From Entombment to Entertainment: Death Ritual in Disney Animation.

This article examines the portrayal of death rituals in 15 Disney animated films to understand how death is conceptualized and communicated to child audiences through character behavior and narrative. It finds that characters’ emotional responses to death vary depending on whether the deceased is a hero or villain, with heroes receiving respectful mourning and villains depicted as cowardly and deserving of violent deaths. The study highlights that death preparation in these films often centers on murder or prevention of death, while post-death ceremonies reflect cultural and religious ideologies tied to the story’s setting, such as Chinese ancestor veneration or Inuit beliefs about the northern lights. Symbolically, death is frequently represented through blue-colored spirits or souls, aligning with Western spiritual associations. The analysis suggests Disney films convey specific cultural values about death that may influence children’s understanding of mortality and the worth of life, though further research is needed to assess developmental impacts.