why why WHY!! Disney cannot have a set of parents in any MOVIE!!!

[snookiedoodles]

Every movie one partner dies off, does not exist, or is not even mentioned..............WHY!!!!!

I just saw Cloudy with a chance of meatballs.....BAM!!! The mother dies off.
I also saw Up last night with the kids...............BAM!!! The wife dies off.

Bambi
The Lion King
Snow White
Toy Story
Dumbo
Pinochio
Alladin
Beauty and the Beast
The little mermaid
The list goes on and on!!!!!
:confused3

OK Disney.....lets try something new......how about a set of supportive, strong parents.................come on now........enough already!!!:thumbsup2

[KateMW]

Disney is really hard on mothers...;)

[lacrosse_lady72]

Why does it matter?

[bradk]

Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs is Sony I believe, it's not Disney

Bambi is based on a book in which the mother dies

Pinocchio is a PUPPET (for the most part), so.. it'd be a little bit odd if he did have parents. but also based on a series of stories.

Snow White is based on a fairy tale.

Not sure if the question is serious or not, so that's why I'm answering like this. I usually make a joke of it myself, but there are better, more relevant examples in my opinion, such as Finding Nemo and Princess and the Frog for example.

[Berlioz70]

Aurora and Hercules have both parents... of course they are forced away from them and are raised by other people... but we do get to see the parents at the beginning and end! Haha.

But honestly, you learn in fictional writing that you want your audience to feel for the main character and by pulling on the draw strings related with loosing a parent audiences feel more for the character making a better story all around.

[daisyduck123]

The Parent Trap has both parents....although it took them 10 years to reconcile.

[aurorae]

I think more people would agree with you if you just used more exclamation points.

:sad2:

[Canyon girl]

What about the Incredibles?

[Dan Murphy]

Pathos. The loss of a parent, or absence of one, creates a very strong pathos, and therefore attachment to main character. Disney animation excels at it.

[Poohbear5]

My guess is that those with strong, two-parent families just don't have enough conflict and drama in their lives to make a colorful, animated movie!

[bradk]

although i found the movie a complete waste, i must give kudos to Disney for finally introducing Ariel's mother just to kill her off.

gave me some closure.

and of course, Aladdin did get a scumbag of a father. he was actually intended to have a mother in the original film (who Ashman wrote 'proud of your boy' for).

[DisneyFan32WI]

Every movie one partner dies off, does not exist, or is not even mentioned..............WHY!!!!!

I just saw Cloudy with a chance of meatballs.....BAM!!! The mother dies off.
I also saw Up last night with the kids...............BAM!!! The wife dies off.

Bambi
The Lion King
Snow White
Toy Story
Dumbo
Pinochio
Alladin
Beauty and the Beast
The little mermaid
The list goes on and on!!!!!
:confused3

OK Disney.....lets try something new......how about a set of supportive, strong parents.................come on now........enough already!!!:thumbsup2

ITA....WHY do all those movies only have single parents??? That is the oddest thing!

[somethingblue]

A lot of kids, unfortunately, do not have a set of strong, supportive parents. A lot of kids have to get along with one strong, supportive parent, or two parents who want to be strong and supportive but who just can't make it work, or with a parent away at war. Honestly, how many people do you know who's parents are still together? Not many in my neck of the woods.

[twoplustwins]

I do agree that a lot of Disney movies are "motherless".

Mulan does have both parents though.

[GalDisney]

Tiana has married supportive parents in Princess and the frog.. Of course, the dad does end up passing away when Tiana is an adult.

[CinderellasSister]

My guess is that those with strong, two-parent families just don't have enough conflict and drama in their lives to make a colorful, animated movie!

:lmao::lmao::lmao::rotfl2::rotfl2::rotfl2:

[roxannex]

A lot of fairy tales are about kids without parents or without one parent. In fact, if you look at modern kids books and YA novels you'll find a lot of characters without parents. It allows the main character to do a lot of things he or she couldn't normally do with a set of loving parents to watch over the character.

Harry Potter couldn't be Happy Potter if his mom and dad were still alive.

But yeah. I wouldn't want to be the mom of a future Disney princess. LOL.

[cranleys]

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that Walt Disney's mother died when he was young and that is why most of his movies have only one parent. Like I said, I could be wrong....

[jeast]

At some point as my experience with children's movies expanded, I made that same connection. I was a little annoyed that many of disney's conflict (as well as other major movie makers) had to do with dead/missing parents.

Even Ice age, momma dies.

