![]() I’m pondering now, more than ever, what it takes for me to be a great wife, daughter, granddaughter, sister, friend and employee. Disney Balance is a work in progressīalance is one of my biggest challenges. When I watched "The Thirteenth Year" again, I was reminded of the importance of empathy in friendship. Empathy is a key ingredient to meaningful, long-lasting friendships, and watching DCOM characters practice it has inspired me to be a better friend. She and I have empathized with each other and offered help, comfort and a listening ear when those things mattered most. True friendships require empathy - and effort!Ī hallmark of the DCOM brand is the act of understanding other human beings, as seen with Mahree and Piper in “The Color of Friendship,” Jess and Cody in “The Thirteenth Year” (although Cody is a merman), and Josh and Thomas in “Buffalo Dreams.” In the past year, I’ve become much closer to a friend as we’ve each gone through new challenges and difficult moments in our lives. And as the year comes to a close, I’m reflecting on a few key life lessons these movies taught me. ![]() In January 2022, I set out to watch (or rewatch) every single movie Disney Channel has ever made - that’s well over 100 films in one year. I still sense this childlike joy, but DCOMs have taken on additional meanings for me as a 28-year-old writer and Disney Channel historian. The fun and excitement of a DCOM was evidenced in the opening sequence that played before each movie aired, where children performed flips and jump splits while a giant film reel splashed across the screen. The movie poster for "Cadet Kelly," one of my favorite DCOMs. “Cadet Kelly” was a constant favorite, which I taped and watched over and over again. In 2002, the channel released the ultimate lineup of “girl power” DCOMs: “Double Teamed,” “Cadet Kelly,” “Get a Clue” and “Gotta Kick It Up!” These were about young women playing basketball, attending military school, solving a mystery and developing a dance team, respectively. I was captivated by Disney Channel original movies from a young age. I brought so much perkiness to middle school that a classmate nicknamed me “Debbie Berwick” after Kay Panabaker’s character on “Phil of the Future.” Disney Channel and its array of shows, movies and music brought me joy as I grew up, and I felt at home with the channel. ![]() Though I struggled internally with anxiety and mental health from a young age, I had a happy personality, and the Disney sitcoms and movies I saw usually landed on a positive note. In the 2000s, I was an elementary schooler laughing along with the shows “Lizzie McGuire,” “Even Stevens” and “That’s So Raven.” Disney Channel was a bright, colorful place full of stories with heart. ![]()
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