Resolutions from This Year’s Disney Debuts

Another year has come and gone, and I am glad it’s nearly done.

It can be hard to decide what resolutions we want to keep. It can be hard, because we people aren’t meant to stick to a commitment beyond January. But we can still try. Here are some resolutions we could learn from Disney’s characters this year, big and small:

Black Panther – You aren’t responsible for your parent’s mistakes, but do well to fix them.

Especially if you are a king, and you realize that your father screwed over your cousin when the latter was a child. We may not be responsible for all the wrongs in the world, but we are complicit in a portion of them. And as we go into 2019, we will test our complicity in some of the past year’s more horrific travesties. How are we going to bear the sin of witnessing the dead?

Avengers: Infinity War – Find a reason to hope when all is lost.

We may need this one more than ever. Some days it will feel like all our hard work and good deeds amount to nothing. But hey, if Captain Rogers can wipe the grime from his face, and hold down the grief until the mission is done, then so can we. Captain’s Orders.

Ant-Man and the Wasp – Find space to appreciate the people you love and stay in contact with them.

This doesn’t apply if you have former loved ones that are jerks, mind. This is with the people that truly care for you, and for whom you can reciprocate. We never know when we’ll see someone for the last time. And thus we must make sure that we do appreciate you.

Incredibles 2 – You won’t always be appreciated, but put in the work anyway, if you have a passion or project you enjoy.

Appreciation is a running theme in the second Incredibles film. The Supers get middle to little respect, with the villain actively manipulating them. And probably if you are working hard on something you love, you have to put in ten thousand hours of work before you become good at it.

Ralph Breaks the Internet- Let your friends make their mistakes when their mind is set on a decision, provided the decision is not a moral hazard.

This goes without saying. Obviously we should be honest when our friends are doing something dangerous, illegal, or idiotic. But at some point we have to let them make mistakes for ideas that have lesser stakes, such as moving to a new home, or starting a new job. And we have to promise to be there for them, for when they need us. We can all be more supportive.

Christopher Robin – Don’t erase disabled people from narratives.

Claire Milne deserved better, y’all. She existed. And they didn’t even bother to put her in the film, replacing her with a fictional Madeline. If you are going to write a story that has disabled characters from real life, incorporate them and do the research.

Mary Poppins Returns – Manage your finances better.

Have a system, or a reliable accountant. File taxes early. Don’t use important papers for your daily doodles. There is wanting to fulfill your dreams and there is being a complete scatterbrain.

Happy New Year. Let’s tackle everything 2019 throws at us!