Death: Disney's Entity

Hello, Fanaticals! Today we are going to continue our theme of death and Disney. Moreover, we are going to talk about Death's physical representation in Disney.

Despite being for children, we see a lot of death throughout the Disney Universe. They vary from lovers to family, and every now and then a friend. With that much death around in this universe, it makes you wonder what the actual Entity of Death would be represented by. Today, we have two different theories of death being represented in some form of entity. Let's take a look.

Snow's Prince is a Representation of Death

We all know or have heard of someone that has had a near-death experience. Probably the most popular story I remember from when I was younger, was a book that was written about a young boy-that was later made into a movie-about his own experience, in which he saw God.

With a near-death experience, it sort of brings to light the reminder that we are all mortal. So, why wouldn't there be a storyline somewhere in Disney that represented a near-death experience that eventually ended in death? This theory for Disney's Snow White follows along with the thought that Death was represented by her Prince Harming.

The first time we see him, he pokes his head over the wall which startles her back into the Castle; when she flees, she is escaping Death. However, in the end, he finds her and his "true loves kiss" is him taking and releasing her soul into the afterlife.

These are literally the only two times we see him in the entire movie, but yet the connections to being Death's Entity in this Disney movie is pretty viable.

Humans Evolved

While this theory may not hold much to death being represented, it sort of is in the way that it includes evolution into what basically is an inanimate object.

The reason why I say "evolution" is because when you really pay attention the cars of the Car universe (this is to include the movie Planes, as well as any others I am missing) you see how they all have door handles and doors despite the fact that no one gets into them. Why? Because there is no human around. Every car has its own face, look, and even in some cases a political view.

Each car has their own personality in the way that a human would. The theory that humans have evolved into cars, which is why they have faces and personalities, is quite an interesting take considering that quite literally it would be more than just a reincarnation.

Death has a Major Representation

Even when we take a look at a movie like Moana, we see that death as an entity is represented somehow: when her grandmother dies, you see a Manta Ray that is glowing as a representation of her spirit. Moana looks back at the hut, the lights go out, and there is a pulsing glow before a Manta Ray comes swimming INTO the sea towards her; she lights up as she recognizes it as her grandmother's spirit.

While Disney can be applauded for always addressing something involved with the lines of death throughout their universe, sometimes you have to look into it more to see if it is a representation of death itself, if it's just a metaphor, or if it is just a tragic moment.

In 2009's The Princess and the Frog, Dr. Facille's death can be a physical representation of "Karma always come back to bite" when you consider the fact that he was drug of to the Underworld by the spirits that he once did magic with. Then there is Coco (2017) that is an entire movie about the afterlife; more specifically following the cultural celebrations of Dias de las Muertas. Even Frollo's death in 1996's The Hunchback of Notre Dame can be looked at as a metaphor for the death of the state's domineering ruling the church and religion.

While we generally always see something that leads to death, it can be a back and forth about whether having it in a children's movie and exposing it to them at a young age can be a good or bad thing. Regardless, though, it's always there.

What do you think about these theories? Come join our community and tell us what you think. Are there any representations we might have missed? Don't forget to come back tomorrow and join us in the final days of darker Disney. In the meantime, keep on theorizing, Fanaticals!