The Disney Channel has featured plenty of animated parents. Some are beloved while others, well, let’s just say they fit alongside some of the worst parents from their movies. I’m Brad from WickedBinge, and this is Disney Channel Parents: Good to Evil.
Just to make sure we’re all on the same page, we’re only looking at animated Disney Channel shows, none of their live action properties. No acquired shows either, only Disney Channel originals. Finally, spoilers ahead for all the mentioned shows.
First off, we’ve got the parents who really do deserve that World’s Greatest Mom/Dad mug. These are the Good Parents. Easily earning our Gold Medal of Good is Camila Noceda from The Owl House.
Admittedly, Camila didn’t have the greatest first impression with many fans considering her to be a problematic mother when they saw her send her daughter, Luz, off to a camp that was supposed to help make her more ‘normal’ in the first episode. But of course, we eventually learned in the third season that Camila didn’t necessarily WANT to send her daughter away nor did she want her to be more normal. She just felt that helping Luz find ways to ‘fit in’ would be for her benefit, considering all the struggles that Luz was having in school.
Beyond this small mistake, however, Camila proved time and time again to be nurturing, caring and supportive to ALL her children, regardless of whether or not they were biologically related to her. We first saw this when she rescued and adopted Vee, a shapeshifting basilisk, as another daughter, as well as later on when she took in all of Luz’s friends after they were trapped in the human realm. When Belos finally made his return, Camila insisted on coming along to the Boiling Isles so that she could help and protect her kids.
Possibly her greatest moment though was simply opening up to Luz about her own struggles, allowing Luz to not only feel supported and loved but also understood. It’s really no surprise that this mom eventually became such a fan favorite character. For our Silver Medal of Good, we’re giving it to Pete and Sharon McGee.
While they may not fight alongside their children or help them save the world, Pete and Sharon are still incredibly solid when it comes to their parenting. Whenever the two are in financial troubles or are struggling with their own issues, while they still try to be honest with their kids, they also try to make sure that they don’t put any extra anxieties on their shoulders. Furthermore, the McGees love and support both their kids wholeheartedly.
This is seen the most with Darryl, as while they still discipline him when he gets into trouble at school, they still love their son for the spirited and clever kid he is and they make sure he knows this in episodes like “Double, Double, Darryl & Trouble”. As for their relationship with Molly, both Pete and Sharon give her plenty of support, encouragement and even occasional advice during her enhappifying schemes or when she’s struggling with her own issues. These two just have a lot of love to give, and as Molly herself says, that’s all she needs.
Moving onto our Bronze Medal of Good, we’ve got Bill Green from Big City Greens. Now, some may want to compare him to another yellow-skinned animated father, given how often he ends up butting heads with “the boy”. But while Bill can be stern and gets easily stressed out - especially when Cricket is causing mischief or dragging the rest of the family into shenanigans - needless to say he handles it MUCH better than someone like Homer Simpson.
For one, the thing that Bill wants the most is simply for his kids to grow up safe, happy and responsible. He isn’t an authoritarian or anything like that, but instead is just trying to guide his kids the best way that he can. Furthermore, whenever Bill DOES mess up - such as the times where he’s being unfair, dishonest or controlling, as seen where he lies about letting the farm animals out during a Blood Moon or where he tries to force Cricket to eat all their leftover zucchini - he’s actually willing to acknowledge these instances.
Just admitting when they’re wrong is already a rare thing for some parents, but seeing Bill always try to make up for his mistakes is especially heartwarming. We also see him being willing to talk through conflicts with his kids, treating them like people instead of just things to control all while still being a responsible parent. All of these qualities easily make Bill the ‘cream of the crop’ as it were when it comes to Disney parents.
Next up we have another father-figure who manages to get stressed out fairly quickly, that being Donald Duck. While he may technically just be the triplets’ uncle, in the Ducktales reboot it’s made incredibly clear that he is their father-figure, given that he raised them after their mother disappeared - and don’t worry, we’ll get to her. With that explanation out of the way, Donald is another case where you could have just had the angry and stressed out dad stereotype.
While that’s still a decently sized part of his character, what outshines his trademark anger issues is Donald’s protectiveness of his boys. Simply put, you mess with his family, you’re getting a feathered fist to the face. Donald is also incredibly devoted to his boys, willing to do anything for their sake, whether that’s braving a threat or facing his own personal issues.
We even learn in one episode that he actually goes to therapy for his anger issues in order to be a better guardian for the boys. D’awww! Additionally, as protective as Donald can be, he’s also willing to let the triplets spread their wings when he sees how capable they are.
