The Incredibles

The three siblings in The Incredibles are Violet, the eldest, Dash, and baby Jack-Jack. Although Jack-Jack is still an infant and cannot communicate with his siblings, the relationship between Violet and Dash is very well developed during the movie. The two start off with a very average sibling relationship; they tease and annoy each other. One scene where this is most evident is at the dinner table when Dash teases Violet about having a crush on a boy from school and they get into a fight. As the movie progresses, their relationship is put to the test when their mother leaves them alone in a cave while she goes to rescue her husband. While they are alone, the two are attacked by drones and work together to keep themselves safe; this scene marks the start of the change in their relationship from an annoyance to a camaraderie.  From then on, the two work together with each other and their family to save the world. By the end of the movie the family, and Violet and Dash, are closer than ever.

This is one of the most realistic depictions of sibling relationships of any Disney movie. The two siblings quarrel and tease each other; however, at the end of the day their love for each other is clear and overcomes all of the childish fighting. The Incredibles portrays siblings as desirable and is very relatable to all the viewers who have experienced the mild annoyances that come with siblings. This relationship is a great example of the possibility of portraying siblings correctly and positively within Disney movies.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3v196bt5kTU (Dinner table scene from The Incredibles)

Alice in Wonderland

Alice, the main character in Alice in Wonderland, only has limited interaction with her sister due to the fact that most of the of the movie’s action happens in Wonderland. The movie starts out with Alice’s older, unnamed, sister giving her a history lesson, and nagging her when she does not pay attention. Alice clearly does not want to be doing this, and is so bored that she finally falls asleep and enters Wonderland (however in the movie she wanders off as it is part of the dream). At the end of the film Alice is awoken by her sister nagging her to recite her lesson. Alice tries to tell her sister about Wonderland but her sister does not listen and pays her no mind, telling her instead to simply “come along”. This example of sisterhood is very poor, Alice and her sister clearly do not have a very close relationship, and their communication is limited to nagging and complaining. The fact that her older sister does not even try to listen to Alice exemplifies that their relationship is not one of mutual respect and understanding.

This film portrays sisterhood very negatively. It is one of the only films where the siblings are far apart in age and therefore sets the standard for the relationship siblings like this should have. Alice’s older sister does not respect her or offer her mutual consideration, which leads the viewer to assume that no siblings that are significantly older do so either.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SnaVe_D1Rpc  (Beginning of Alice in Wonderland)

Brave

In the Disney film Brave, Merida has three younger brothers, Hamish, Hubert, and Harris. The three are portrayed as the ‘typical’ mischievous younger brothers and they play a lot of pranks and tease their older sister. Their relationship is strong due to the fact that although they are pests, Merida is very fond of her younger brothers, stating in the movie: “I like to think they take after me.” When Merida gets herself into trouble and accidentally changes her mother into a bear, she knows she can turn to her brothers for help. The four of them work together, the brothers distracting their father, and finally Merida safely gets her mother out of the castle.

The sibling relationships depicted in Brave are incredibly positive. Merida does not even have to stop and think, she knows that in a pinch her brothers will always be there for help and support. Young viewers watching Brave will want to have such funny little brothers, and such a caring and proud older sister.  

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rI_XtoD9iL8 (Short clip about Merida’s Family)

The AristoCats

The three kittens in The AristoCats are Marie, Toulouse, and Berlioz. The three siblings have a good relationship with each other even though they sometimes get on each other’s nerves.  Marie, in particular, annoys her brothers due to the fact that she is such a diva and requires extra attention from all the people around her, but they all play together on multiple occasions. During their trip back to Paris the three look out for each other and keep the atmosphere light by playing around even with they are in a dangerous situation. Altogether, the kittens play with and care for one another so their relationship is one of love.

