Disney's Motherless Characters (Theory)

[Shenzi]

Something my best friend and I have discussed multiple times is how the majority of Disney characters are motherless; they either die early in the film or pre-story thus are never present. Well I found this tonight (yup Facebook again) theorizing why that is, that it's connected to a tragedy in Walt Disney's family history.

For clarification, this is only a theory! It's not necessarily truth and doesn't claim to be.

moviepilot.com/posts/2014/09/15/the-real-reason-walt-disney-killed-off-bambi-s-mom-will-break-your-heart-2272621?lt_source=external,manual

While it may be true that a lot of fairytale princesses used were motherless in their original tales, Disney didn't completely follow the tales and actually took one parent who was originally no absent; Cinderella's father in the early 1697 take 'Cendrillion' or 'The Little Glass Slipper'. So why couldn't he have chosen to include a mother who was absent in the original tale?

[jupiter23]

I can get behind the argument until it comes to the fairy tale movies. Cinderella and Snow White are mentioned in the article. As the original versions of both stories go, both of their mothers died before the events of their stories began. This facilitated their fathers remarrying, and thus putting the evil step-mother in both stories. And the evil step-mothers are essential to both plots. So I can't quite get behind the argument on that front.

[Butterscotch]

I can kind of understand why Walt Disney might have been drawn to stories about motherless characters, but the article specifically mentions Snow White, which was made before the death of Flora Disney. It also gets the date of her death wrong. She died in 1938, not the early 40's. I'm not saying two small mistakes debunk the whole theory, but it does make me take it with a grain of salt.

It is an interesting, if sad, theory though.

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[icyheart16]

I'm with Butters. Two discrepancies in their theory, but still an interesting one, nonetheless.

[Shenzi]

Nice catch.

[Briar Rose's Dark Knight]

It's an interesting idea and the fact that Don Hahn voices part of it lends it some credence. But at the same time, I believe it has more to do with the original source material from which these stories came which Hahn noted. In many cases, the Disney version has become regarded as the definitive version of the story even though Disney's versions are usually another retelling of the story.

As much as everyone talks about the Disney characters who lost their mothers, they never talk about the Disney characters who had loving relationships with their mothers who were still alive and well throughout the story. Dumbo, the Darling children, Aurora, the puppies from 101 Dalmatians, Tiana, and Rapuznel to name just a few.

It's also not that uncommon for many fictional characters to lose their mothers early in life. For instance, Peter Parker (Spider-Man), Bruce Wayne (Batman), and Luke Skywalker all lost their mothers to an early death. In fact, all 3 were orphaned and raised by someone else. So the idea is not unique to Disney films.

[Shenzi]

I'm not saying that I disagree, that the original tales from which the films are adapted played no role, in fact I believe they playe almost if not all of it.
Walt had however been known to incorporate some of his folks into his characters or possibly lack there of. He'd mixed some of his father Elias Disney into Mary Poppins' George Banks. Something he however had neglected to discuss with the fussy Mrs. Travers until the film was nearly complete. Which I kind of don't condone. It was her character.
(The film Saving Mr. Banks).