In her essay, Sarah Boxer argues that in too many animated films today there is a disturbing image of a mother dead, missing or simply written. The lack of a mother figure may seem strange for a children's film, and yet there are enough examples to argue that there is a certain pattern where characters lack a parent; the tragic deaths of Ariel, Bambi and Nemo's mothers are just a few examples. Considering that such a representation does not correspond to reality, where the author provides statistics on the probability of children being raised by a single mother, Boxer claims that there is a certain intention to favor fathers by removing the mother of the table. The author's claim is based on evidence from decades of Disney and other animated films. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why violent video games should not be banned”? Get an original essay From Snow White to Frozen, one can often struggle to remember a film where the mother figure is at least present throughout the entire plot, if not completely unnecessary. The normality of the missing mother is such that the author is shocked by the few exceptions she encounters, such as Brave or The Incredibles. She notes that such a pattern dates back centuries and is therefore a rather complex storytelling phenomenon. Boxer argues that often, by removing the mother, the story focuses instead on the character of the child, for whom the death of a parent constitutes a source of development; however, she asserts that in fact “the primary beneficiary” in such cases is the father. Too often, she says, the death of the mother becomes a way of raising the father. He may not have a completely perfect relationship at the beginning (like in Finding Nemo), but if the mother is absent, the plot requires that he necessarily succeed in raising his child, and that as such, he profits from tragedy. the replacement of the mother with a capable father, Boxer asserts that such a plot may have underlying sexist intentions. With the number of films proving that such a trend exists, I am inclined to agree with the author. In the context of the myth of the model family, I think this diagram reveals some of the flaws of the traditional family model in the way it attempts to elevate fathers toward a closer relationship with their children. It does not fit into the model but seeks to overcome the restrictions it places on parental roles when both are present: the working father and the stay-at-home mother whose job is specifically to care for the children – that is, what she must be impeccable.