Killing off the main character's parent is a well-known trope in movies. This is because the death of a loved one provides a major emotional obstacle for the protagonist to overcome. But sometimes, these parents are already deceased as soon as the film begins.
These types of deaths feel like a footnote in the story. In some cases, the death of a parent is never even mentioned by the protagonist or anyone else. As a result, audiences are left with no explanation for their passings, and they must accept that they will not play a pivotal part in the plot. Even so, killing these characters off so casually can feel random and highly unnecessary.
10 Pocahontas' Mother Is Only Referenced With Her Daughter's Spirit
Chief Powhatan often tells Pocahontas that she embodies her mother's adventurous spirit, but that's all that is known about her. In Pocahontas, her mother barely gets a line of acknowledgment, leading viewers to wonder what happened to her.
Furthermore, her supposed death adds no real value to the story. In history, Pocahontas' mother is Nonoma Winanuske Matatiske, but she doesn't even get a name in the Disney retelling. Other than the occasional reference to Pocahontas' free spirit, neither her mother nor the nature of her passing is directly brought up.
9 The Death Of Hogarth Hughes' Father Is Never Directly Addressed (The Iron Giant)
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Not much is known about Hogarth Hughes' father in The Iron Giant, but audiences can assume he is deceased based on the few lines about him. After Hogarth laughs, his mother, Annie, remarks that he sounds just like his father. Hogarth then replies that he misses him.
Although it's never blatantly said, it is implied Mr. Hughes was killed in action while serving in the Air Force. Besides leaving a paternal figure gap in Hogarth's life, his death serves no other purpose. But eventually, even this reason proves futile, as the movie focuses more on the developing friendship between Hogarth and the Iron Giant.
8 Audiences Never Find Out About Belle's Mother (Beauty And The Beast)
As soon as Belle interacts with her father in Beauty and the Beast, fans suspect her mother is not in the picture. She plays no role in the story, and her name or whereabouts are never confirmed.
While Disney's 2017 version of Beauty and the Beast attempts to provide a bit of backstory to Belle's relationship with her mother, the original 1991 version lends it no focus. Her assumed death feels like it was only written in to simplify the story. Other than that, there is no valid reason for Belle to be without a mother figure.
7 Raya Is Motherless, And No One Mentions It (Raya And The Last Dragon)
Most of Raya's journey in Raya and the Last Dragon involves saving her people from the Druun. While one of her main objectives is to reverse her father's transformation into stone, there is no word about her mother. Raya's mother is never brought up, nor does she provide emotional motivation for her.
While it would have been simple to have both of her parents imprisoned in stone, the film chooses to kill her off instead. The choice is most likely meant to keep the plot straightforward, but it also would have taken minimal effort to write Raya's mother into the story. As a result, her supposed death feels out of place and pointless.
6 Ariel's Mother Isn't Addressed Until The Little Mermaid's Prequel
Although fans are finally given answers to the fate of Ariel's mother in the prequel, The Little Mermaid: Ariel's Beginning, they are initially left in the dark in The Little Mermaid. The film prioritizes Ariel and her father's tumultuous relationship, yet there is never any indication of Queen Athena's existence.
What's even more bizarre is that the nature of her demise is never referenced in the original film. In the prequel, Athena is killed by humans, which perfectly ties into King Triton's main fears about Ariel going to the surface. If her death had been mentioned in the original, there might be more cause for it. But as it is, she is never mentioned, making her demise feel unneeded.
5 Odette's Mother Dies In Childbirth Off-Screen (The Swan Princess)
At the very beginning of The Swan Princess, King William is presented with his daughter Odette as soon as she is born. While he shows her to the kingdom and joyously marks her birth, his queen is never shown onscreen or even referred to. It is assumed Odette's mother died in childbirth.
This choice is especially disturbing considering Odette's first appearance is as a newborn, implying her mother was only alive moments ago. With such a jarring opening, the death of Odette's mother feels out of the blue and unnecessary. The movie shows no indication of the king's sorrow of her passing, nor Odette's curiosity about what her mother was like. She could have easily been kept alive for as long as her husband was.
4 Tiana's Father Didn't Need To Be Killed Off (The Princess And The Frog)
Tiana's father in The Princess and the Frog helps his daughter realize the importance of working hard to achieve her dreams. James is a solid role model who motivates Tiana to open her own family restaurant.
That's why it feels cheap for him to die off-screen. The only indications of his death come from a photo of his military service on Tiana's wardrobe and when she and her mother refer to him in the past tense. While Tiana works to keep his memory alive, James' death doesn't impact the story enough to be warranted.
3 Donna Sheridan Dies Before The Beginning Of Mamma Mia Here We Go Again
Many fans of Mamma Mia! were shocked and upset to find that Meryl Streep's Donna is not featured in its sequel, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again. At its beginning, Sophie reveals Donna has died in between the two movies.
While audiences suspect Meryl Streep wasn't able to reprise her role, her character's death feels completely unneeded from a story perspective. The sequel focuses on Donna as a young woman as she meets Sam, Harry, and Bill and pursues a brief fling with each of them. While the flashbacks are sweet and honor the character's memory, having Sophie get married without her mother there almost feels pointless. The story would have been much more impactful if Donna were able to share her memories with her daughter in the present day.
2 Both Of Hiro's Parents Are Deceased With No Explanation (Big Hero 6)
Hiro Hamada can't seem to catch a break when losing the ones he loves in Big Hero 6. During the movie, Hiro loses his older brother Tadashi in a fire, but this isn't the first time he must grieve a family member.
In the opening scene, Hiro reveals that his parents died when he was young. The loss of his parents never comes into play in the movie, and it's never revealed how Hiro and his brother have come to live with their Aunt Cass. Since Hiro already loses his brother, it feels overly harsh and nonessential for his parents to be deceased. It adds nothing to the story and only serves to pile atop Hiro's emotional trauma.
1 Dorothy Already Lives With Her Aunt And Uncle At The Start Of The Wizard Of Oz
Although it's never addressed, Dorothy Gale is an orphan upon her introduction in The Wizard of Oz. She lives with her Aunt Em and Uncle Henry on their farm, and it's assumed her parents are no longer alive.
It's clear Dorothy loves her aunt and uncle dearly, as she stops at nothing to return home to them. She is even willing to battle the Wicked Witch of the West to be reunited with her family. Even so, she could have just as easily longed to return to her birth parents in Kansas. Instead, her parental figures are written out of the story without explanation.