‘Yes, I was really upset when they stopped drawing the deer’ – Chandler Bing

My previous post got me thinking, just how many times has Walt Disney killed off someone's parents? So here is my fun list of cartooniside.

1. Let's start with the obvious...Bambi's mother. Widely believed to be the ultimate in Disney deaths and responsible for sobbing children the world over.

2. Mufasa. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he was the first Disney character to die onscreen. Yet it is Simba's discovery of the body and futile pleads for his father to wake up, that make it so overwhelming .

3. Snow White's mother I presume. Hence the evil step mother.

4. Penny from The Rescuers. The song ‘Someone’s waiting for you’ is actually incredibly sad. Again, see previous post.

5. Oliver and Company. An animated version of possibly the most famous story ever written about an orphan. Featuring a dog in the title role.

6. Quasimodo from the Hunchback of Notre Dame. A film which sees his mother, cradling her infant son and begging for sanctuary, murdered on the church steps.

7. Aladdin. Well, according to lyrics heard in the film, ‘I'd blame parents except he hasn't got 'em’.


Now that I have covered death (if I have forgotten any I have probably blocked them out due the trauma of it all), I shall move on to less fatal yet similarly upsetting situations.

8. Toy Story sees the ideas of replacement and possibly one of the most terrifying thoughts to ever cross a young mind, being separated from your parents in a strange place. This stuck in my mind so firmly that I lived in fear of leaving my toys behind. They would have been so scared! And not only that, but the impact that this story has on people, will leave you with a sense of shame should you ever put your toys in the attic, or worse still, a yard sale. And quite rightly so. Shame on you.

9. Dumbo. Despite Bambi generally regarded as holding the title of saddest Disney moment, I've always found the scene in which Dumbo’s mother gently rocks him in her trunk, through the bars of her cage, the most heartbreaking Disney scene ever portrayed.

10. The Jungle Book’s Mowgli. As in Toy Story this again explores the theme of separation, however being extremely young when it happens, he retains no memory of his parents, and for this reason I find it a little less emotionally effective.  

11. The aristocats. Again, separated from their owner.

12. Despite the title, we only follow the story of Pongo and Perdita’s litter of 15 dalmatians being kidnapped. And the idea of skinning them to make a coat is actually more horrific now that I think about all these years later. I mean really, that’s just sickening, even if you do have the (I’ll admit, rather brilliant) name of Cruella De Vil.

13. Hercules. See number 10. But Hades was cool.  

14. Tarzan. See number 13. Minus Hades.

15. Monsters Inc.’s Boo. A close second to Toy Story in the separation stakes. And basing a kids film around the idea of monsters in the closet; relatable, suspenseful, genius.

16. Nemo. Okay, this may well be a contender for joint second with Monsters Inc. While the likes of Toy Story and Monsters Inc. see it from the missing person’s point of view, Finding Nemo is told almost more through the worried parent’s eyes. Very effective story telling.

17. The Incredibles sees their youngest son Jack-Jack kidnapped by their arch nemesis. However, this tiny super can set himself on fire. So it’s fairly safe to say Syndrome comes away worse for wear. Well, until he’s chewed up by an aeroplane engine a few seconds later.

18. Ratatouille’s Remy. Once again, separation. But he is soon rescued by a young waiter, so our lost rodent ends up about as happy as a rat in a restaurant.

19. UP, tells the story of the elderly Carl Fredricksen. The opening ten minute were said to have critics around the world bawling. While the nature of the events taking place in this opening sequence may possibly be lost on the younger members of the audience, there are also some scary dogs. A sometimes overlooked aspect of this story is the revelation that Mr Fredricksen’s boyhood hero isn’t the idol he imagined. Again, not exactly scary for the kiddies, but a rather universally felt theme.

20. Peter Pan and the Lost Boys. Part of the three way contest for my favourite ever Disney film, along with The Lion King and Toy Story. Barrie’s timeless tale of childhood becomes more pertinent with every passing year. Again, not an obviously fearsome story, but one which I find myself dwelling on more and more, and which leaves me feeling increasingly melancholy as I grow older.

So, from brutal homicides to subtle sadness, there is no doubting that Walt Disney is the master of emotion.