10: MR. INCREDIBLE THE INCREDIBLES. Put yourself in Bob Parr's shoes for a second. You're a young, virile, all together charming man. You're about to get married to your dream girl, you drive a fantastic car, and everybody seemes to love you. Oh, you're also a super hero. Then one day out of the blue, some douche nozzle with a death wish sues you because you sprained his neck while he was trying to kill himself. And because you live in America the courts allows this clearly frivolous lawsuit to happen and now you're public enemy number one. You have to take your brand new family underground and cow tow to the monotony of being average. You've literally become Henry Hill and now you have to wait in line for bread like a schnook. Now your middle aged, you've gained about thirty pounds, and all you want from life now is to be left alone.
You see the flaws in the world and the cracks of society start to get bigger. You see the rewards people give each other for doing things they are supposed to be doing, but your children who are truly exceptional must stifle their abilities in order to "fit in." This is the madness that Bob has to face as he is forced to disappear. And you know what? He's right. Dash and his school mates were moving up a grade, but were having a "graduation." Celebrating and rewarding the children for mundane tasks that they're suppose to accomplish per the law! It can be argued that Bob's love for his children at the start of the movie comes from petty and selfish reasons, and those are clearly his motives when he decides to adventure to Nomanisan Island for adventure and profit. This ultimately leads to his capture and more than likely death, but Bob is still living in Bob land.
Only when he thinks his entire family has been destroyed does he realize what's most important in his life. The strongest man on earth is literally crushed under the weight of his shattering heart. It can never be said that he didn't always love his kids, but its not until he's lost them that is stops being about him. Once reunited he admits to himself and his wife that he cannot bare the thought of losing them a second time and almost forces the three of them to sit out the finale. Honestly, if the strongest man on earth wanted to, he could make them sit it out. But because they work together as a functional, trusting family unit they are all allowed to reach their full potential and bring down the big bad. Providing what may be one of the greatest family lessons ever, that by helping each other and drawing upon one another there is nothing a family cannot accomplish.
9. KING STEFAN SLEEPING BEAUTY.
As a king, Stefan is not a very good one. After years of trying his family and kingdom is finally blessed with a daughter. This is a huge deal because the lack of an heir would mean the end of this family's particular reign. Considering the years of peace they've had the kingdom probably wants this famly to stay in charge for a while. When Aurora is born the people go nucking-futs. Everyone from every corner of the land is invited to celebrate the birth. Even three loopy, spinstress faries get an invite. I'm sure even the town horse inseminator got an invite and a seat at the banquet. If the horse inseminator got an invite and you didn't, you might be a little pissed off too. Which is exactly what Maleficent is. True, you might call her "evil", but its hard to be evil just because. Unless she's the devil's consort its hard to know what her motives for her attitude are. (I'm aware the new Maleficent movie explains these motives but seriously, screw that thing)
She's pissed because she didn't get invited to the biggest even in the kingdom since they discovered citrus warded off scurvy. Because she's so upset her magical gift to the child is that when she is sixteen years old she will prick her finger on a spinning wheel needle and die. King Stefan orders her arrest, but that's as futile as a bobby slapping handcuffs on Voldemort. King Stefan, again acting as a good father and not a good king, orders every spinning wheel in the kingdom destroyed. Ensuring that the people will have nothing to wear from this point forward, but at least his daughter will be safe. The good fairies are not so sure, and ask the King to take the child away until she's sixteen. Once she's sixteen and safe from Maleficent they will bring her back home with her parents.
What a terrible thing to ask of this man. How long had he been plugging away with his wife trying to conceive this child? I'm sure their love making began to feel more like a chore than a connective and vulnerable moment. And then he's finally given a child he's asked to relenqish her to the forest for sixteen years. Sixteen important years. This man wants to keep his daughter safe so much, that he's sacrificing his happiness for hers. Of course he's probably not thinking of the emotional damage she'll probably suffer when after sixteen years she's told that her existence is a lie, but no one thought of that stuff back then.
8: THOMAS O'MALLEY THE ARISTOCATS.
Thomas was a cat about town who owed nothing to anyone but himself. A bachelor until death was his life's ambition. He had connections all over France, knew the hottest bands and where to find them, and played by his own set of rules that included never looking further than a day ahead. Then a dame entered his life. Not just any dame because we can be sure that Thomas had cat bedded a few can-can cats along the way, this dame was the one. She's got it all, looks, grace, class, and kids. *Gulp*, well. Two of three ain't bad.
The confined family has no knowledge of how the world works. They were kidnapped by their master's jealous butler and were meant to be drowned but escaped. Not being able to put two and two together, they think if they can just get home everything will go back to the way it was. If by "the way it was" means the jackass butler will try to kill you again, then yes things will revert back to normalcy. Thomas however doesn't have that information, so he's going to get them home anyway. Once he does he is given an oppurtunity to join the family, but he knows himself and understands that this family is far better off without the likes of him and departs.
