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 violet which reminded me of Rapunzel.
Rapunzel’s dress is purple so she was the obvious princess for this color. She is my favorite princess and I watch Tangled all the time. It is funny and sweet and Rapunzel does a great job taking care of herself. And for a bit of role reversal Flynn does not start out as a prince, but becomes one by marrying Rapunzel. That is unusual for a Disney princess movie, and very fun.
5 fun facts about Tangled:
1) This is the first Disney princess movie to get a PG rating. All the others had a G rating.
2) Rapunzel’s hair was about 70 feet long and weighed about 10 pounds. I’m betting it had magical properties that made it manageable as well as a healing power.
3) The lantern that Rapunzel helps get skyward is the one her parents, the King and Queen, launched. It has the royal symbol of the sun on it.
4) Over 45,000 lanterns were used in the “I see the light” scene.
5) Mother Gothel is at least 400 years old when Tangled takes place. That is some powerful magic.
Rapunzel spends a lot of time afraid. She is afraid to leave the tower; she is afraid of bandits and thugs; she is afraid that Flynn will leave her. Of course all these fears were unfounded and were instilled in her by Mother Gothel. We may not have an evil witch filling our minds with fearful ideas, but then again, we do a great job by ourselves. We all have fear, but we don’t have to let it rule us. That is what Rapunzel learned so she can teach us.
5 ways to overcome fear with Rapunzel:
1) Admit your fear. I admit it. I am terrified of spiders. Saying that doesn’t make the fear go away, but at least by admitting that I have the fear I can start to deal with it. I deal with it by letting other people take care of spiders.
2) Hug it. I am not hugging spiders, but this tactic worked for Rapunzel in the Snugly Duckling. By interacting with the thugs and scoundrels she learned not to fear them.
3) Ignore it. Fear wants to rule your life, so sometimes you just have to ignore it. Do the scary thing and when your fear jumps up and down and says “look at me” – don’t.
4) Do it anyway. Sometimes the fear is so big that you can not ignore it, but you shouldn’t give into it. Rapunzel was very afraid to leave the tower. She could have let that fear stop her, but instead she jumped through the fear. I have heard that courage is having fear but not letting it stop you. Rapunzel’s fear was so strong that it stopped her just feet from the ground, but she took the last step and pushed through the fear.
5) Wave goodbye to the fear. When you have had a fear for a long time you may notice that the only fear left is the fear of letting the fear go. It has become a comfort and an excuse. If your fears are past their expiration date than it is time to let them go. New fears may take their place, but you know how to deal with them now.
Rapunzel overcame her fears and freed herself from Mother Gothel. What can you do if you overcome your fears? I think we would all do amazing things. Let’s try. Happiness squared.
Goofy Tip: You can find Pinocchio in the Snugly Duckling so I guess it is fitting that you can meet Rapunzel and Flynn next to the Village Haus at Disneyland.
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