Disney films are known for their colorful characters that immediately capture the attention of viewers, especially children. Disney movies also use dark imagery or somber musical tones to emphasize spooky scenarios, like the sharks hunting Marlin in Finding Nemo or Maleficient's lair in Sleeping Beauty. However, Disney has also been known to deal with truly scary topics like death, illness, or abandonment, concepts that are equally difficult and important to tackle for children.
Portraying the death of a family member in a children's movie is obviously different than a dramatic film made for adults. Serious topics must be shown in a way that children will understand the topic while not being too frightened or saddened by it. It's a tricky tightrope to walk, but Disney has been walking it since the beginning. There's a reason why we're still traumatized by Bambi's mother's death or heartbroken over Mufasa. There's also a reason why death in Disney still manages to choke us up as adults, even if we are watching the movie for the first time.
From The Lion King to Big Hero 6, Disney is no stranger to using death and grief as main vehicles of moving the plot forward. But to effectively write about these topics for a dual audience of children and adults, Disney has to use storytelling techniques to set the right tone for the piece, and depending on the plot and character, these techniques change. Death is much more common in Disney films than we may originally think, but I've noted four movies that deal with death and grief particularly well, all in unique ways. In this post, I'll talk about two movies from Disney's studio, but stay tuned for Monday's post which will discuss two movies from Pixar's studios.
The Lion King
Many Disney films feature dead or absent parents, but the death usually takes place before the story's timeline. Mufasa's death is remembered by millennials or Gen X'ers—those who grew up watching The Lion King—because it's a deviation from the normal Disney death. Even films like Bambi or The Fox and the Hound don't show the death on screen.
So why does The Lion King? And how does the film accomplish portraying a dark scene for an audience of children? Contrary to earlier films with deaths, The Lion King's plot relies a lot on Mufasa's death. Bambi and The Fox and the Hound have a plot that is affected by the death of a mother, but The Lion King's death of Mufasa drives the plot. The deaths of Bambi's and Tod's mother are inciting incidents for the story, but Mufasa's death affects every aspect of the plot: the conflict, the characters, even the setting. Simba runs away and doesn't return home, leading to Scar's tyrannical rule and destruction of the Pride Lands, because he thinks he is responsible for his dad's death. Not showing Mufasa's death would create gaps in the plot and characterization. If we don't see Simba trying to wake up Mufasa, we don't understand just how much his dad's death will affect him. It's especially important, then, that we see Simba and Mufasa's relationship early on in the film because it magnifies the grief and emotions.
Mufasa's death isn't just one of the saddest in Disney movies; it's one of the saddest in any movie. Take a look at Simba trying to wake his father up and you'll see why.
Photo retrieved from "The Power of Death in Stories."
In films aimed at adults, showing death on screen isn't a taboo topic; for kids, however, it's a difficult tightrope to walk. If the content is too frightening or traumatic, creators risk not only losing children as their audience but parents who deem the content inappropriate. To prevent Mufasa's death and Scar's villainy from darkening the movie's tone, The Lion King relies on humorous sidekicks and vivid imagery.
It's important for viewers of The Lion King to understand death and its effect on characters, which is why the movie doesn't shy away from showing Mufasa's death and Simba's reaction to it. Before the audience, specifically children, are too bogged down with the heavy topic, the film switches it up. Not long after Simba leaves home, we are introduced to Timon and Pumbaa, some of the goofiest Disney characters out there. Their personalities and senses of humor are catered toward what children will find amusing or funny. They eat big, colorful grubs that are most certainly disgusting but also entertaining for children to watch. Pumbaa farts, and as we all know, there are few things children find funnier than flatulence. They live carefree and without supervision, a direct connection to the freedom children often dream of. Using the characters of Timon and Pumbaa lightens children's moods throughout the film, especially after a tragic scene has occurred. Additionally, Timon and Pumbaa are how Simba copes with the trauma, intrinsically tying the two storytelling elements together.
