My 4yo is adopted and had no issues with the movie. She didnt bring up adoption at all or birth parents or anything.

I remember that when I watched the movie it was probably the most disturbing Disney movie for me because of the way the mom manipulated her love to get something from the princess. It was the reality of manipulation that really seemed to bother me. I have not shown my kids this movie cause I disliked the theme so much.

I love the movie. It's my favorite of the recent Disney crop. However, I could certainly see holding off on it with a young adoptee.

It's not that the movie has a "negative depiction of adoption," but that the circumstances could be confusing and troubling for a little kid who is not very sophisticated. A "this is kidnapping, not adoption, sweetie" talk could be hard to understand for a 5 year old.

Saying, "maybe not the right movie for this particular kid right now" does not equal "this is a terrible movie and the people who made it are terrible."

(I also wouldn't show Frozen to a kid whose parents are about to go on vacation without him/her. That doesn't mean I think Frozen is terrible.)

Anonymous wrote:Tangled isn't about adoption. Rapunzel was kidnapped not adopted.

Yes . We get it. Do you understand how a young child might see a character being raised by a non bio mom and get confused? It's hard enough for adults to understand the logistics of adoption.

Tangled isn't about adoption. Rapunzel was kidnapped not adopted.

My kid is not adopted, and I had similar worries about the messages about adoption.

My daughter's best friend is adopted, known each other since kindergarten are teen-agers now. I think it's good to get this topic out and open for discussion as soon as possible. She has had other kids, as far back as when she was 7 (that I know of) ask her why she was adopted, where her "real" mom is, why she was adopted, etc.

It's one thing for you as a parent to tell the child what to say, it's a very different process for that child to mentally understand and be able to articulate their situation. I think a movie like Rapunzel is a good one to bring up some topics in a non preachy way.

Why are all the non adoptive parents weighing in on how adopted children will respond? I am an adoptive mother who let my daughter watch this (many times) but it did make me uneasy. Yes adoption is complicated and whether it is through theft or a legal proceeding, removing a child from his or her bio mom is a huge deal --- no way around it. It can take years and years to process
And particularly when kids are young it can be confusing. I suspect the movie will raise issues for some but not all adopted kids. Watch it first to make your own call.

Anonymous wrote:On a related note, why are Disney movies always missing the mother? Beauty and the Beast (no mom), The Little Mermaid (no mom), Aladdin (no mom), Cinderella (evil step-mom), Snow White (evil step-mom). I suppose a few of them have moms - Peter Pan (gratuitous parents), Sleeping Beauty (although Aurora is raised by "aunts"), The Lion King (real parents, but of course, they were lions). What's the deal with that?

People have written theses on this topic.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roles_of_mothers_in_Disney_media
http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2014/07/why-are-all-the-cartoon-mothers-dead/372270/

Anonymous wrote:I didn't pick up on anything related to adoption. I think the movie is ok (and I am a big Disney fan), but I had more of an issue with her hair turns brown when its not magical and blonde when its magical. Its not a huge deal, but just an interesting message.

The only mother the child knows actually hates her but the one she has never seen but who actually gave birth to her and looks exactly like her loves her. But you didn't pick up anything related to adoption. Ok.

Watch it first, OP. Make your own opinion based on actually watching the movie.

This is one of my least favorite Disney movies. It's super creepy. Like "Room" for preschoolers or something.

Much better Disney flicks are Mulan, Brave...or even the old Sleeping Beauty (which has good music, those super sweet old lady fairies, a prince who actually seems like a stand up guy, and one of the scariest movie villians ever).

If you have sensitive, anxious children, they probably shouldn't watch any Disney/Pixar movies. They almost all focus on kids having to fight scary monsters and the parents are either absent or negligent.

I didn't pick up on anything related to adoption. I think the movie is ok (and I am a big Disney fan), but I had more of an issue with her hair turns brown when its not magical and blonde when its magical. Its not a huge deal, but just an interesting message.

I'm an adult adoptee and I thought it would have been problematic for a young adoptee. The Rapunzel character loves her adopted mother who turns out to be evil, it was very troubling for my 4 year old who was not adopted.