You can’t choose your family, but if you could, there may be some interesting results. Throughout cinematic history, entertainment fans have been blessed with some huge blockbuster releases, and sometimes love the characters they bond with on the big screen so much, that they’d love them to be a part of their real lives.
Disney on Female First
When it comes to the world of Disney, there have been plenty of compelling films with strong-headed father figures, but which of them have been voted the most popular ‘Movie Dad’ of all time by the UK, with research from Showcase Cinemas? Read on to find out…
10. Marlin, Finding Nemo
When Disney took us under the sea for one of their most heartwarming movies yet in Finding Nemo, we all fell in love with the colourful cast of characters, and in particular the family-loving clownfish Marlin. Doing everything in his power to protect his son Nemo from danger, following a tragedy in earlier life which saw his significant other and a bunch of his children eaten by a bigger fish, Marlin lets Nemo out of his sights for a single second, and finds his son “fishnapped”! Thus starts one of the most challenging journeys a clownfish could go on, and with his new companion Dory the blue tang by his side, the pair embark on an adventure through the ocean before finally reuniting with Nemo in Sydney. A parent willing to go these lengths for their child is a pretty fantastic one if you ask us!
9. Jack Byrnes, Meet The Fockers
Robert De Niro is truly one of today’s best actors, capable of putting his stamp on any role that comes his way and ensuring that he will deliver a beautiful performance, whether it be in action, comedy, or something else entirely. With Meet The Fockers, he had to take on the character of Jack Byrnes; a man who doesn’t think anybody is good enough for his daughter. Throughout three films to-date, De Niro ensures the audience come away laughing each and every time, so it’s no surprise Byrnes has found his way onto this list! We imagine he’s quite a hit with the fathers who took part in the research!
8. Captain Von Trapp, The Sound Of Music
When you first start watching The Sound Of Music, Captain Von Trapp seems to be a cold and sometimes calculated character, who employs far too much discipline with his children. So, when Julie Andrews’ Maria arrives on the scene as the children’s new nanny and manages to warm his heart, the audience take him in as a truly gentle soul, who was simply hiding his true personality behind prior heartbreak and distress. Christopher Plummer took on the role of Von Trapp in the 1965 movie, and gave a stirring performance of Edelweiss around halfway through the film. He’s a movie dad who will stand the test of time in years to come.
7. Atticus Finch, To Kill A Mockingbird
There’s a lot of heavy material in To Kill A Mockingbird, so it’s great to have a character like Atticus Finch to level everything out. Serving as the real-life representation of morality and reason, he’s the father of Jeremy ‘Jem’ Finch and Jean Louise ‘Scout’ Finch, with Gregory Peck portraying the character spectacularly. With a willingness to support those who really need his help, Finch is a man of great moral standing, who we could all learn a little from.
6. Daniel Hillard/Euphegenia Doubtfire, Mrs Doubtfire
How far would you go to see your children if there was the looming threat of them being taken out of your care? Robin Williams’ portrayal of Daniel Hillard answers that in Mrs Doubtfire, when he transforms from a man into the loveable older titular nanny, winning the support of his children’s mother without her knowing that her ex is working his way into their lives all over again. Though Hillard makes some huge mistakes, and almost loses out on seeing his children entirely, the story has a great ending, with a real coming together of family values.
5. Bryan Mills, Taken
Audiences were posed the question of just what they would do if their daughters were snatched from under their noses in the first Taken movie, and Liam Neeson’s portrayal of Bryan Mills answered that in spectacular fashion. As the perfect father figure to his family, Mills is a man of principal who has a history of working within the Armed Special Forces. Having then joined the CIA as a Paramilitary officer, he has a “very particular set of skills” that he would use to his advantage to save his daughters, and his family in later films, from a tragic fate. Truly going the distance, Mills proved to be incredibly popular with the dads at home who took part in this survey!
4. Henry Jones, Indiana Jones And The Last Crusade
Sean Connery joined the Indiana Jones film series in The Last Crusade, taking on the incomparable role of Indy’s father Henry. As a professor of Medieval literature, he’s someone who had in the past spent more time working to find the Grail than raising his son. With that in mind, it’s a little odd to see him so far up this list, but Connery’s performance throughout the movie, and the character eventually making good with his offspring, clearly made up for his lack of a presence in Indy’s childhood!
3. George Bailey, It’s A Wonderful Life
Back in 1946, the world was blessed with the brilliant movie It’s A Wonderful Life, with an all-star cast building the film’s roster. George Bailey, played by James Stewart, was a fan-favourite character for many people and in 2003, was named on the American Film Institute’s list of ’50 greatest screen heroes’. That love is something that has stayed strong throughout the years, and has seen the character make it into the top 3 in our list here today!
2. Arthur Weasley, Harry Potter series
There are a whole plethora of characters to have made an impact in the Harry Potter film series, but one of the most influential is Arthur Weasley; the patriarch of the Weasley Family, who’s portrayed impeccably well by Mark Williams. His fascination with “muggles” (none magic folk) is utterly endearing, and his love for Harry along with his own children and wife is something to be admired.
1. Mufasa, The Lion King
Come on now, could it have been anyone else? The Lion King is often named as people’s favourite Disney movie, and Mufasa is one of the biggest reasons why. His sacrifice for Simba and the rest of Pride Rock is something both children and adults have admired for decades, leaving audiences in tears when he doesn’t get the chance to say goodbye to his son after being trampled to death by a stampede, thrown into the onslaught by his own brother! Fortunately, the stars align so that Mufasa can make somewhat of a comeback later on in the film, but by that point, we’ve already mourned him! Damn you, Disney!
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Speaking about the results, UK General Manager for Showcase Cinemas, Mark Barlow said: “The silver screen has given rise to some incredible fictional parents, and it seems mums and dads are in agreement that the self-sacrificing animated lion, Mufasa, is the UK’s favourite movie dad.
“Across the board, it seems that men are more influenced by the parenting they see in films than mums are, with twice as many dads telling us that they’ve turned off a film because they thought it could show their parenting skills in a bad light – hopefully we don’t see too much of that this Father’s Day!”
2,000 people were surveyed via OnePoll in June 2018 to find the above results.
Tagged in Disney