If you think heroism only means one person saving another, these Disney movies are about to make you think again. Sometimes, the very thing you need to overcome unimaginable obstacles is waiting within you the whole time:

1. When Mia accepts her crown.



No one in the world has ever hated public speaking as much as Mia does, and yet she still summons the courage to give a heartfelt speech during the Genovian Independence Day Ball. The Princess Diaries is all one big, compassionate exploration of a teenage girl’s journey of self-discovery, and we love it for that.

2. When Merida gives a speech about finding love in her own time.



Merida never has a problem taking matters into her own hands, but this moment represents the first time that she finds the maturity to deal with her problems head-on rather than try to find a way around them. With her mother’s help, she shines bright as a leader, and gets what she wants through diplomacy.

3. When Wreck-It Ralph learns the true meaning of “hero.”



It takes a moment of clarity for Ralph to understand that he’s always had the capacity for heroism, so long as he’s putting others before himself and accepting himself as he is. Sacrificing himself makes him realize that the medal doesn’t make a hero; he’s always been the hero he was trying to become.

4. When Elizabeth Swann orchestrates her own rescue.



Pirates of the Caribbean is full of incidents of Elizabeth handling things no one else is capable of dealing with, but perhaps one of the earliest and most notable is when she saves herself from the island she and Jack are marooned on. Think about it: the rescue Elizabeth organizes is arguably more impressive than the myth about how Jack escaped the first time. There’s no arguing that Elizabeth is her own hero.

5. When Nemo saves Dory from the fish net.



The adventure Nemo goes on and the things he learns along the way give him the smarts and the courage to rescue Dory when she needs help. He goes from being a shy, sheltered fish to one who knows what he’s capable of, and that’s proof that any of us can do the same thing.

6. When Anna and Elsa save each other.



The act of true love needed to thaw a frozen heart comes from Anna herself, in the moment she sacrifices herself to save Elsa, and then from Elsa, whose love for her sister undoes the eternal winter. Both sisters had what they needed inside of them all along.

7. When Violet saves her family.



Violet’s progression from literal and figurative invisible girl to powerful and confident wielder of force fields is one of the greatest character arcs ever. The rest of her family are all powerful, confident super heroes, and yet Violet’s the one who has what it takes to save all their lives in the moment they most need it.

8. When Tiana opens her restaurant.



Years of hard work and a multitude of setbacks can’t stop Tiana from achieving her goal. She starts with nothing but a gumbo pot and a dream, and she ends with a restaurant just as gorgeous and full of life as the one she’d always imagined. And though she had help on the way from her friends and loved ones (and we will, too, if we’re lucky), it wouldn’t have happened without Tiana making it happen.

9. Everything Mulan does all the time.



Mulan figures out a creative way to climb the pole at training camp. She comes up with a split-second strategy that allows her army of about twelve people to defeat an army of two thousand. And then she defeats Shan-Yu in hand-to-hand combat using a fan. A fan. This girl is the model of self-sufficiency. She needs no one but herself.

What’s your favorite moment of Disney heroism? Tell us below!

Posted 5 years Ago