Someone please explain to me why some character dies or is already dead at the beginning of every Disney movie? And why is it always either the Mother or Father? The girls recently watched The Lion King. Everyone knows that Simba's father is killed early in the movie.
Today we drove downtown to spend a little time with a friend who moved away a couple of years ago. It should have been a fun drive to Millennium Park -- instead we talked about death the entire time.
We talked about why Scar wanted to kill Mufasa. We talked about why the wildebeests trampled Mufasa We talked about why Scar wanted to kill Simba. We talked about why Scar wanted to kill the mouse and then Zazu. We talked about why Simba kills Scar. It was like a death march all the way downtown.
I tried to turn on some music to change the topic. I offered to let the girls play with the windows to get death off their minds. I even started playing with the windows. Yes, I was driving with one hand and moving the windows up and down with the other hand. What did the girls say? "Mom, stop playing with the windows. We want to talk about the Lion King."
Eventually I was able to park the car and escape the death talk, but I've been warned. They have questions about Ariel's Beginning, a movie they watched on a recent play date. I haven't seen it, but I understand the movie explains how the Little Mermaid's Mother dies. Sigh...
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More often than not Disney = Death of the Mother character. I actually know someone who won't let her kids watch any Disney films because of the lack of mother characters and step-mom sterotypes. I fast forward through the part in Bambi where the Mom gets shot and the beginning of Nemo when the Mom disappears. Missing Moms... The Little Mermaid, Bambi, Nemo, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Beauty and the Beast,etc... the list goes on and on and on.
Sleeping Beauty is one of the rare Disney characters that had two parents, but she was shipped off to be raised by the three fairies to protect her from the witch. (I only know this because I just bought the DVD and watched it yesterday.) But then the prince kills the witch, so yeah... death. Oy.
Oh, don't forget Dumbo's missing mom. People mock her kid, she puts a beat-down on them, and they put her in elephant prison. The scene where she rocks Dumbo with her trunk through the bars of the jail and sings "Baby Mine"? Oh my lord, big heaving sobs every time I see it.
Sorry about the death talk with your girls. I can see why they're fascinated if this was their first exposure to death, and why it would be sort of distressing for you to have to try to figure out a way to explain the whole concept of death on a four year-old's level. I'm not envious at all, but I know my time is coming soon.
I have often wondered myself what the deal is with Disney and the requirement for at least one deceased parent in every movie.
Although it is an unpleasant topic, I think it is an important one. It is probably easier to help them work out understanding what this death thing is all about over a Disney movie, than opposed to having to explain it after the death of a family member or friend while at the same time trying to deal with your own grief.
Having kids is never dull.
Yes, I've wondered the same thing! In every Disney movie I can think of, somebody dies, someone who the main character loves dearly. It might be a pet, but usually its a parent. Even Nemo's mother was dead, all of his siblings were dead, and his father had OCD issues because of his whole family having died! I can't remember if Dumbo was an orphan... but his mother was in jail for at least part of the movie, right? ANd Pollyanna... poor Pollyanna was an orphan, and then she disobeyed her aunt, fell out of a tree and became paralyzed... and thats how the movie ended! Whats UP with that?????
Oh I just laughed and laughed as I read this. Your kids should come over and talk with Isabel; Disney death is one of her favorite topics lately. She does the exact same thing: talk about it until I want to wish I was deaf...or that they were mute. lol
I watched Ariel's Beginning with Isabel recently and yes, it does talk about how Ariel's mom died.
The upside to all this death talk, I'm hoping, is that she will be somewhat better prepared when someone in our lives dies, since we've talked about it so thoroughly.
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