This film makes siblings seem humorous and fun due to all the mischief these three kittens get up to. Children watching would definitely favor having siblings as they are portrayed as great playmates.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-jnF0VBmQJA  (The kittens playing and singing)

Lilo and Stitch

Lilo and Stitch is the single bvery single Disney movie. Lilo and her older sister Nani’s parents have died in a car crash, leaving Nani all alone to take care of Lilo. Although the sisters get into a lot of fights due to the fact that Lilo and her ‘dog’ stitch often cause a lot of trouble, it is evident that the only reason Nani gets so angry is because she wants what is best for Lilo. Nani fights with the social worker that is trying to take Lilo out of Nani’s custody and refuses to give up her sister even though she makes life so much more complicated; this is a rare show of sisterly love overcoming any sort of personal gain. Nani says the famous line “’Ohana means family, family means nobody gets left behind. Or forgotten” to Lilo and this is the perfect example of how their sisterhood is so meaningful to her.

This film is moving Disney in the right direction. The portrayal of the relationship between these siblings is realistic and proves the importance of family. If all Disney movies showed relationships like this, their anti-sibling stigma would be quickly forgotten.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WraKfeFtOPs (Cute moment of sisterly love)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MoWgRJlZkGU (Lilo and her sister fighting)

Analysis of all Sibling Relationships:

Out of all of the sibling relationships presented in Disney, six of the examples portray having a brother or sister as a positive thing. Movies such as The Incredibles and Brave prove that it is possible for Disney to incorporate siblings positively into both modern day movies, as well as fairy tale movies. The amazing sibling relationships that contain love, trust, and reliance between Violet and Dash, and Merida and her brothers is so relatable to viewers who have good relationships with their siblings. The best part of portraying such positive relationships is that even if a viewer does not have that same great relationship with their sibling, these movies show them what they should strive for, and gives them an example to work towards; it can be motivational to know that such strong sibling relationships are attainable, no matter how annoying your siblings can sometimes be. As for the portrayal of step-siblings, the only movie that shows a relationship between human step-siblings is Cinderella. America in the modern days is made up of mixed families, and the viewers watching should be able to see their family represented in the films in order to relate to them.  Imagine being a young child whose parent is about to re-marry and gain step-siblings, the single negative representation of human step-siblings would lead them to believe that their new brothers or sisters will be cruel and dislike them: this is not the message the media should be spreading about something as prevalent as mixed families and step-siblings.

Disney must start portraying more positive sibling relationships, and reflect their demographic.  None of the movies contained a sibling relationship between two brothers without a sister; considering the fact that a large portion of their young viewers are in this family structure, it would be beneficial for Disney to portray this positively so brothers watching Disney movies can have something to relate to and strive to achieve in their relationship. Likewise, the fact that Disney does not positively portray human step-siblings, and has no mention of half-siblings should be addressed immediately. Young children are so susceptible to media, and if their family structure is not represented in the films that they watch, then they will start to believe that it is not ‘normal’ or desired: we cannot allow children to feel bad about their mixed families because Disney does not bother addressing the subject.

Analysis of the Lack of Siblings:

Out of all the fifty movies, only 18% of them portrayed siblings. This does not correctly represent the modern family in the slightest. Most children do have siblings and it would be great for them to see this reflected in Disney movies. As previously stated, children respond to media, and if they do not see themselves or their family represented in media they start to believe they are not normal, which is absolutely not the case for having a sibling. Disney needs to focus on adding more siblings to reflect America societally and culturally, to not address this deficiency would negatively influence its young viewers; if Sally does not see any of her favorite movie characters with siblings, she will not want a siblings in response. If the three out of twenty characters that she does see with a sibling has a terrible relationship with them, than this will cause her to feel extremely negatively towards siblings because children derive their knowledge of situations they have never encountered through film.

Children cannot be influenced this dramatically and negatively towards siblings by the Disney Company. If 80% of Americans have a sibling, this must be represented in Disney to have the company stay relatable and reputable.

Disney, I had to grow up thinking I was ‘different’ for having siblings, please address this problem and live up to the ‘American Family Values’ that you are supposed to stand for.

Thank you for reading my project, and now please enjoy this montage of baby Disney characters.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GYqWqMqRpp4