Disney and the Single Parent - Bedtime Stories (2008) Discussion

[–] markmcc-1 15 years ago

does seem that way...good point.

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Their stories are about triumphing over adversity, so I guess that adds adversity to stuff, having to raise a kid and juggle dating all at once. Very adversitipidous.

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] phe_de 15 years ago

There a lots of Disney movies where kids are raised by two parents.

High School Musical 1-3
Peter Pan
Freaky Friday
The Lion King
...

EDIT to add:
The Lady and the Tramp
101 Dalmatians
Hercules
The Emperor's new groove
Toy Story
The Incredibles

§ Everything is possible, and nothing is sure.

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

Wow four out of a few hundred, way to prove a point

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

Also in the Lion King Balltard Simba's father is murdered....
And in Peter Pan he doesnt have any parents.....

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] phe_de 15 years ago

And in Peter Pan he doesnt have any parents.....

I was thinking about Wendy.
From the OP:

Why in the world is nearly every kid in a Disney movie raised by a single parent??? With the exception of Sleeping Beauty I can't really think of any other big Disney movies with two parents.

I named 6. And after Mufasa is killed, Simba is raised by Timon & Pumbaa, 2 characters.

§ Everything is possible, and nothing is sure.

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

Your counting Wendy as peters mother??? So wendy is the mother and Tink is the father??? The whole point of Peter Pan is there ar eno Parents

Tumon and Pumba are not Simba's mother and father.... Before they even get to know him they are just trying to use him...

I think the OP meant PARENTS! not a 12 year old girl (Wendy) and A Meercat and a Warthog

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] phe_de 15 years ago

Your counting Wendy as peters mother???

No, I'm saying that Wendy has two parents.

§ Everything is possible, and nothing is sure.

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

wow..... ok Wendy is not the main character

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] phe_de 15 years ago

So what?
The OP said something about "nearly every kid". This means all kids in the movie.

§ Everything is possible, and nothing is sure.

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

Yes nearly every kid that is the central dude in the film is and hes right

Timon and Pumba are not Simba's parents

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] dorkasaurus89 15 years ago

well i believe you're wrong about toy story.
we only see andy's mother in the films, which suggests she's a single parent..

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[–] spidey935 15 years ago

well that is an obsolete story anyway. It was based off a book that was written a heck of a long time ago. Also she kinda is the main character. I went on the ride at Disneyworld and she is in a bunch and Peter Pan is barely in the ride.

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[–] jonathanmarklund 15 years ago

So what, two guys can't have a relationship and raise a child? They took care of him since he was a little cub, and taught him everything they knew. I wish my dad had taught me to look for bugs under logs when I was a child :)

" think he meant PARENTS! not a Suricate and a Warthog"

So what? Parents can't be of a different race then their kids ? :D

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[–] wkuhlin 15 years ago

Although in Freaky Friday, the mom is getting re-married, so it is still a step-parent. In fact, an important part of the movie involves the kids coming to terms with the marriage because their mom has been single.

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[–] jediliz 15 years ago

In Toy Story, Andy only has a mom, unless you're thinking of SID's parents?

In Meet the Robinsons, there's two parents.

I think Gabriella in HSM is raised by a single Mom.

Remake of Freaky Friday: the Mom is engaged. Not sure about the Original.

Snow White: Evil StepMom the Queen, no sign of dad
Pinocchio: Raised by elderly toy maker father
Dumbo: Father died before "birth"

Good Point......why are there so many movies with just one parent?

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[–] chesterpepper719 15 years ago

I thought this same thing when I first saw Finding Nemo, when his mom gets killed. It made me think of Bambi, then Little Mermaid, later I remembered Cinderella, Belle, and Jasmine. I've always thrown the Lion King in there too, because, afterall, Mufasa died in front of Simba. The list goes on and is overwhelming.

I understand that the single parent isn't a common factor in every Disney movie, but you'd have to be pretty dull not to agree that it is a reoccuring theme. There are more Disney films that depict single parents than those that contain a "nuclear family."

