How Disney altered these 4 timeless fairy tales its classic movies
Many classic Disney movies have shaped your childhood memories. Some popular ones such as Pinocchio (1940), Cinderella (1950) and Snow White (1937) are based on famous fairy tales. This globally acclaimed media and entertainment conglomerate has transformed many such classic stories into timeless movies, adding their unique twist to make them even more enchanting. So, grab some popcorn and get ready to discover the real tales behind some of the most iconic Disney movies.
Snow White
Disney's first animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937) has become a timeless classic that is loved by all. The film features an evil queen, an iconic villain in the history of animated movies. In this story, the evil queen banishes the protagonist Snow White to the forest because she wants to be the only fair lady in town. The queen even goes so far as to shapeshift into an older woman and feeds Snow White a poisonous apple. The movie is based on a fairy tale from the Grimm’s Fairy Tales by Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm (1812), but it differs from the original story in quite a few ways. In the film, Snow White is rescued by a prince who takes her to the castle. However, in the original story, things take a dark turn. The prince and Snow White have a wedding that the evil queen attends. When the prince sees the queen, he orders her to be put on hot iron shoes and dance until she dies in a gruesome dance of death!
Cinderella
Just like Snow White, Cinderella (1950), an animated musical fantasy film, is also a fairy tale from Grimm’s Fairy Tales. Cinderella's story also has a bleak twist. You may recall Cinderella running down the stairs at the stroke of midnight and accidentally losing one of her glass slippers. Armed with only the slippers as a clue, Prince Charming embarks on a house-to-house search for the feet that fit them. Along the way, he finds Cinderella, and they live happily ever after. However, in the original Grimm version, the wicked stepsisters try to steal the show. In a desperate attempt to fit into the glass slippers, they cut off parts of their toes and heels! The grimness continues till the end. Cinderella's feathered best friends take revenge on the sisters for their cruel treatment of her by pecking out their eyes.
Pinocchio
Pinocchio (1940), Disney's second animated movie, tells the magical tale of a wooden boy whose nose grows every time he tells a lie. The film was inspired by Carlo Collodi, an Italian writer's book, Adventures of Pinocchio, published in 1883. However, the Disney version differs significantly from the original story. While the movie is a fun adventure for children, Collodi's book takes a dark turn to teach kids a valuable lesson about honesty. Here, the wooden boy accidentally kills a talking cricket and is later hung by a sinister duo of talking cat and fox. Meanwhile, poor Geppetto, the woodcarver and creator of Pinocchio, is stranded on a ship, anxiously waiting for his wooden son to rescue him. Despite the differences between the two versions, the book and movie have captured the hearts of generations of readers and viewers.
Mulan
Mulan, an iconic female warrior from the 1998 Disney movie, has captured the hearts of audiences worldwide. The character was inspired by a poem called The Ballad of Mulan, written by Chinese poets Nguyen Ngoc Ngan and Song Zhang in 1696. Although the poem and Disney movie share the same central character, their stories differ in many ways. In the Disney movie, the main protagonist Mulan, a character inspired by a legendary heroine from the Chinese folklore, returns home to her family after a war and lives happily ever after. However, in the original poem, Mulan discovers that her father had died and her mother remarried. Furthermore, her secret of posing as a man during the war is revealed, and she is forced to become a concubine. The Disney writers chose only to adapt the positive elements of the Mulan story, skilfully crafting a magical and memorable childhood experience for millions of children.