Good Disney Dads

[Donald Duck 12]

In the article: http://news.toonzone.net/articles/17...s-in-animation it says that Disney does not have very good examples of fathers. I would have to agree and say that there is a number of great fathers in the Disney stable in addition to the aforementioned Pongo and Mufasa.

Geppetto- One of the best father's in film history, I can't believe this was not mentioned in the article. Despite no biological connection to Pinocchio, Geppetto does as much as is possible to protect his son. And the fact that he loves him unconditionally despite his son not being his own, let alone human only adds to it. And Pinocchio was no accident, he came to life because of his father's love. That is incredibly touching.
Great King- This is debatable since he wasn't there in the beginning for Bambi, but at his son's darkest hour he stepped in and raised him on his own.
Tramp- We never saw much of him being a father, but the fact that he changed his whole lifestyle because he was in love with Lady lets you know he'd be a great father to Scamp and the girls.
Zeus- A father will be greatly tempted to allow his children whatever they want or need. However a great father will step back and let his children grow and learn lessons on their own. I don't think I worded this correctly, maybe someone else can help me with this one.
Fa Zhou- His daughter die for him says an awful lot about the influence on his children. The fact that Mulan is one of the most selfless and honorable Disney characters ever says even more. And if you are not convinced on how good of a father Fa Zhou is you just need to remember the line, "the greatest gift and honor is having you for a daughter."
Goofy- Now he may not be able to provide Max with the most physically safe atmosphere to grow up in. After all he is Goofy, slapstick is his nature, but he couldn't possibly provide Max with a more emotionally loving atmosphere to grow up. Goofy is probably the most sincere father on my list.

Who else is there? Thoughts?

[Byrnes]

Let's not forget Pongo. He has 99 offspring to raise.

[Sketch]

This is bias speaking but how about some love for Drake Mallard?

[Ed Liu]

I think the major reason why I wouldn't have included any of the examples you listed above is that, with the possible exceptions of Gepetto and Goofy, none of the characters really do a whole lot to demonstrate why they're good fathers on-screen. We can presume that Tramp was a good father to his pups, but we get to SEE Pongo or Marlin being a good father to their offspring.

Zeus also fathered Hercules by cheating on his wife and then made Herc just the latest of his abandoned offspring. He was the original deadbeat dad. Can't really see ever putting him on a "Best Fathers" list under any circumstances.

I can kind of see Gepetto, but the fact remains that he kind of failed miserably at keeping Pinocchio on the straight and narrow. Can't really say much about Goofy, but he always seemed more like the bumbling, inept father who meant well more than an actual good father figure to his kids. I suppose you could probably say Sylvester was the same way, but I couldn't think of any other good father figures from the Warner Bros. canon when I wrote the article .

[GregX]

How about David Xanatos?

[AdamYJ]

Originally Posted by Ed Liu

Zeus also fathered Hercules by cheating on his wife and then made Herc just the latest of his abandoned offspring. He was the original deadbeat dad. Can't really see ever putting him on a "Best Fathers" list under any circumstances.

We're talking about Disney Zeus, not Mythology Zeus. Herc's mythic origin wouldn't fly in a Disney movie.

For that matter, Herc's earth dad Amphitryon seemed like a pretty good one.

[Cartoonlover]

Goliath truly loves Angela, and he would do anything for her. And yes, GregX is right. As evil as Xanatos is, he is a good father.

[Crash]

Originally Posted by Cartoonlover

Goliath truly loves Angela, and he would do anything for her. And yes, GregX is right. As evil as Xanatos is, he is a good father.

Unless, of course, we look at his hypothetical actions in the Future Tense episode...

I'd second Drake Mallard. He tried pretty hard to raise a very difficult adopted daughter... There was also same voice actor in a different (less popular) show, Lucky Pickel. I don'r remember how he acted specifically, but I do recal that was a father and, well, tried...

....But, if you stick to looking at the movies, then yeah, Pongo really is about the best Disney has to offer. So I definately agree with the list there. Soft spoken, but heroic and effective.

