I think it's ingrained in Disney as a natural result of history: it's ingrained in fairy tales.

I was traumatized by Bambi as a child. As a result, I have never seen it since, nor has my son seen it. Bad enough they killed the father in Lion King. Disney was a mean bastard! Studies show that the #1 fear children have is of their parents dying or leaving them.

Really? While it is true that the Plucky, Motherless Orphan is a staple of many fairy tales, in the versions I grew up with (ie, the Grimm versions, Hans Christian Andersen, the Lang fairy books) the mothers died of natural causes, either unstated (as in Cinderella), or childbirth (Snow White). On the other hand, stepmothers usually came to violent ends, usually deserved -- as in Snow White.

Maybe Disney harks back to older, unadulterated versions of fairy tales that were cleaned up by Victorian writers, where the protagonists' mothers were raped and killed by invading Turks, or something like that. But what I find more likely is that Disney simply has gone with what they consider a more contemporary meme -- one they figure that more kids can identify with now that not so many women die in childbirth, a once-common cause of death -- which is death by violence, perpetrated usually by some representative of Evil Society (hunters in Bambi, and so on.)

PS: my comment was a reply to Chel.

I work on the pre-production side of animation, and currently am at Disney; I worked on "Cinderella II" for a year and a half.

Although I am not privy to the meetings that go on behind closed doors of the development department prior to a show being green lit, I've born witness to the very lengthy process of writing and rewriting and then storyboarding that went into C2 after it was put into production, and have sat through countless meetings in my office with the executives involved. Generally speaking, the suggestion that Disney intentionally calculates the backstories to create a pattern of dead mothers et al, is misleading. While the degrees of calculation that go into making any animated production today are agonizing (nothing is overlooked), there just isn't this kind of uber-narrative that informs the collection of works as a whole. Whatever patterns are there are not really anything more than a reflection of the source material Disney (and other studios) draw upon in the first place. Fairy tales, myth, legend, parables...all of these things that have for centuries ingrained themselves in our sort of collective unconscious (sorry if I'm sounding Jungian; not a fan actually) are--I think--bound to crop up repeatedly in the making of things that are reflections of those things in the first place...even if a given movie is the painful offspring of a committee of executives spread across three divisions of a huge company.

Andrea, I like your idea actually, but I do think it credits the makers of these movies with more forethought than is actually deserved. Like I said--having worked with the creative execs and writers and director--there just isn't that specific an intentionality, at least on each project taken on a case by case basis. As to recurring patterns across decades, I don't see how that can be anything really other than a reflection of what Chel and I said above.

Just saw Finding Nemo, and found it utterly charming and funny, not to mention a feast for the eyes.

Like many Disney movies over the decades -- Pinocchio, Bambi, Dumbo (IMHO, Bill Tytla's animation of Dumbo being caressed by his mother's trunk is some of the most evocative drawing ever done), The Ugly Duckling, The Rescuers -- the plight of the "motherless child" is used to engage our sympathy with the main character. It is a powerful technique that appeals to the emotions of people of all ages all over the world.

There was no lingering obsession with the death of Nemo's mother. There is no violence portrayed; the situation occurs quickly and off-screen, aided mostly by the viewer's imagination. It is treated very much like the death of Bambi's mother, which is described in the book, The Illusion of Life: Disney Animation, by Frank Thomas and Ollie Johnston:

"A scene was animated of the doe [Bambi's mother] actually being shot in the middle of a leap, throwing back her head and crashing to the ground where she lay collapsed in the snow, but it was cut out when we found that the sequence played better in the imagination. Everyone sensed the danger, knowing the hunters were near; and when the shot was heard it did not matter whether you knew the mother was dead or whether you were as innocent as Bambi, returning to search for her. It was powerful either way."

Thomas and Johnston, veteran animators for Disney, also explain the characterization that evolved in early Disney films:

"Gradually a kind of formula developed for making "pathos" the prime ingredient in a [Disney] film, such as The Ugly Duckling: an appealing little character wants very much to achieve something and fails in a way that hurts him; the other characters ridicule him; he tries again, fails again; the audience feels the hurt and starts to pull for the little guy; when he finally succeeds in a unique and heartwarming way, everyone feels like cheering. It is an old formula..."

And one that is still being used to great effect.

In this case, you're rooting for little Nemo from the start as you wonder how is he going escape the fix he's in. Make him cute, toss in some pluck, laughter, sadness, and adventure, and you have an entertaining film.

