This is sometimes due to the nature of the source material on which the films were based – orphaned children are a common theme in fairy tales, allowing children to have adventures and develop the traits of self-reliance and bravery without the comfort (or hindrance) of parental/authority figures. A few Disney films show the actual death of a parent as an emotional plot device – Bambi and The Lion King (a retelling of Hamlet) both use this technique.

Occasionally the parents’ death, while not shown onscreen, is thematically relevant to the movie (Lilo and Stitch, The Sword in the Stone). At other times, it is necessary to the main character’s initial situation of hardship (Jungle Book, Snow White, Cinderella, the Hunchback of Notre-Dame).

There are also films where being motherless or fatherless does not serve an obvious purpose, but Disney makes the decision regardless. Possibly this is done to save money, or it could be that Disney didn’t want to clutter the plot with characters that play a similar purpose. If you have a loving mother, possibly a loving father could get in the way.

“Most children are protected by their parents, so there’s an upper limit on how difficult a problem can become before parents get involved”, explains Dr. John Zhang of New Hope Fertility Center, who has seen the issue discussed on social media. “Disney captures each child’s fantasy of making decisions on their own, and being brave enough to overcome anything.”

By showing children without their parents, Disney emphasizes the important roles that parents play in children’s lives. Disney films also teach children about the importance of friendship and loyalty, which can be seen through the relationships of characters like Ariel and Flounder. Another common feature of Disney films is the way the truth prevails over time, so children learn that honesty may come with short-term costs, but that it will lead to the best outcomes in the end.

As of late, people have been discussing Disney’s reliance on helpless princesses that need a male figure to rescue them, as depicted by this funny image.

Disney World weddings are so popular that the resort offers many wedding-related services to interested couples. These services include professional event planning, photography or videography, entertainment including landscaping and lighting, transportation, and floral design. Disney World often offers other services through referral, including tuxedo rental and dress pressing, invitation design and printing, and officiant services.

The resort allows interested couples to choose between various wedding packages. Each wedding package offers unique features, but two of the most popular packages are Escape Weddings and Wishes Weddings.

Escape Weddings work great for couples who want their wedding to be a very intimate, private event. Couples who choose this wedding package can have up to eighteen guests at the ceremony. An Escape Weddings package offers complete services, including flowers for the bride and groom, music for the ceremony, photography, as well as a small post-wedding ceremony with cake and champagne.

Wishes Weddings are more ideal for couples who want their wedding to be highly personalized events. With this package, engaged couples can design their wedding ceremony and reception. Various Disney World locations are available for both events. Since the customized nature of a Wishes Wedding may lead to more expenditure, the package also includes a wedding specialist who can help the couple set a budget.

A Wishes Collection Wedding can also be complemented with special Disney themes. Couples can come up with their own themes, or choose a location that offers a built-in theme. Weddings at Atlantic Dance at Disney’s Boardwalk Resort, for instance, can have a 1940s Americana theme.

Before 2010, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex was known merely as the Disney’s Wide World of Complex. Rebranded in February of that year, the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex spans 220 acres or 89 hectares. The complex is home to nine venues, including stadiums, tennis complexes, and gyms, making it a great destination for athletes. The complex also hosts various sporting events during the year.

If you’re planning to visit the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex soon, here are some venues you shouldn’t miss out on.

Champion Stadium

Champion Stadium is one of the pioneer venues of the complex. Built in 1997, the baseball stadium can seat 9,500 people in its cavernous space. Like the Wide World of Sports Complex, Champion stadium was previously known by another name: Cracker Jack Stadium and the Ballpark at Disney’s Wide World of Sports. The stadium is the current home of the Gulf Coast Braves and is also used in the spring by the Atlanta Braves.

Track and Field Complex

The Track and Field Complex is designed as a competition facility that can seat up to 500 people. The facility was also designed according to specifications set by the International Association of Athletics Federations. The complex features a nine-lane track, a javelin runway, two rings for hammer & discuss events, and three rings for shot put. The complex also includes runways for horizontal jumps and pole vaults, as well as two high jump areas.

One such unique tour that you and your family members or friends can take is the Keys to the Kingdom tour. This tour focuses on the creation and development of the Magic Kingdom theme park. Tour guides take guests on a walk throughout the theme park, telling stories of Walt Disney’s ideas and visions for Magic Kingdom. The tour lasts for 4 to 5 hours, but guests will definitely enjoy passing the time by listening to interesting facts about the theme park.

The tour offers a lot of activities that guests wouldn’t usually consider doing at the theme park. The Keys of the Kingdom tour can show guests some special features of Main Street, such as the use of forced perspective on the street. Tour guides also share bits of trivia about various locations and attractions around the theme park, including the Merchandising Offices, Jungle Cruise, Tomorrowland, and the Emporium.

