Why can't Disney make a film with an intact family?

[kpgclark]

OK. I'm getting sick of Disney films that seem to portray every family as broken. I just got back from Freaky Friday (which itself is a remake). Family dad is dad (well that IS unique for Disney because it is normally the mother.) I don't understand why Disney film makers feel compelled to kill people off. Why is that? Can't they use another formula? Why are the children usually motherless? Maybe the formula works, but geesh I think they could come up with something new. For example, why couldn't Nemo be separated from his mother AND father and find them both in the end?

 

[Cindy B]

Swiss Family Robinson had all the family intact if I remember correctly.

Mulan had the family intact, but she decided to fight for her father. Their was mother, father and grandmother!

Peter Pan, had both parents, and siblings.

 

[kpgclark]

OK, rephrased. Why do the vast majority have one or more dead parents?

 

[Claudia1]

Good point ....... food for thought......

 

[grinningghost]

I think it all goes back to my 8th grade English class - without conflict, you have no story. Perhaps messing with the traditional nuclear family dynamics is one of the easier ways to create conflict?

 

[Miss Jasmine]

Grinningghost, You have a good point there. I shared in this same discussion with some of my friends. What is the most scary thing to a child? Losing one of his or her parents.

That said, what exactly is an intact family and if one has a parent who passes away, does that necessarily make it a "broken" family? My dad passed away when I was younger, I don't consider myself a product of a broken home. What exactly is a broken home?

 

[MosMom]

Many of the Disney movies are not Disney originals and are adapted from other stories. In the times that many of these older tales were written, it wasn't uncommon for mom to die early in childbirth so she wasn't around.

Other stories wouldn't work with two parents, like Lilo & Stitch. You would lose the lesson of "There are all different types of families out there and it doesn't have to include a mom and dad".

I don't think the parent factor just affects Disney movies either.

 

[CBRorBust]

I spent an entire semester discussing the parental "figures" or lack of in Classic Childrens Lit.

We spent almost a month analyzing Disney Movies as well.

I could go on and on about this, but I'll spare you

I will just say, that you are not crazy, you know exactly what your talking about.

 

[Wagamama]

Originally posted by grinningghost
I think it all goes back to my 8th grade English class - without conflict, you have no story. Perhaps messing with the traditional nuclear family dynamics is one of the easier ways to create conflict?

exactly!! thats why they (the screenwriters) do it. more of a story line, and also on a side note more kids relate to it.

 

[kasar]

I've always wondered this too. From a Child. Lit class I took, I remember the professor saying that most of these stories would not exist if mothers were involved. Usually fairy tales involve some kind of crazy adventure which brings danger to the character which turns into a learning experience. Most mothers would protect their children from danger, which would negate the whole adventure/learning thing. They also would be protected from the "bad guys" by their parents. The characters, without parents, are often left with greater responsibilities and more freedom to experience the world for themselves.

 

[madonna31]

without conflict, you have no story.

Yep...and who exactly would go and see Titanic - if the boat didn't sink?? Although we don't want to admit it - we LOVE disaster in any way, shape or form.

Toy Story never indicated a 'broken home', one would conclude that 'Boo' from Monsters Inc had parents and Hercules had both (er...actually 4) parents...

 

[momof3disneyholics]

My husband and I have been having a running joke for years about the Disney disfunctional family. Ever since we saw Aladdin in the theater when we were dating. I've often wondered if other people noticed that too. I don't know why Disney does it, maybe because like one person wrote earlier because most stories are not originals.
The one that has puzzled me the most is Toy Story. Andy has a mom and an infant sister. Where is his dad? I wonder what she does for a living. Did you see that house they moved to at the end? This woman is doing very well for herself. My husband and I think she has to be either divorced or the dad is dead. The reason why we think this is because if he was around, why wouldn't he have helped them move? Maybe he died and she got a settlement or something that makes them financially set for life. We also think her appearance changed drastically from the first one to the second. I don't know, I guess it is just one of those little Disney family mysteries.

 

[madonna31]

If a kid has both parents then he/she can always *run to one of them for help*, thus making a VERY boring story...the less parents around - the easier for the child to get into trouble (ie Ariel)

...not to mention the fact that it just makes for 'good storytelling'...

Example A: Harry Potter; not Disney - yet the best selling 'story of today'...

 

[Miss Jasmine]

My husband and I have been having a running joke for years about the Disney disfunctional family

Dysfunctional???? Having a dead parent automatically makes your family dysfunctional????? Having divorced parents automatically makes your family dysfunctional???? I am willing to bet that there are also intact dysfunctional families.

I'm sorry, this is just one of my pet peeves.

 

[madonna31]

I agree 100% with Miss Jas - why is it that having a dead parent OR divorced parents make your family dysfunctional???

Humm...maybe Disney uses these storylines to teach the parents that are watching a lesson or two about family values...

 

[AngieBelle]

I do know that for Freaky Friday, they wanted a modern twist on the story. In the original, she still has both parents. In the tv remake, she was a divoree, and now she's a window. Personally, it drives me nuts! Not all modern families are divided- my own parents have been happily married for over 30 yrs!

(ps: I think broken family only refers to a missing parent, not a dysfunctional family)

 

[springsteenmickey]

I know of many families which have two parents which I would categorize as being broken or dysfunctional over many one parent families. Just because a family has only one parent it does not make it broken or dysfunctional. In my opinion what leads to a broken or dysfunctional family falls only on the parenting skills of these families. How many times have we seen families grow stronger and closer together after some major tragedy? I would never in a million years consider those families as being either dysfunctional or broken. Families which contain abusive parents, alcoholic parents or simply parents who do not care for their children or each other – definitely broken and dysfunctional. I for one have to cast my vote behind Madonna and Miss Jasmine.

 

[December99]

I would bet that in real life, there are more "broken" homes than there are intact homes! Perhaps THEY are dealing with reality and the rest of the world isn't!

 

[goofygirl]

I agree 100% with Miss Jas - why is it that having a dead parent OR divorced parents make your family dysfunctional???

Its not dysfunctional, but it does evoke sympathy for the main characters. Its a common author's tactic to get you to feel for the protagonist.

If you think about famous stories , there's parentless characters: Oliver Twist, Heidi, Little Orphan Annie, etc . The formula works!

 

[kpgclark]

Lacking in creativity is more like it.