It's like Bambi's mom had to die. Animated Disney characters don't have mothers-- except Simba who TRAGICALLY lost his father instead, and was then separated from his entire family.
Weird how many of them are just orphaned.
I mean who are more examples? I really don't remember the movies that well.
Are we sure it's something specific to Disney?
I mean it might just be something that has to do with heroic narratives- real or fictional.
I mean- look at Batman, for exampe. We could even look at the life of Muhammad (peace be upon him). Whether we believe or not that he was a prophet, he is clearly and objectively a major historical figure. And he was an orphan.
I mean even Luke in Star Wars. Of course it later turned out Darth Vader was his father but you know what I mean.
Luke, Zeus (his father tried to eat him), Ed Edd and Eddy, CatDog, Fairly Oddparents.....
I mean I think family issues might just be a part of the hero's journey archetype. I don't think it's specific to Disney.
I mean if we are creating a comic book hero.... it would be totally natural that we decided something like "a team of ninjas killed his family and now he must avenge them" or something like that.
Any story of the hero's journey necessarily has to involve tragic and/or origins, I think. It's not really a story of a heroic adventure without that element. I mean.... if the hero comes from a stable, happy, quiet family.... then you don't really have much of a movie.
Okay but.... the hero is born into riches then becomes an orphan at the age of 5 when he watches a gang of militant vegans assassinate his family with flame throwers, he makes an oath of vengeance, goes to Asia to study with martial arts masters and then battles the forces of evil... I mean that's a heroic story.
I think early tragedy is just part of the hero archetype.