One tour highlight that guests can look forward to is the visit to the theme park’s Utilidors. Utilidors are utility corridors that Cast Members and other theme park crew members use to get around the park more easily. These corridors allow for the easy and convenient transportation of food and merchandise deliveries away from the sight of theme park guests.

There are some age restrictions for theme park guests who are planning to Keys to the Kingdom tour. Only guests over the age of 16 are allowed to go on the tour; this may be due to the fact that most of the 4 to 5-hour walking tour is held outdoors.

Disney World’s Magic Kingdom, for instance, is home to a lot of fun activities that you wouldn’t have to line up for to enjoy. Consider taking the time to seek these little gems and your Disney World vacation might just be a little more memorable.

Fantasyland

Fantasyland offers a lot of activities that are more enjoyable especially for little kids. One overlooked attraction in Fantasyland is Fairytale Garden. You can find this garden just beside Cinderella Castle. Each day, Belle from Beauty and the Beast makes appearances in the garden and interacts with children from the crowd. Together with some chosen kids, Belle retells the story of her and the Beast. After the retelling comes a chance to get photos and autographs from the character.

Frontierland

This area is also home to some hidden gems for guests to enjoy. One overlooked Frontierland area that guests can visit is Fort Langhorn. Located in Tom Sawyer Island, Fort Langhorn is a play area for kids. Kids can explore lookout platforms and underground mazes while adults can sit and relax in the shade. Around Tom Sawyer Island are also some paintbrushes left behind by Tom and Huck. Take one of these hidden paintbrushes to a cast member and win a prize.

Tomorrowland

Tucked away in Tomorrowland are two true attractions that many Disney World visitors miss out on: Tomorrowland Transit Authority and the Carousel of Progress. If you or your kids enjoy train rides, you may enjoy going for a ride on the Tomorrowland Transit Authority. While on the ride, you’ll get glances into the interiors of the area’s well-known attractions, as well as an unforgettable bird’s-eye view of the Tomorrowland area. The Carousel of Progress, on the other hand, offers you the chance to experience one of the original attractions at Disney World.

Aside from hotel facilities, there are some unique benefits for companies considering the resort as a corporate venue. Disney World offers various programs especially designed to assist companies with event organization and marketing. Here are some of the Disney programs and solutions available for meetings, conferences, and group activities. 

Disney Event Group

The Disney Event Group aims to provide solutions for companies’ needs in relation to event organization. This creative and production team helps executives and organizers by providing creative ideas for the themes of corporate events. The team, after collaboration with the company, takes charge of setting the right environment for the event and providing useful, engaging content.  Technical support is available as well.

Disney Marketing Support

Disney Marketing Support caters to the needs of companies who want to feature their corporate events to be held at Disney Resort Hotels. Marketing experts from Disney can come up with promotional tools especially designed to create a buzz. These tools include promotional videos, online banner ads, brochures, and even event websites. These tools are especially helpful for boosting attendance to marketing and networking events.

Disney Institute

Disney Institute is one of the most useful programs for meetings and corporate events. Through the Disney Institute, companies can learn from workshops and presentations on leadership excellence, brand loyalty, and quality service. Through the program, Disney shares the secrets and strategies that allowed the Disney organization to succeed. Companies can choose the topics they want to learn about and also get the chance to interact firsthand with the behind-the-scenes operations of Disney Theme Parks and Resorts.

One great pavilion you can visit at World Showcase is the Germany Pavilion. The Germany Pavilion was first opened to the public in October 1982. Originally, the pavilion was designed to feature a boat ride attraction going down famous rivers in Germany, such as the Rhine, the Ruhr, and the Tauber, while showing German landmarks such as the Cologne Cathedral. Unfortunately, these plans were never completed due to lack of funding.

Today, the Germany Pavilion is designed to portray a typical 16^th century German village. The pavilion features a square called the Platz, which features a clock tower and a statue of St. George slaying a dragon. Various areas of the pavilion reflect different types of architectures from various eras of Germany’s history.

Aside from the Platz, visitors to the Germany Pavilion can also explore a number of shops. Kids will definitely enjoy a visit to Der Teddybar, a toy shop that offers dolls and stuffed toys that can be customized. Adults may appreciate Glas und Porzellan and Kunstarbeit in Kristall; the former offers glass and porcelain items, such as the renowned Hummel figurines, while the latter features crystal jewelry and stemware.

