Disney keeps killing movie mothers

[snopes]

Ever since Bambi's mum hit the clover in 1942, Disney, in particular, has been giving mothers the flick from their scripts, even if they existed in the source material.

The move provides an adversity in the plot for the central (young) character. Mother characters, by nature, elicit too much strength. By being there as the one to run to when things go wrong they steal the thunder.

Much easier to kill them off - the earlier the better - and let the audience concentrate on the child.

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,23599...007146,00.html

[para1]

Don't the Shrek movies still include Fiona?

Still, Bambi, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Pochahontas and Jasmine had no mothers.

[Auntie Witch]

Originally Posted by para1

Don't the Shrek movies still include Fiona?

Still, Bambi, Cinderella, Snow White, Ariel, Pochahontas and Jasmine had no mothers.

Shrek isn't Disney.

I ran across a list of all the Disney animated movies and whether the main characters had parents. I wish I could find it again.

Originally Posted by Ryda Wong, EBfCo.

101 Dalmations had Perdita (sp?) survive. After dropping a litter of 99 BYB puppies.

Surely all the puppies aren't Perdita's ? Certainly in the book she has a large but not spectacular litter, and the rest are rescued with the puppies she gives birth too - leading to the 101. I don't know the film particularly well.

Victoria - expelled for drinking ink - J

Originally Posted by Victoria J

Surely all the puppies aren't Perdita's ? Certainly in the book she has a large but not spectacular litter, and the rest are rescued with the puppies she gives birth too - leading to the 101. I don't know the film particularly well.

Victoria - expelled for drinking ink - J

Same is true in the movie. Some of the puppies are Perdita's, but most are rescued from Cruella and adopted by the family.

[Ryda Wong, EBfCo.]

Originally Posted by para1

Don't the Shrek movies still include Fiona?

As noted, Shrek != Disney. Even if it did, I don't think that's a valid counterpoint in that Fiona is a primary charechter.

101 Dalmations had Perdita (sp?) survive. After dropping a litter of 99 BYB puppies.

And Mary Poppins, which, IMHO, is one of Disney's best films in terms of its social ethics, had a surviving mother.

Still, the trend is rather unmistakable, especially in Fairy Tale based films. Of course, the death of the mother is a trope in Fairy Tales to begin with.

[Elkhound]

Originally Posted by Ryda Wong, EBfCo.

101 Dalmations had Perdita (sp?) survive. After dropping a litter of 99 BYB puppies.

IIRC, most of the pups were the ones rescued from Cruella's fur coat project.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Elkhound

IIRC, most of the pups were the ones rescued from Cruella's fur coat project.

That's been explained at least once in the thread already.