Yikes. I guess they need young characters who have to solve their own problems and the only way is to kill off a parent or two.

[girlbomb]

Walt's parents were both alive into their senior years, and got to see their son become an enormous success. In 1938, following the windfall that was Snow White, Walt and Roy bought them a huge house. Unfortunately, there was some problem with their furnace, which, tragically, led to their death by carbon monoxide poisoning. At this time, Pinocchio and Bambi were already in production (and, as previous posters have noted, were based on source materials in which the main characters were motherless) -- many of the other stories he based his films on had motherless characters as well. Was he attracted to these stories because of his own loss, sadness, and guilt? Or because they were timeless tales? We don't, and can't, ever know.

[daisyduck123]

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that Walt Disney's mother died when he was young and that is why most of his movies have only one parent. Like I said, I could be wrong....

No, he was not young when she died.

It was a sad story about her death though. As I recall, she died of carbon monoxide poisoning in the house that Walt had built for them. (I could be off on the story somewhat..it was years ago that I read about it).

[CanadianPaco]

Nemo - momma dies.
Fox and the Hound - momma really dies

[snookiedoodles]

I could be wrong, but I thought I read somewhere that Walt Disney's mother died when he was young and that is why most of his movies have only one parent. Like I said, I could be wrong....

Now that could make sense.

[snookiedoodles]

Walt's parents were both alive into their senior years, and got to see their son become an enormous success. In 1938, following the windfall that was Snow White, Walt and Roy bought them a huge house. Unfortunately, there was some problem with their furnace, which, tragically, led to their death by carbon monoxide poisoning. At this time, Pinocchio and Bambi were already in production (and, as previous posters have noted, were based on source materials in which the main characters were motherless) -- many of the other stories he based his films on had motherless characters as well. Was he attracted to these stories because of his own loss, sadness, and guilt? Or because they were timeless tales? We don't, and can't, ever know.

You learn something new everyday!

[A Mickeyfan]

Maybe because it brings in a sense of loss and sympathy/empathy from viewers.. even though they are geared toward children. Many parents do watch these with their children and to hold their interest, Disney needs to put in something other than gushy fun...:confused: This is just a thought... thinking out of the box here...

[mthompson22]

I'm going to open up a whole new can of worms here, but that's okay. I'm working on an advanced degree in education and in many of my papers I reference Disney and my love for the place, nostalgia, etc..... I get flamed every time I do this by my professors for exactly what the OP is bringing up. They pointed me to a book called "The mouse that roared: Disney and the end of childhood innocence" by Henry Giroux that will supposedly change my mind about the way I feel about Disney. Which is exactly the reason I have not read it yet.

[bradk]

i'd probably sooner read the report that claims Flounder is a victim of sexual abuse.

[mthompson22]

i'd probably sooner read the report that claims Flounder is a victim of sexual abuse.

I'm with you :thumbsup2

[iheartdolewhips]

In The Emperor's New Groove, Pacha and Chicha are still married and alive. Though Kuzco's parents are completely absent and unmentioned, so I guess that balances it out?

[phnguyk]

I know what you mean! I will be watching a movie with my husband and then realize that there's gonn be some tragedy about to happen and I'll say this must be a Disney movie! There is almost always some sort of tragedy in Disney movies. I guess they feel we need a good cry when we watch a movie :).

[fairestoneofall]

Tiana has married supportive parents in Princess and the frog.. Of course, the dad does end up passing away when Tiana is an adult.

thanks for that spoiler alert. ;)

[freepixie]

Mulan - her folks are together and they even have her gramma in there too!

Peter Pan - the Darling children have both parents!

101 Dalmations - the owners are together and so are the dogs!

Lady and the Tramp - the owners are together and eventually the dogs!

:goodvibes

[GOOFY4DONALD]

Why blame Disney? Correct me if I am wrong but most of the movies (especially made by Walt himself) were not written by Disney at all. He made movies based on the stories written before he was even alive.

[freepixie]

Swiss Family Robinson!!

Parent Trap - they are eventually together

Ugly Daucshund (sp?)

MARY POPPINS!!!!

Honey I shrunk the kids

** As a personal note - I have always felt more of a connect to Disney movies - I was raised by a single mother in a multi-generational household - seeing a "non-traditional" family in a movie gave me more of a sense of hope than anything. There is nothing wrong showing variations in famly structure in children's movies.

[MapleGirl]

In The Emperor's New Groove, Pacha and Chicha are still married and alive. Though Kuzco's parents are completely absent and unmentioned, so I guess that balances it out?

