Why Do Disney movies have mostly fathers as the parental figure?

[SoulOnIce]

I have a 2 year old so I have been watching a lot of Disney movies. It is strange to me that modern Disney movies overwhelmingly have the father as the only or dominant parental figure.

Little Mermaid
Jasmine in Aladdin
Belle in Beauty and the Beast
Lion King
Nemo
I think Pocahontas does as well and a few others....

Very strange that there is a near absence of mothers in post-Little Mermaid Disney animated movies.

[the_coldest_sun]

Cinderella had a good parental figure being a mother.

Oh wait. My bad. I forgot, she had a EVIL stepmother. And we're hinted at that her real father was GOOD, before he died. Wow, that something ain't it? Disney hatin' on the mothers and giving fathers great reps. Odd.

[Tommy]

Well in many Disney movies (and the stories they are based on) the central character is the woman (Cinderella, Belle, Ariel... so on). Also the major villains are often women (the Evil Stepmothers, Ursula... so on). To fill out the cast they need a few men, so the father gets played up. In Aladdin’s case the father was in the story, but I don't recall if the mother was ever there...

[OverMaster]

Well in many Disney movies (and the stories they are based on) the central character is the woman (Cinderella, Belle, Ariel... so on). Also the major villains are often women (the Evil Stepmothers, Ursula... so on). To fill out the cast they need a few men, so the father gets played up. In Aladdin’s case the father was in the story, but I don't recall if the mother was ever there...

No, she wasn't.

How about Disney's Tarzan? Kala had a slightly bigger, more important role than Kerchak there.

Bambi's mother also had a lot of weight into that story.

[Patient Boy]

You know, I've actually thought about this before (yes I have no life) and I came to the conclusion that Disney was playing to convention and thought that maybe the more PC/family oriented sort would come to the conclusion that a single mum character would be misconstrued as having had the child out of wedlock. Whereas single dads can pull out the widowed card.

It's biased sure, but I can't think of a better explanation.

[DrewTheXenocide]

No, she wasn't.

How about Disney's Tarzan? Kala had a slightly bigger, more important role than Kerchak there.

Bambi's mother also had a lot of weight into that story.
Yeah, but it was Kerchack's final acceptance of him at the end that made him accept his role as leader of the pack. I think.

[Matt K]

No, she wasn't.

How about Disney's Tarzan? Kala had a slightly bigger, more important role than Kerchak there.

Bambi's mother also had a lot of weight into that story.

But Bambi was a guy.

[kalorama]

Most of the stories are written by men. Probably just that simple.

[SoulOnIce]

I am mostly referring to Disney movies post-Little Mermaid but it would be interesting to look at the classics as well.

[Mac Danny]

I have a 2 year old so I have been watching a lot of Disney movies. It is strange to me that modern Disney movies overwhelmingly have the father as the only or dominant parental figure.

Little Mermaid
Jasmine in Aladdin
Belle in Beauty and the Beast
Lion King
Nemo
I think Pocahontas does as well and a few others....

Very strange that there is a near absence of mothers in post-Little Mermaid Disney animated movies.

Disney hates women..

[Typo Lad]

Simple.

You have to remember that Disney didn't write the original stories. This is mostly how they are.

All the fairytale based ones have evil stepmothers because mothers told the fairytales.

"Now remember dearie, if your father ever marries another woman she will be an evil, evil womanw ho will make your life a living hell."

[SoulOnIce]

Simple.

You have to remember that Disney didn't write the original stories. This is mostly how they are.

All the fairytale based ones have evil stepmothers because mothers told the fairytales.

"Now remember dearie, if your father ever marries another woman she will be an evil, evil womanw ho will make your life a living hell."

These are loose adaptations. They could easily be changed.

Lion King is original. Is Little Mermaid? I doubt Pocahontas is anywhere near the real story. Nemo is original....so on.

[Typo Lad]

These are loose adaptations. They could easily be changed.

