Lessons from Island Life: Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson

Anybody else feel like they’ve been trapped on an island lately? Maybe not the literal, palm-tree-filled kind, but a figurative, and no less isolating one? The events of the last year have so many of us feeling a bit detached from the larger world. Perhaps that idea somehow influenced my decision to watch Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson again recently. Well, that, and I also heard a reboot is in the works for Disney+. I think it’s mostly the first reason though. Maybe Swiss Family Robinson could offer some tips on how to tolerate celebrate all this family togetherness? Could it even change my perspective on what’s possible on my current (non-tropical) island? Worth a shot. Worst case I spend time looking at a beach, which is so much better than the snow outside my window at the moment. Today’s post shares lessons from Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson.

Story

First, a brief overview of the story, just in case you’re unfamiliar. Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson is based on a book written by Johann David Wyss back in 1812. The book, like the movie, shares the story of a family choosing to sail away from their home country in search of a better life. In the 1960 film version of the story, which is the one I watched on Disney+ this week, the Robinson family leaves Switzerland during the Napoleonic wars to travel to New Guinea. That alone would make for a remarkable story, but it becomes even more so when the family’s ship is attacked by pirates, forcing them to take up residence on an abandoned island.

Hence my island analogy.

Fortunately for the Robinsons though, their island has palm trees. It also has tigers, snakes, Komodo dragons and reams of other things that can kill you, so, you know, it’s not completely awesome.

Lessons

What I think is awesome, however, is the way the movie shares so many encouraging lessons that are completely relevant in our current somewhat isolated situation.

1. A good decision doesn’t guarantee smooth sailing

First, the movie explores the consequences of our decisions, both good and bad. Obviously the family thought leaving Europe would reduce their problems, not add to them. Shortly after landing on his new island home, Mr. Robinson offers an apology to his wife for their circumstances. “If would have been so much better,” he laments, “if we’d just stayed in Bern.”

Regretting a decision is relatable, right? If I had just stayed put I wouldn’t be trapped on this island? Or, for us, maybe it was “if I just did blah blah…” maybe the pandemic wouldn’t have caused “blah blah?” Mrs. Robinson wisely responds by stating “Is it running away to try to find a new life?” She continues with “It was the right thing to do… All that hasn’t changed because we were shipwrecked.”

Maybe the pandemic feels like a shipwreck at times too. It doesn’t mean the decisions we made before it took over the world were poor ones. There’s freedom in that mindset, don’t you think? We need to give ourselves some grace and move forward.

2. Live every moment

Another great lesson from the film and from last year in general is to truly live every moment. I feel like there will be a proliferation of films and shows promoting this life lesson in the near future since it was a predominant theme of 2020. In Swiss Family Robinson‘s case, the family had to decide whether they were going to sit around and wait to be found, or enjoy their current life on a tropical island.

Yeah, the second option sounds better, don’t you think?

For 2021, that means looking for the good now rather than delaying happiness until “all this is over.”

3. Gratitude goes a long way

A third lesson from the film that ties with #2 is the power of gratitude. “Living in the moment” gives us more time to appreciate all of the good things we have in our life, both small and big. Focusing on these gifts, instead of the unpleasant stuff, can be truly uplifting.

This lesson is clearly articulated in Swiss Family Robinson. After the family built an ultra-cool tree house and accepted life on the island, Mr. Robinson reflects, “Everything we need, everything, is right here at our fingertips.” He goes on to say “If only people could have all of this and be satisfied, I don’t think there’d be any real problems in the world.”

Beautiful thought, don’t you think? It’s hard to complain and give thanks at the same time.

I’ll keep this in mind the next time the wi-fi goes down.

4. Be yourself.

Swiss Family Robinson also promotes the idea of embracing your unique self. When Mrs. Robinson shares her concerns about building a house on their new island home, her husband responds “The world is full of nice ordinary people who live in nice ordinary houses on the ground. But didn’t you ever dream of having a house up in the treetops?” In other words, don’t worry about what everybody else is doing. Their pursuits may not make sense for you.

I feel like I saw glimpses of this too in 2020. The friend that removed her dining room table in favor of a basketball net for her kids. Online personalities replacing family couches with giant trampolines. Or this remarkable company in Bali that builds bamboo structures that make the fictional Robinson’s house look less crazy. Your unique interests can lead to fun new places.

5. Keep dreaming.

As with most Disney films, Swiss Family Robinson also encourages us to keep dreaming. And I don’t mean that in a sarcastic sense, even though it reads a bit like that here. The Robinsons had big dreams of leaving Europe and starting a new community in New Guinea. Once they landed on their deserted island and adapted to life there, however, they realized their new destination made them happy. They liked it so much, in fact, that most of the family members decided to keep living on the island even when a new ship arrived to take them home.

I love this idea of dreams taking us to unexpected places that may even be better than our original intent, don’t you? So much has been derailed this past year, but it doesn’t mean we’ll end up somewhere less desirable. Keep dreaming (again not sarcastically!) and maybe your new destination will be equally appealing.

Final Thoughts

So with that I’ll wrap it up. I watched Disney’s Swiss Family Robinson again because I felt like I could relate to living on an island this past year. Maybe you can too. Fortunately, the film provides so many encouraging lessons that make my time on this island feel more worthwhile. Oh, and the beach views and palm trees helped too.

Add a little island magic to your world!