This is what i was thinking too. Chicha is a great, strong mother and role model. She is also pregnant throughout the movie. Is that a Disney first?

[PrincePrincePrincess]

There is nothing that leaves a child more vulnerable than losing one or both of their parents. Orphanhood is a common theme is all literature. It is heavily discussed in the Bible, the Koran and the Torah. It is the theme of Superman and Spiderman. The loss of parent is the most primal of losses. It's one that we can all identify with, regardless of culture, gender or race. We can all grieve with the main character.

As for the book The Mouse that Roared, it's an interesting premise but it should be noted that the only way to make money in academia is to write a controvertial book. Making Disney out to be the cause of all society's ills is ridiculous.

[debdreamsofdis]

Well, honestly, we can't really blame Disney for this, as many of the stories are fairy/folk tales passed down through hundreds of years- I'm sure mortality rates back then were not as favorable as they our in our day, hence, naturally more stories with one or no parents.

Also, animated cartoons based on animals can't fairly be judged either, since, in nature, many species of animal are raised by only parent.

At any rate, losing one or two parents causes conflict, and as it's been pointed out, conflict creates a good story.

[catyanna]

My guess is that those with strong, two-parent families just don't have enough conflict and drama in their lives to make a colorful, animated movie!

Obviouslly you've never met me or my siblings:rotfl:

[limace]

As mentioned above, most are based on fairytales, most of which have dead mothers. I've always assumed that is because fairytales were written when mortality rates were very high-as mentioned previously-especially due to death in childbirth.

[jpeka65844]

a Aladdin did get a scumbag of a father. he was actually intended to have a mother in the original film (who Ashman wrote 'proud of your boy' for).

Proud of Your Boy is in my top three Menken/Ashman songs. What a GREAT song!

The other two are "Human Again" from BATB and "Suddenly Seymour" from Little Shop of Horrors...../.:laughing:

[landshark]

While Disney himself didn't create all of the movies he made, he did interpret them differently than the originals and they continue to do so today. What I'm getting at is that just because movies were made from existing stories didn't mean someone couldn't have fiddled with the parental dynamics in some way. I don't notice it in all Disney movies as much as in the princess movies--for some reason the whole issue stands out more as only two of them (Aurora & Mulan) have both parents while one (Tiana) had both at one time.

I think a missing parent is necessary in stories like Cinderella, The Princess & The Frog, Bambi, Lion King, Lilo & Stitch, etc... because it drives the plot, but when it doesn't, where's the harm in letting a character have both parents more often than not? Aurora's parents didn't really play any role--she didn't even know who they were until the end. For Mulan, her father had to be alive otherwise she never would have taken his place as a soldier, but this makes her mother pointless to the plot--she was still there, though. Tiana's father had a dream she vowed to fulfill and who seemed to have made a bigger impact on Tiana's attitude toward life. Again, her mother was mostly pointless but still there. These parents don't seem to hurt anything by simply being there so I don't see how they would have really altered any plots unless they were written to do so.

Would Ariel's mother being around really have stopped her daughter's teenage angst and desire to explore and see what was above the surface? Would Jasmine's mother have made her less curious, head-strong and independent? Would Belle's mother have stopped her from rescuing her father?

[KellyNY]

What I think is, a missing loving parent is basically a key to some stories. Think about it, Cinderella has an evil stepmom, who makes her life miserable and a key to her escape to the ball. Otherwise if she had a mother, she would attend ball openly and there would be no need for glass slipper. Beauty and the Beast has missing mom as well, because if there was one, mom would take dad place and the whole romance with the Beast would be freaky and wrong. So some stories just must have this kind of kick.

[KellyNY]

Would Ariel's mother being around really have stopped her daughter's teenage angst and desire to explore and see what was above the surface? Would Jasmine's mother have made her less curious, head-strong and independent? Would Belle's mother have stopped her from rescuing her father?

Ariel's mother did not exist in original story as well, probably because Neptune never had a wife but many "intersts".
Jasmine's mother never mentioned in original story, because the original story spins around males of the story, Jasmine in original story does not have any personality.

[TDC Nala]

It is the theme of Superman and Spiderman.

And Batman...remember what happened to Bruce Wayne's parents?

[Robo]

...passing away when Tiana is an adult.

