Many movies, especially cartoons, tell stories that concern magic and other Pagan motifs. It helps to study not just the practical aspects of spellcasting but the underlying ideas. Here we deal with creativity and interpretation. The idea is for you to start thinking about magic and Paganism, and what they mean to you.
Below is a list of thirteen movies which feature noteworthy magic users and magical events. Most of these movies should be easy to find for rent, for sale, or on broadcast; but if you can’t find one of them, you may substitute another animated movie about enchantment. Watch each movie and think about its implications. This is especially fun if you do it with your coven or other magical/spiritual group. You may want to record your thoughts in your Book of Shadows or elsewhere.
Viewing List
Alakazam the Great (Taiji Tonomura, 1961, G)
The Sword and the Stone (Disney, 1963, G)
Wizards (Ralph Bakshi, 1977, PG)
The Hobbit (Rankin/Bass, 1978, U)
The Return of the King (Rankin/Bass, 1980, U)
The Secret of NIMH (Don Bluth, 1982, G)
The Last Unicorn (Rankin/Bass, 1982, PG)
Beauty and the Beast (Disney, 1991, G)
The Lion King (Disney, 1994, G)
Gargoyles: The Movie: The Heroes Awaken (Disney, 1995, G)
Pocahontas (Disney, 1995, G)
Fantasia 2000 (Disney, 1999, G)
Spirited Away (Disney Home Entertainment; Hayao Miyazaki, 2001, PG)
About the Movies
Here are brief descriptions of each movie. Notice that several of these animated tales grew out of books. You may want to track down those stories and read them for comparison. That’s fair game for your magical writing too.
Alakazam the Great is the oldest movie recommended in this class. It may look a little unpolished if you’re used to modern movies, but it has a lot of charm. The story concerns a mischievous monkey named Alakazam. Not content with being king, he wants magical power as well – so he steals it. Since it turns out to be more than he can handle, Alakazam spends the rest of the movie learning the appropriate uses of power.
The Sword and the Stone is a whimsical rendition of the often-dark Arthurian legend of the same name (adapted from the novel by T. H. White). It follows young Arthur at a crucial time in his life. This film contains some of the most insightful observations about magic in any animated movie. Merlin explains, “Don’t get any silly ideas that magic will solve all your problems – it won’t.”
One highlight is a set of sequences featuring transformation/shapeshifting magic during which Arthur spends time as a bird, a squirrel, and a fish (thus experiencing all three elemental habitats: Air, Earth, and Water). The epic shapeshifting duel between Merlin and Mad Madame Mim is loads of fun yet carries a serious message about ethics in magic: Merlin uses his wits to vanquish his opponent (who cheats without apology) without breaking the rules himself. Magic and science can work together, too; wise old Merlin is a master of both. This film repeatedly emphasizes the importance of brains over brawn; in the end, it isn’t muscle that allows Arthur to pull the sword from the stone, but rather his innate purity of heart that makes him worthy to be king.
Wizards tackles a theme rare in animation and fantasy, but a mainstay of science fiction: the post-apocalyptic future after a nuclear war. Enchanted creatures such as fairies arise from the wholesome lands, while nasty mutants arise from the nuclear wastelands. Twin wizards battle for the fate of the world. Avatar and Blackwolf use very different methods, both magical and mundane, to achieve their goals.
The Hobbit (based on the J.R.R. Tolkien book of the same name) tells of a quiet little guy, Bilbo Baggins, who gets swept up in somebody else’s adventure due to the meddling of their wizard friend, Gandalf the Grey. In the company of thirteen dwarves, they set off to reclaim stolen treasure – nearly getting killed by trolls, goblins, elves, and giant spiders along the way. Bilbo finds a magic ring that seems helpful at first but later causes much trouble. The climaxes include vanquishing the dragon Smaug, and a battle over the disposition of the recovered treasure. Bilbo has a charmingly succinct opinion of adventures: “Nasty, uncomfortable things; make you late for dinner!”
The Return of the King actually summarizes the story told in three more of Tolkien’s books: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. The hobbit Frodo inherits a ring from his uncle Bilbo, but Gandalf warns him of the artifact’s terrible power and advises him to destroy it. With the aid of his companions, especially the loyal Sam, Frodo sets off to Mount Doom, the only place the Ring may be unmade. Meanwhile, the Dark Lord Sauron attempts to take over all of Middle Earth in his desire to retrieve his lost Ring and rule everything. The free peoples fight back, but it is really up to Frodo – for as long as the Ring survives, so does Sauron.
The Secret of NIMH begins as a fairly simple story (based on the book Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O’Brien), a mother’s quest to save her ailing son, Timmy. Mrs. Brisby seeks the advice of the Great Owl, who sends her to the mysterious rats that live in the rosebush. She convinces the rats to help move her home – but internal politics lead to betrayal. Mrs. Brisby must ultimately learn how to use a magical amulet to save her family.