Lion King is original. Is Little Mermaid? I doubt Pocahontas is anywhere near the real story. Nemo is original....so on.
Pixar doesn't count.

Lion King is Hamlet in Lion form. Still, it is the most original.

Little Mermaid is based on Hans Christian Anderson.

The Pixar stuff doesn't count.

[OverMaster]

But Bambi was a guy.

So? We are talking about the parents here, not the children.

[Athena Bast]

Mothers usually have it together because they are usually around the kids more or make more of an effort to be around the kids. The fathers are usually at work most of the time or away most of the time. Gives the father figure a chance to learn how difficult the mother's job was and that being a parent was something he toook for granted.

The people in charge of the productions are mostly male and use the chance to parent by proxy with their animated children since they are at work a lot of the time. It's easier to emote through a figure you can identify with and/or through. Most producers and directors treat the movie as their child.

[Ontir]

It's true, that Bambi was a boy, and for accuracy's sake, it ought to be mentioned.

I think the main reason that the mothers are so often missing, is because for a small child, it's the most traumatic, and in the wild, if the mother is gone, the offspring often doesn't survive. There are exceptions, as some species take in other mothers' young; but equally, there are species to whom orphans become meals.

Also, a great many Disney films are viewed by mothers and children. I know that often as a child, my mother would take us to matinees while my Dad was working, and we were surrounded by other kids and their moms'. The importance of this, is that the loss of a mother, or a mother's loss of her child is going to be very impactful to that audience, giving the story greater meaing to them.

[Stellar]

You know, I've actually thought about this before (yes I have no life) and I came to the conclusion that Disney was playing to convention and thought that maybe the more PC/family oriented sort would come to the conclusion that a single mum character would be misconstrued as having had the child out of wedlock. Whereas single dads can pull out the widowed card.

It's biased sure, but I can't think of a better explanation.

seems like the most likely explination for everything before Little Mermaid, but around the time movies like Nemo were made, the whole 'out of wedlock' thing had died down. personally, i like the fact that there are more fathers in these stories, because not enough attention is paid to the father-child relationship, as opposed to the overwhelming amount of attention paid tp the mother-child relationship in most media

[Arilou]

Is Lady & The Tramp an adaptation?
I know The Fox and the Hound is, though I've never actually heard of/read the book until I checked out some info on the movie.

[Cephus]

It's not just Disney movies, their TV shows rarely have intact families. Goof Troop has Goofy as a single father, Donald Duck plays surrogate single father to his nephews, etc. It's something in the Disney philosophy that goes back a long, long time.

[Sanagi]

Must I be the first person to mention the name "Freud" in this thread? Although following that logic to its furthest conclusion would suggest that Disney movies are aimed at girls almost exclusively, so I'm not saying it's the absolute answer.


Lion King is Hamlet in Lion form. Still, it is the most original.
It also resembles a classic anime, Kimba the White Lion.

It's not just Disney movies, their TV shows rarely have intact families. Goof Troop has Goofy as a single father, Donald Duck plays surrogate single father to his nephews, etc. It's something in the Disney philosophy that goes back a long, long time.
Dead parents are a common device in any kind of storytelling because it's a free ticket to audience sympathy, and it's actually easier than inventing another character.

[Buzz Dixon]

Oft times in fairy tales the parent of the child's sex is missing. This permits an unimpeded emotional relationship with the opposite gender parent (and kindly note I stress emotional, not sexual; get your mutha-luvin' minds out of the panel gutters). It allows the hero/ine to "grow" into an adult role (figuratively if not literally in the story) without having to come into direct conflict/comparison with a pre-existing biolgical parent.

Otherwise you get weird stuff like the latter Tarzan and John Carter books where adult children are competing head to head with their parents.

[Tommy]

I know that often as a child, my mother would take us to matinees while my Dad was working, and we were surrounded by other kids and their moms'.
Really? Interesting. It was allways my dad that took me. On my 23rd birthday I allready know my dad is getting me the Little Mermaid.

