This is how our pillow talk went last night.
Me: "Don't they kill the mom in Dumbo?"
Al: "Yeah."
Me: "Ugh. That's why I don't like it. Bambi, too."
.....moments of silence.
Me: "Dude, there are tons of Disney movies that have single parents, dysfunction, adoption, etc." (I didn't really say etc... does anyone ever really say that? But it makes my point.)
We then proceeded to spend the next 10 minutes spouting off all the Disney movies we could think of. Check this out.
Pinnochio - single dad
Dumbo - single mom, killed
Bambi - mom killed, dad was not in his life for childhood
Cinderella - lives with stepmom and crazy stepsisters
Peter Pan - orphan
Jungle Book - orphan
The Aristocats - abandoned, orphans
The Rescuers and Rescuers Down Under - boy is an orphan
Fox and the Hound - orphan
The Brave Little Toaster - abandoned by "master"
Oliver & Company - orphan
The Little Mermaid - single dad
Beauty and the Beast - single dad (plus, he's crazy)
Alladin - orphan boy and single dad for Jasmine
Jungle Book - orphan
Pocahontas - single dad (at least I think there is no mention of mom)
Toy Story - single mom
James and the Giant Peach - orphan, parents eaten by rhinoceri!
Tarzan - orphan
Lilo & Stitch - orphan
The Santa clause - divorced
Finding Nemo - single dad
Chicken Little - single dad
Meet the Robinsons - orphan
Ice Age - little boy is orphan
Up - single mom
I do not consider myself to be a Disney expert, and may not know some of these stories entirely, so correct any misconceptions that I have. And this is by no means a full list of Disney movies, but mostly what I've seen. There were a small handful that I had seen that had traditional families - Hercules (although he gets adopted), Mary Poppins (though there is dysfunction in the home in the beginning), The Incredibles. Those are really some of the only ones I could find.
Just some food for thought.
Maybe Disney is the reason the divorce rate is so high. Subliminal messages, my friends. They are powerful.
P.S. I hope no one takes me seriously on this, I don't want fiery comments about being a Disney-hater! I just thought it was really funny to find SO many movies with the non-traditional family! Even a lot of the older ones, too, when it was so much more the norm. Maybe Walt was an orphan...
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7 comments:
the Mom doesn't die in Dumbo, she just get's locked up in a cage but is released later.
In Pocahontas she has a single dad, but also relies on Grandmother Willow.
Finding Nemo - Single dad, mother dies.
In Monsters Inc, you never know if Boo has both parents either.
Oh, the aristocrats. the kittens are kidnapped but at the end they reunite with their mom and gain a dad. So that ends on a happy note.
haha! I've had these conversations with my siblings A Lot!
Peter Pan is technically not an orphan. At SOME point, yes, as he lives forever, his parents would have died. But he is not a "lone child" originally because of missing or dead parents. He ran away from them... making the parents the 'orphans,' so to speak.
For a non-Disney Pan unlike any other:
Click!
And here's a great 'What if?' adventure (but it's not for the kids!): Click!
BELIEVE!
This is very interesting indeed. You might also enjoy this dysfunction about Disney: http://reggieheartsbatman.blogspot.com/2010/12/how-to-get-man-advice-from-cartoon.html
Greg and I have had this same conversation many times. What exactly is King Tritan trying to teach Ariel in The Little Mermaid??? Or better yet...what are we teaching our children about her ability to get away with disobedience?
Alice in Wonderland: No mention of parents, only a sister.
Sword in the Stone: Orphan.
Bedknobs and Broomsticks: Orphans.
Escape to Witch Mountain: Orphans.
Pete's Dragon: Orphan.
Newsies: Orphans.
Wild Hearts Can't Be Broken: Orphan.
The Mighty Ducks: Single mom.
The Lion King: Orphaned - at least by his father.
Mulan: Both parents present but she disobeys them.
The Parent Trap: Nuff said.
The Princess Diaries: Single mom.
Freaky Friday: Mom gets remarried.
The Pacifier: Dad dies.
Narnia: Orphans.
Bedtime Stories: Sister who is a single mom.
The Princess and the Frog: Single dad for Charlotte and deceased father for Tiana.
Tangled: Wicked witch fake mother.
Wow. I'm sure there are lots of films that also focus on healthy relationships, but it sure is easy to notice those that don't.
And am I mistaken or did your post solicit a naughty link? I don't dare click on it...
umm... you said jungle book twice :) and i don't think your post itself would constitute a firey disney-hater reaction, it is that UBER scary picture of mickey mouse!! but i agree with you on the subliminal messages, crazy walt.
They are NOT orphans in NARNIA.
Their parents are very much alive.
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