In lots of Disney movies, parents die.
My explanation for this?
- Movies want to put you through lots of emotions. Laugh, cry, be happy, be sad, have anger, feel guilt. As many emotions as possible. Death and the resulting emotions are a natural part of a bigger system.
- When someone dies, two things should happen (and, thus, the need for parents to die):
- You need to be attached to the person.
- Similar to what happens to real life situations, older people die first.
- Finally, if only bad people / characters would die in movies, you would remain with the impression that when someone dies it’s a good thing, the Planet is a better place now.