Disney has created many iconic animated characters over the years, some of whom have gone on to become cultural phenomena. While most Disney characters are not depicted as expecting parents, there are a few who have been shown as pregnant or with child during their stories. So who was the first visibly pregnant Disney character?
Early Disney Films Lacked Pregnancy Representation
In Disney’s early animated films throughout the 1930s and 1940s, pregnancy was not really depicted or discussed. These early films tended to focus on young main characters like Snow White, Cinderella and Aurora from Sleeping Beauty. As princesses and young women, they were not illustrated as mothers already or expecting a child within the timeline of the films.
Likewise, none of the female animal characters in films like Dumbo or Bambi were shown as pregnant or having babies. Some animals likethumper in Bambi had large families but the mothers’ pregnancies were never addressed. So through Disney’s first few decades, there were no visibly expecting characters.
Later Films Began Depicting Pregnancy and Birth
It was not until the 1970s and 80s that some Disney films started to portray pregnancy and childbirth in the stories. One early example is the 1977 film The Rescuers, which follows two mice characters Bernard and Miss Bianca trying to rescue a young orphan named Penny. In one scene, an elderly cat named Rufus talks about his wife having given birth to kittens, remarking on calling the fire department to help deliver them. So this minor reference to pregnancy and birth was one of Disney’s first.
Another film that included pregnancy was 1988’s Oliver & Company. This modern re-telling of the Charles Dickens novel Oliver Twist had a minor female character named Jenny who was visibly pregnant with the child of the film’s villain Sykes. However, her pregnancy was not a major plot point in the film.
Bambi’s Mother Shows Post-Pregnancy
One retroactive Disney pregnancy reveal came in the 1942 film Bambi, though it was not made explicit in the original story. Bambi’s mother is shown caring for infant Bambi early in the film, so it is implied that she had carried and birthed Bambi some time prior to the events on screen.
The midquel film Bambi II, released in 2006, shows a flashback to the day Bambi was born. His mother is shown in labor and giving birth to Bambi, confirming that she was the one who was pregnant with him and went through pregnancy. So while Disney’s original films glossed over the pregnancy, the later midquel established Bambi’s mother as having been visibly expecting prior to his birth.
Duchess the Cat in The Aristocats
The first visibly pregnant Disney character to appear on screen was Duchess the cat from the 1970 animated classic The Aristocats. The film opens with Duchess and her kittens Marie, Berlioz and Toulouse meeting their wealthy owner in 1910 Paris.
Over the course of the film, flashbacks are shown to when Duchess interacted with the alley cat Thomas O’Malley while visibly pregnant with her kittens. This marked the first time that a Disney character was illustrated as expecting a baby within the timeline of the story.
Key Details
- Duchess was depicted as a pregnant cat, with a round belly indicating her expecting kittens.
- The kittens were born off-screen before the events of the main film timeline.
- Duchess wore a bonnet over her pregnant belly, following the style of well-to-do ladies of the era.
- She was shown dancing and singing while heavily pregnant.
- Her pregnancy was not a main plot point, but visible and referenced.
So Duchess stands out as Disney’s first visibly pregnant character, making history for on-screen pregnancy depictions in 1970.
Other Notable Pregnancy Reveals in Disney Films
There have been a few other memorable pregnancies depicted in Disney animated films after The Aristocats broke new ground:
Kala in Tarzan
In 1999’s Tarzan, gorilla Kala is shown having lost an infant she was pregnant with when Sabor the leopard killed the baby. Kala later adopts the title character Tarzan and raises him as her own son.
Expecting Mothers in Lilo & Stitch
The 2002 sci-fi comedy Lilo & Stitch featured a few pregnant minor characters. Early on, the alien Stitch impersonates a pregnant tourist while evading capture. Later, a pregnant guest at Lilo’s birthday party goes into labor after an eventful day.
Rapunzel’s Mother in Tangled
Though not shown on screen, Rapunzel’s mother the queen is mentioned as being pregnant with Rapunzel in the 2010 fairy tale Tangled. This pregnancy is what leads Mother Gothel to kidnap Rapunzel to harness the magic in her hair.
Angela in Sleeping Beauty (Maleficent)
In the 2014 live-action Maleficent, which re-tells the Sleeping Beauty story from the villain’s perspective, Queen Leila is pregnant with the princess Aurora. While Leila’s pregnancy is off-screen, her daughter Princess Aurora is the iconic Sleeping Beauty.
Pregnancy Becomes More Common in Later Films
While pregnancy was not shown much at all in early Disney animation, it has become a more common story element in both Disney and Pixar films over the past couple decades. Now it is not uncommon to see female characters depicted as expecting mothers or with babies of their own.
Some other examples include Ellie’s pregnancy in Up, Helen’s third pregnancy in Incredibles 2, and many baby animals like Bears in Brother Bear. So Disney has come a long way from no pregnant characters to now routinely including pregnancy and birth stories.
Conclusion
In conclusion, while it may seem surprising given Disney’s family-friendly history, pregnancy was not really depicted in Disney films until the 1970s and 80s. Duchess the cat from The Aristocats was Disney’s first visibly pregnant character, breaking new ground for on-screen pregnancy portrayals in 1970.
Since then, many more Disney and Pixar films have included pregnant characters and birth stories. But Duchess marked the first depiction of an expecting mother in a Disney animated film, making her an important milestone for pregnancy representations on screen.