The days when Disney produced family-friendly movies with Christian themes has drawn to a close. Films such as Snow White, Cinderella, Pinocchio, Sleeping Beauty and even Beauty and the Beast included a Christian foundation. But the household name that brought us Mary Poppins has decided there’s no room at the inn for Christians.
In Disney’s recent debacle, “A Wrinkle in Time,” the company’s script writer, Jennifer Lee of Frozen fame, decided to cut Bible references from the film. Disney apparently believes that Jesus Christ has no place in its movies. Despite starring household names such as Oprah, Reese Witherspoon and Chris Pine among others, the film has been widely rejected by audiences and critics alike.
‘Wrinkle’ Author Faced Criticism over Christian Beliefs
Written by Madeleine L’Engle, the original book explores the author’s Christian-based thinking about a variety of issues. L’Engle, who was a devout Episcopalian from Connecticut, frequently found herself at odds with fellow Christians. On the Conservative end of the spectrum, she found that fellow Christians rejected her works for not being strong enough in their religious underpinnings. Her works were banned in some Christian circles because they didn’t project God as a severe punisher.
“I cannot believe that God wants punishment to go on interminably any more than does a loving parent,” she reportedly said. “The entire purpose of loving punishment is to teach, and it lasts only as long as is needed for the lesson. And the lesson is always love.”
On the left, her writings were railed against by secular critics for being too religious in nature. One can only guess that Disney has taken a secular position based on its decision to cut Jesus Christ to be what Lee calls being more “inclusive.”
Disney Writer Re-Invents ‘Wrinkle’ As A Secular Book
“What I looked at, one of the reasons Madeleine L’Engle’s (book) . . . had that strong Christian element to it wasn’t just because she was Christian, but because she was frustrated with things that needed to be said to her in the world and she wasn’t finding a way to say it and she wanted to stay true to her faith,” Lee reportedly said.
“And I respect that, and I understand those feelings of things you want to say in the world that need to be said that are out there. In a good way, I think there are a lot of elements of what she wrote that we have progressed as a society and we can move onto the other elements.”
Given that Lee made her editorial decisions to leave in the secular elements of the devout Christian’s work, it seems the script adapter means that society has moved on from Christianity. But L’Engle’s faith may have been the key element that popularized the work for children and adults alike.
The storyline of “A Wrinkle in Time” follows Meg, a young girl who searches through outer space to find her scientist father. The children’s sci-fi book morphs into a struggle between good and evil. Meg is aided by three celestial beings, Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Who, and Mrs. Which, who prove to be her spiritual guides.
The beings rely on Bible passages in Corinthians and John, among others to help show Meg her true path. The children’s book also includes Charles, Meg’s brother, who comes to understand that Jesus Christ fights evil. Meg’s friend, Calvin, is asked to read a bedtime story in “Wrinkle” from Genesis. All of these and other Christian reference were slashed from the Disney production.
Lee, pressing to remove the author’s Christian themes, rewrote the Biblical-rooted battle between good and evil into one of light against darkness.
“In a sad way, some of the other elements are more important right now and bigger — sort of this fight of light against darkness,” Lee reportedly said. “It’s a universal thing and timeless and seems to be a battle that has to keep being had.”
The writer has reportedly gone on the record stating that Disney wants to be inclusive and that the Bible and Christian values may detract from that mission. In a twisted attempt to justify her changes to the Christian author’s vision, Lee attempts to claim L’Engle’s intent wasn’t to lean on Christian beliefs.
“I can’t put words in (L’Engle’s) mouth — and I worked with one of our producers, Catherine Hand, who was very close to her — but that wasn’t her intention,” Lee reportedly said. “Her intention was looking at the ordinary real hero in an extraordinary situation. The power of love in this world, and we stayed very true to that.”
Lee goes on to claim that L’Engle’s Biblical references were merely a “lens” to view the struggle between good and evil.
“A Wrinkle in Time” enjoyed a large budget upwards of $100 million and has thus far tanked at the box office. Perhaps Disney’s decision to not include Jesus and embrace the Christian values in the original work have something to do with its poor reception.
~ Christian Patriot Daily