For the record, I'm not complaining. I don't have any criticisms about it at all, I just find it interesting.

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[–] phe_de 15 years ago

Thinking about it again, it is true that lots of main characters lose a parent (or have lost one) early in life. But all in all, the message is that the family is something good. After all, Bambi and Simba both miss their parent, and when they are grown up, they found families.
And the fact that the characters grow up without a parent is presented as an extra struggle, which they have to overcome on order to become true heroes.

But like I said, there are lots of two-parent families that are portrayed in Disney movies.

And sometimes, there's also blatant propaganda for the two-parent family in Disney movies, like in "the Rescuers", where Penny wants nothing more than to be adopted.

Bottom line: Disney movies are family friendly in every sense of the word.

§ Everything is possible, and nothing is sure.

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

But they sure like to kill off their parents. Nothing like making kids think about what it would be like if one of their parents were killed. ANd then they have to decide which parent they would rather have. THat can cause a lot of resentment.

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] li72 15 years ago

well, they have to set up huge dramatic adversity and whats more tragic than a dead parent/abandonment??? and in this day and age, far too many kids will be able to identify and become more involved with these disney characters who have lost a parent...

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[–] JCsSupertape 15 years ago

and in this day and age, far too many kids will be able to identify and become more involved with these disney characters who have lost a parent...

But this has a been a Disney story device for over 70 years, its not new for them.

I dont think a huge number have lost a parent to death, divorce yes, but not death. Unless you live in like Afgahnistan or Duktar.

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...having things equal on either side is the key to balance...

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[–] li72 15 years ago

yes, disney has been doing this for a long time - and it is ridiculous, but its the best way to foster sympathy for a character...lifelong sadness that the character can never quite overcome until they have found their true love, thereby giving even more urgency and importance to the romance...

by abandonment i did meant that divorce is becoming increasingly common, which is reflected in the disney movies of the last 20-30 years...

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[–] 15 years ago

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[–] t_ball_rules 15 years ago

I think Nostalgia Critic made a point about this in one of his top ten videos where most Disney films are tremendously depressing, but yeah, it does seem to be a recurring theme.

Films I can think of with one parent or no parent or abnormal parenting

Finding Nemo (mother is killed)
Bambi (mother is killed)
Land Before Time (Not Disney, but mother is killed)
The Lion King (father is killed)
The Little Mermaid (one father)
Dumbo (one mother)
Pinocchio (one "father")
Cinderella (one step-mother)
The Jungle Book (raised by wolf pack, technically had "two parents")
Beauty and the Beast (Belle had one father)
Aladdin (Aladdin, no parents, Jasmine, one father)
Pocahontas (she had one father)
Hunchback of Notre Dame (mother killed, raised by antagonist)
Tarzan (Well, maybe not since he had two sets of "parents")
Lilo and Stitch (Hardcore parenting issues here, one sister)

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[–] blaircam 15 years ago

I want to correct an earlier comment - in Meet the Robinsons the main character has no parents - he's an orphan.
He does eventually get adopted but both the main character and his main protagonist are orphans.

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[–] purplebear17 15 years ago

The whole thing about Disney feature films having a character having one or no parents is wrong. Most of the kids I went to school with had two parents. Because the Disney films have one or both parents dead they don't get the seal of approval award for great family films from the national board of review.
I made a list of Disney films had at least one character having two parents alive and it doesn't have to be a kid character and there are only 30 on my list. As a kid I preferred family films that weren't Disney compared to Disney family films and still do because the non disney family films make it seem less sad when a parent is dead. I did prefer the Disney films with both parents alive.

I want to start a petition where I write to Disney and get signatures from you guys and you guys write comments about how it is wrong to usually have a parent dead in their movies.

I feel like Disney executives nag the writers to have one parent dead. Disney is too strict when they make their movies.

