In her essay Sarah Boxer argues that in too many animated films today there is a disturbing image of a mother who is dead, missing or simply erased. The absence of a mother figure may seem strange for a children's film, yet there are enough examples to say that there is a certain pattern that characters lack a parent; the tragic deaths of Ariel, Bambi and Nemo's mothers are just a few examples. Considering how this portrayal does not correspond to reality, in which the author provides statistics on how children are more likely to be raised by a single mother, Boxer states that there is some intention to favor fathers by removing the mother from the picture. The author's claim is supported by evidence gathered from decades of Disney and other animated films. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay From Snow White to Frozen, you often can't help but remember a movie where the mother figure is at least present for the entire plot, if not completely unnecessary. The normality of the missing mother is such that the author is shocked by the few exceptions she encounters, such as Brave or The Incredibles. Note that such a pattern dates back centuries and is therefore a rather complex storytelling phenomenon. Boxer argues that often by eliminating the mother the story focuses instead on the character of the child, for whom the death of a parent serves as a source of development; however, she maintains that in reality in these cases "the main beneficiary" is the father. Too often, he argues, the mother's death becomes a method of uplifting the father. He may not have an entirely perfect relationship to begin with (as in Finding Nemo), but if the mother is absent, the plot demands that he is destined to succeed in raising her son, and as such benefits from the tragedy. Following the replacement of the mother with an able-bodied father, Boxer argues that such a plot point could have underlying sexist intentions. Considering the number of films that demonstrate the existence of such a tendency, I am inclined to agree with the author. In the context of the myth of the model family, I think this model highlights some of the flaws of the traditional family model in how it attempts to elevate fathers to have a closer relationship with their children. It does not fit the model but tries to overcome the restrictions it places on parental roles when both are present: the working father and the stay-at-home mother whose job is specifically to take care of the children – who must be impeccable.