Blog Entry 5: September 29

Compare the original tale by the Brothers Grimm with Disney's Film from 1937. Highlight a few difference and similarities. Why did Disney divert from the original version of the tale?

• When you say the name Snow White people almost immediately think of the Disney film from 1937, which for many people was the first Disney movie that they have seen in their lives. There were so many memorable moments in the movie that it's hard to forget that Disney didn't create the story in the first place. Scenes like the Evil Queen turning into the old women and creating the poison apple are so memorable because they come straight out of nightmares. Imagine a woman coming after you, obsessed with nothing but her beauty and will stop at nothing just to become the "The Fairest of the Land". It may sound cheesy for a lot of people but many children all around the world this sounds like something straight out of a horror movie. Through the animation and the horror movie concept Disney can create a scene that is universally known. In the original tale by Brother Grimm, they also created a memorable scene in the tale by using Snow White's fear of the Evil Queen, her innocence and her naive nature to result in her death. The Evil Queen attempted to kill her not once, not twice but three times in the same old women disguise. The Evil Queen bates Snow White using a stay-lace, poison comb and of course the famous poison apple by playing at her secret desires to be more vain just like her stepmother. A few similarities between the original fairy tale and Disney's version is that both have seven dwarfs which each have seven plates, cups, spoons, and beds. When Snow White dies for the last time in both stories the dwarfs bury her in a glass coffin with her name spelled out in gold letters for everyone to see and mourn her where the prince comes and greets her. However, in the Grimm Fairy tales, the prince character is introduced on the very last page of the story. He first tries to buy by Snow White saying "Let me have the coffin, and I'll pay you whatever you want." He doesn't even acknowledge her a person but, merely as property he can own. In Disney's version, on the other hand, the Prince was established at the beginning of the movie singing to Snow White about love at first sight and never was seen again until the last ten minutes of the movies where he kisses her awake from sleeping death. How the Queen's fate is handled in both the Grimm Brother's and Disney's version is very different. In the Grimm Brother's version, the Evil Queen was petrified by Snow White still being alive that she was frozen where she stood. She stood there while iron shoes were handed to her and were forced to dance until she drops died. Disney's version punishment for the Evil Queen's actions are more like karma; she was struck by lightning and fell off a cliff. I think Disney diverted from the original tale to add more of Walt Disney's moral judgment to it. Firstly, Snow White prays before she goes to bed and what does she pray about? She hopes that every one of the dwarfs is safe and all of there dreams come true and grumpy likes her which is less important. My next piece of evidence is Grumpy characters go threw an evolution of thinking all women are wicked to showing he does like and appreciate Snow White by crying when she dies. His character schist is all about being grumpy, but Snow White is the only thing he seems really and truly grumpy about. My final piece of evidence is the difference in character development between Snow White and the Evil Queen. Disney made the queen seem almost extraordinarily evil by adding spells the queen used to first view the mirror, in the creation of the poison apple, and by making her witch appearance to be as ugly as she's is on the inside. Snow White on the other hand character is the complete opposite. She prays for the people she loves, she talks to and befriends all the animals in the woods, and offers herself to cook, clean, and sow of her own accord which the movies frames her in almost a pure, and innocent light.