Sleeping Beauty: Disney Vs. Perrault

Although the book and movie are very similar, they also have many differences.

Perrault’s fairy tale follows the generic conventions of a traditional fairy tale which is what Atwood had been condemning. The tale begins with the sentence, “there were formerly a king and a queen, who were sorry they had no children”, which is the normally the beginning of most fairy tales (Perrault 398). The most notable characteristic of a fairy tale begins with the phrase “once upon a time” or a variation of it such as Perrault’s “there were” (398). Unlike Atwood, Perrault mentions that the princess was “the most beautiful person in the world” (399), focusing on more of a materialistic aspect of the princess instead of Atwood’s more realistic view of her. Perrault’s fairy tale includes other generic conventions like a handsome prince saving the day and marrying the princess, a happy ending, and an evil queen.

For example, in the book, only one person drowns Pony, but in the movie, three people drowned him. This is different because in the book Pony is being drowned at the water fountain by only one person. On the other hand in the movie Pony is getting drowned by three people instead of one like it is in the story. Another comparison between the book and the movie would be when Ponyboy goes to court and doesn’t testify in the book, but in the movie he does. These are different because in the book when Pony has to go to court for the murder of Bob he doesn’t testify in the movie when he goes to court he does testify.

Analysis of Donkey Skin Donkeyskin is a fairy tale about a princess who faces difficult challenges but manages to overcome them in the end. The King’s wife dies and with the intention of keeping the king unmarried for the rest of his life, she makes him to promise that he will marry an awesome woman like her. The situation forces the king to propose to her daughter who is even better than the queen. The tale focusses on the idea that good can always triumph over evil.

This essay is about the comparison between "Chicken Little" and the original fairy tale. The most know interpretation of the fairy tale is the movie "Chicken Little" released in 2005 while the original narrative  was published in 1823. The fairy story is most known for its quote "The sky is falling". Now the question is... What are the differences between them?

Perrault’s version of Cinderella’s ending is happier and includes forgiveness. Although the step sisters were cruel and treated Cinderella horribly she forgave them in the end and even found good husbands for them, and they all lived happily ever after. You can see from this that this story is intended to teach a moral lesson of forgiveness and kindness like I explained above. In Perrault’s version you can be terrible and unpleasant but you will be forgiven because that’s part of life. The Grimm brothers however have a different point of view on that matter.

Mulan Disney Movie vs. The Legend of Mulan In China during the Northern Wei dynasty that lasted from 386A.D. to 534A.D. Hua Mulan lived but we all know about her story from the famous Disney movie “Mulan”. The Disney movie helps kids learn her story but is not the best source for the real facts. There are many differences between Mulan's’ legend and the “Mulan” Disney movie. The legend of Mulan tells us that Hua Mulan lived during the Northern Wei dynasty.

The topic of self confidence is a subject that is heavily discussed when it comes to girls of all ages. Journalist, Stephanie Hanes, examines the current trend of sexualization amongst young girls. In the article “Little Girls or Little Women: The Disney Princess Effect”, Hanes examines the current trend of sexualization amongst girls. She addresses the issue of desiring to become a women too soon. Hanes develops her article by using the literary techniques of pathos and logos to describe the emotions young girls feel when they see images of women with unattainable features.

People of all ages throughout the years are very familiar with the concept of Disney movies. Some notable classics of Disney are “Beauty and the Beast” which was released in 1991 and “The Little Mermaid” which was released in 1989. Among the children, the Disney princesses left a good impression on them like Cinderella from “Cinderella”, Pocahontas from “Pocahontas”, and Mulan from “Mulan”. However, many believe that Disney movies serve as a good influence to young audiences but people should know that Disney also has its flaws. Disney have showed negative portrayals of Disney princesses in their films especially when it comes to their usual unattainable beauty ideal and portraying their princesses as inferior to men.

The movie “Ever After” by Andy Tennant, and The short story Cinderella by Perrault, are both very different takes on the story of Cinderella. Perrault’s version of the story is the story that most of us have grown up with. It’s captivating and magical, but also it’s very one-dimensional, with a “magic pumpkin” and a “fairy godmother”. While, Tennant’s version is by far more realistic in nature, there is no magic pumpkin, but there is a prince who becomes her husband, an evil stepmother, and a pretty, kind hearted girl who slaves away doing as her stepmother demands. The “fairy godmother” does not randomly appear from no where, in “Ever After”, instead she is replaced by the great inventor Leonardo Da Vinic.

Disney, alike many other popular storytellers, want these known stories to be friendly, animated, and with an intended audience of children. This is ironic because a retired professor of German and comparative literature from the University of Minnesota, Jack Zipes, directly compares this theme to a news interviewer that “the Grimm’s did not collect these tales for children. They collected these tales to show what life was like. And they wanted to reveal what they considered the divine truths of the tales.” It is obvious that Disney does not have the same motive as the Grimm’s did.

Disney has successfully given viewers of their movies warm and comforting feelings because there is always a happy ending. Disney productions have also taught young children the difference between good and evil. Films such as “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs,” and “Cinderella” are two of their earlier movies that are vastly different, but share similarities as well. For instance, both Cinderella and Snow White are beautiful princesses that are forced to be maids and have similar antagonists in their stories, which are evil step mothers who are jealous of their step daughter 's beauty.

Fairytale Comparative Analysis: Little Red Riding Hood The classic story of Little Red Riding Hood that everyone knows is not the only storyline. In “Little Red Riding Hood” by Charles Perrault, he tells the classic fairytale of the little girl going to her grandma’s house and gets stopped by a wolf. In “The Company of Wolves” by Angela Carter is a twisted, dark fairytale about a pack of wolves who capture a little girl in the woods. According to Kimberley J. Lau, Carter actually translated Perrault’s fairytales, which today are the base line for most Disney movies.

One thing that differs from the story to the movie is the characters. While there are many of the same characters, such as the stepfamily and the birds, their personalities and roles change from the story to the movie. In the movie, there are many more animals that are included in the story. Instead of just helpful birds that appear in the book, there are also mice, horses, and a dog. The mice in the movie appear more than the other animals, and are more useful in helping Cinderella.

Understandably, the greatest differences are seen in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast because the story is geared towards younger children and is in a movie format as opposed to a short story. This requires the addition of side characters to draw out and slow down the plot of the original folktale somewhat. These side characters remove some of the mystery of the castle itself, as the movie shows characters acting to lead Maurice to the food and fire. Unlike the other two stories, Belle does not trust Beast blindly, attempting to leave once, only regaining some trust through Beast’s rescue of her. The Disney movie also leaves out the enchanted ring from the original folktale, which opens up a plot device increasing suspense; unlike the original where she could immediately return, she is now stuck in a basement with her father.