Photo: © disney.co.uk
Two explanations for motherless Disney characters
Bambi, Pocahontas, Arielle, Aladdin - like most Disney characters, they have no mother. But why is it like that? Disney film producer Don Hahn knows the answer.
It's one of the saddest movie scenes of all: Bambi and his mother are grazing peacefully on an otherwise snow-covered meadow. Suddenly, the deer mother realizes something is wrong. She and her fawn are fleeing as fast as possible. The shots of the hunter are already heard. Bambi runs ahead. They almost made it, but then another shot is heard and this time he has not missed his target. Bambi's mother dies and we were so moved by the misfortune that it was hard for us to hold back the tears.
Bambi's fate is not uncommon in Disney movies. Most characters have no mother or died early. So far, we were not aware of that, but once you think about it, you quickly realize that it's true. Pocahontas is the daughter of Indian chief Powhatan, but a mother does not have her. Arielle, daughter of King Triton, also has many sisters, but no mother. Then there's Aladdin, the street boy who becomes a prince. He too has no mother. That begs the question: why is that?
Disney film producer Don Hahn has two possible explanations for this. "The movies are only 80 or 90 minutes long and Disney movies are mostly about growing up. It's about the one day in life when you have to take responsibility. [...] You can make characters grow up much faster if you strip them from their parents. Bambi's mother is killed, so he has to grow up, " explains Don Hahn in an interview with the magazine" Glamor ".
Don Hahn has worked on many Disney films, including The Beauty and the Beast and The Lion King. So the filmmaker has been exploring Walt Disney's work for a long time and has another reason for the motherless characters: "Walt Disney asked some studio workers to fix the fire in his parents' house. But when his mother and father moved in, the fireplace still had a leak, "says Hahn. The housekeeper came the next day and pulled his mother and father out of the house onto the lawn. His father was not feeling well and he came to the hospital. But his mother died. "
Walt Disney never talked about his mother's death. But one suspects that he felt responsible for her death. Therefore, according to Hahn, there is the possibility that this is the reason why many Disney characters had to do without a mother. A really sad story!