Timone and Pumbaa's luau, Pumbaa's jokes, and Rafiki's strangeness are just a few examples of goofy moments in The Lion King that prevent the film from being too grim.
Photo Retrieved from Pinterest.
Of course, Timon and Pumba aren't the only silly sidekicks. Zazu is a bright, colorful, and sassy bird; Rafiki both makes sense and doesn't make sense; and even the hyenas of Ed, Shenzi, and Banzi are much goofier compared to Scar. These characters, compared with the bright visuals in songs like "Hakuna Matata" and "I Just Can't Wait to be King" and colorful animals allow The Lion King to succeed in portraying a dark subject while still catering to the audience of children.
Big Hero 6
Like The Lion King, we get enough of Tadashi to establish a relationship between him and Hiro, and this relationship feeds into the grief we and Hiro experience after Tadashi's death. The method of Tadashi's death means we don't see it like we do Mufasas (showing Tadashi die in an explosion would definitely not pass the kid-friendly test), but we are given enough visuals during and after his death to understand what has happened.
While Mufasa's death is caused by Scar, Tadashi toes the line. His death is caused by the main villain, Callaghan, but neither we nor the protagonist knows that for at first, contrasting the dramatic irony the audience experiences when we know Simba is not at fault for his dad's death. The belief that Tadashi died in an accident is important for the film because of its portrayal of grief.
Big Hero 6 knows that sometimes, less is more. The simple image of Tadashi's hat on the ground after the explosion packs a punch. The audience understands that the hat without Tadashi symbolizes his death, and the minute detail intensifies the emotions.
Photo Retrieved from Disney Fandom | Tadashi Hamada.
Hiro's grief is central to the plot of the story. It impacts his actions, establishes his connections with Baymax, and affects his friendships with the other superheroes. We receive a much more complex examination of grief in Big Hero 6, allowing children to understand the complexities involved in the grieving process. The fact that we all believe Tadashi's death was an accident makes the grief more complex because we don't have a single person to blame. For children who have experienced grief, the death was usually not caused by a supervillain but by an accident or natural cause. Thus, Big Hero 6 teaches children about grief in a way that relates to their lives. Of course, we eventually learn that Callaghan caused the explosion that killed Tadashi, but by this point, we have already processed a lot of the grief with Hiro.
If death is tricky to portray in children's films, then grief is even harder. How do you write about one of the most complex, difficult, and traumatic experiences out there with creating, well, a bit of a downer? There isn't a clear-cut answer, but Big Hero 6 does an excellent job portraying grief for its target audience in the form of a big, white, fluffy, silly, lovable character: Baymax.
Resembling either an overgrown stuffed animal or a large marshmallow, Baymax is much more attuned to children's interests than, say, a therapist or a counselor. Children don't want to hear from boring adults, so using a counselor to explain the grieving process wouldn't work. Using a fluffy marshmallow with a robotic voice who doesn't understand human phrases like "That was sick!"? Perfect for children.
Since Baymax is designed to be a robotic healthcare companion that knows everything, the creators can use direct lines about grief and healing without the dialogue being stilted. For example, in the below clip, we hear Baymax giving Hiro advice on grief, in the same way that a counselor may:
Despite being an intelligent computerized program, Baymax takes on the role of a child when he says "I see no evidence of physical pain."Through Baymax's and Hiro's conversation, children learn about the abstract concept of emotional pain and that "hurting" doesn't have to be physical. Not only do we get an honest portrayal of grief from Hiro and advice from Baymax, but we also understand how accidents or death can still happen to healthy individuals, a concept that is difficult for kids to grasp.
The Lion King and Big Hero 6 both portray a young character losing a family member, though they use different techniques to hone in on their audience of children; however, Disney has other ways to discuss death and grief. Be on the lookout for part two on Monday to read about death and grief in Pixar's Up and Coco!
Any other observations over how Disney portrays death? Which Disney death made you cry the most? Feel free to send me a message or drop a comment below.
Until later, have courage and be kind.
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