He still has his flaws, such as occasionally being stubborn, insecure or his own worst enemy when it comes to his anger and bad luck, but the love this duck has for his fam always wins out in the end. Although they aren’t superheroes or adventures, our next entry still proves to be a pair of kick-butt parents - Mr and Mr. Boonchuy from Amphibia.
While we’re sure that living with three weird frog-creatures from another dimension took some getting used to, Mr and Mr. Boonchuy handled it fairly well! What’s more, they became both allies and friends of the Plantars, wanting to do what they could to help them get back home as well as just wanting to repay them for taking care of their daughter for so long.
Speaking of which, the Boonchuys are shown having a pretty strong healthy dynamic, with it being implied that - out of the Calamity Trio - Anne has the healthiest relationship with her parents. Her mother does end up briefly smothering her after her return, but we’d say that’s pretty understandable. We also see that Anne’s mom can sometimes be fairly stern, seeing her daughter as irresponsible and dishonest, leading her to put pressure on her to be better.
However, she’s also willing to take back these words after she’s seen how much Anne has truly grown, being proud of her for protecting the Plantars. It’s really nice seeing the two of them bond and grow to understand each other in other episodes too, like in the Thai Community episode and in the Christmas episode. Throughout the rest of the series, we really see the Boonchuys step up, fighting right alongside their daughter for the sake of both worlds.
From the streets of LA to the Tri-State Area, our next parent is Lawrence Fletcher. Mild-mannered and just a bit kooky, Lawrence admittedly tends to sort of blend into the background whenever he isn’t being used in a quick gag. Still, whenever this Brit DOES have the spotlight in an episode, he often ends up showing his best traits as both a dad and step-dad.
He has strong bonds with each of his kids, encouraging his sons to be creative with their inventions and even participating in their daily activities on occasion. As for Candace, while his daughter may not see him as the coolest dad ever, he knows how to calm her down without completely dismissing her - as seen in the episode where they’re briefly stranded on an island. We also got a great episode where Lawrence taught Candace how to drive, with the help of Phineas and Ferb’s monster truck of course, and the two of them even participate in a daddy-daughter picnic each year.
While some may see him as just a bit oblivious - although not NEARLY as much as his wife, let’s be fair here - his level-headed and calm nature and the love he has for his family still shine through more often than not. Heck, all it took was him simply seeing his sons for him to break out of an -inator-induced evil personality. That on its own should say a lot.
But much like Lawrence, James and Adria Lafayette are also able to give plenty of support to their daughter, Lunella, even if they don’t always know what’s going on with her. Given that Lunella is a literal superhero, this is a given. But whether they’re doing their best to support Lunella or are cheering on and assisting Moon Girl from the sidelines, these two love their daughter whole-heartedly.
James, especially, tries to spend as much time with her as possible, telling her stories and taking her to the movies or out for ice cream in addition to the skate competition they do together each year. It should also be noted that while the idea of Lunella growing up makes him sad, he doesn’t hold it against her when it seems like she’s lost interest in spending time with him. Adria, meanwhile, provides Lunella with a lot of advice and emotional support, as seen in the episodes “Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow” and “Like Mother, Like Moon Girl”.
Though, in the latter, she did try to put ALL the blame on the LES’s gentrification problems on Moon Girl, which was pretty unfair. But this was more of an emotional reaction than anything else, and again, she didn’t know that she was blaming her daughter. Really though, you have to sort of wonder when these two are going to wise up and realize the obvious.
But being somewhat oblivious is one thing. Admittedly, Nancy Green can sometimes be a bit of a bad influence - hence why she’s several spots below her ex-husband. Admittedly, she very much has the “Fun Parent” vibes, where she tends to care a bit more about showing her kids a good time than disciplining them.
This is somewhat understandable given that she was away from them for so long and likely just wants to make up for lost time. But when you see her doing things like encouraging Cricket to play pranks or even participating in the pranks herself, like during the whole Zillon Brax incident, it can certainly be seen as problematic. But like Bill, Nancy cares deeply about both her kids, and as such will eventually step up when she needs to in order to both protect them and keep them out of trouble.
We also see in several episodes just how strong of a bond she has with Tilly, like when she helped her find a new look or when they spent a snow day together. It’s really sweet to see, and they’re probably the best moments of her being both a fun and responsible mom, even if that last part is still sometimes a struggle for her. Speaking of ‘managing to be good’, we couldn’t end this tier without including Dr Heinz Doofenshmirtz.
