So I've had this conversation with family and friends many times. Not sure what exactly the reasoning is behind it all, and not sure if I really WANT to know but...
Ever notice its really rare for a main character in a Disney movie to have a full set of parents?
Seriously!
It's a great time killer for a long road trip. It's a great trivia question. It's a great ice-breaker...well, either they will get into it, or think you're a freak and leave, and REALLY, if they DON'T care if Nemo's gonna turn out to be a well-rounded clownfish, WHO NEEDS 'EM ANYWAYS?
There's even a topic about it on the Snopes.com Urban Legend forum (but they won't let me play - wonder if they heard about my hellraising in the PETA forums?)
It's a bit morbid. It's a bit weird. But...let's play.
Right off the top of my head, and I'm sure maybe somebody can correct me on this, but there's only a few main characters I can think of with a full set of parents. For one, the dalmation pups. Perdy and Pongo managed to escape the Disney Parental Chopping Block, which will here-on-out be referred to as the DPC. Also, Dash, Violet, and Jack Jack Parr of the Incredibles, though it looked iffy SEVERAL times, survived the DPC. And yes, Mousketeers, I'm counting sequels here - Kiara, daughter of Simba and Nala, made it through Lion King II with her mommy and daddy still there when the credits rolled.
Mulan, sure, she had her mom, her dad, and her grandmother...but Shang, bless his little sword swinging, horse-riding, no-equality loving heart, unfortunately lost his dad in battle.
And Nemo, since I've already brought him up, lost not only his mom, but about 293 siblings within the first five minutes.
Cinderella? Both parents. Left with the almighty powerful Lady Tremaine. *puts hand on heart*
Snow White? Same. Take away Tremaine and step-sisters, add Queen and Magic Mirror.
Aurora was lucky enough to have both parents in Sleeping Beauty, but where was Prince Phillip's mom? (I'm still bitter over the whole murdering the dragon thing so REALLY who cares about him anyway...)
Belle? No mom.
Jasmine? No mom..uh..queen..uh..Sultana..uh..what's the term here? And Aladdin was parentless, for that matter, as was mentioned in a song.
Tarzan? Unless you count the monkeys, he strikes out.
Simba? We started out with flying colors, but Mufasa went to the great Animal Kingdom in the sky midway through. Fortunately, as stated above, unless there's a Lion King IV: Ed's Revenge, Kiara was more fortunate than her dad.
Bambi..sniff...do we have to go there?
Koda..gawd, wasn't Brother Bear a bloodbath? Cute little Koda lost his mom in the movie...heck, there's not even a mention of the parents of Kenai, Denahi, and the late Sitka.
Lilo? Nope. Not immune to the DPC.
Ariel? King o' the Sea for a dad, but no mom-maid to speak of.
Shall we go on?
Pull up your doombuggy and help me out here. I think we may have discovered exactly WHO the 999 grim grinning ghosts are in the Haunted Mansion....
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7 comments:
That is so true.
Love your writing!
Love the writing and it has been a passing thought on occasion as to "Where are the parents??"
LOVE IT.. I hadn't even thought about it.. I know that Aurora had both parents.. But you are right you never see Philips mom in the movie.. And don't be bitter about the dragon.. It's all good.. LOL.. I can't wait to hear about the 999 haunts that has become one of my favorite rides ever
Too funny! Wonderful writing and great ideas!
I love your blog! Funny because these two topics are also topics that I have brought up from time to time among my Disney people.
Where is the little boy's mom in Toy Story?
Poor Boo in Monsters, Inc? Don't her parents ever notice she's missing? The time span lasts more than a day.
Dinosaur? Death and destruction through the WHOLE movie! To the point where I questioned its appropriateness for kids!
But...have no fear! There are at least two more shining examples of the happy family - The Darlings from Peter Pan and both of Hercules sets of parents - real and adoptive!
I really enjoyed your writing. I never really thought about it.
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