This movie is not light-hearted. It punches you in the gut just when you think you've seen all the bad there is to see. The only thing that makes it worthwhile is its stubborn ideal that good will overcome evil.
They were caricatures rather than actual humans. They represented the ideal family values. And the one parent who didn't subscribe to these traditional family values was outcasted and depicted as a threat to the family unit (cheater and deadbeat dad).