When he's just about as far away as he can get, he learns that they're back in trouble and the dude races back to them as fast as he can to ruin that asshole butler's day. Thomas chose to come back and chose to save this family. Which makes them his family by default. Thomas becomes the hero and protector they needed and when balanced with Dutchess is able to provide the kittens the balance needed to raise up functional members of society. When Thomas returns he proves that its not where we come from or the darkness of our past that determines who we are today. It's the choices we make that matter. Thomas chose a family and that makes him more of a father than the cat who knocked up Dutchess and split.
7: MUFASA THE LION KING
"WHAT!" I can hear you saying. "Mufasa died for his kid, he should be way higher than number 7!" I agree. Mufasa paid the ultimate price for the safety of his son and that kind of sacrifice transcends love. It is the most selfless act any parent can perform. But if Mufasa had been a more observant father he could have avoided his demise entirely and therefor be with his son all the rest of his long days. If Mufasa had been wiser he would have ripped his brother Scar's throat out when Simba was born. What kind of responsible father let's his son hang out with Uncle Scar anyway? Did Uncle Child Molester die in the cave fire of 89'?
Mufasa ranks where he does because he didn't live long enough to provide any further help to his son. Which is not to say his advice he did manage to bestow wasn't good. It was great! What young boy doesn't need to hear, "being brave doesn't mean you go looking for danger"? He's also the only father I know of in the Disney universe that had the balls to explain death to a child that doesn't even know where the sun goes at night.
Lest we forget how heroically he dove into the stampeding herd of wildebeasts to save Simba and then to climb a rock face with just his claws! Holy hell, that's a man you model yourself after. But the tragedy of his death isn't that he leaves his son behind to the uncertainty of Uncle Nephew Killer, I mean Scar, the tragedy is that he left Simba with way too many lessons untaught. Those lessons were needed, man. Like desperately needed. He needed to smack his idiot son around and make a man (er, lion) out of him so bad that he broke through the black veil of the afterlife to let him know he didn't approve of him hanging around with hippies while their home and family was going to shit. So powerful was his presence that Simba dropped the bong, roused the help of an old karate master that wasn't Mr. Miyagi, and even got his two loust about friends to risk their lives for him. All because a cloud that looked like his dad was pissed.
6: KERCHAK TARZAN
Kerchak has seen things, man. He's been through the gutter and back and emerged without the thousand yard stare. That alone is enough for high praise. His months old son is eaten by the ghoulish cheetah Sabor, his wife brings home a funny hairless, pink ape to raise, and he still has to be responsible to the troop of gorillas he leads. He's got so much on his plate that when this thing that isn't his son tries to fit in, he just can't allow him in. As Tarzan grows he desperately seeks the approval of Kerchak who maintains that there is nothing on earth that could ever make him call Tarzan son. Tarzan is just too different, and being awkward and uncoordinated doesn't help his standing. But Kerchak's opinon of him s rocked when Tarzan protects the family from the same cheetah that robbed him of his birth parents, and Kerchak of his birth son. In fact, their relationship could have possibly turned a corner as Kerchak started to respect Tarzan.
But then other men show up in the jungle, including a woman. Now Tarzan can't help but confused, and revert back to his irresponsible ways. Kerchak flat out warns him that these men will endanger the family, but because he's naive Tarzan doesn't listen and leads the strangers into his family's nest. Of course his family is in danger as they begin to be kidnapped. Tarzan leaps into action and is about to be killed until Kerchak takes the hit for him. He dies, but not before aknowledging Tarzan as his son.
This is a father that gave his everything to keep his family safe. And we're not talking about his blood family, but the family of gorillas that look to him for leadership. Many lives depend on Kerchak's ability to keep them safe and it was a responsibility he did not take lightly. After Tarzan kills Sabor part of Kerchak softens, but not the part that allows him to be a successful leader. In the end even though Tarzan screwed up, Kerchak saw in him a son and bestowed the safety of the family to him. Revealing that he loved the boy all along.
5: DJANGO RATATOUILLE
Another leader of a family that is require more responsibility than should be allowed. Django is the leader of a very large rat colony as well as father to Remy and Emile. Being the leader of a family as large as this means that things like dreams, and desires just aren't a reality. Surviving is what is real. So when your son reveals he can sniff out poison, put that talent to work boy! You're going to sit here and sniff everything we pass in front of you so we know whether or not we're going to die. But Remy's real passion is to dine not to feed. To cook not scavenge. None of this Django would ever be able to understand, and rightfully so. Django has the unfortunate task of looking at the bigger picture.
So when fate decides to split Remy from Django, Remy gets to live out his dream while his father worries day and night for him. He is elated finally, to be reunited with his son but insists that he come back home. Defiant, pubescent, what-have-you, Remy resists and continues on with the new life he's created for himself.
But when push comes to shove and he needs help the most, whose there by his side? Yup, dad. "We may not be chefs, but we are family. You tell us what you need and we'll get it done." Django always puts the safety of the colony above all else, but as it turns out not even that can keep down the love he has for his son. And if cooking is Remy's dream than Django is going to be there for him 100%.
