A Rainbow of Princesses: Orange is Cinderella

Do you know ROY G. BIV? Good ol’ Roy isn’t a who, but a what. It is how you can remember the colors of the rainbow: Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet. I was thinking about these colors the other day and it made me think of Disney princesses. Certain princesses are known by their color; either the color of their hair, the color of their gown, or some other defining feature. So for seven posts we’re going to have fun exploring the colors of the rainbow, Disney princesses, and fun activities connected to them. Today we focus on orange which reminded me of Cinderella.

jan254mm3“A dream is a wish your heart makes, when your fast asleep…” I love the music in Cinderella. I love the stepsisters, I love the mice, but I do not love Cinderella. Well, actually, I like Cinderella, but it always annoys me that she has this perfect night with the prince and if he hadn’t insisted on finding her she would have just let her dream die and gone back to being a servant girl. No way. It’s a good thing the mice wanted her dream to come true. Oh yeah, I also love Lucifer. He is a great cat (even if he chases the mice).

5 fun facts about Cinderella:

1) 90% of the film was acted out by live performers so the animators could get the feel of the realistic movement before they started to draw.

2) Everyone calls the prince ‘Prince Charming’, but he is never called that in the film.

3) One of Walt Disney’s favorite animated scenes ever is when Cinderella’s dress transforms from rags to royalty.

4) There are two Hidden Mickeys on the back of the wedding coach seen at the end of the movie.

5) To save money and not have to animate the wheels of the pumpkin coach the artists had the coach float along the ground. I think that is a perfectly normal thing for a magical coach to do.

Everyone has dreams. What are your dreams? Are you going to make your dreams come true or are you going to just settle for the status quo? Walt Disney started with nothing, but he worked hard and his dreams came true. Let’s follow his example and live our dreams. Cinderella can teach us a lot about dreaming. Let’s learn from Cinderelly!

5 ways to reach for your dreams like Cinderella:

1) Dream. A dream is a wish your heart makes. If you don’t dream than you have nothing to work for. There are no rules for dreams. They can be as big or small as you want. They can be possible or seemingly impossible. Dream every day without limits.

2) Work while you dream. Your dreams may come come true or they may not. What is important is live your life while you’re achieving your dreams. If you want to be a best-selling author don’t quit your day job. Dreaming is important, but you still have to face your daily routine.

3) Use fairy godmothers. It may seem that Cinderella got lucky having a fairy godmother, but we all have fairy godmothers in our lives. The important thing is to recognize them and accept the help they offer. Perhaps it is a friend who wants to help you lose weight by being your running partner, or someone you know who is willing to give you something you need to succeed. Instead of saying no because you don’t want to be a nuisance, say yes and find a way to help them back.

4) Tell your friends about your dreams. Dreams can be scary. Sometimes it’s easier to keep them hidden. But dreams come true when they are shared. If the mice in Cinderella had not known about her dreams they would never had made her a dress. Spread the magic and tell your friends about your dreams.

5) Don’t run away from your dreams. This is the one tip that Cinderella did not follow. When the clock struck twelve she couldn’t face the enormity of her dream and she ran away. There is going to come a time when your dream seems too big to succeed or too big to deal with. Don’t run at that point. Gather your friends and push through. Your dreams can come true, but no one said it would be easy.

What are your dreams? Are they coming true. Do something today to bring a dream closer to reality. You may not live happily ever after, but you’ll be living the life you want. If you don’t you’ll be left with a pumpkin instead of a prince. Happiness squared.

Goofy Movie: Did you know there is more than one Cinderella movie? The second one is not very good, but Cinderella III is very clever. It asks the question, “What if the slipper didn’t fit?” I love the new songs, and the plots twists. This would be a fun movie to watch on your next family movie night.

For great tips that you can take with you on your tablet or smart phone download the Kindle app and buy a copy of Goofy Tips for a Happy Disney Vacation. For 99 cents you’ll have hundreds of great ideas for visiting the Disney Parks only an app away.