Andrea, I have this half-baked theory that the formulas of fairy tales spilled into animation because they're such a tried and true variety. I have a deep obsession w/abandonment themes in literature and how it transcends through time. My posting was rather vague though and didn't really address David's post about the mother being put to a violent death. Actually, I was just thinking about the tales where a parent was dead as in Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, and Snow White as pointed out. I've thought about Disney's propensity to exclude one parent or another from modern films (or in addition to Disney) as well as those made years ago (Bambi, Dumbo) because I have two kids so we watch them all (haven't seen Nemo yet though - weather too good for movies right now). I've not an erudite response for you though! I tend to seize on any fairy tale conversation since I have this fascination.

PK, your comments were quite insightful and interesting!

I wonder if Andrea Harris is on to something -- that starting children's films with the violent exit of a parent may owe less to folk tradition than to 20th-century traumas, lurking large in a Hollywood heavily populated by those uprooted from a devastated Europe.

Several years ago there was an extensive piece on the origins of Bambi -- the German book, as well as the movie -- but I can't remember much about it. I seem to recall that the original was, in fact, much darker. But of course, Bambi was never a real folk tale.

Yes, Andrea's is an interesting theory and I like the idea of 20th century European immigrants impacting the animation industry. I keep thinking about the Fair Unknown theme in Arthurian lit, though, and the idea of a character being stripped of identity, in essence, humbled, in order to accomplish whatever greatness he/she is destined for, and what better way to strip a child than to deprive it of a parent? Some of these formulas seem to overlap but maybe I'm projecting what I want rather than seeing what's there.

It's so easy to get into the source/myth language, but I think the reality is what was initially raised and what we ought to pay attention to: some people are or were "traumatized by Bambi" and those are people who don't know anything about Hungarian fold tales or whatever. Some are/were, some not. Why? I used to think I was the only one, but recently have run across others ... including a friend from France, whose remark, translated, runs as follows: "Bambi? We were ALL traumatized by Bambi...."
Cliff

I see that no one has replied to this posting lately, but I have just come across it in my search for an explanation inevitable death of one of the parents (99% of the time, the mother) in Disney films. All the responses above have been very interesting and insightful, but I think you all give too much credit to this whole idea of movies being formulated in the same fashion as old folk tales. You don't hear about Little Red Riding Hood's mother being eaten by the wolf! Call me paranoid, but I think there is a lot more to this whole matricidal issue than has been brought up. Since this is my first hit on the subject, I'm interested in seeing other materials regarding this issue and hope to revist this sight with more to share.

I have just taken my daughter to the umpteenth Disney film that begins with the death of a mother and this time they threw in a dead brother too. She was distraught all the way home, and the only way I could calm her down, was to have her write a letter to the Disney co. complaining about their unceasing insistence on killing off moms mostly, or other loved ones. I have decided it is due to lack of imagination. They have come up with a formula that works for them and they are going to stick with it. First present a cute and cuddly family with loving parents. Second, create a crisis that results in the death of a parent (mostly moms, who needs them?). Third, introduce a silly, quirky side kick who will take your mind off the previous tragedy. What fun! Personally, I'm sick of it. What's so difficult about making an interesting movie where neither parent is killed? Mulan was the only one and it was a great movie.

I really love Disney! I think it is very wholesome and is directed for children as well as adults. Death is apart of life, but I really want to know why there are so few Disney movies with living and married parents. The only princesses I can think of that have two living and married parents is Sleeping Beauty. Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Pochahontas all have single fathers. Cinderella and Snow White's mothers died, their fathers remarried and died, and the stepmothers turned them into servants. The Lion King has a single mother by the end of the movie because of the death of Mufasa and Andy's mother in Toy Story is single as far as we can tell. Then, there is Mogli, Penny, and Tarzan from the movies The Jungle Book, The Rescuers, and Tarzan. They are all orphans. Mogli and Tarzan end up being raised by animals. The thing with Penny is that she is adopted and I think showing that people are caring enough to adopt is good. These movies are terrific, do not get me wrong. Mulan, Wendy, John, and Micheal all have married parents who are still living. I'm not trying to knock Disney because it is one of the few things left in this world that is wholesome. I was just beginning to see a pattern. There is mostly mothers who die, so I wanted to know if this had anything to do with Walt Disney's own life perhaps.

