Sunday, May 13, 2012

Disney Mothers

Disney animated films have a lot of missing mothers (Little Mermaid, Beauty & the Beast, Aladdin, for example), and also many evil stepmothers (Tangled, Cinderella, Snow White). Why? I do not know.  I'm sure someone more intelligent and thoughtful than me has a theory. If you've got one please feel free to leave it in the comments! (I've already said some stuff about orphans, a related subject.)

But, since it is Mother's Day, I thought it would be appropriate to supply you with a list of Disney mothers that are present (for at least part of the story) and who demonstrate an immeasurable kind of love, a mother's love.

Mrs. Jumbo: She gets locked up in the "crazy" cage simply for trying to protect her son Dumbo. "Baby Mine" is by far the most memorable mother/child moment in any Disney movie.



Bambi's mother: Here's another example of a mother who gives her life to protect her child. We never see it on screen, but her death has a remarkable impact on viewers of the film.


Fairy Godmother: She's not an actual mother, but she is kind, warm and caring in all the ways Cinderella's stepmother is not. While her bibbidee bobbidee magic is helpful, it's her gentle, loving nature that makes us love her.

Perdita: Anyone who gives birth to fifteen puppies at once deserves to be on a list like this! Not to mention the lengths she goes to in order to rescue her lost puppies. I'm assuming she also adopts the others that come to live with them in the end, totaling 101 children in all. Wow.

Sarabi: Showing great strength after losing both her husband and son on the same day, she does her best to lead the lionesses under Scar's evil regime, and stands beside Simba when he returns to challenge his uncle.

Quasimodo's mother: She's only on screen for the opening song, but her sacrificial love for her deformed child leaves a lasting impression.

Fa Li & Grandma Fa: The only example of multiple generations of mothers, these women deeply care about Mulan, even if they're unsure about how to handle her. Grandma Fa steals the show, proving that old traditional Chinese mothers can be quite funny.

Kala: Perhaps Disney's most well-developed mother character, we see in her a courageous resolve as she adopts Tarzan after losing her own child. She helps him to understand that he belongs, no matter what anyone else says or where life takes him.


Who would you want for your mother? Vote in the poll.

Have a Disnerd Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!





4 comments:

  1. Nice List! I think I would have to add Chicha, from Emperor's New Groove. Not only is she the only pregnant mother we see, she also has a great relationship with her two older kids and with her husband. She also knows how to deal with unwanted guests.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. good addition! you may notice that the movies from 2000-2009 get very little attention from me because i haven't seen most of them in a long long time. :)

      Delete
  2. Grandmother Fa's comment at the end of the movie is one of my favorites. My kids know I will always laugh after reading it or hearing it in the movie. "Will you like to stay forever?"

    ReplyDelete
  3. Mothers often die or are missing from Disney movies because Walt didn't feel close and his mother as a child and she also died when he was quite young. Never fully recovering after her death, he made mom scenes short or non-exsitent. After Walt died, workers honored his wish to not have mothers. From one disnerd to another, I hope it helps you understand! I love your blog!

    ReplyDelete