Abstract

Disney's animated film canon offers two contrasting visions of marriage and parenthood, which correspond to two rival portrayals of family life. The first vision of the family is what people can call the Irrational Matriarchy and Patriarchy (IMP) model. The second is what they can call the Family Unity Model. Disney's IMP families often recapitulate an old debate in political philosophy – that between Robert Filmer and John Locke. According to Locke, the most promising argument for the patriarchist position is that parents give their children life and therefore have a power over their lives. In contrast with the Lockean vision of marriage, the author considers the marriage vows between Pongo and Perdita. In the Family Unity Model, having and rearing children is not to be feared as a threat to one's liberty, success, and happiness. Indeed, The Incredibles turns Beauvoir's critique of the family on its head in several ways.