Men at the heart of mothering: finding mother in Finding Nemo

摘要

After years of perpetuating myths of the subservient, ever-cheerful woman (or killing a maternal figure off at the start of a movie), Disney explored new ground in its blockbuster, Finding Nemo. Building on previous Disney critique by Elizabeth Bell and others, I argue that this film provides an expanded notion of who 'mother' is and what 'mothering' means. Firstly, I provide a brief review of social 'mothering', summarizing maternal functions as discussed by various feminist scholars. Secondly, I create a typology that assists our understanding of how Disney traditionally defines mothering in its discourse. Using elements of this typology, I then explore the ways in which Marlin, the father in Nemo, is engaged in mothering. Finally, I discuss the potential impact on viewers of portraying men as mothers and what has occurred in Disney films post-Nemo with regards to images of mothering.