Overprotective, well-meaning and INCREDIBLY dorky, Doof certainly has had the biggest parenting struggles out of anyone in this tier. Given his own terrible parents and awful childhood, you sort of get why he would struggle with boundaries and parenting in-general. Still, it can’t be denied that Doof really does try his best when it comes to Vanessa.
He tries to give her everything that he was denied as a kid, and while he can sometimes struggle with a work-life balance - such as when he used their vacation together as a means to conduct an evil scheme - he ultimately chooses her each time. The show is also filled with Doof’s meaningful gestures, like spending years trying to track down a doll she wanted or letting himself get stung by dozens of bees to protect her. Really, for as much as he may still have room for improvement, this is still a case where Doof’s good intentions make all the difference.
Moving on, we have the parents that - while not exactly perfect - their more admirable traits manage to overshadow their flaws. Welcome to the Grey Area! Starting things off, let’s briefly talk about Rafael and Angie Diaz from Star VS the Forces of Evil.
In all honesty, these two aren’t bad people - in fact, they’re probably the best host family that Star could have asked for. They’re friendly, caring, cheerful and doting! Additionally, they aren’t terrible parents either, they’re just a bit lax in their parenting.
It’s rare to see them take part in an episode’s story, and when they ARE there, they’re kind of just letting Star and Marco do whatever. Even for average humans, they are incredibly oblivious when it comes to danger, and though they can be somewhat protective, they don’t really participate in any of the show’s main conflicts nor do they really try to step in when they learn about all the danger their son is participating in. This gets to the point where they just let Marco leave Earth, with it later showing just how little they actually know about their son in the episode “Marco Jr.
”. But all of this shouldn’t be interpreted as them not caring, as we do see both Angie and Rafael try to give Marco advice when it comes to his feelings about Star. Overall, we’d call them ‘decent’, if perhaps just a bit irresponsible and perhaps a bit too willing to give their kids freedom without first looking into what exactly they’d be doing.
But if you thought the Diazes managed to sometimes miss a lot, Linda Flynn-Fletcher manages to take that to a whole other level. On the surface, Linda is loving, sweet and always ready to make her kids a snack. But for as kind and chill as she can be, her interactions with Candace show time and time again just how dismissive she can be when it comes to all her so-called “crazy” claims about what her brothers are doing.
Linda makes it VERY clear that she doesn’t ever believe Candace, often getting fairly annoyed with her and barely making an effort to get to the bottom of her daughter’s obsession. But like with the Diazes, it should still be noted that this doesn’t mean Linda doesn’t care at all. Outside of dismissing Candace’s claims, she’s still pretty supportive of all her kids and tries to offer advice and affection whenever it's asked of her.
Even if she doesn’t believe Candace’s stories, Linda still trusts her enough to frequently leave her in charge. Also, to be fair to her, she also brushed off Ferb when he tried to tell her about their crazy adventure in the episode “Ready for the Bettys”, so it’s not like she’s playing favorites when it comes to believing - or NOT believing - her kids. For as much as our Grey Tier parents have made their mistakes, the moments when they try to improve themselves - as seen with Alador Blight - are always appreciated.
As the chief engineer of Blight Industries, Alador was often focused on his work and left his wife, Odalia, in charge of their children, believing that both this and the work he was doing was all for the benefit of their family. However, things eventually came to a head and Alador realized just how much he was neglecting not just Amity, who he kept dismissing in spite of her interest in abomination magic, but ALL of his kids. It took several tries for him to fully realize how dismissive he was being, to the point of not even knowing that his youngest daughter was in a relationship.
From this, he decided to become a better father and was actually more willing to confront his soon-to-be-ex wife about issues instead of just passively letting her handle and control everything. For what it’s worth, Alador stuck to his promise of being better, protecting his children throughout the last half of season 2 during the Day of Unity arc. We don’t see too much of Alador after this, but at the very least, it’s implied that his relationship with his kids will continue improving, which of course is always nice to see.
Heading back over to Duckberg, Della Duck was another parent who had to sort of grow into her role. Now, let’s make this clear from the get-go: Della, for as selfish as she was in her youth, still loves her kids. After being stranded on the moon for 11 years, you could just tell that the moment where she finally got to see the triplets again meant a lot to her.
