I’ve always thought it was weird that most Disney main characters either have only one parent or no parents. Or, if they have parents, something happens where they are taken away from them or a parent dies. Is this the result of some complex Walt Disney had? Here are some of the ones I can think of. If I’m missing some, let me know!
ORPHANED
Snow White – no parents, lives with evil step-mother
Aladdin – street rat, no parents (although technically he finds his dad in “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” but never knew him growing up)
Cinderella – parents dead, forced to live with step-mother and step-sisters
Arthur (The Sword and the Stone) – orphaned
Mowgli – orphan, raised by wolves
Penny (The Rescuers) – orphan
Tod (The Fox and the Hound) – orphan
Tarzan – no parents, both die while he’s a baby
Oliver – orphaned kitten
Lewis (Meet the Robinsons) – orphan, but adopted at the end of the movie
Lilo, Nani – mother dies, leaves them orphaned
Bambi – mother dies, leaves him orphaned, as his dad is never around
Quasimodo – mother is killed, leaves him orphaned
Peter Pan - no parents
JUST A MOM
Dumbo – had a mom, but taken away from her
Aristocats – just a mom
Andy (Toy Story) – no dad
Roo (Winnie the Pooh) – just a mom
JUST A DAD
Pinocchio - no mom, Gepetto becomes his dad
Belle – no mom, just ‘crazy ol’ Maurice’
Jasmine – no mom, only Sultan father
Olivia (The Great Mouse Detective) – no mom
Pocahontas – no mom, chief dad
Ariel – no mom, just King Triton dad
Nemo – no mom, just a dad
Jane (Tarzan) – just a dad
PARENT DIES LEAVING ONE PARENT
Simba – dad dies, mom still alive
TAKEN FROM PARENTS
Sleeping Beauty – taken from parents, raised by fairies
Dalmations – have two parents but are stolen from them
FULL PARENTAGE
Hercules – has two real parents and two adoptive parents
Lady – two owners (Jim Dear and Darling)
Wendy, John, Michael (Peter Pan) – two parents
Mulan – two parents
ORPHANED
Snow White – no parents, lives with evil step-mother
Aladdin – street rat, no parents (although technically he finds his dad in “Aladdin and the King of Thieves” but never knew him growing up)
Cinderella – parents dead, forced to live with step-mother and step-sisters
Arthur (The Sword and the Stone) – orphaned
Mowgli – orphan, raised by wolves
Penny (The Rescuers) – orphan
Tod (The Fox and the Hound) – orphan
Tarzan – no parents, both die while he’s a baby
Oliver – orphaned kitten
Lewis (Meet the Robinsons) – orphan, but adopted at the end of the movie
Lilo, Nani – mother dies, leaves them orphaned
Bambi – mother dies, leaves him orphaned, as his dad is never around
Quasimodo – mother is killed, leaves him orphaned
Peter Pan - no parents
JUST A MOM
Dumbo – had a mom, but taken away from her
Aristocats – just a mom
Andy (Toy Story) – no dad
Roo (Winnie the Pooh) – just a mom
JUST A DAD
Pinocchio - no mom, Gepetto becomes his dad
Belle – no mom, just ‘crazy ol’ Maurice’
Jasmine – no mom, only Sultan father
Olivia (The Great Mouse Detective) – no mom
Pocahontas – no mom, chief dad
Ariel – no mom, just King Triton dad
Nemo – no mom, just a dad
Jane (Tarzan) – just a dad
PARENT DIES LEAVING ONE PARENT
Simba – dad dies, mom still alive
TAKEN FROM PARENTS
Sleeping Beauty – taken from parents, raised by fairies
Dalmations – have two parents but are stolen from them
FULL PARENTAGE
Hercules – has two real parents and two adoptive parents
Lady – two owners (Jim Dear and Darling)
Wendy, John, Michael (Peter Pan) – two parents
Mulan – two parents
Great comment, VEO! I remember how my mom used to always point that out, and then I started noticing the whole lost-parent-trajedy scenario, not only in Disney but in so many kids movies in general.
ReplyDeleteI guess that's the easiest way to create conflict and strife in a kid/teen's life? All they have to do is leave out a character.
Interesting viewpoint- how did I never pick up on this when it's so obvious! Guess the average "normal" family just doesn't produce an exciting enough story line!
ReplyDeleteMaybe it's good, though, to help a young child or teen through a similiar situation-