Restaurants serving German cuisine can also be found in the pavilion. The Biergarten Restaurant offers authentic German cuisine for lunch and dinner, serving dishes such as pork schnitzel, cabbage sauerkraut, spaetzle, and apple strudel. If German pastries are more your type, you can head for Sussigkeiten, a confectionery shop where you can get traditional lubkuchen or spicy Christmas cookies, chocolate cookies, and butter cookies.

If you want a Disney World vacation of rest and relaxation, you’ll also find a lot of enjoyable activities at the resort. Disney World is home to world-class spas and health clubs, so you can get the pampering you need right on resort premises. You can also play a few rounds of golf on the various courses located on-site. Here are some of the Disney World golf courses that you can visit.

Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course

This golf course is one of the more popular golf courses on Disney World property. The course offers four tee areas, Blue, White, Gold, and Red, with varying yardage, course ratings, and slope ratings for each area. You’ll also enjoy the course’s scenic views of villas, pine forests, and lakes. Disney’s Lake Buena Vista Golf Course has also hosted a variety of prestigious professional golf events, attesting to the course’s world-class offerings.

Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course

If you’re interested in spending some family bonding time on the green, then Disney’s Oak Trail Golf Course is your best bet. The course offers two tee areas of 9 holes each, with the holes expertly spread out on over two thousand yards of natural environment. Aside from the fun brought by golf, kids will also enjoy seeing the deer and waterfowl that can be sighted in the course’s woodlands.

Disney’s Palm Golf Course

Disney’s Palm Golf Course is a great golf course for golf novices and veterans alike. The course offers four tee areas with elevated greens and water holes, as well as numerous challenging bunkers. The golf course also offers guests picturesque views of vast lakes, sandy shores, and palm trees.

Blizzard Beach features a lot of thrilling slides and attractions, but if you want to enjoy snorkeling and surfing along with swimming, then you’ll want to visit Typhoon Lagoon. Typhoon Lagoon features the largest outdoor wave pool in the world, as well as two saltwater reefs that stingrays, bonnethead shark, and leopard shark call home.

Unlike Blizzard Beach, which is divided into specific slopes, Typhoon Lagoon doesn’t have any clearly defined areas. The most noticeable landmark in the water park is Mount Mayday, which features most of the park’s slides. One of the most popular slide attractions in the water park is Humunga Kowabunga, which sends riders side-by-side down a height of five stories in seconds. Storm Slides offer three shorter slides that twist down three stories, ending at a splash pool.

At Hideaway Bay, guests can find the Sandy White Beach area and the Crush ‘n’ Gusher attraction. This water coaster is the first such attraction to be built on a Disney water park. Guests can choose between three slides: the Banana Blaster, the Coconut Crusher, or the Pineapple Plunger. The slides can accommodate rafts for two or three people, sending riders to a 400-foot trip to Hideaway Bay.

You can also learn how to surf at Typhoon Lagoon. On select days, the Learn to Surf program is available before the water park opens. Professional instructors from Craig Carroll’s Cocoa Beach Surf School offer2-and-a-half hours’ worth of surfing lessons at the water park’s famous Surf Pool.

Both water parks cover expansive areas at Disney World, so the water parks are usually divided into areas for easier navigation. Blizzard Beach, for instance, is divided into three slopes that can be identified through their locations in the water park. The slopes feature attractions that are unique for each slope.  

Blizzard Beach’s Red Slope, for instance, is found at the water park’s rearmost area. The slope features just one attraction: Runoff Rapids. The attractions offer 3 different inner tube water slides: the outer tubes can accommodate two-person rafts, while the fully enclosed center tube accommodates one guest at a time. Whichever slide you choose, you can expect to have lots of fun sliding down Mount Gushmore.

The Purple Slope is located on Mount Gushmore. Slides and attractions featured in this slope are commonly used for racing. Snow Stormers, for instance, sends riders stomach-down through Mount Rushmore on a toboggan-style mat. Downhill Double Dipper features slides that allow riders to engage in side-by-side races down 50-foot high, 230-foot long slides.

Blizzard Beach’s Green Slope can be found at the uppermost regions of Mount Rushmore. This slope features the water park’s thrill rides, such as Summit Plummet, Teamboat Springs, and Slush Gusher. Considered as Blizzard Beach’s flagship attraction, Summit Plummet offers one of the tallest and fastest free-fall slides in the world, with maximum potential speeds of 60 miles per hour.

Aside from the slopes, Blizzard Beach also offers various attractions at ground level. Found at the base of Mount Gushmore is Melt-Away Bay, a 1 spacious wave pool of bobbing waves and waterfalls. Ski Patrol is a great attraction for kids that can’t go on the thrill rides yet; the attraction offers short body slides and a rope drop that kids will definitely enjoy.