How many Disney movies can you think of where a character's mom is present? The reason they're absent actually makes a lot of sense.
This Is Why You Rarely See Moms in Disney Movies
No doubt that recent Snow White live-action remake took a few creative liberties. But one notable plot point from the 1937 original animated film remained: Our heroine’s mother was jettisoned within the first few minutes. Mom was also MIA in Beauty and The Beast. And Aladdin. And Cinderella. And The Jungle Book. And Pinocchio. And two dozen more Disney classics. So in the name of Bambi’s mama (RIP), why are there no moms in Disney movies?
Many people speculate that the lack of mothers in Disney movies has to do with the tragic fate of Walt Disney’s own mother. Flora Disney died in the early 1940s, shortly after she and her husband moved into a house their son Walt bought them following the success of his early films. There was a furnace leak that was never fixed (despite Walt sending people over from the studio to repair it), and both Walt’s parents became ill. Sadly, his mom ended up dying from effects of the leak and never did see her son’s amazing success or many of his iconic Disney characters. Disney experts (and some arm-chair therapists) have theorized that Walt channeled his grief and guilt over his mother’s death into his subsequent films.
However, many of his movies before his mom’s death featured missing maternal figures as well. Many Disney movies are also based on century-old fairy tales where the mother just wasn’t present. Maleficent executive producer Don Hahn has said the missing mother tactic is a way to address themes like growing up and maturing in the short time frame of the movie. Indeed, many movies made long after Walt’s death—like The Lion King, Finding Nemo and Frozen—feature main characters who lose parents and have to step up because of it.
Still, moms in Disney movies are making a comeback. Films like Brave, Moana and Inside Out (plus its 2024 sequel) all focus on female heroines raised by visibly strong mothers. Other mother characters have emerged as vitally important in such Pixar hits as Coco (2017) and Turning Red (2022), plus the Disney hit Encanto (2017). And remember the eight-minute 2018 Oscar-winning short Bao? It was the mom who wept … because her daughter was growing up and leaving the nest.
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Sources:
- Glamour: “Why Most Disney Heroines Don’t Have Mothers and So Many More Secrets From the Disney Archives”
- Mental Floss: “27 Motherless Disney Characters”
- Washington Post: “Moms Often Disappeared in Animated Disney Movies. Now They’re Increasingly Front and Center”
