So here is the companion piece to my favorite DP mothers article. Let me preface this by saying that I don’t dislike any of the DP fathers; I just prefer some over others. There were several factors I considered when making this list, so it’s not necessarily my ranking of the best and worst fathers. Just like the last article, I’m sure I’ll have some unpopular opinions. I don’t expect everybody to agree with me, but please don’t leave any rude comments.

11. Cinderella’s father

I love the live action version of this character, but the animated version unfortunately falls flat. He only appears as an illustration in a storybook, and while it is implied that he was a good father to Cinderella – he gave her everything her heart desired and wanted her to have a mother figure in her life – we just don’t know enough about him for me to rank him higher.

10. The King of Corona

It’s such a shame that he shares the same lack of screen time problem as Cinderella’s father because I like him and would rank him a lot higher if he was more developed. He appears just long enough to get a general idea for his personality and what he’d be like as a father (He goes to great lengths to get the flower to save his queen, is devastated when Rapunzel is taken, and never gives up hope of being reunited with her) but the insight that the film gives into his character is still too vague for me to have a strong opinion about him.

9. King Triton

I’m conflicted about Triton. On the one hand, he has a hot temper that really bothers me. He yells at Ariel on a number of occasions and destroys someone else’s property in all three of the Little Mermaid movies (the only justifiable instance being Morgana’s lair in TLM 2), and I think that’s not only a horrible way to get his point across but also a bad example to set for his daughters. I hope this doesn’t sound like I dislike Triton because I don’t at all. In fact, I love that he’s willing to learn from his mistakes. He starts off as rather narrow-minded and believes that all humans are bad, but after seeing the lengths Eric went to save Ariel, he’s willing to re-evaluate his opinion. On the occasions his temper gets the better of him, he regrets his actions fairly quickly and tries to put things right. That aside, my favorite thing about Triton is his ability to forgive others. He forgives Ariel for running away. He forgives Sebastian in TLM 3 for breaking his laws, and in my favorite example, he forgives Melody for stealing his trident in TLM 2.

8. King Stefan

Let me just say that I hate having to put Stefan here! He’s a decent father and my favorite character in Sleeping Beauty, but I couldn’t place him higher simply because he hardly ever appears in the same scene as Aurora. Despite their lack of screen time together, it’s fairly easy to see how much he cares for his daughter. He goes to the drastic, though somewhat impractical, measure of burning every spinning wheel in his kingdom to protect her from Maleficent’s curse, and in a gesture of pure selflessness, he places Aurora’s happiness above his own and allows the three fairies to raise her. That said, I think the scene that best defines Stefan as a father is when he reminds Hubert that Aurora doesn’t know she is a princess yet and may find her betrothal to Phillip overwhelming because it shows that, despite sixteen years of separation, he never stopped thinking of her.


7. King Fergus

Some people believe Fergus is too lax in his discipline, but that’s one of the things I like about him. His fun, easygoing nature is the perfect balance for Elinor’s strictness and makes him approachable, both as a father and a ruler. He’s down-to-earth and, unlike a lot of kings, not at all bossy or demanding, but my absolute favorite thing about Fergus is that he not only doesn’t try to turn Merida into something she’s not but actually encourages her tomboyishness. He defends her from Elinor’s reprimands and brags on her often (e.g. “I thought only the ancient kings were brave enough to drink the fire”, “None of your sons are fit to marry my daughter”, “You'll never guess who just solved our little suitor problem”) and I think the level of pride he shows in Merida is very sweet.

6. James

I can sum up the reasons I like James in one word: attitude. He remains positive, no matter what life throws at him. While most people in his circumstances would become bitter and angry at the world, James works long hours to provide a good life for his wife and daughter and never once complains about it. He doesn’t resent having to set his dream aside to raise a family, but even more admirable is the fact that he doesn’t give up on his dream just because it won’t happen immediately. While he teaches Tiana the value of hard work, he never discourages her from wishing. He keeps his dream alive and encourages Tiana to do the same.

5. Maurice

This is where it starts to get hard because I love all of the remaining fathers. Maurice doesn’t get as much screen time as the other fathers of the same era, but it’s obvious that he care for Belle. He tries to talk her out of taking his place and will stop at nothing to get her back. I love that he believes Belle when she tells him that Beast has changed and doesn’t try to stop her from warning him about Gaston, but my favorite thing about Maurice is that he values individuality. While he does encourage Belle to give others a chance, he never implies that she’s odd or needs to change to fit in; in fact he encourages her interests. He’s not afraid to be himself and teaches Belle to do the same.

4. The Sultan

Here’s a character I like more and more each time I watch him! Like Maurice, the Sultan encourages Jasmine to give other people a chance without trying to change her. He never forces her to look or act a certain way, and on the rare occasion when he scolds Jasmine, he goes about it in the kindest way possible. That said, the thing I like most about the Sultan is that he validates Jasmine’s concerns instead of dismissing them as silly or unimportant. When Jasmine tells him of Aladdin’s execution, he takes her seriously and reprimands Jafar for his actions rather than siding with him or acting like Aladdin’s life doesn’t matter. That shows that while he may not always agree with her, he still respects her thoughts and opinions.

3. Chief Powhatan

Powhatan is, in my opinion, the most underrated of the DP fathers. He strikes just the right balance for a parent, not too stern or too lax. I love that he’s willing to advise and guide Pocahontas, but he never flat out forces her to do something, such as marrying Kocoum, against her wishes; he respects her and trusts her to choose her own path. He’s a strong warrior and leader, but the thing I admire most about Powhatan is that he’s strong enough to admit he’s made a mistake. Instead of killing John Smith, he listens to Pocahontas’s message of tolerance and shares it with others, and I think that really speaks to his character.

2. Fa Zhou

In all fairness, Fa Zhou is probably the best parent of DP fathers, and if that was the only factor I considered when making this list, I would’ve given him the top spot. When I was a kid, I didn’t like Fa Zhou at all because of the “Mulan, you dishonor me” line, but now that I understand him better, I don’t think he ever actually thought of Mulan as a dishonor. While he, like all good parents, has certain rules that he expects to be followed, he keeps calm and doesn’t get angry when Mulan steps out of line. The only time I recall him being outright harsh with her is when he says, “I know my place! It is time you learned yours.” I love that he comforts and encourages Mulan by comparing her to a late blossom after the matchmaker disaster instead of making her feel worse about her mistakes, and my favorite thing about him is that he learns over the course of the movie to embrace Mulan’s uniqueness and see her as his “greatest gift and honor”.

1. King Agdar

I’m sure everybody’s wondering why the most widely disliked father is in my top spot. I could go on to say why I think Agdar did what he did or that as undeniably misguided as his choices were, I do not believe, as so many Frozen fans do, that they were made out of malice, but that’s an article for another time. The short answer is: Watching Agdar is like watching an animated version of my own father. Not only did they look uncannily alike, but my dad was also strong, somewhat demanding, and a natural leader like Agdar, and he also made the same misguided choice to isolate his daughter, though for opposite reasons. In Agdar’s case, he didn’t think his daughter was fit for society; in my father’s, he didn’t think society was fit for his daughter. My dad also shares with Agdar the tragic similarity of dying relatively young, and his last words to me were almost exactly Agdar’s last words to Elsa. Elsa and Agdar’s relationship hits very close to home for me, and I think it’s beautifully poignant that they both try to do right by each other but don’t know how and wind up going about it in the wrong way. I’m not saying my reason for loving Agdar is right or wrong, but I hope people can understand why I couldn’t give him anything less than the top spot and that the association I have with his character will always override any aversion I may have to the choices he made.