History Fridge / TheWilloughbys

* If Linda, the Commander and Ruth had been even a few minutes later than when they did, they would have found the frozen bodies of all four Willoughby children.

* The kids end up separated for a good period of time before Nanny Linda manages to sneak past security and convince Tim to help her reunite the kids with their parents. However, what if their plans had failed and the kids remained separated until adulthood? Jane and the Barnabys seem to be in relatively stable (if unconventional) households that seem relevant to their interests, and while they are also clearly miserable without their siblings and would likely grow up missing each other, they at least have some semblance of adults who can help them if needed. However, Tim is possibly the biggest victim in this regard; not only does he not have his siblings, but he runs through foster families at an alarming rate and doesn't get emotionally attached to any of them because [[HeroicSelfDeprecation he feels he doesn't deserve it.]] Had Nanny not tried to break him out, Tim would likely grow up with no real familial attachments or support systems to depend on. How would an adult Tim fair from those circumstances?
* The Film happily ends with the Willoughby children finally having a better new family, their biological [[ParentalNeglect neglectful parents]] got their JustDesserts in getting EatenAlive by a shark. however, [[HappyEndingOverride no good will come right out of it]], given that the Willoughby children's adoptive father (The Commander) runs a candy factory. imagine that as generations past, if the descendants of the current Willoughby family made the same mistakes as their biological parents were, or even worse [[CorruptCorporateExecutive run the candy factory]]?

** Meatloaf is another prominent food, though we only see it sparingly. Meatloaf could be seen as symbolic of love. In the beginning of the film, Mr and Mrs Willoughby selfishly hoard it all to themselves, much like how they exclusively love each other but not their own children. Jane steals it from them and her and the Barnabys eat it, but Tim gets none and is promptly blamed for the missing food, demonstrating that, while Jane loves her siblings, her actions inadvertently throw Tim under the bus. Near the end of the film, we see meatloaf again, but it's when the Willoughbys have been adopted by Captain Mel and Linda, and Mel is happily serving it to his new family albeit, [[Squick with candy corn stuck in it,]] showing that, while it's not perfect, it's still a gesture of love.

** Another prominent food in the film is candy, which symbolically represents the opposite of oats. Captain Mel is heavily associated with candy and sweets, and he clearly adores Ruth and is feeding her a diet solely of candy, and while candy is something you give to people you adore, its also unhealthy in large amounts, especially for kids, symbolizing that while Mel wants to care for Ruth, he clearly has no idea what he's doing and needs assistance from Linda. Later, Linda gives Tim a candy bar, and he shares it with her, displaying that his animosity towards her is waning and he's starting to open up.

** Meatloaf is another prominent food, though we only see it twice. Meatloaf could be seen as symbolic of love. In the beginning of the film, Mr and Mrs Willoughby selfishly hoard it all to themselves, much like how they exclusively love each other but not their own children. Jane steals it from them and her and the Barnabys eat it, but not Tim, demonstrating that, while Jane loves her siblings, her actions inadvertently exclude Tim from the benefits of her actions. Later in the film, we see meatloaf again, but its when the Willoughbys have been adopted by Captain Mel and Linda, and Mel is happily serving it to them and Ruth (albeit, [[Squick with candy corn stuck in it,]] showing that its not perfect.)

* Oats seems like a rather random food for the Orphan Services to serve the kids, but it makes sense both from a practical and a ''symbolic'' standpoint. Oats are a healthy food lacking in flavor complexity, which means that children who are incredibly picky will likely be able to eat it with little issue, and it's too soft to choke on, which means it's safe to consume for most ages. In the US, it's also rather easy to buy in bulk if you have to feed a large group of kids at once. At the same time, it's not for ''every'' kid, at Tim refuses to eat them at nearly every turn. It represents how [[AntiVillain the Orphan Services truly do mean well and want to help the kids to thrive, but have some blind spots to nuance and are so practical that they struggle to understand how to make the kids happy.]]

