do, To test the limits and break through, No right, no wrong, no rules for me, I’m free, Let it go, let it go” - Let it Go, Frozen
And speaking of letting it go, here we have the literal Queen of letting things go: Elsa. Similar to Luisa, when Elsa is able to let go other’s judgements of her, she frees herself and transforms into the most powerful version of her truest self. What I love about this line is how it’s very true that once you’ve gotten away (whether distance or time wise), it gives you a new perspective and helps you realize that your problems may not have been as big as you thought. Distancing yourself can also help you gain a new perspective and empower new strength within. In time, we get stronger and stronger, and it’s true that fears that once controlled us, we eventually conquer and they become no big deal. Like Elsa, free yourself, and just let it all go.
“How high does the sycamore grow?, If you cut it down, then you'll never know” - Colors of the Wind, Pocahontas
My 90s girl self adored Pocahontas and I will admit that I pretended to be her jumping off cliffs into the river by jumping off the ladder into my pool. 🤣 Anyway, I still think the entire of Colors of the Wind is a really profound song and has so many golden nuggets of wisdom, but I especially love this one. Basically, it’s saying if you stop yourself, if you give into doubt, if you give up, you’ll never know how far you could’ve gone; how much you could’ve achieved. Sometimes it may seem hard, but if it’s something you really, really want to do - don’t give up. The best things, the success, often take time (most likely even years!), so be patient with yourself. If you keep on the path, there’s no limits to how high you can grow.
“All that time never truly seeing, Things, the way they were” - I see the Light, Tangled
Obviously one of the cutest love songs and most beautiful animated scenes, but I think there’s some life inspiration in this line sung by Flynn Ryder. It’s a reminder that sometimes we really aren’t appreciating life, we’re not really seeing it, and that just makes us indifferent to so much of it, or even causes us to focus on the bad. But, if we open our eyes, if we look at the beauty that surrounds us, we’ll see a whole new world (pun intended!). Choose to see the magic that surrounds you. See the beauty in nature, the beauty in friendships, in true love, in animals, in laughter, in rainbows, in fun experiences. There’s so many good things in this world; and when we switch your focus to actively see the light, you’ll start to notice even more and more and more good. I think when Flynn falls for Rapunzel, he starts to see the world as magically as she does.
“Sometimes the world seems against you, The journey may leave a scar, But scars can heal and reveal just, Where you are,” - I am Moana, Moana
Life can get real hard sometimes and I don’t think any of us are left without scars. But as time passes, the hurt heals and transforms into new strength and new wisdom. It shows that we’ve overcome so much and we’re still here. This lyric reminds us that focusing on where we are currently and reminding ourselves of how far we’ve come is so major in understanding who we are. Feel deep appreciation for who you are and where you are. And by understanding and appreciate that, it helps us know just how far we’ll still go!
“Dig down deep inside yourself, You'll find out what you need, Blue skies and sunshine guaranteed” - Dig a Little Deeper, Princess and the Frog
I personally find that going deeper is always the answer! Be really honest with yourself: what is it that you want and what type of person do you want to be? If you had no judgements from any other people; if money weren’t an issue, if expectations weren’t an issue, if no one had any sort of say about your life except you - who and what would you be? When you get honest with yourself and go deep, you absolutely figure out what you need (like more love and compassion for yourself) or even what you need to do (what steps to take). By following who you are deep inside, it can definitely lead to blue skies and sunshine!
“It's the circle of life, And it moves us all, Through despair and hope, Through faith and love, ’Til we find our place, On the path unwinding, In the circle, the circle of life.” - Circle of Life, Lion King
It really is the circle of life. Life itself is so cyclic. We experience love and happiness but also sadness and grief. It doesn’t mean you did anything wrong; it just means you’re human. You’re meant to experience every emotion of the spectrum; it’s kind of what we signed up for! No matter what tough times you’re in, the circle will always turn back to good times eventually. The path before us may be uncertain, but all we can do is keep going and keep trying to find our place!
“Think of the happiest things, It's the same as having wings,” You can Fly, Peter Pan
A lesson in manifestation: when you think good thoughts, they take you to new heights! Your mindset and way of thinking absolutely, 100% affect your life. When you shift your focus to think of the best things, of joyous times, of things working out, it definitely can and will transport you to new levels of life.
“When you wish upon a star, Makes no difference who you are, Anything your heart desires, Will come to you, If your heart is in your dream, No request is too extreme” Wish Upon a Star, Pinnochio
This line is just straight up manifesting! When you put your desire out there, the Universe doesn’t care who you are or what you want. It does not matter how big or how small, the Law of Attraction is always going to work exactly the same for everything for everyone. Feel it in your heart and make your wish and know that all your dreams can and will come true <3
Hope you enjoyed these!
