Tangled in a Web of Lies

What do you get when you take a princess, an adorable lizard sidekick, a handsome rebel, a few catchy and cute songs, and the voice of Mandy Moore...? The answer is of course another Disney Classic! Tangled came to theaters in 2010, and with usual Disney perfection, was a huge success. Disney's Rapunzel was even inducted into the exclusive club of official Disney Princesses in 2011 at Buckingham Palace in England. Tangled certainly took the country and the world by storm. So, with that being said, it only seems fitting that I do what I have to learned what I do best---crush the dreams and fantasies of children everywhere.

If you think Rapunzel's fake mother in the movie was bad, wait until you hear about the Brothers Grimm version. 

In 1857, the Brothers Grimm famously adapted one of the most popular versions of the original tale. In their rendition, an evil witch kidnapped Rapunzel after her parents stole a vegetable out of the witch's garden. For many years, the gorgeous Rapunzel was held captive in a high tower deep in a dense forest. The only way she could escape the endless suffering of her solitary confinement was when she let down her immense length of thick blonde braided hair. Her visitor would then use the braided golden locks as a rope and climb the death defying heights of the tower walls to visit the imprisoned princess locked high in the tower. 

Evil Elsa

Disney’s Frozen is arguably one of the most successful films since the release of The Lion King. It was so popular that it changed the craze from Beeber fever to Frozen fever.  No doubt 2013 was the year of Elsa. There is not a little girl in America that does not know the lyrics to Let It Go.  With Elsa Disney not only created an icon but a role-model. 

With that being said, I’m about to be the bearer of bad news and crush little girls everywhere.  Elsa is the first Disney princess modeled after an evil fairy tale character.  I know it is shocking, but according to my research, it is true.  Frozen is loosely derived from Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen written in 1845. 

When I say loosely I mean the two stories do not have very much in common except for a queen with magical icy powers and a powerful bond formed between two children. The original story tells more a romantic bond verses a bond between two sisters.  In the 1845 version one of the characters, Gerda, has to save the boy she loves, Kay, after he has been stabbed with an evil mirror and kidnapped by the Snow Queen.  In the Disney version Ana goes on a quest to find Elsa after she exiles herself from the kingdom.  This Snow Queen unlike the one in the original version is inherently good and after learning the power of sisterly love learns to use her power for good.

So, in the end, it doesn’t matter that Elsa’s roots are evil.  Disney was once again able to put their twist on things and turn a bad character into a good one.                

Sexy Snow

What comes to mind when you think of the image of Snow White?  It is true that the tale of the sleeping princess has been adapted and readapted more times than anyone can count.  But for most of us, when we hear the words Snow White, the image and version that pops into our mind is most likely that 1937 Walt Disney version of Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  No one can deny that Disney’s Snow White is a cultural icon.  With Halloween coming up, millions of her signature blue, red and yellow costume will be sold not just in the United States, but all over the world.  With that being said, it is hard to imagine that the princess we all know so well could look any different.  But this was almost the case.

It may be hard to believe but many of the early versions of Snow  White  involved many sexual references. For example, in an Italian version by  Giambattista Basile , people undressed the princess while she was still asleep in her casket  It wasn't until the Grimm brothers revised the tale in 1812, that those references were removed.  

In the beginning of 1937 when Walt Disney was beginning to get ideas for the characterizations of Snow White, he originally hired the artists who were behind the cartoon Betty Boop. The first illustration of Snow White definitely showed a resemblance between the two characters.  Snow White had big doe eyes and pouty lips.  Her dress was short enough to reveal her ankles.  Disney was not pleased with the illustration and thought this image was far too sexy for younger audiences.  He thought that the princess needed to be wholesome and pure.  With that in mind, the artists went back to the drawing board and made Snow White’s eyes smaller, her dress longer, and her lips far less pouty. This became the princess that millions of people have come to know and love today.     

True Love's Kiss

If you are like  me, you grew  up thinking that Disney was the King of fairytales. Sadly, as  I recently  discovered, this was not the mirage I thought I knew.  We have all heard the song Someday My Prince Will Come. We have all  seen the magic of  what happens when true loves find each other and share the "magical kiss. Some may even argue, that the image of Prince Charming waking the sleeping  Princess is one of the most recognizable scenes in fairytale pop-culture.  So, what if I told you  Snow White's happy ending was  not originally sealed a kiss.

Snow White's history originated centuries ago spanning all across the globe. In some of the earlier versions, including the Brothers Grimm's depiction of the fairy tale, Snow White wakes when a poison comb is removed from her hair. In other versions, the Prince asks the dwarfs to carry Snow White's coffin over a treacherous mountain trail. They do this until they stumble over a rock. When they do a poison apple becomes dislodged from Snow White's throat and she awakens. It wasn't until the year 1937 with the release of Disney's first full length animated picture Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs that the kiss came into play. Why did Disney choose this ending? Quite simply necrophilia was more suitable for children. Back in the early to mid 1900's it was quite common for children to attend funerals of dead relatives and to kiss the deceased as a sign of respect. Therefore, Walt Disney didn't see anything wrong with this scenario and incorporated it into the film. Clearly he made the right choice, because the film won Best Musical Score, and has made $418.2 million in box office sales. This does not include franchise sales, clearly a marketing/sales success.