Theorists believe Walt’s ‘guilt’ explains lack of Disney mothers
Disney princesses were role models for a lot of us growing up, but have you ever stopped to think who their female influencers were?
Think about it, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, not a mammy to be seen, and while Cinderella and Snow White had step-mothers, they were seriously lacking in the love and affection departments.
Many Disney classics are based on stories by the Brothers Grimm, and one theory suggests that mother figures rarely featured in the fairy tales due to the high rates of death during childbirth in the 18th and 19th centuries, but others have speculated the reason could be much more personal.
According to Disney producer, Don Hahn, there’s a theory among those who work at the company that Walt Disney made the decision to leave mothers out of the films due to the overwhelming guilt he felt about the sudden death of his own mother, Flora.
She died from carbon monoxide poisoning in the house Walt had bought for her.
In an interview with Glamour, producer Don explained: "He had the studio guys come over and fix the furnace, but when his mom and dad moved in, the furnace leaked and his mother died.’’
‘’The housekeeper came in the next morning and pulled his mother and father out on the front lawn. His father was sick and went to the hospital, but his mother died."
With recent films like Frozen and Enchanted following suit, it looks like the 'motherless-princess' trope is set to continue, but just like the sisterly love seen in Frozen, we hope Disney can find a way to include more positive female influencers for the characters to learn from.
