Originally Posted By Mickeylover8383 Ah, the Disney animated films. They are stories that always include the elements of faith, trust, and some form of pixie dust. They've also included a wide array of single parents. From the first one, Gepetto from Pinnochio, to the most recent one, Buck Cluck from Chicken Little(minor spoiler), single parents have been a part of the Disney films from the very begining. Having been raised in a single parent home, I can relate to the factor and sympathize greatly with the characters who deal with the challenges of being without one of their parents. The question that runs through my though is why??? Why did Walt continously make heroes/heriones with the absence of one of their parents? And how it is that that tradition is still followed today in modern Disney films(The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, Treasure Planet, Chicken Little)? While I'm not offended by this trend, I wonder how some other Disney fans have felt on this issue. Please give me some feedback.
Originally Posted By cstephens It's a necessary plot device. You'll notice that it's usually a single dad, not a single mom. Most people have a bias that if mom were around, all these bad things wouldn't happen because she wouldn't let it. A clueless single dad who doesn't quite know how to relate to his child, and sometimes isn't even aware that a stepmother is cruel? Society apparently can forgive that. But a single mom who behaves the same way toward her child? Unforgivable. /cs
Originally Posted By TheRedhead Also, it's a quick and efficient way to get the audience's sympathy for a character. I just watched the movie MILLIONS, and they joke how any kid can get free stuff if they just say their mom is dead. When a film is under 90 minutes, and every frame is hand drawn, quick and efficient character building is key. But poor moms.
Originally Posted By kmsandrbs Regardless of the gender of the parent, it also puts the child in many ways on their own much more often, so the parent is less of an involved character. And it reduces the number of characters who have to be developed in the story.
Originally Posted By Megara I remember reading somewhere that this single parent rumour began because Walt Disney himself believed that he was adopted. There was some mix up in relation to his birth records and a son of the same name being born a few years earlier and his parents unwillingness not to explain it to him. Whether this is true, who knows.
Originally Posted By Mickeylover8383 Actually, Megara, it's funny you should mention the rumor about Walt being adopted, cause I found a website that looks into all the rumor about Walt and his legacy. It's <a href="http://www.snopes.com/disney" target="_blank">http://www.snopes.com/disney</a>
Originally Posted By basil fan Many times, there just isn't enough for the parents to do in the film. If you use 2 parents, you end up with the queen in Sleeping Beauty. The poor woman doesn't even get a name, she's so expendable. Better to eliminate a character, if possible than have them do nothing. Mouse History 101 <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/history.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/ history.html</a>
Originally Posted By Megara <<Many times, there just isn't enough for the parents to do in the film. If you use 2 parents, you end up with the queen in Sleeping Beauty. The poor woman doesn't even get a name, she's so expendable.>> My goodness... I had to laugh when I read this.
Originally Posted By Mickeylover8383 That's very true, Basil fan. For those rare times when both parents are present, the mother's lines are usually less than the father's, such as in Hercules where Zeus had more lines than Hera did.
Originally Posted By FiveBearRugs And if memory serves me right, there is no note of who voiced Aurora's mother... poor woman, lol.
Originally Posted By basil fan Read about Mulan--both parents had a raison d'etre. Fa Zhou existed to give Mulan someone to save & seek to please. Fa Li existed to show viewers what a perfect Chineses wife shoudl be. Mulan even gets a third "parent" in Grandmother Fa, necessary for comic relief & to show that there is someone in Mulan's life whounderstands her. Panini Stickers to Trade <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/panini.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/ panini.html</a>
Originally Posted By Mrs ElderP It's not just Disney, think about network television. How many sitcoms are built around single parents. Not everyone of course, but it is a very common plot device.
Originally Posted By basil fan I always thought TV used the single parent a lot so they could bring in various love interests for their characters. So You Wanna Be a Collector... <a href="http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/disney/collector.html" target="_blank">http://www.whatsitsgalore.com/ disney/collector.html</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros But there are only so many love interests that you can fit into a 90 min movie.
