Why Are Dads in Animation Getting So Wary and Chary?

“Why is that? And why is it so with the Mack Mallard the father duck too?” This is the biggest question that came to mind after watching the new animated film Migration made by Illumination. In the film, the Mallard family goes on a romantic and risky migration journey only after convincing their super cautious and afraid-of-change dad. Overall, the movie didn't surprise me much; just like I expected. It is, to be honest, far from a must-see masterpiece. But, the character Mack has really stuck with me: the father duck is cautious and old-school. I can't help but remember the father characters in Elemental, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, and The Croods series, who are also the careful and old-school type. Clearly, compared to the brave dads in classic animated movies like The Lion King and The Incredibles, these dads have not only become average but also timid. So, is it just a coincidence that all these fathers changed at the same time? Is there a common reason behind this transformation in the personalities of father figures? What do such changes mean? I think these questions are worth looking into.

I'm from the generation that grew up watching The Lion King and The Incredibles. Just like Mufasa and Bob Parr in the above two, dad figures in movies in 2000s were really wise and powerful; they seem like they could do pretty much anything. And let's not forget Marlin from Finding Nemo, who was also a total legend. When his son Nemo goes missing, Marlin, who's usually kinda timid, digs deep, finds his courage, and goes on this crazy adventure to find his son. His shyness is just a part of who he is; it is not critical to the film enough to cause conflicts with other characters or drive narrative dramas.

In the movie The Croods, which came out more than 10 years after Finding Nemo, has a father figure (the caveman dad Grug) more timid, more careful and more conservative. Grug's personality isn't just a part of him, but becomes the main issue in the whole movie: Grug and his family have to choose between playing it safe or being brave and embracing the new world. But even in The Croods, the dad (who's a guy) still holds all the power in the family; the leadership role eventually shifts from Grug to a younger man named Guy. As for Grug's daughter Eep, she goes from following her dad to following her newfound boyfriend. Although full of life and independence, she's still just a follower. When it comes to how much the dad's chariness affects things and how much power changes, Mack, the dad in Migration, is more like Grug.

But in The Mitchells vs. The Machines and Elemental, the father's chariness, conservativeness, and stubbornness not only created a rift between them and their daughters, but also put their position in the nuclear family at risk. In The Mitchells vs. The Machines, the father Rick refuses to use the internet and is displeased with his daughter Katie's hobby of vlogging. In Elemental, Bernie doesn't trust his daughter Ember to run the family-owned shop and disapproves of Ember's boyfriend, Wade. In my opinion, the personalities of these two dads create crisis not outside of the family, but rather within it, especially in their relationships with their daughters. In both films, the conflicts between dads and daughters reach a point where they seem almost impossible to solve, and they aren't ultimately solved; for example, in The Croods, the introduction of a new male character acts as a fix to the father-daughter conflict.

The analysis of father figures in movies like The Croods, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, Elemental, and Migration makes it kinda hard for me to just accept that these timid and careful dads are simply a random coincidence or some kind of unconscious creations by the filmmakers. The first thing that comes to mind is: why it's always the dads and not the moms who assume these timid and cautious roles? As I mentioned earlier, before there's any cautious dad in films, the most common father figures in animated films were the heroic ones, like Mufasa in The Lion King which came out almost 30 years ago. Now along with the decline of the number of nuclear families, the traditional family power dynamics are constantly changing. In a typical family consisting of a dad, a mom, and kids, the power of fathers on higher hierarchies are most intensely challenged.. When dads cling stubbornly to old rules and ways of thinking, it's basically their attempt to hold onto their power. Grug's overcautiousness in protecting his family or Bernie's distrust in his daughter, it all comes down to their own fears - the fear of losing control and power. From this perspective, being timid and cautious and being super conservative are the same thing - both characterized by holding onto past experiences and rejecting new things. In this context, it totally makes sense that dads all tend to become cautious and conservative. It has to be the dads, not the moms, who get stuck in their ways because in the patriarchal nuclear family, the mom has never really held the power. A mom has nothing to lose, thus nor anything to stick to. The role she can take on is always that of a mediator.

It's also hard to take it as coincidence that all those animated movies I mentioned earlier touch on the relationship between the dads and their daughters. Take The Mitchells vs. The Machines for example. Even before the whole world gets taken over by robots, the Mitchell family is already going through a tough time. Rick and his daughter are dealing with some serious conflicts, like they can't even take a decent family photo together. You can definitely see this conflict as a generation gap, but it will make more sense if viewed from a power perspective. As the dad's authority in the traditional family structure gets challenged, the power of the kid, especially the daughter, starts to rise. The daughter can be more than just someone's daughter or someone's wife, she can strive to be her own person. When Rick and Katie have a strong father-daughter bond, Katie is just a little kid without much say in things. But as she grows up and starts having her own ideas, she starts drifting away from her dad. In other words, as Katie starts pursuing her own identity, she naturally starts questioning her relationship with her dad. Conflict between them becomes almost unavoidable when Katie realizes her dad's position of power in the family and doesn't wanna just be the obedient daughter anymore.

Power struggle between the dad and daughter in Elemental is even more evident. Ember is always letting her dad Bernie down, and he's totally convinced that she's not capable of taking over the shop. But you know what? I think the real issue here is that Bernie just can't let go of the shop. And when Ember finally gets the chance to take over, it's actually pretty deep if you think about it. I mean, the shop is practically destroyed by that point, and Ember steps up as the new owner, which totally fits the whole idea of the "glass cliff" thing. It's this idea that women often end up in leadership roles during times of crisis or tough times. Isn't Ember kinda standing on the edge of a glass cliff too?

The Croods, The Mitchells vs. The Machines, or this year's Elemental, Migration, these are all movies for families, and each one has a super happy ending. In these movies, the dads eventually regain their dignity and reconcile with their daughters by taking some changes, actions, or sacrifices. But as a daughter, I might have some doubts about whether that kind of making up is realistic. The real world keeps throwing stuff at traditional families, and it's pretty clear that the power and importance of dads is going down, maybe even disappearing. Just showing love won't fix all the problems families have with power. But even though I'm a bit skeptical, I still really admire the creators who see that change is happening, and I totally believe that love can do some pretty amazing things.