** When the kids devise the plan to orphan themselves, they specifically mention books such as ''Literature/JamesAndTheGiantPeach'' and ''Literature/OliverTwist'' as ways how it was done successfully by fellow children. It turns out that this is much easier said than done, as, once child services is alerted that children have no parents, they are immediately taken and placed in foster homes. This is probably due to the fact that these books did not set realistic ideas for the kids, but it may go deeper. Considering how the Willoughbys' household in general is [[ShelteredAristocrat incredibly isolated]] and [[BornInTheWrongCentury outdated,]] (with the Willoughby parents freaked out by a mere brochure) and the kids never having stepped beyond the front yard. It's highly likely that the kids never considered their being a legitimate network in place that could apprehend them in such an encompassing way.

** The kids end up separated for a good period of time before Nanny Linda manages to sneak past security and convince Tim to help her reunite the kids with their parents. However, what if their plans had failed and the kids remained separated until adulthood? While Jane and the Barnabys seem to be in relatively stable (if unconventional) households that seem relevant to their interests, they are also clearly miserable without their siblings and would likely grow up missing each other. However, Tim is possibly the biggest victim in this regard; not only does he not have his siblings, but he runs through foster families at an alarming rate and doesn't get emotionally attached to any of them because [[HeroicSelfDeprecation he feels he doesn't deserve it.]] Had Nanny not tried to break him out, Tim would likely grow up with no real familial attachments or support systems to depend on. How would an adult Tim fair from those circumstances?

* Tim’s relationship with food throughout the movie is quite concerning. When Mr and Mrs Willoughby were around, the kids were only given leftovers to eat, and sometimes not even that, so they are quite used to food insecurity and going hungry. After their parents go on the trip, the kids quickly realize that they don’t know how to cook and don’t eat for about another two days. Then, Nanny shows up and gives them bowls of oats, which all of them eat except for Tim. But we know from a previous scene that Tim is indeed hungry, just refusing the food in order to spite Nanny. We don’t see Tim near food onscreen again, until, later on, after being separated from his siblings and locked up in a cell, we see that he has refused dozens of servings of oats, implying that he hasn’t eaten in days. If Tim’s life hadn’t eventually changed for the better, he very well could have developed an eating disorder, which are quite common in abused children.

* Tim’s relationship with food throughout the movie is quite concerning. When Mr and Mrs Willoughby were around, the kids were only given leftovers to eat, and sometimes not even that, so they are quite used to food insecurity and going hungry. After their parents go on the trip, the kids quickly realize that they don’t know how to cook and don’t eat for about another two days. Then, Nanny shows up and gives them bowls of oats, which all of them eat except for Tim. But we know from a previous scene that Tim is indeed hungry, just refusing the food in order to spite Nanny. We don’t see Tim near food onscreen again, until, later on, after being separated from his siblings and locked up, he has refused dozens of servings of oats, implying that he hasn’t eaten in days. If Tim’s life hadn’t eventually changed for the better, he very well could have developed an earring disorder, which are quite common in abused children.

** His thin moustache can also be seen as symbolic of his failure to uphold his family legacy. Despite being a family of inventive adventurers, him and his wife are implied to rarely if ever leave their old fashioned house and didn’t even know how to use the internet. Showing how the Willoughby family has stagnated compared to their past glory. [[spoiler: The children (besides Tim) growing moustaches in the end is in turn symbolic of them returning to their family’s roots. Linda and Commander Melanoff may not be Willoughbys by blood, but the Commander’s impressive factory and both of their abilities to take action makes them more true to the legacy of the family than Mr. and Mrs Willoughby were.]]

*** In that regard, Mr. Willoughby is his son's ShadowArchetype: unlike Tim, who kept on trying his best to uphold the Willoughby legacy [[spoiler: even when he still hasn't grown into his moustache]], the husband doesn't even ''bother'' being a true Willoughby.

** The mustache might even have been a (horrible) FreudianExcuse: He probably noticed his ancestors’ mustaches, too, and thought he could never live up to them, so [[ThenLetMeBeEvil he didn’t even try.]]