One more thing for you disney bashers. I think that the deaths of the mothers as in Bambi and Finding Nemo are essential to the plot as is the death of Mufasa. If the mothers had been there, Marlin wouldn't be so overprotective, Bambi would have grown up differently, and Simba would have no reason to prove he was worthy of kingship. If Cinderella and Snow White didn't have their slave driving stepmothers, you wouldn't appreciate why they were so gentil and kind. They would have no reason to have to escape or marry a prince. Remember that it is just a movie. The one movie that I hated from disney was The Hunchback of Notre Dame. I thought it was scary being so young, and I still hate it. But, no one good died in that movie. Again, as someone noted, in Finding Nemo, they didn't dwell on the fact that the mother died. They didn't even show it. So, I want to tell everyone that sometimes, these things can be indirectly the outcome of the story. Even though Nemo's mother died, did you completely hate the movie from then on? Are you to tell me you were so distraught with Pearl's death that you never grinned at Dori's forgetfulness or the Tank Gang? It's just a movie. You know it's pretend and on some level, so do the kids.

Exactly..."on some level", but not on all levels. How many great and imaginative films are out there that do not include the death of a parent or a single parent? Countless. Disney has overexploited this idea because it causes deep emotion and therefore deep feelings for the film. And no, I'm no Disney basher, they make movies that work...but just because a movie works by no means makes the themes it uses good.

In response to shannon I have wondered for sometime about disney's obsession with the death of a parent. I don't think anyone is disney bashing but in my opinion the death of the parent followed by the funny"tank gang" gives children a false sence of what death really is. They make it look like no big deal. Yeah death happens but I guaranty you if a child looses it's parent in real life they are going to be far more upset then what is portrayed on disney movies. Just a thought.

I have a question. Shouldn't children have some knowledge about death? We are living in a world today where you can't turn on the TV without seeing someone either die or become seriously injured. If you think about it, in some way these Disney films showing death could open up a healthy discussion with children about death. Just a thought. I certainly agree that it seems odd that it is mostly the parents that die, but it is also a reality for many children in the world.

The trend of the main characters in Disney children's movies suffering from having either no mother, no father, or no parents at all had become a pathetic joke in my family; however, today no one was laughing. Today I took my eight-year-old daughter and her friend to see the new Herbie movie. I thought a day at the movies would be a fun distraction for this little girl whose mother is in a hospital dying of cancer. Imagine my horror when I realized that our movie heroine's mother was dead. I felt as if someone had punched my in the gut as I fought back tears for my daughter's little friend; I can only imagine how she felt. When my daughter asked if she was okay, she explained that she was always shaky when sitting in a chair too long. Yes, I'm sure that's what it was.

WHY is it necessary to always include this theme in Disney movies? WHY? In the case of the Herbie movie it added absolutely nothing to the plot. Why does anyone think that killing off parents in Disney children's movies is a good idea? Even if they aren't orphans - or potential orphans - children always have that fear in the back of their mind of being left by their parents. Do they need to have this fear exploited in a film that is designed to entertain them? While the reference to the missing mother in Herbie was insignificant (again, why bother?), it was enough to upset at least three moviegoers this afternoon.

I have a ten-year-old adopted daughter. Many people who talk about this subject seem to think it is cruel to children with dead parents to have to watch such things. I think it is the opposite. My daughter spends much of her life feeling very different from other children who have both of their "real" or "birth" parents. One of the things my daughter loves about Disney movies is that she can see her own life in them. This is especially true of Lilo and Stitch. Imagine how wonderful it was for children who have been in the foster care system, or any other circumstance where social workers are a regular part of their routine, and see this portrayed in a Disney movie. This makes them feel so much more normal, like they are not the only ones who have been through bad situations. And growing up on Disney movies myself, I think for the rest of us, they taught us that even if the worst thing you could ever imagine happened, you could get through it and in the end things would turn out ok. I probably still believe that in the end, no matter how bad things get, everything will be ok, because of Disney.

I have just finished reading all of the above comments and can understand all sides. I however feel that at the end of the movies - after the trauma, the Disney films help to teach children, without them really being aware of it, that no matter how difficult things may be, no matter what horrors they may have to face - they can overcome it to be the strong, determined fruitful people that they are intended to be - even if there is a period of time where they just cant deal, and run away from the problems... i guess i am just saying that it helps to teach them (kids) to face their problems/fears and though the tragedies will always be with them they are strong enough to not let that hold them back...

