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.