Disney Movie Taps into Our Own Monsters and Anger

Have you seen the Disney/Pixar movie Monsters, Inc., (2001 release, now available on DVD)? It's very entertaining, and, as is usual for Disney, has a great message about how we deal with our anger monsters. 

During the story, we are introduced to a big fuzzy monster. Of course, he is a softie at heart, nothing like the big scary fella he pretends to be for his job - scaring the scream from little kids. But then while filming a training video for other monsters, he sees a picture of his "scary" face, and right next to it, the petrified big-eyed face of a little girl. The little girl is actually someone who the monster cares about. 

One thinks Disney (always trying to impart wholesome values to its viewers - old and young) intentionally placed this moment so that we could blatantly grasp the film's message: there is a monster in each of us, be careful who sees it.

As I watched the movie, I began thinking about how our children sometimes see us - adults, parents - as monsters. One moment we are concerned for their health, loving them and telling them how wonderful they are. The next moment we are yelling at them for hitting their sister or making a mess. How scary we must be for them when we put on our "monster face".
But, the anger monster within us is as much a part of who we are as is the big fuzzy loving creature. We can't hide our monster. We can try to tame it. We can try to surround our kids with as much love as possible, so that when that inevitable monster escapes, it is only momentary and our kids know it is only one part of us. 

The goal is to integrate those angry parts of us so that they reveal themselves appropriately. That is, we need to own the impact of our anger monsters. Disney's big fuzzy guy had to come to terms with his monster. Sounds difficult? How did he do it? He started by seeing himself as the monster. We call that "owning" it. Next, he found a way to reconcile this aspect of his character. He recognized it as a natural part of himself. Finally, he took note of his impact on others. He let the little girl know that this was only part of him, not all of him.