The discussion around Disney's dark relationship with parents has been a topic of conversation for years. It's been said that Walt Disney believed he was the reason for his mother's death after she died from asphyxiation in the new home that he bought her. If he never bought her that home, perhaps she wouldn't have passed away. After the death of his mother, it has been an on-going theme that animated Disney characters have one parent, no parents, or distant parents. It's not often that a character gets the perfect family.
Even the parents that had a part in their child's lives were incredibly flawed. They either let their worries get the best of them, were overbearing, or simply ignored their children because of stressors in their lives.
King Triton Destroyed His Daughter's Hobby Out Of Anger
As a single father and a king in The Little Mermaid, King Triton had a lot on his plate. This is why he had his trusty companion Sebastian keep an eye on his most energetic child, Ariel. King Triton loved Ariel and saw great promise in her but her passion for life on land overruled her love of the ocean.
Once King Triton found out that Ariel had a passion for collecting things from humans, his anger got the best of him and he destroyed the things she loved. He essentially tried to scare her into conforming to his rules. Sadly for him, his actions had the opposite effect. His outburst led her to a deadly contract with the Sea Witch and a life on land.
Mother Gothel Literally Stole Rapunzel And Acted As Her Mother
Mother Gothel isn't Rapunzel's biological mother but she acted as her mom until the moment Rapunzel found out she was abducted at the hands of a psychopath. Rapunzel was born a princess but once Mother Gothel heard about the princess's magical hair, she kidnapped the child so that she could be young forever.
Mother Gothel kept Rapunzel in her tower for her entire life. It wasn't until Rapunzel turned 16 that she felt grass for the first time and got to explore nature. It was on Rapunzel's adventure that she realized what Mother Gothel did and who she really was.
Lady Tremaine Turned Her Step-Daughter Into A Slave
Lady Tremaine is a con-artist in Cinderella. She acted as this loving mother and doting wife when she married Cinderella's father but once he died, Lady Tremaine flipped a switch. She became vindictive, abusive, and cruel, turning her step-daughter into the family slave. She forced Cinderella to cater to her and her daughters, Drizella and Anastasia.
Cinderella was very bright and beautiful but led a sad life behind closed doors due to her step-mother's oppression. Cinderella getting her happy ending was Lady Tremaine's biggest fear.
King Agnarr and Queen Iduna Shouldn't Have Isolated Elsa
This may be controversial to diehard Frozen fans, but King Agnarr and Queen Iduna were not perfect parents. When Elsa was born with these magical powers, her parents made decisions that they thought were in Elsa's best interest, though they ultimately backfired.
Because Elsa didn't know how to control her powers, Agnarr and Iduna sheltered her from not only the world but her sister, Anna. Elsa's ability to freeze things was a big part of their childhood. Anna and Elsa had some of their best moments together because of her powers. Separating the two put a strain on their relationship. It also ruined Elsa's ability to be around people. "Conceal, don’t feel" made Elsa ignore her true feelings and led her to a secluded life.
Fa Li Pushed Mulan To Be Someone She Wasn't
To be fair to Fa Li, Mulan took place centuries ago. This meant that times were different for women in China. There was a standard to uphold and Fa Li wanted Mulan to act like her female peers to avoid trouble. Mulan, however, had other plans.
She never felt like she fit in with the other women. When her mother was dressing her up and giving her lessons on manners, Mulan didn't feel like herself. It wasn't until Mulan failed the tests that she felt like a failure to the family. And when Mulan tried to save her father from going to war, her father told her she embarrassed the family yet again. If Mulan conformed as her mother wanted, she wouldn't have saved China.
Did Marlin Push Nemo Away?
Marlin's biggest fault as a parent is caring too much. After the death of his wife and other children, Nemo was all Marlin had. He was terrified of losing his son, so he separated him from anything dangerous and warned him about the dangers around him.
Marlin essentially wanted Nemo to live in fear so he would live a long life. But Nemo was just a kid. He longed to go to school and play with his friends. It was because of Marlin's overbearing nature that Nemo "touched the butt" and was taken. It forced Nemo to lash out and land himself in even bigger trouble.
Mr. La Bouff Spoiled His Daughter Rotten
Charlotte was Tiana's best friend in The Princess and the Frog. The two grew up in completely different worlds but were brought together through their parents. And as different as these women were, they learned from one another and helped each other in their own way.
Tiana's parents are held in high regard in the Disney community. They were hardworking and dedicated to raising Tiana the best they could. Charlotte, on the other hand, was raised in a privileged household with a very wealthy father, Mr. La Bouff. Unlike Tiana, who had to work for everything she had, Charlotte's dad threw money at her whenever she "needed" something. Charlotte never had to work a day in her life and it made her spoiled and self-righteous.
Aurora's Parents Banned Her For 16 Years To The Woods
Sleeping Beauty is one of the most beloved fairy tales of all time. When Princess Aurora was born, Maleficent set a curse for her to die on her 16th birthday as a result of a feud with Aurora's parents, the king and queen.
According to the couple, the only way for Aurora to live was to send her away to a cottage in the middle of the woods with three fairy godparents... Aurora went 16 years of her life not knowing who she was, who her parents were, why she lived with three women, and without any friends. The first person Aurora met was a random man in the middle of the woods. While it worked out in the end, this could have ended horribly.
Abuelita Prohibits Miguel From Following His Passion
Coco's Miguel is an inspiring musician who has real talent. He can sing, dance, play the guitar — he's a triple threat! The only problem is that his family has a true disdain for music and refuses to let Miguel live his passion.
This leads Miguel down a rabbit hole of poor decisions while trying to uncover the truth. His grandmother is the one who most strictly enforced a mundane life upon Miguel because his great, great-grandfather chose his life as a musician over his family. While family is important, did Abuelita have to ban music as a whole because of something that happened so many years ago?
Bob Parr Ignores The Present For The Past
Bob Parr is a superhero in The Incredibles who is leading a suppressed life because of a relocation program that was implemented to hide superheroes. However, instead of taking the relocation in stride (after all, his wife and children had to do the same thing he did), he took his anger and frustration out on his family.
Rather than being present and the superhero his family needed, Bob was moody and distanced himself from his kids and wife. Sure, he came around eventually, but he was a lousy father before getting his behind in gear.