Here is what I would do if i wrote a script for Disney and I wanted both parent's alive:Disney executive:I like your script but you must follow the Disney formula and rewrite it with one parent dead.(Disney is strict on their formula)
Written:If you don't let me have both parents alive I will burn my script.
Disney executive:Okay I'll let you make the movie and still have both parents alive.

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[–] FreakyGenes 15 years ago

Yes purplebear17, you are completely right. A film company that has historically demonstrated emotional support and moral guidance for children of non-traditional families does not offer anything worthwhile to an American society that faces an exponential decay of family values. Your claim that single parent households supposedly happen to be in the "minority" is an ignorant presumption which I reject wholeheartedly. The continued focus on single parent-child relationships in the media will only become more valuable as divorce rates continue to climb. Children of traditional families have thousands of years of history (and many modern examples) with which to demonstrate that type of familial relationship. The fact that Disney recognizes this cultural shift in demographics and the need for public recognition of these often difficult situations is a compliment to their diverse view of the real world.

And before you ask... yes, I have been a single father for the last 9 years and have a superb relationship with my son. I do not prefer movies based on the number of parents on-screen, but rather the issues that each film addresses and allows me to experience with my child. I can and do talk to him about anything, but seeing characters deal with similar problems in a movie helps reassure us that while we may be "dysfunctional", we are not alone.

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[–] shoegazer59 15 years ago

Hey FreakyGenes,

Reject it wholeheartedly or not children from single parent homes are in the minority. Most children have a two parent household, be it two biological parents, two adopted parents, a biological parent and a step-parent, a biological parent and that parents live in lover, or perhaps two guardians like grandparents. Just because the parents are divorced, or even the rather rare situation where one parent dies, doesn't mean that the children will be raised by one parent alone.

Having said that, it is a close minority of kids who live in a single parent household, and many kids will live in a single parent household for a time until their parent takes on a new spouse. Of course some of the posters have rejected stories where there are two parents but they are adoptive, or step-related. I suppose if you removed those examples the number of kids with two biologically related parents heading their house, verses all other possible family situations, other situations might be the winner.

Having said all that, I think it is perfectly fine that Disney shows different kinds of families in their stories. As others have said, they usually use it as a hardship, or a point of sympathy. Plus the truth is, the nuclear family of the fundamentalist evangelical's "Family Values" Mom (at home) Dad (the bread-winner) and Kids, has never been the only kind of family, or the main kind, or indeed proved that it's the best kind!

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[–] onysik22 15 years ago

Stop being so dense, people. First of all, they could very well be setting up kids to deal with only having one parent, because it happens all too often, from divorce and death mainly. Secondly, many kids these days are able to identify with the single parent dynamic, because even if they don't experience it they have undoubtedly encountered it with one of their friends or relatives.

Me for example, I can identify with the single parent dynamic, especially the one from this movie, because I lost my father to cancer when I was 14, and now it's just my mom and my bros. So my household was just like that five years ago, only I was a bit older than the kids from the movie.

Thirdly, yes the single parent adds adversity and something to overcome for the main character, as it has in my life. It also creates more unique characters simply by breaking free of the mold of the perfect family with a mother and father the same age who are completely in love, two boys and a girl that all get along perfectly, etc.

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[–] joshua-psychoj87 15 years ago

Good point to the original poster.

As far as non-animated Disney films go...

Pirates of the Caribbean come to mind. During the 3-movie series, it shows Elizabeth Turner and Jack having single fathers with no mothers present.

Also, High School Musical 1-3 rings a bell. As I believe, Troy had a single father and Gabriella had a single mother.

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[–] MariMcCabe 15 years ago

I presume you're discounting the Disney movies that are based on books and fairy tales?

juicy-flawless.org

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[–] jacrainbow87 15 years ago

Don't forget the non-animated Disney movies~!

Pete's Dragon is kind of half animated..but I can't ever forget
how they abused that kid.

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[–] crash523 15 years ago

Mulan was raised by both of her parents,

The movie The Incredibles has the whole family.

neither parent was killed in those movies

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