I'm going to Disney World!

I, like many children across the world, grew up with Disney movies. I was so obsessed with Aladdin while growing up that I had every toy and accessory related to it. I even had the Jasmine costume which I wore constantly. What can I say? I was three years old and it was my first real obsession. Hello early signs of OCD.

Now that I'm older, I still like the Disney classics. I watch Aladdin all the time, and it's not just because I watch it with my little cousins. I would of my own free will as well. However, being older, I have noticed something about Disney films - the old and the new. A running theme of sorts.

There is always either a. a missing parent or parents or b. the parent(s) are unloving or oblivious to what the main character wants or needs. Concerning this first observation, the fear of losing a parent is one of the most common fears in children. Loss of a parent is the biggest stress causing factor in young children today. (Crase, Darrell & Crase, Dixie R.) Also, we all know from experience how important it is to feel accepted by your parents.

Is Disney trying to scare little kids? I don't really think so. As a child, I never really took notice that Aladdin had no family. Adults were still a mystery to me and if I didn't seem my gram often, I'd think that my parents materalized out of thin air. (Because babies were bought at the baby store, duh.) I wasn't all hung up over the fact that the sultan didn't seem to take into consideration that Jasmine didn't want to get married. I like to think I was mature enough to realize that people would disagree on points, but I'm sure it was more so I just wanted the plot to move along so I could get to the songs.

I think that this running theme is just a way of connecting children to these film's. They feel for Simba because his father died when he was young and therefore grew up without father figure. They feel for Pinocchio who has no family and has never known one until Geppetto adopts him. I firmly believe that the best movie characters are the ones who are realistic and that the audience can relate to. If you cannot relate to a character, how can you buy into the world the film maker is creating?