I think that Disney should stop making so many movies where the mother dies. I could never watch Bambi as a child without crying, because it was so sad. But now, my younger sister cannot watch hardly any Disney movie without breaking down because our mother passed away, and every freakin' disney movie has a dead mother! She doesn't need to be reminded of that in every movie. Sure, I believe that perhaps it is healthy for a child to learn about death through something like an animated movie, but Disney doesn't need to put it in EVERY movie. But, I guess I can understand the reasons that have been listed by others, but personally, I think they should stop...

Walt Disney bought a house for his parents after Snow White was released, and almost immediately, his mother Flora complained to him about a faulty furnace. Walt kept putting her off, and sadly, she died of asphyxiation. I think Walt's immense guilt affected the treatment of mothers in his films.

One of the things that bothers me about the role of mothers in Disney films goes beyond the lack of them to the fact that when they are there they are really not there at all. Take the mother in Sleeping Beauty, for instance. Though she is there and alive she does not speak and the main focus is given to Aurora and Phillip's fathers. She is merely a pretty, but unmemorable face. Furthermore what mother after not seeing her child for sixteen years (that is another topic for discussion) would not be there the second her child returned to the castle? Even in Lion King, Zimba's actions and outlook on life are directed and affected by his relationship with his father. After the death of his father Zimba leaves his mother. His quilt is for his belief that he was the cause of his father's death, never does he seem to be affected at all by the idea that he has allowed his mother to believe she lost not only her husband, but also her child. The same idea is true in Mulan (also my favorite). Her mother is there, and though she plays a larger role than Sleeping Beauty's mother, the film focuses on the relationship between Mulan and her father. Here, again, the main character's action is directly linked to the father.

Wether this is intentional or not on the part of Disney is beside the point. My question is what does this say and how does this reflect on the role of mother's and father's in a child's life and behavior. Without a mother these young women, though kind and gentle, are without proper guidance and are left to the mercies of cruel step mothers (so why is that if there is a mother figure she is wicked?), set adrift in a world where they seem isolated and alone. And does it say about the importance of fathers when the mother is there the child is acting out in order to gain the attention and/or respect of their fathers?

There is something to all this debate and discussion. When my daughter watches these movies she wants there to be a mother. When she play pretend the step mother in Cinderella is nice and Ursula is Ariel's mother.

In an informal poll, 40% of Disney employees admitted being gay. Maybe they just don't like women.

Not only have I found this obsession of missing or dead mothers with Disney but with many movies directed to young female audiences by other film makers as well. I've noticed that many themes are focused on the father daughter relationship, or father child relationship in the case of Nemo. Think about these more recent movies:

Herbie Fully Loaded
Nims Island
Racing Stripes
GAME PLAN
Brother Bear
Enchanted
I don't remember the name, but a movie involving dolphins

This is in addition to the Disney ones mentioned above (Nemo, Bambi, Little Mermaid, Pochahontas, Beauty & the Beast, Cinderella, Aladdin, Snow White, etc.)

In many, the mother is out of the picture, the father takes over and is very protective of his child/daughter and develops a very special relationship with the child as father learns how to take over and allow the child some independence and letting her/him grow up. They end up being closer than prior to the mother's death. Often, a mother replacement comes along. In the most current movies it is a happy thing as the daughter and father both love her. In the old tales the father was unaware of the stepmother being mean woman. Now, they are a girls best friend.

I don't know what to make of all this, but it appears sort of freudian to me. The mother is so easily overlooked and replaced and, with mom out of the picture, dad gets the relationship he wants with his child (and even gets a new girlfriend.) Is this about men's jealousy of women's strong role as parent and dad feeling left out?

I found the story of how Walt's mother died very interesting, and wonder if it is relevant. But, it is obvious that this is not just about Disney writers but many film makers. Are they all men? This theme only does seem to appear in films about and for girls. We don't see this with mothers and sons. What do you think?

My mom thinks that most movies have dead mothers. My mom and I are watching "Smart House" on Disney channel and the mother was dead which brought us to search for movies by Disney with dead mothers.

It comes down to making money. There needs to be a struggle of a sort in every story. Disney wouldn't make money if every story was about Happy Jane whose parents are happily married, goes to school, gets good grades and has a ton of friends. And honestly, your kids wouldn't like it either.

I think that parents get more uptight over movies than children do. Most children enjoy movies for being there and appreciate the struggles that the main character faces. The parent who sees this may feel differently because they have their own emotional experiences to shade the motive of the movie. Parents and adults need to realize that it is THEIR feelings that are uncomfortable watching these movies. Its a completely different ballpark for children.