Disney likes to have a reputation for family entertainment, but it's ironic how many of the company's films kill those families. Many movies in the House of Mouse feature the deaths of characters close to the protagonist. Sadly, several of these are parents.

RELATED: Strongest Disney Princesses, Ranked

To create emotional struggle, these narratives frequently involve parental figures biting the dust. Though not occurring in every flick, it happens enough that moms and dads in the audience likely shift in their seats, wondering if Disney will take them out the next.

9 Bambi's Mother - Bambi

Bambi and his Mother in Bambi

This is the first time Disney dabbles in parental casualties, but it doesn't show much. The titular deer and his mother run from human hunters. Viewers hear a gunshot, and Bambi is the only one to make it back to the den. Though that may sound underwhelming, it's extremely effective.

What people don't see is often more frightening than what they do. The implication is still there; it's arguably stronger without a visual. It's especially appropriate here since Bambi has no concept of death at this point. All it needs is the following scene where his father tells him the news. Like the rest of the film, the scene gets by on the atmosphere, letting the bleak visuals and lack of music hammer home the loss.

8 Mufasa - The Lion King

Simba and Mufasa in The Lion King

Featuring the other defining parental death in the Disney pantheon, The Lion King shows more and deals a more heart-wrenching blow. King Mufasa perfectly balances being a friendly dad and a strict teacher to his son, Simba. Unfortunately, he's betrayed and thrown into a wildebeest stampede by his brother, Scar, leaving young Simba blaming himself and the backstabbing regicide on the throne.

RELATED: The Most Evil Animated Disney Characters

Many elements factor into this unforgettable moment. Not only is the act itself shocking in its merciless cruelty, but the movie piles guilt on top of it. During the long period where Simba is with his dad's body, the beautiful music kicks in amidst the dusty setting, creating a crippling sense of loneliness. That's when reality sinks in, and the film is at its lowest.

7 Quasimodo's Mother - The Hunchback Of Notre Dame

Quasimodo's Mother in The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This is far from the darkest development here. The movie comes from a Victor Hugo story, after all. However, this unfortunate event lays the groundwork for the rest of the tale, and the filmmakers give it the weight it deserves.

Pursuing a band of gypsies, Minister Frollo kills a mother on the steps of the church. The act leaves her deformed baby helpless and alone. The local priest tells Frollo to care for the child to absolve his immortal soul.

That may sound rushed and contrived. Thankfully, the choral vocals and foreboding visuals mold it into an operatic travesty. These elements set a bombastic tone for the rest of the movie.

6 Tarzan's Parents - Tarzan

Parents and Kerchak in Tarzan

This film packs in two sequences of parental death for the price of one. The first occurs with Tarzan's human mother and father. Shipwrecked in an African jungle, they struggle to survive before meeting an untimely end from Sabor the leopard. Granted, this is all just setup in the opening montage, as audiences see little more than their obscured bodies in the background. However, the unnerving mood and bittersweet Phil Collins song give these events extra weight and capture the tragedy inherent in the tale.

That tragedy increases at the end. Kerchak, the gorilla leader, finally acknowledges the ape-man as his son before dying of his gunshot wound. The irony is crushing, especially when combined with the dark blue rainstorm, woodwind score, and slow-motion shot of his hand falling to the ground. These touches make it perhaps the most intimate Disney death, which is saying a lot.

5 Zira - The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

Zira in The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride

The second Lion King film also involves a parent dying, but this parent happens to be one of the great unsung villains of the House of Mouse. Zira, a lioness who supported Scar, swears vengeance on Simba for "usurping" his kingship and banishing her and her followers. For this reason, she grooms her son to take back the throne. When Simba stops the fighting at the behest of his daughter, Kiara, the spiteful Zira can't let go of her rage and launches a desperate attack, ultimately tumbling off a cliff.

Obviously, this scene is packed with adrenaline. The percussion score goes hand-in-hand with the raging river rapids below. The tension only increases as Kiara tries to help Zira, only for the villain to lash out at her. Believe it or not, this goes further in the deleted scene--the evil lioness lets go of the cliff face and lets herself die rather than accept help. Either way, her demise shows the depths of her hatred. It's one of the many reasons this flick is an underrated gem and the rare Disney sequel that compares to the original.

4 Koda's Mother - Brother Bear

Kenai, Koda, and Koda's Mother in Brother Bear

Talk about cultural conflict. In this prehistoric tale, protagonist Kenai hunts down a bear who caused his brother's death. He sees the animal as a mindless monster and feels no remorse for the act. When he magically becomes a bear himself, his surrogate brother Koda relates how his mother challenged a human to protect her offspring. Kenai then realizes that this is the same bear he killed.

RELATED: The Best Saturday Morning Cartoons From Kids WB

It's a cruel twist of fate that packs an emotional punch. The revelation is particularly potent once the dialogue cuts out in place of music. In the long run, though, this event is more effective at fostering greater understanding between both the characters and their cultures.

3 Gothel - Tangled

Gothel in Tangled

This entry also deals with a villain. Gothel is a hag who stole Rapunzel away from her parents to exploit her youth-restoring hair. She then raises the child as her own, confining her to a tower and hiding her true origin. When robbed of those magical locks, Gothel rapidly ages, tumbling out of a window and dissolving into dust. Not a single tear was shed.

This woman is easily among the most annoying Disney baddies. She lacks the intense edge or even motivation of Zira. Instead, she's just a vain prima donna, and her flamboyant and pseudo-aristocratic attitude embodies the worst aspects of a theatre snob. Rapunzel, to her credit, makes a half-hearted attempt to save her from falling, but Gothel never cares about her or experiences any crisis of conscience in her wrongdoing. As such, it's hard to feel sympathy when she bites the dust. If anything, the film presents it as more of a horror show, which Disney has done plenty of times with other witches to greater effect.

2 The King And Queen - Frozen

King and Queen in Frozen

Another casualty of the opening montage, the king and queen of Arendelle are appalled at their daughter's ice powers. They stress her need to remain physically and emotionally distant before embarking on a vague voyage to parts unknown. Their ship then goes down in a storm like an afterthought.

That sums up how they feel in the grand scheme of things. It seems the filmmakers wanted to get rid of the parents as soon as possible to make room for the sister relationship, which is more central. That's why the king and queen only get a few lines, and those lines don't exactly paint them as considerate people. Their presence (or lack thereof) serves only to contribute to Elsa's isolation. That's ultimately what the opening song establishes.

1 Grandma Tala - Moana

Grandma Tala in Moana

Here, the death lies not with the protagonist's parent. Rather, Tala is the chief's mother, making her Moana's grandmother. That said, she becomes more of a mentor than the heroine's actual parents. Of course, screenwriting convention dictates she dies to pull at people's heartstrings.

Tala passes away of old age after sending Moana on her journey. Sadly, her death doesn't hit as hard as it should. While amusing, the character never progresses beyond simple quirkiness prior to this. In addition, her passing doesn't get ample time to breathe, as the script shoves her final words into the middle of a song. As a result, it's Moana's choked-up singing that carries more pathos. In the same way, Tala winds up more emotionally resonant as a ghost than she is in life.

MORE: Best Disney Villain Songs, Ranked