Dysfunctional Disney

It was a boring Saturday afternoon. I had decided that procrastination was my best friend that day.

Instead of doing homework, or anything constructive, I decided to do what any college student would do: watch cartoons! I had the overwhelming urge to watch Pixar’s latest hit “UP.” I had heard from coworkers, friends, etc. that this movie was great, though a little sad in the beginning. A little was a gross understatement. For me the first ten minutes or so of the movie was a complete sob fest.

I had to stop it several times to pull myself together and remind myself it was only a movie, only a cartoon (albeit extremely life-like). I almost stopped the movie altogether and started to think of what else I could waste my Saturday on. However, I sucked it up and kept watching. I hadn’t felt this way watching a Disney movie since “Bambi.”

What was it about the movie that irked me so? Loss. Death. Too much sadness. Have you ever noticed just how much sadness exists in a single Disney movie? The story lines often involve the death of a parent or two, or some overwhelming sense of loss or loneliness. Have you ever noticed that the characters – in almost any given Disney movie – are missing one or both of their parents? Why are all the main characters so ridiculously dysfunctional? Sure, it makes for a more complex and great story, but what are the little ones getting out of it? Entertainment, and I am pretty sure that’s it.

Sure, when you’re a kid you don’t care. Bambi’s mom just got murdered, but Thumper is hilarious. Mufasa is dead and Simba ran away from home, but hey! Hakuna Matata! Seriously though, are young children supposed to learn a lesson from these movies? Are these Disney movies meant to teach kids the stages of grief or what happens when your parents aren’t around? That death is a part of life? How to overcome adversity? I’m sure deep down that’s the point, but I think the concept is lost on any kids younger than seven, who probably make up Disney’s biggest audience (besides college students).

I know in my case watching these sad movies is hard because of the personal experiences I have had. Watching Bambi and Nemo lose their mothers, seeing Mufasa fall to his death at the hand of his brother, etc. – it hits too close to home for many people.

I’m not saying that Disney should start cranking out entirely happy, optimistic, “it’s so cute and positive I might vomit” movies. I don’t have a great solution for this problem because it’s the sadness that sells a movie –watching that struggle that makes the ending so much more victorious; that’s what keeps us watching. It’s not something you can cut out entirely, and I know people won’t stop watching them because of the sad factor.

I think in the future it would be nice to see some less dysfunctional characters. Children should be shown the power of family before they are shown how powerless you can be without one .