The Cliches of Disney Dads

We've discussed the scarcity of Disney mothers a few times, since they are almost always dead before the story even begins. That's because mothers don't normally allow their children to go on dangerous adventures alone, and we don't want to see Mom's heart break when they do. Today is Fathers Day, so what about Disney fathers? The House of Mouse has its own pigeonhole for the dads who remain in our heroes' lives. They are often flawed in their mission to protect their children. They mean well, but they hold on too tightly, ensuring a rebellion that leads to trouble.       

Then you have - to name a few - Bambi’s dad’s austere distance, Triton being borderline racist against humanity, the Sultan fussing over his daughter’s marriage, Moana’s father refusing to let her leave the island - all of these things based on overprotectiveness and a position of command. A lot of Disney dads are essentially the King of Swamp Castle from Monty Python And The Holy Grail, and their offspring Prince Erbert, except that Disney’s own personal idiom is to have both characters go on emotional journeys - the father comes to terms with his loss and overprotective nature, the child gets to see the world but also understand their father’s point of view.

There are more specific examples, which lead us to see how very similar Disney dads are, at Den of Geek.


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