In the Defense of Thumbelina

Whitney: I love that these last two non-Disney princesses are not only princesses, but fairies! (Eventually . . . SPOILER!) Fairies are awesome. They are little and have shimmering wings! And they fly! Thumbelina has a big challenge to overcome--she’s a thumb-sized person in a normal sized person’s world. And though she loves her mother and the small farm they live in, she wishes that there was somebody like her. Don’t we all want someone who understands us?

Becky: I think that was something I loved the most. And her mother loved her exactly as she was.Whitney: When she meets Cornelius, she’s really happy, but then she has to go through several trials in order to get back to him. But it really could be that those experiences teach her more about how much she loves the prince. Just like we all need life experiences to teach us what it is we really want.

Becky: I really appreciated that they weren’t happily ever after right away. They had to fight to be together, going through so many things, and it only strengthened and deepened those feelings. Granted, they initially came on fast, but doesn’t that initial attraction come on fast? Love comes later, after you’ve been through things together and with time. And that’s what happened here. So I’m good with that.

Whitney: Sure, she gets a little distracted, but she doesn’t have very many experiences about the world, and we all make bad decisions or mistakes throughout our lives. The thing is that she learned from them, corrected them, and kept her eye on what she really wanted. 

But the best thing, I think, is what her mother cautions her (and what she learns): “Don’t ever wish to be anything than what you are.” And what a great reminder for all of us!

Becky: Amen!