[dothesmartthing]

I especially agree with Goofy loving his son Max. One good example about that is the film, A Goofy Movie, where Goofy takes his son on a fishing trip for summer vacation. Yes, Goofy's clumsy, but he's good hearted.

[Silverstar]

I've got to put my vote in for Goofy. Sure, he's embarrassing and a bumbler, but there's no denying his devotion to his son.

Same deal with Drake Mallard. Beneath the giant ego and all the slapstick, he truly cares about Gosalyn.

[Antiyonder]

Have to go with James on Kim Possible. He's competent and has given good advice, plus while he's voiced his dislike of his daughter going out with a boy, he doesn't go into overkill about it.

[AdamYJ]

Originally Posted by Crash

I'd second Drake Mallard. He tried pretty hard to raise a very difficult adopted daughter...

Drake deserves a medal for doing so well with a child as spirited as Gosalyn.

What does everyone think of Pluto's parenting? Not a parent, you say? He is in the short "Pluto's Quin-puplets" (it's easy to find online if you look). I think he does pretty well considering how rambunctious his five puppies are, and when you take into account just what rotten luck that poor pooch tends to have.

[Neo Yi]

Originally Posted by Ed Liu

I think the major reason why I wouldn't have included any of the examples you listed above is that, with the possible exceptions of Gepetto and Goofy, none of the characters really do a whole lot to demonstrate why they're good fathers on-screen.

In Fa Zhou's defense, he had a bad leg. He couldn't go run up and just chase after Mulan; he'd probably die in the ensuring journey. Even the directors refused to add a scene on what he was doing during Mulan's time as a warrior because they feared it would paint him to be a terrible father when he doesn't do anything more about the situation. It honestly made sense to me and would have raised a red flag that probably would have had me questioning the same scenario.

What little he had in screen time I found to be an excellent example of a father. Stern, discipline, but filled with devotion and love for his daughter. She failed the bride training, yet he did not lift a finger in anger, but encouraged her uniqueness. I don't know about you, but I always found that to be heartwarming. Of course, I am a bit of a daddy's girl myself, so I may be a tad biased.

[Kazuya Prower]

Sure King Triton seemed too strict on Ariel and was a bit of a jerk, but he was really looking out for what was best for her. He even took Ariel's place so she can be free from Ursula's contract.

[Blackstar]

Originally Posted by Kazuya Prower

Sure King Triton seemed too strict on Ariel and was a bit of a jerk, but he was really looking out for what was best for her. He even took Ariel's place so she can be free from Ursula's contract.

True. Seeing as how it was "surface dwellers" who were responsible for the death of his wife, you really can't blame the guy for being apprehensive.

[jackie0109]

For me Mufasa as a father is a good example. He as the king of the jungle also has his soft side.

[Mad Mod 49]

Mufasaaaa.

Mufasaaaa.

Mufasaaa, Mufasaaa, MUFASAAAAAAA!

Sorry, couldn't resist.

[Lavenderpaw]

Mufasa is the best father... ever, period. He never talks down to Simba (well, not metaphorically anyway) and he risked his own skin to save him.
Rock-hard, tooth and nail. He was a best friend to his son, a mentor and protector. A friend to all those who didn't oppose him and a fair ruler; he even let the hyneas go with a warning.

BTW, Tramp was an excellent father as well. He let Scamp go off on his own in the 2nd movie, but reminded him of the importance of family. If you haven't seen the second movie you should, it's very good for a sequel and held my attention for a long time.

[RedNinja84]

How about for a father figure, Scrooge McDuck. He took in his three nephews and helped raise them. He loved them very much and brought out the good side of him. He even loved Webby like his own granddaughter.

[AlgeaX]

Originally Posted by Crash

Unless, of course, we look at his hypothetical actions in the Future Tense episode...

But that wasn't Xanatos, that was Puck pretending to be Lexington pretending to be an evil A.I. pretending to be Xanatos.