[Haunt]

But Bambi was a guy.


who would name a guy 'Bambi?' that's child abuse.

[Tommy]

who would name a guy 'Bambi?' that's child abuse.
Felix Salten

[IamtheRock3]

Also Audience seem more willing to put up with goofy And somewhat comical bad fathers, Then they are putting up with Comicaly bad mothers. They get madder when women do it


Also Lilo and stich- strong mother figure
Treasure Planet- Same thing

[Totoro Man]

Most of the single dads in Disney films in the last two decades are either dumb or unable to understand the special unique qualities of their children. A Disney trope since at least Little Mermaid is the parent as an obstacle to the protagonists's dreams or aspirations. Lion King obviously broke that mold but most dads in Disney films I've seen n the last twenty years are morons at some level.

Pixar films, I agree, don't count. And certainly Miyazaki films don't count. In Miyazaki films both parents are usually present and neither the pl9ot nor subplot hinge on a generational misunderstanding the way Disney films seem to. That's one reason I enjoy Pixar and Miyazaki films more is because they don't always go that route of the single parent who doesn't fully understand the special protagonist with the goofy sidekicks who inevitably gets a love interest.

[rick]

It also resembles a classic anime, Kimba the White Lion.


Resembles is a polite way of putting it....

The Straight Dope (http://www.straightdope.com/classics/a991224.html)

I've always figured that there were so few moms in Disney movies because a motherless child somehow seems more sympathetic then a fatherless one.

[OverMaster]

Is Lady & The Tramp an adaptation?

I think yes, it is an adaptation of a little-known short story.

[Cephus]

Dead parents are a common device in any kind of storytelling because it's a free ticket to audience sympathy, and it's actually easier than inventing another character.

Most Disney stories never establish if the parent is dead or not. For all anyone knows, Goofy got Max's mother pregnant out of wedlock and then kidnapped the kid and ran away with him. It's never said, I don't think, although I sure don't pay a lot of attention to Goof Troop lore.

[IamtheRock3]

I pretty sure the mention Goofy wife passed in one of the movies

Bonkers they had a mother of the fat cops wife

Huey and Duey and Luey have Daisy..

is Daisy thier mother? was never sure

[rick]

I pretty sure the mention Goofy wife passed in one of the movies

Bonkers they had a mother of the fat cops wife

Huey and Duey and Luey have Daisy..

is Daisy thier mother? was never sure


No Daisy is not their mother.

She is in fact not even related.

[Spike-X]

The answer is obvious: the Disney company are a bunch of godless, gay-agenda-embracing liberals who want to destroy the traditional family, and indeed America itself.

[Steve Brady]

There are some good rationales here, but I've always found this one most compelling. Here's an example:

Ariel: Daddy, I want to marry a human!

Ariel's Father: I will never let you marry one of those filthy fish-eating humans!

Ariel's Mother: Dear, don't be a racist. Ariel should marry whoever she falls in love with.

Ariel's Father: Er, yes dear.

Ariel: Hooray!

The End.


Moms are the reasonable problem-solvers. If the mom were around, most of these movies would last five minutes.

[Buzz Dixon]

Huey, Dewey, and Louie were abandoned by their mother, Donald's sister. Neither she nor the sperm donor were ever heard from again. Scrooge is Donald's biological uncle and HD&L's biological great-uncle (or "unka").

[Mike Pothier]

This ought to help. (http://duckman.pettho.com/tree/v_american.html)

The Duck/McDuck family tree.

[OverMaster]

I pretty sure the mention Goofy wife passed in one of the movies

Bonkers they had a mother of the fat cops wife

Huey and Duey and Luey have Daisy..

is Daisy thier mother? was never sure

Pete's wife at least is shown raising his kids along him.

It's funny how, of all the traditional Disney characters, Pete, the archetypal villain, got to have the most traditional kind of family life.