Disney Resorts the Largest Christian Ministry in America

Disney as a Christian ministry? Millions of American families every year flock to the Christian themed Disney vacation playgrounds of California, Florida, Missouri and the recently opened Buffalo, New York resorts. Looking back on the 50 years of Disney resort history that started with a mouse, probably wouldn’t have gotten where it was without a wolf.

Disney Characters: Beloved or Scary

While Mickey Mouse was Disney’s first big screen hero, and while children will always love Minnie, Donald, Clarence, Clarabell, Pluto and others, it was Snow White that thrust Disney into the movie making business. Pinnoccio, Dumbo, Sleeping Beauty showed American movie makers that children’s animated stories could reach adults with romance and adventure equal to any live action movie. Perhaps Walt was taking a tip from Cecil B. Demile when in 1958 he began production on what was to become the turning point in Disney history: Little Red Riding Hood. Everyone knows this story. And we know it’s villain. We saw him years earlier in Disney’s Silly Symphonies ‘Three Little Pigs.’ As a child he terrified me, that Big Bad Wolf. Who knew he would transform the American culture?

Little Red Riding Hood (1959); Disney’s Greatest Movie

Disney always takes liberty with their stories. I mean, do we really want to see a Brothers Grimm version of Cinderella? Dark and gruesome. (I must confess a little desire to see crows eat the eyes out of the wicked stepsisters). Disney is a master at taking gruesome material and making it G-Rated material. More than that. With its heart-touching drama, swelling, inspiring music and eye blasting color and art, Disney movies are emotionally transforming. And this was never more so apparent than in The Little Red Riding Hood movie released in 1959 and winning Disney an unprecedented 8 Academy Awards for a single movie, beating Ben Hur for Best Picture. And winning over audiences as the best Christian movie, ever.

As Only Disney Could

Yes, typically Disney, we had our plethora of new talking forest animals who did their best behind the scenes to protect the naive and innocent Mary from falling prey to the evil wicked Big Bad Wolf. Biblically themed throughout the movie, the animals weren’t the only ones quoting scripture. Grandma did a tremendous job holding her own in an argument with the wolf using the bible as both a sword in the literary sense and as a literal one too.

Beginning of a Revolution

But it was the final scene that is remembered most fondly by those who love Disney movies. After a hopeful expectation that the woodcutter would rescue Mary and her animal partners, when the woodcutter was accidentally dispatched, we lost all hope. Disney is a master at this too. Emotionally on edge we watched an evil, hungry monster approach her. Our fear was real. Then, calmly, Mary turns, down on her knees in prayer, soft and earnest. She is joined by her friends. Maybe because she forgave him, maybe, because we in the audience were praying too. Maybe, just because Disney is master at this as well, we saw the monster transform. We saw him confront his own mental image, his wickedness, and melt into regret. There were no dry eyes in the darkness as we watched a former monster get down on his knees as Mary helped him become a child of God. We left the theatre that day not only happy and complete, but transformed ourselves.

Wolf Replaces Mouse as Iconic Figure

Not only did the movie break attendance records in 1959, but it generated 18-theatrical shorts featuring, ‘The Good Wolf.’ And 8-theatrical shorts featuring the ‘Gospel Animals.’ The success of the picture had a lot of cultural fallout, the least of which was America’s need for Christian vacation resorts. Disney transformed its California Park from a mouse theme park to a Christian themed park. How can we forget the iconic statue of the humble wolf on his knees at the foot of the cross. Demand created more theme parks in Orlando, Florida; Branson Missouri and Buffalo, New York as well as 5 international parks overseas (but then I don’t have to tell you Disney’s history)

Spiritual Fruit of the ’60’s

What I would like to bring to your remembrance what it did for America. Not only did Disney start doing more movies from great Biblical stories. And even help create the first Christian educational channel for cable, but other movie studios and networks picked up the trend. In fact, good family entertainment was a staple of the 1950’s. Disney influenced that trend to continue well into the sixties and seventies, during a time when there was potential for great turmoil and spiritual corruption. Can you imagine what the 60’s and 70’s would have been like without the great Christian revival initiated by Disney?

What 1960-1970’s Could Have Looked Like: A Scary Picture for America

Let me paint you a scary picture. After the close of World War I when America was recovering from its wounds. Americans began to question the existence of God. Prosperity, mobility, humanism, needs of greedy men generated an era known as the ‘Roaring Twenties.’ We can easily see where America would be in the 60’s and ’70’s without the Evangelistic Revolution. What would America have looked like in this alternate version of history: anti-tradition rebellion, an increase of sexual abandon leading to a generation of fatherless children, a pervasive need for selfishness. abandonment of Christian ideals: parenthood, charity, responsibility. Perhaps a willingness to kill unwanted fatherless children (which would be a financial ruin to a selfish nation) or terminate the physically or mentally ill, or aged. Or like the return of the twenties: a proliferation of drugs and alcohol. Aren’t you glad that did not happen? Can you imagine what an America today would be like if we lived through an era like that?

A Grateful, Thankful Nation Should Thank Disney

Next Sunday when you take your family to church you might want to thank God for a wolf that kept Christianity alive and vibrant in your nation. The majority in this nation are faithful and still live by principals erected upon the foundation of America. And we continue as a nation of faith, families, prosperity, with goodness in its heroes, its media and its news. We exist as a nation that still upholds Christian ideas as our platform and maybe this began when we watched a bad wolf become a good wolf and knew if that could happen to the most wicked thing we knew, it could happen to America.