4: MR. FLAVERSHAM THE GREAT MOUSE DETECTIVE.
We have no idea what happened to Mrs. Flaversham, with it being 1859 London we can assume it was some horrible disease that claimed her. Regardless, Mr. Flaversham is left with his daughter Olivia and all he wants to do is build toys and take care of his daughter. Leave it to Mouse-doms greatest villain to concoct a plan that would require the hapless toy maker's assistance. Faced with a villain at the door, Flaversham hides Olivia and whisked away to the lair of Professor Ratigan. He is given a choice, aid Ratigan in his evil scheme or die.
At first, Flaversham complies, as he doesn't want to be killed. But when things take a turn he forfeits his life in an attempt to foil the Professor's evil scheme. But Ratigan isn't called an evil genius for nothing. He informs the simple inventor that he will go along with the plan, or he will take Olivia. Beaten, Flaversham continues.
Only at the crux of the story, once he's got Olivia back and safe does he continue with foiling Ratigan at every turn. His love for his daughter so big that he almost commited treason, but bravely stepped up to the plate and participated willingly in Ratigan's downfall once he knew his daughter was safe. Showing her that as simple a toy maker as he may be, he is no less braver that Basil the Great Mouse Detective.
3: MARLIN FINDING NEMO.
Marlin started off as the biggest puss in the ocean, but by the time has "Found Nemo" he is the biggest badass in the ocean. This is a father who lost 99.9% of his family in one fell swoop, his son being the only surviving member of what can be considered an act of terrorism. This stunted Marlin emotionally to the point where he saw danger in just about every miniscule bit of life. But when his son is stolen from him, all that flies out the window as he charges head first into open water to save him. He's unsuccessful in the attempt at first, but that's because he hasn't changed his thinking yet. Only when all hope seems lost and the ever glaring truth of life stares him in the face, the truth that we aren't meant to know what paths our future will lead us on, does he accept the things he cannot change.
He accepts this truth to the point that he implicitly trusts his handicapped son to save the life of their friend Dory. Marlin relenquished his fear and in doing so becamse a stronger father, and grew closer to his son than he ever thought possible.
2: MAURICE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST
Maurice is hapless, and old. He knows this. So when he finds himself in the dungeon of a monster he accepts the fate. Better him than his daughter Belle, who is young and has so much to look forward too. What he didn't count on was his daughter coming to find him, and he especially wasn't prepared to offer the monster a trade. Her life instead of his. The beast agrees and tosses the old man out into the cold of winter while keeping Belle as his prisoner.
Old he still may be, but dammit his daughter is locked up in the cell of a creature. After unsuccessfully imploring the humanity of the township he decides that if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself. He packs up what little he can and marches off into the woods to find his daughter. Forgetting that he's old and sick. To his last breath he crawls through the forest floor amongst the snow and wolves that beckon him towards death. He was going to free his daughter or die trying, the latter being the most likely. What was his plan if he actually were to reach the castle? Overpower the seven foot tall monster while coughing his lungs all over the floor? That part of the plan didn't matter, because his fierce determination and love for his daughter is what kept him going. Even as he walked up and rung death's doorbell.
As he recovered, though his opinion of the beast was slightly jaded he still listened to what his daughter had to say. When the rest of the town was calling for the beasts head to be grusomely torn from his body, he chose to believe his daughter. Thank goodness he did too! Or else that particular district of France wouldn't have had its king back after forgetting about him twenty-one years ago when he was turned into the monster in the first place. When he was eleven years old.
Do the math, that's how f'ed up it is. The kid was 11 years old when he was transformed into the beast.
1: CRUSH FINDING NEMO.
Crush is 150 years old by the time we meet him. That means this dude has had plenty of time to learn what it means to be a good dad. An asset he demonstrates proudly to Marlin upon their meeting when his son Squirt is tossed from the safety of the EAC. Marlin in a panic literally craps himself in a desperate attempt to swim off and save the young turtle. But the strong patient fin of the lad's father holds him back. "Let's see what little Squirt can do on his own." He says. He allows the child to find his footing himself and the tot swims back into the safety of the current and by his father's side. His father who joins in the celebration of being able to do soemthing on his own.
As old as Crush is, he understands that he won't be around his on forever. At some point Squirt is going to go off and sire little Jr. Squirts of his own. If he leaves unprepared for the harsh cruelty of the world, chances are he won't survive. But if he's armed with knowledge, and skill his chances of living increase tenfold. That should be the point every father in this list should take. The father's role is to love his child unconditionally, as all in this list have, but to also prepare their child for life without them. No one can live forever, and eventually children will find themselves alone. How do we want them to be? Floundering because they've never tested their skills? Or thriving because they've succeeded or failed by their own doing? Did they learn anything? Or did we just do everything for them?
Crush succeeds above all others because he knows that there are bad times along with the good times. And to leave this world without teaching children anything is cruel. He watches his son earn the skills he fights for, but is ever ready with love and tenderness to protect him as well. Crush is arming Squirt with everything he needs to make it, and that is why the dude always prevails.
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