Okay, so this is something that has been on my mind for awhile, why is it that in so many Disney movies the mother of the main character is dead or otherwise out of the picture? Think about it: Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Finding Nemo, Chicken Little, Ratatouille all have missing mothers. Then you have movies like Cinderella and Snow White where the only mother figure is a wicked stepmother who tries to either kill the heroine or ruin all her chances for happiness. What message is Disney trying to send to kids? It would appear to be that mothers are either unnecessary or evil. Or maybe they are just trying to terrify children by making them feel that their mothers could kick the bucket at any time.
To be fair, Disney movies really don't do a lot of justice to fathers either. They are usually portrayed as being totally incompetant to raise and protect their children, and are either too busy (King Tritan in Little Mermaid), too self-absorbed (Nemo's dad, Chicken Little's dad) or just too stupid (Jasmine's dad in Aladdin, Belle's dad in Beauty) to know what is really going on.
I honestly doubt that any of the messages Disney may be sending about mothers and parents in general really have too much affect on kids. I think they mostly just like the adventurous and imaginative aspects of the movies, and I do let my kids watch Disney movies, but I try to not let them get too wrapped up in them. For instance I do not buy my children clothing or products from movies (if you see my son wearing a Cars shirt, my mother bought it for him). My son's preschool teacher has a good rule for knowing when your child may be too wrapped up in a movie or show: if the child's play becomes too scripted and is no longer as creative or as imaginative as before, then it may be time to pull the plug (or at least cut back) on the movie and TV watching.
If anyone wants a more in-depth analysis of motherhood in Disney movies visit: http://animation.memory-motel.net/motherhood.html.
5 comments:
You are so right. My favorite Disney film is Mulan. There is an itact family yet the dad is feeble and needs Mulan. That seems to be a running theme as well. The child is a savior of sorts to the parent...Nemo, Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast...I am for empowering kids but I think it is ok for them to rely on parental guidance as well. They are not being encouraged to trust their parents in any of these movies it seems. I will keep checking in with you blog - it's great. Jennifer - Dust bunny hostage is my site.
I, too, have a few issues with the Disney Princess movies that my daughter is so obsessed with. I want to let her be a kid, but on the other hand I found it kind of disturbing when the message she seems to pick up is that life is about being beautiful and getting married. Great post!
Hi Melissa! Thank you so much for visiting my blog and commenting! I posted the anonymous blog b/c of technical difficulties. Please keep visiting and I plan to do the same with you. Good stuff. Have an awesome day. - Jennifer
Hi, Melissa!
I almost wrote my college thesis on this very phenomenon -- the Dead Disney Mother. I think that at the heart of it is a theory that the protagonist cannot transcend and overcome obstacles like a true hero if he/she is abetted by a mom. And while that might make for some storytelling (good or not is for you to judge), I think it is pretty dang sad myself.
Thanks for listing my blog! I am so flattered!
For a long time, I was offended, frustrated, even confused at why Disney would have these themes repeated over and over - and target them at such young children. I also contemplated a thesis analysis on the subject.
As my children get older, I am reaching a place where I am more at peace with these stories and here's why.
I think the Disney genre does a good thing by addressing head-on one of a child's worst conscious or subconscious fears - abandonment. The stories show that a child can overcome and survive even that most-feared scenario - loss of a parent - and endure. I think that preserving the innocence of childhood is critical, however, we cannot ignore the fact that children are capable of having fears - big fears. It's part of their wiring and survival instinct. Being able to process those fears in a fantasy setting like a Disney movie or classic fairy tale story is a safe and healthy way for kids to "feel" things that are a part of growing up. As for the evil step mothers and inept father figures in the stories....again, children don't always understand why we show anger or why we set boundaries and tell them no. They often simplify the interactions into simple good and bad in their minds - with us being the "bad guys" because discipline doesn't always feel good and isn't always fun. But it's ok. It's part of learning and growing and maturing emotionally.
Now, I am glad to watch these movies with my kids and talk about what is happening with them. I am more bothered by disrespectful language and examples of rude behavior that are planted unnecessarily - especially in the newer Disney movies. Yeah yeah Disney - we know you are just trying to be cool and hip to the new generation. Whatever.
That's my 2 cents today...I reserve the right to change my mind tomorrow.
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