All Those Dead Disney Parents

It’s no secret that parents do not fare well in Disney films. Growing up, my Dad would often lament that Disney Dads were usually dead or absent. (He had a special hatred for Bambi’s Dad, who just...watches from afar? Is not involved in his son’s life at all after the tragic and traumatizing death of Bambi’s Mom?)

While watching the excellent new Pixar film Onward! recently (spoiler ahead), my Dad was once again disappointed by yet another Dead Dad. It got me thinking - does Disney really have more dead Dads than dead Moms? Clearly, the only way to solve this is DATA and CHARTS. (My favorites.)

Some notes on my method: I included 51 films in my research. I only included Disney animated films (hand drawn or digital), no live action. I also did not include films where the characters do not seem to have any kind of parents at all. (Sorry Cars.) Additionally, I did not include any sequels in the parental death count. If the parents are gonna be dead, it’s gonna happen in the first film.

So how did our Disney parents fare? DRUMROLL PLEASE. 

Clearly, the condition in which both parents are dead is our leading contender here. (Seriously, so many plucky orphans.) But let’s get to the truth - which parental figure has the highest death count?

It’s the Moms! Sorry Dad, but we’ve got 6 more dead or missing Moms than Dads. But I think that we can all come together on this issue and agree: Wtf Disney? Who hurt you?

Those who want to see how I arrived at these numbers can find the data here: Disney Parental Death Count

For actual insight into the prevalence of Dead Disney Moms, this article about fairy tale origins is a fascinating read.

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