DaddiLife
  • Home
  • Family
    • Modern Fatherhood
    • Trying
    • Expecting
    • New Dad
    • Stay At Home Dad
    • Separation
    • Single Dads
    • Step Dads
  • Things To Do
    • Kids at Home
    • Newborn
    • Toddler
    • 5 – 10
    • 10+
  • Health
    • Dad Jokes
    • Fitness
    • Family Meal Recipes
    • Safety
    • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
    • Work / Life Balance
    • Money
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Gear
  • Book Squad
  • Reviews
    • Gift Ideas
    • Family Fun
    • Toys
  • Dads at Work
    • Guides for Dads at Work
    • Case Studies
    • Q&A
    • Mentoring Programme
  • Join
  • About
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Write With Us
  • Home
  • Family
    • Modern Fatherhood
    • Trying
    • Expecting
    • New Dad
    • Stay At Home Dad
    • Separation
    • Single Dads
    • Step Dads
  • Things To Do
    • Kids at Home
    • Newborn
    • Toddler
    • 5 – 10
    • 10+
  • Health
    • Dad Jokes
    • Fitness
    • Family Meal Recipes
    • Safety
    • Wellness
  • Lifestyle
    • Work / Life Balance
    • Money
    • Education
    • Sports
    • Gear
  • Book Squad
  • Reviews
    • Gift Ideas
    • Family Fun
    • Toys
  • Dads at Work
    • Guides for Dads at Work
    • Case Studies
    • Q&A
    • Mentoring Programme
  • Join

DaddiLife

The parenting website for dads

Modern Fatherhood

Disney to do dads better?

written by Hugh Wilson 20th December 2017
Disney dads - Darth Vader

Movies, shows and ads routinely get modern fatherhood wrong. Will Disney Dads lead the charge for change?

Let’s face it, if you haven’t seen the latest Star Wars film yet, you’re almost certain to be dragged along to the local multiplex in the Christmas holidays, whether you like it or not.

Actually, you probably will like it. The reviews have been resoundingly positive. The return of Luke Skywalker has been a roaring success. As Christmas holiday entertainment goes, it all sounds like a bit of a winner.

And Luke’s return also serves to remind us of one of the most dysfunctional father/child relationships in cinematic history. Luke’s relationship with his old pop, ‘cuddly’ Darth Vader, is nothing if not explosive. For all his dark menace, Darth is, for most of the franchise, the very image of a deadbeat dad.

Disney ditching the dark side?

So it is with impeccable timing that Disney, owner of the Star Wars’ franchise, has vowed to drop its use of tired old dad stereotypes in its movies, shows and ads. The decision comes after the company conducted research in Europe showing that (surprise surprise) dads don’t see themselves in the way they are routinely portrayed in the media.

And how are they portrayed? We’ve covered this topic before in DaddiLfe, revealing that portrayals of dads in the media often take two basic forms. Dads are stupid, or dads are bad.

You know the kind of thing. Dad is slumped on the sofa, dribbling beer, watching sports on TV while his feral children run riot. Or even more commonly, dad tries to help out at home but is too incompetent to use the can opener or switch the dishwasher on.

Happy Father’s Day! Stop in and treat Dad to a beer ?

A post shared by Bottlecraft Solana Beach (@bottlecraftsolanabeach) on Jun 18, 2017 at 12:09pm PDT

Dads are actually good – and can do stuff!

Needless to say, dads don’t agree with the idea that their predominant character trait is either incompetence or evil. Disney engaged with 160 European dads and found that, on the contrary, modern dads were driven by a desire to bond with their children, and to protect, entertain and provide for them.

“We’ve got to a position where we have realised the role of dads is really important and probably something that we needed to do a deeper dive into,” Disney’s UK chief marketing officer Anna Hill told The Drum.

It’s not the first piece of research to discover that nugget of wisdom (also known as the bleedin’ obvious). A study of 1,100 dads by Saatchi and Saatchi, for example, found that marketers were out of touch with the realities of modern family life, and that the depictions of dads in popular media didn’t reflect reality.

Does Disney (et al) love dads now?

It would be nice to think, in this season of goodwill to all men (and dads), that any move to represent dads in a fairer and more positive light was motivated by a desire to do the right thing.

But of course the chief motivation is the kerching of the cash till. Disney realised that many kids are introduced to its major franchises – like Star Wars and Marvel – “through disney dads”.

Separate data from IPG Mediabrands’ Initiative suggested that men become more receptive to brand messages when they become dads.

In other words, Disney – along with other major brands – has realised that dads are exceptionally important to the bottom line. With that in mind, they have decided to understand modern fatherhood a bit more, and stereotype it a bit less. Keeping dads on side  is, in a nutshell, a commercially smart move.

Well, at least it’s a move, whatever the motivation. And don’t get us wrong here. Popular culture would be considerably poorer without Darth Vader and Homer Simpson. But a little balance in the portrayal of dads wouldn’t go amiss.

Disney to do dads better? was last modified: December 20th, 2017 by Hugh Wilson

Related

disney dadsModern day dadModern fatherhoodStarWars
0 comment
0
Facebook Twitter Google + Pinterest
Hugh Wilson

Boba 4G Baby Carrier Review
previous post
Boba 4G Baby Carrier Review
Bic shave club review featuring 3 dad perspectives
next post
BIC Shave Club Review – 3 Dads Perspectives

You may also like

Valentine’s Day for parents

11th February 2019

Would you support a smacking ban?

19th February 2020

Being the dad cab is a great...

3rd April 2018

Chore wars: are dads doing enough housework?

16th August 2017

Being more than a Dad

26th October 2022

Kellogg’s forced to admit that dads make...

16th September 2018

The best and worst industries for flexibility...

8th October 2019

Earrings, lipstick, leather! When fathering girls gets...

19th October 2018

A Baby Loss Dad

15th July 2018

Dads find discipline tough

20th December 2018

Leave a Comment Cancel Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Audiobooks for Dads

Get the latest dad news




Popular Things to Do

  • A Parent’s Guide To Tuff Trays

  • DaddiLifeForce – The Power of Lego

  • DaddiLifeForce – New Years 2017

  • DaddiLifeForce – Chinese New Year

  • Tuff Tray Ideas: Some great ideas for creative tuff trays

Writers Community

Write for DaddiLife


  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Youtube

© 2017 - DaddiLife. All Right Reserved. DaddiLife is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.


Back To Top