I have always heard a rumor about Walt Disney. It has been said that the reason that most of the Disney movies do not show the mother, is because after the success of Sleeping Beauty, Walt Disney purchased his mother a house. The furnace at some point exploded and killed his mother, and he always blamed himself. Is this true, or just another work of fiction?His mother’s death may have been the most shattering moment of Walt Disney’s life. Though he seldom exhibited emotion outside the studio, he was inconsolable — a misery deepened no doubt by the fact that she had died in the new home Walt had given her, and by the culpability of his own workmen. (A report on the furnace ordered by Roy determined that the “installation of the furnace showed either a complete lack of knowledge of the requirements of the furnace or a flagrant disregard of these conditions if they were known.”) In the following months [Walt and Roy] regularly visited their mother’s grave site, but Walt never spoke of her death to anyone thereafter. When, years later, [One of Walt’s (adopted) daughter] Sharon asked him where her grandparents were buried, Walt snapped, “I don’t want to talk about it.”
I am so sick of hearing the “Urban Legend” that Disney killed off the moms in the movies because Walt felt responsible for his own mom’s death. First of all, the motherless pattern was well established BEFORE the death of Flora, his mom, who died in 1938 with Snow White already out and Bambi and Pinocchio the making. Most of the stories available for Walt Disney and his company to adapted had parentless children except in some cases for a stepmother (Snow White, Cinderella) or an animal subsiute (Tarzan and Jungle Book). In the time the fairy tales were first told, children were mostly motherless since they (the moms) usually died of childbirth/illness I mean whats the point of a coming-of-age-story if the REAL mom was actually there? There WOULD be no story.
Peter Pan‘s Lost Boys AREN’T orphans just because they “don’t remember” their moms doesn’t mean they are orphans. Since according to the real Peter Pan the Lost Boys fell out of their prams and when no one claimed them they were sent off to Neverland. As for Peter Pan himself? He ran away from home. You guys remember Mary Poppins? How often did Jane and Michel see their parents? Only for a short time in the morning and night. The rest of the time they’re with a Nanny. Oh and according to Peter Pan Wendy, John and Michael Darling did start forgetting their parents.. but in the first place..like I said before..if you grew up only seeing your parents and spending time with only employed help (Katie Nanny) you probably wouldn’t remember your parents either.
In the original J.M. Barrie Peter Pan, Mr. and Mrs. Darling adopts them–the “lost boys”. Techinally the whole plot of Peter Pan (which was actually called oringally Peter Pan and Wendy) is about moms in the first place.
Alice in Wonderland: Alice doesn’t HAVE A STEP-MOM-where in the world do people get that idea? She has a SISTER who’s the only other character seen at the start/ending of the movie/book!!! But in the books I think she has mom (but who isn’t seen–if I remember correctly all of the animals in Wonderland (after the tear sequence) is suppose to represent people who were on the outing and one was the REAL Alice’ mom.
Sword in the Stone (spoiler) the so-called FATHER, Sir Ector, in this movie is a FOSTER father, NOT his birth-father. Merlin took Arthur as a baby to Sir Ector’s place. So not related. (Arthur’s REAL dad is the king who died).
Dumbo HIS mom DOES NOT DIE!!! She is alive at the END of the movie.
Chronicles of Narnia: The kids DO have a mother. She’s right there at the beginning of the silly movie!!! But like Peter Pan the action takes place away from home.
The Lion King: Simba has a mother WHO DOES NOT DIE–Sarbi. We see Sarbi in 3-4 sequences: opening, “Your son wants you” sequence, the “bath” sequence, and when Scar calls her.
Sleeping Beauty–Auroa DOES have a mother but she grows up in a household of what she believes are AUNTS but in reality are fairies.
Cinderella–well it depends on what version your read (the Egyptian story the Cinderella character was an orphan and didn’t even have a step-mom/sisters but instead fellow slaves who taunted her because she was “fair-skin” slave from Greece). Another version has a step-mom but the dad is too enchanted by her that he doesn’t noticed how his daughter is being treated.
In short I think people have way too much time on there hands for both this and the racism and any goofs in such movies.
In connection with the above topic think about how many superheros been orphaned?
Superman
Batman
Spider-man (2x)
Lets take a look at some other non-fairytales:
Wizard of Oz (orphan, raised by extend family)
Oliver Twist (orphan until meets his grandpa) and other Charles Dickens novels except for Nicholas Nickerby
STAR WARS (main characters orphans)
A Series Of Unfortunate Events (main characters-orphans+many others)
Lord of the Rings
and how could we forgot this series?:
HARRY POTTER!!
Could you imagine ANY of these stories with a mom?
OK take Ron’s mom in the 7th book constantly breathing down the trio’s necks until the wedding got crashed. That’s what all these stories would be like which would equal=no story.
Since if a mom was there for Belle, she would have gone with the dad and the dad would have never gotten lost. If Ariel had a mom she probably wouldn’t be forbidden to go to the surface (guessing) . There would be no CINDERELLA since she gets her name from doing jobs and sleeping beside the Cinders of the fireplace, if her mom was there (or father in the gender-reversed version). Nor would there be Snow White if the mom was living. Not to mention that all 3 of these people would have to have an arranged marriage if the parent(s) were still living.
There would be no PETER PAN if he had stayed with his family (and maybe no Lost Boys either?).Dorthy would never have been blown away by a Tornado if she been living with parents (guessing-we don’t know where her parents live originally). Superman would still be living on Krypton if his parents were alive hence no “A bird, no a plane, its SUPERMAN!!!” Spider man’s aunt&uncle wouldn’t have been killed if he had been living with his parents. If Oliver even HAD a mom 1) he wouldn’t have run away and fall into the Fagin’s/the Artful Doger’s gang. and 3) nothing would have ever been done with the Poor Law and the “poor houses” of the 1800s. There would be no Jungle Book or Tarzan if the Mowgli&Tarzan’s parents had lived.
Tom Canty in the verisons of the Prince and the Pauper (I read/heard–((Wishbone)) .) he isn’t an orphan. Edward is a half-orphan though. His mom died when he was just a day old.]
Would you rather have you kids watch Cinderella’s step-sisters cutting off parts of their feet to fool the prince and then later get blinded by Cinderella’s bird friends? Watch Snow White’s step-mother fail TWICE in trying to make her (Snow White) dead or watch the step-mother dance around in hot-iron shoes till (the Queen)’dead? (Just be glad in Disney’s version that Snow White is 14-in the original she’s seven). Would you rather watch Pinocchio hanged (at the end) and Jimmy Cricket squashed within first 10 mins of the movie? Lion King since its based on Hamlet, would you want everyone to die in that movie?
If you have a big deal about it . Go make a time machine and go talk to the authors of the fairytales (who just adapted it from their homeland(s). Than if you surive those times without getting married again. Come back in 20 years.
Celoptra's Blog 