Family Stereotypes In Cartoons: Part I

As a continuation of the meanings and messages impressed upon children through cartoons, I would like to add another dimension to the debate.  As we have seen, through cartoons children are given both intentional and unintentional messages about racial stereotypes, violence, and even political attitudes during times of war. In addition, I believe that children are exposed to influential messages regarding   gender and family roles.  Specifically, there is a pattern of gender stereotypes in the popular Disney movies of my childhood in the 1980s and 1990s. 

When I reminisce about the Disney classics, I think of Aladdin, The Little Mermaid, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, Bambi, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, and quite a few others.  It is hard to find a child who has not seen at least one or more of these movies, which both their continued sales and popularity suggests that they have been popular forms of entertainment for kids for years.  These movies seem to send safe messages about the triumph of good over evil, the importance of love and friendship, and the inspiration of the classic happily ever after.  But what other messages and patterns are hidden in the mix?

It was not until recently that I noticed a disturbing trend in the family dynamic of the Disney cartoon movies.  In the majority of these movies, the mother figures of the protagonists are either evil, powerless, dead, or missing from the storyline entirely.  Do you remember the mother figures of any of the following princess movies: The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Sleeping Beauty, or Beauty and the Beast? If the answer is no, then you are not alone.  The mothers in all of these movies are missing, most of which died before the story is presented to the viewing audience.  


Disney does diversify and include a stepmother in Cinderella, but what impression do we get from her? Cinderella’s stepmother is portrayed as the antagonist of the story, and essentially is the reason Cinderella lives as a servant in her family’s home. Divorce and a changing family dynamic have become more common in recent years, so what message does this portrayal send to a child who has a stepmother? 

Furthermore, it seems that the dominating pattern is these films is that the female protagonist, left without a mother, is encouraged to find solace in a father figure, or other male figure that normally takes the form of a prince.  For example, Ariel from The Little Mermaid chooses to temporarily abandon her mermaid fins for human legs after seeing Prince Eric on shore.  After falling in love with him, Ariel fears for her father's judgment, which emphasizes the dominating power of her father's opinion.

Another outstanding example of the father figure's power and mother's absent influence can also come from another popular Disney film with a male protagonist, The Lion King.  In the movie, Simba is to be the successor to his parents, Mufasa and Simba's mother, whose name I ironically cannot remember....I wonder why? When Mufasa dies, Simba is banned from the kingdom.  After which point, Simba's Uncle Scar takes over.  But what about his mother, isn't she still alive? Doesn't she have any influence? If Simba's forgettable mother had died in place of Mufasa, I doubt the plot would have unfolded the way it did.  The message this is sending to the viewer is that only Mufasa's death was relevant and Simba's mother was incapable to do anything about Scar taking control of the kingdom.  It was only after Simba's return to the kingdom that Scar was upseated as the King.

Luckily, Disney seems to be departing to some extent from the Disney model of family stereotypes.  In the newer Princess and the Frog and Tangled, the mother figures aren't dead! Nevertheless, the influence of these classics, which are continuously re-released from the Disney Vault, are still powerful in the messages they send to young viewers.

~Lindsey