Why Does Disney Always Kill The Parents / 3 posts / 5 comments / feed / comments feed

Is Disney Evil?

Sometimes, it seems that way. They’re in the business of making money off children, after all. The problem is that children don’t have any money, so instead it’s the parents that pay. What’s the alternative to supporting the Disney machine? Disappointing your children, something no parent wants to do. In the end, the parents are the real victims.

Of course, that theme is present in almost every Disney film. The death of the main characters’ parents ostensibly allows that character to grow and develop, which is a valuable lesson that Disney should be teaching. But is it necessary to do so at the expense of a parent’s life? Clearly, Disney views mothers and fathers as vehicles for cash, marginalizing their roles in their movies lest they get in the way of the story. A little creative thinking from the writers might have figured out a way to include parents in the plots, but instead they took the easy way out and killed them off. Again, the thinking is obvious: parents are viewed as functional but not necessary.

Some examples of movies with dead or missing parents? How about these:

Movie Title Mother Father
A Bugs Life   Missing
Aladdin Orphaned  
Atlantis Missing Missing
Bambi Dies Mostly Missing
Beauty and the Beast Missing  
Brother Bear Dies  
Cinderella Dead Dead
Dinosaur Chased Away  
Dumbo   Missing
Finding Nemo Dies  
Hunchback of Notre Dame Dies  
Jungle Book Orphaned Orphaned
Lilo & Stitch Dead Dead
The Lion King   Dies
The Little Mermaid Missing  
Peter Pan Orphaned Orphaned
Pinocchio Missing  
Pocahontas Missing  
The Rescuers Orphaned Orphaned
Snow White Dead Dead
Tarzan Dies Dies
Toy Story   Missing
Toy Story 2   Missing

Surprising, huh?

5 Comments

  1. Miodrag — February 21, 2008 #

    There is nothing evil in such a natural thing as death. It is just extracted from the life as the every news papers do every day! They need something to sell, and that is a formula. if you think that you are smart, think over… no one has pass through life without faceing the death! I think that death of the parents is a way to dramatize growing up… some day they will die anyway and we can not stop it! Think about that!

  2. YIKES — March 1, 2008 #

    This was bizarre! You don’t realize the prevalence until you see the list you have created. The majority of parents are dead or missing…this is creepy. I am glad that I saw this list. I will keep it in mind the next time a disney movie comes out. I know I will be on the look out for the parents, or lack thereof.

  3. NH08 — April 11, 2008 #

    Add to your list The Aristocats (missing father). Also The Sword in the Stone (orphaned). The Black Cauldron (missing parents). In Robin Hood, I believe Maid Marian was also an orphan.

  4. dave — July 3, 2008 #

    the great mouse detective- no mother, daughter kidnapped….awesome disney

  5. Anon — August 28, 2008 #

    Just look at leave it to beaver, it was a popular show full of enriching family values, and you didn’t see their parents die or waste away..

    Same with Father Knows Best

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