Unfortunately though, love and good intentions can only go so far, and while we can acknowledge that Della was still TRYING to be a good mother after coming back into the boys’ lives, she still had several questionable parenting moments, such as only seeing Louie’s schemes as trouble and going overboard when it came to grounding him for the Time Tub incident. She also inadvertently gave Dewey a bit of a complex, making him feel like he constantly had to prove himself as a capable adventurer like she was. Thankfully, at the end of “Raiders of the Doomsday Vault”, she reassured Dewey that she would always believe in him and that he didn’t have to prove anything.
Adding onto this, Della managed to have several other really nice scenes with her kids throughout the latter half of the reboot series, where we saw her bond with Huey over video games and Junior Woodchuck stuff, sing a PowerLine duet with Dewey, and eventually manage to find common ground and acceptance with Louie. Wrapping up the Grey are the memorable and somewhat controversial Oscar and Trudy Proud. Admittedly, the entirety of the Proud Family tends to fall comfortably into “comedically dysfunctional”, which does fit for an animated sitcom.
Still, between both the original series and the reboot, some fans have begun to see the Proud parents as pretty problematic. While it’s reasonable for parents to sometimes ask for help from their eldest kids, both Oscar and Trudy tend to force Penny to babysit quite often, sometimes on VERY short notice. Speaking of Oscar, his overprotectiveness when it comes to his daughter’s relationship with boys is pretty infamous for a reason, to the point where he was willing to cancel Penny’s 16th birthday just because he saw her kissing a boy.
As for Trudy, well… we’re sure you’ve heard of the incident in the reboot where Trudy went out of her way to lock Penny out of the house as punishment for breaking curfew and neglecting her homework. Obviously Penny needed some sort of consequence for being irresponsible, but many felt this was going too far. Really, the only reason why these two didn’t end up falling into the Bad Tier is that, outside of maybe that last example, they haven’t done anything that’s too irredeemable.
They’ll still do whatever they need to in order to protect their kids, and while these two may have their harsh moments, it’s made clear that they still love Penny no matter what. Finally, we’ve arrived at the absolute worst parents that the channel has to offer. These are the Bad to Evil Parents.
Our Bronze Medal of Evil is going to the former queen of Mewni, Queen Moon. Like Trudy, Moon does have a pretty infamous moment, but let’s start with the basics first. Out of all the parents we’ve discussed so far, Moon was probably the most stern and overbearing, demanding that she follow traditions and often threatening Star with St.
Olga’s if she didn’t start behaving like the queen-in-training that she is. As Marco says, Star ended up getting a ton of “mother issues” from this. To her credit, Moon’s stern nature does come from love and protectiveness, and she does eventually start to trust Star’s abilities and even Star herself somewhat.
Buuut this all falls apart when she decides to go behind Star’s back and help Mina overthrow Queen Eclipsa. Mind you, she knew that Star was an ally of Eclipsa and would likely fight by her side, yet she had no problems with giving Mina what was essentially indestructible armor and weapons. Yeahhh, for as much as Moon may care about Star, this was most certainly the biggest example of her putting her own beliefs and desires above Star’s wants as well as her daughter’s safety - and for many, this was just inexcusable, regardless of the apology Moon gave after.
But as dismissive as Moon could sometimes be, she never managed to pass our Silver Medal winners - Preston and Priscilla Northwest from “Gravity Falls”. These guys aren’t super deep characters, but we feel they deserve a mention, as it was their influence, wealth and pride that made Pacifica such a brat in the first place. But beyond that, Preston specifically was revealed to be incredibly controlling, using a bell to make sure that his daughter always fell in line and never taking her opinion into account.
Essentially, these two seemed to only want both an heir and a doll that they could use and command. But as awful as this was, one Disney parent still did this better. …Or, should we say worse?
Finally, our Gold Medal of Evil is going to Odalia Blight, who managed to be dismissive, controlling, and manipulative towards every member of her family. With how greedy and tyrannical she is, it really isn’t a surprise that Odalia would put herself above even those who she’s supposed to love the most. From how she makes them dress to forcing them to participate in Blight Industries presentations, Odalia only ever sees her kids as something she can use to grow their family and their company’s influence and reputation.
This was most true with Amity, who she tried to mold into a copy of herself to the point of forcing her to dye her hair green. She tried to separate Amity from her friends when she thought that they were making her ‘rebellious’ and Odalia was even willing to capture and attack Amity and the others during the Day of Unity arc. As for Edric and Emira, while Odalia did seem to favor them, she still didn’t truly care for them like a mother should and was even willing to use them as bargaining chips to keep her husband in line.
The fact that she didn’t ever apologize for any of these things or even feel remorseful just seals her fate as the Worst Disney Channel Parent.