The Last Unicorn (based on the novel by Peter S. Beagle) is a hauntingly beautiful story. One carefree Unicorn suddenly discovers that she is the last of her kind. She sets off to find the others, only to realize that few people can see her true self anymore. Captured by the creepy Mommy Fortuna, the Unicorn escapes with the aid of Schmendrick, a magician who aptly demonstrates Isaac Bonewits’ observation that “sincerity is no substitute for competence.” Together they travel to the castle of King Haggard, whose Red Bull keeps the unicorns trapped in the sea. Transformed into a human for disguise, the Unicorn almost forgets her mission, and ultimately pays a high price to save her people.
Beauty and the Beast takes place in France, the traditional setting of this fairytale, but Disney made some major changes to the story. Belle, a bookworm, favors intellectual pursuits and rebuffs Gaston, the handsome and physically powerful (if unusually nasty) “hero” type. This movie explores a variety of values and ideas, such as the reminder to be gracious both in giving and receiving hospitality. The motif of the willing sacrifice also appears when Belle offers herself to the Beast in exchange for her father’s freedom. The animated objects, such as Lumiere the candleholder, suggest the idea that life exists in all things. In the end, the Beast is transformed, not simply by magic, but by the change in his own character.
The Lion King explores the concept of sacred kingship, in which a king is magically connected to his land. Fleeing from tragedy, the young hero Simba makes friends with Timon and Pumbaa, following their “Hakuna Matata” (No Worries) philosophy, which marks his adolescence and time away from responsibility. Simba doesn’t want to return to the Pridelands. Rafiki, like any good shaman, confronts the reluctant hero, but it is when Simba’s father appears to him in a vision that he finally understands what he must do. Simba returns to his home, only to find the land unfertile and desolate, ruined by the rule of an unfit king. With Simba’s victory, the rains come; the land is restored by the return of the rightful king.
Gargoyles: The Movie: The Heroes Awaken sets the stage for a whole animated series; the movie explains the characters’ origin. These gargoyles belong to an ancient race of guardians, active by night but stone by day. Historically, they protected their castle until human betrayal caused the death of most of their kind. Outraged by their failure in this defense, the Magus put a curse on the survivors to remain stone “until the castle rises above the clouds.” Jump to modern times, when a corporate tycoon moves the castle atop his skyscraper! The gargoyles are reluctant to trust humans again, but they’re stuck in the modern world which is unaccustomed to magic, and must deal with it somehow.
Pocahontas is an artistic retelling of historic events, when European colonists met the Powhatan tribe. Pocahontas is what I call a “hera,” a female hero – not just the love interest of the male protagonist, this resourceful woman can run, dive, stalk, and pilot a canoe through white water. Grandmother Willow, a tree spirit, dispenses some apt advice including, “All around you are spirits, child … if you listen, they will guide you. If you listen with your heart, you will understand.” This magical listening allows John Smith and Pocahontas to communicate through an intuitive grasp of their mutually unfamiliar languages. Watch the struggles that John Smith goes through as he tries to make sense of Pocahontas’ world.
Fantasia 2000 continues a tradition begun with the original Fantasia in 1940, illustrating musical scores. Indeed, “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice” by Paul Dukas appears in both. In this story, Mickey Mouse borrows his master’s enchanted hat while the wizard is sleeping, in hopes of making his chores easier; but the magic proves harder to master than he expected. Another gem is “Firebird Suite,” the 1919 version by Igor Stravinsky. An elk stag breathes on an icicle, creating a female spirit – the Sprite – whose magic soon covers the land with life. But she awakens the terrible Firebird in the mountain, who almost destroys her forever. This story says a lot about the sources and applications of magic.
Spirited Away follows a young girl as her family moves to a new home. But a shortcut leads them into a strange, magical realm – where Chihiro’s parents soon get themselves trapped. It turns out to be a vacation spot for the spirit world, and Chihiro must make a place for herself there so that she can discover how to free her parents. Rich in Japanese symbolism, this movie explores themes of trust, devotion, and familial obligation.
Conclusion After watching these movies, compare them to each other and think about how you feel regarding the set as a whole. How does magic work in these worlds? How do the movies portray magic and nature? What “message” or “moral” do the stories convey? What bits of Pagan mythology did you spot? Which movies do you like the most, and the least? Why? Writing down your thoughts about these movies, or discussing them with friends, may help to clarify your own opinions about magic and Paganism.
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This piece began as the article "It's a Magical World: Sacred Themes in Disney Animation," published in PanGaia, Autumn 2000. It was expanded into a class for the Grey School of Wizardry in 2004. It was revised for reprint online 7/11/11.