Please be careful about revealing details in films for those of us who have not yet seen them. :sad1:

[lunapnp]

I really haven't paid much attention to the one parent thing until it was brought up. But I really don't think much about it other than it's a FAIRY TALE story. Nothing more...nothing less. My parents divorced when I was 5 boo hoo. I turned out just fine. My husband (first marriage!) and I have been married for 15 years and have two beautiful DDs. My DDs know all about divorce, death, cheating, homelessness, etc., etc. Why???? Not because of a Disney movie...but because it is a FACT of life. As a parent of a child with special needs...I could say WHY, WHY, WHY doesn't Disney portray a child with a disability?? Or at least an animal with a limp! :lmao:

[ShannonMB]

Please be careful about revealing details in films for those of us who have not yet seen them. :sad1:

What are you waiting for, my friend? :laughing: JK, I'm sure the pp is sorry.

I have thought about this for years. I'm sure it's all about creating the conflict, etc, as others have said, plus the heartstrings thing. I don't consider it a great Disney movie unless I shed at least a handful of tears and wonder at least once, "Is this part too scary for DD?" ;)

[TLinden16]

Since this isn't really a theme parks discussion, this thread would be a better fit on the theme parks community board, so I'm going to move it over there now.

[ThinkTink09]

This thread made me chuckle. Its actually a family joke of ours with Disney movies...If there isn't some sort of family death or tragedy alluded to at the beginning of a movie..you almost have to start preping yourself for one of the characters to get knocked off during. We love them anyway. It all turns out right in the end:)

[snookiedoodles]

bump

[freepixie]

As a parent of a child with special needs...I could say WHY, WHY, WHY doesn't Disney portray a child with a disability?? Or at least an animal with a limp! :lmao:

I agree I really wish they would show differing abilities in the movies!

[mthompson22]

As for the book The Mouse that Roared, it's an interesting premise but it should be noted that the only way to make money in academia is to write a controvertial book. Making Disney out to be the cause of all society's ills is ridiculous.

Exactly. What are you doing for the next 9 months? Want to help me finish my dissertation ;)

[hearts8701]

how else would they come up with Happily Ever After?

[MusicMouse]

Actually, Walt Disney and his writers took a lot of the more awful details out of some of these fairy tales when they adapted them for the silver screen. Have you read some of the original fairy tales by the brother Grimm? Yikes!! :scared1:

[snoopy two]

Don't forget Nemo...he had a "lucky", small fin.

[KellyNY]

Actually, Walt Disney and his writers took a lot of the more awful details out of some of these fairy tales when they adapted them for the silver screen. Have you read some of the original fairy tales by the brother Grimm? Yikes!! :scared1:

I did when I was a kid, do not really remember what was wrong:confused3
However, brothers Grimm were sort of Disney brothers of their time, their stories are not original. Those stories exist in any nation, slightly different but same idea. Take a Cinderella story. It originated in Egypt. I think it was told first by Ezop(sp).

[lunapnp]

Don't forget Nemo...he had a "lucky", small fin.

Yes...you are correct. How could I forget Nemo??? That's one of my faves. I guess Dory could have a mental disability too with her short term memory problems. ;)

[knewton64]

The Parent Trap has both parents....although it took them 10 years to reconcile.

..I FINALLY saw that movie for the very 1st time last week:goodvibes.

I literally did a double take (while watching it) just knowing that Annette lent a hand to the songs in that movie.:)

[coltink]

I know what you mean! I will be watching a movie with my husband and then realize that there's gonn be some tragedy about to happen and I'll say this must be a Disney movie! There is almost always some sort of tragedy in Disney movies. I guess they feel we need a good cry when we watch a movie :).

??? Doesn't every movie ever made have some sort of 'tragedy' in it? Not specific to Disney. Otherwise it wouldn't be a movie or interesting for that matter. You can't have a plot without a conflict/tragedy. Am I right?

Movies with Parents-
Alice in Wonderland-although not seen in the movie
American Tale
Lady and the Tramp
Mary Poppins
Oliver-the little girl had parents, although absent
Parent Trap
Sleeping Beauty
One hundred and one dalmations
Mulan
Hercules
Incredibles
Emporers New groove
Honey I shrunk the kids
Mickey's Christmas Carol
Freak Friday
Ugly Daschund
Swiss Family Robinson
Newsies
Hocus Pocus
Old Yeller-although dad is away on a cattle drive
Shaggy Dog
Flight of the Navigator
Santa Claus-although divorced (I think)

Sequels:
Lady and the tramp 2
Lion King 2
101 Dalmations 2
Honey i blew up the kids