For my research paper, I’m writing about The Little Mermaid.
I knew it was going to be very different from the Disney version that I grew up
with and loved, but I didn’t realize that the ending would be completely different.
I think it’s really interesting how Disney has taken classic
stories and changed them. I know that the story behind Frozen had the Elsa
character as evil, and she wasn’t portrayed as evil at all. Misunderstood, yes.
It happens with them all. Snow White, Sleeping Beauty, all of them.
The idea that Disney has to change Hans Christian Andersen’s
stories so much. These were stories for children, but now they’re not “Disney-appropriate.”
The little mermaid’s reason for making the prince fall in
love with her was not just because she was in love with him, but because she
wanted an immortal soul, which she could only get by making a human fall
completely in love with her. In Disney’s adaptation, it was similar. She wanted
to become a human. In the story, she also had permission to go to the surface
and see humans interact, while in Disney’s adaptation she could not because her
mother died by humans (That’s in The Little Mermaid III: Ariel’s Beginnings).
It is definitely darker than the Disney movie in some aspects. The sea witch is
about the same. I think I was actually more surprised by the similarities of
the two stories than the differences.
I’m only focusing on The Little Mermaid for my paper, but I
will definitely be reading other stories for myself, and possibly for reference
in the paper. I highly recommend that everyone reads at least one original
story and thinks about how it’s different from Disney and why they’ve been changed
over time.
I love Disney, and I LOVE the Little Mermaid. But, the
original story was so different and, after I read it, I continued thinking about
it for the rest of the night and the next day, and OMG it was just really cool.
The Little Mermaid was my favorite Disney movie as a kid, and to read the
original story now is just so weird, but really great.
I agree that the stories that Disney bases it's movies on are darker and for that are interesting in different ways than the movies are. And I think that Disney movies do an amazing job of communicating some big concepts in a way that children can grasp. But honestly? I can not wait till there are darker children's films. Children are evil little buggers and they would totally get the concept, and I think that Frozen kind of has that with the big plot twisty goodness in it. Still, I love some heart warming films so I don't know what I want really. I'M A CRAZY PERSON! there, that should be a good disclaimer.
ReplyDeleteI realized this too. In a class last semester we read a couple fairy tales, and it was drastically different than the Disney versions or other adaptions. I love Disney movies, and can not think of one that I really did not like. However, the the actual original stories provide a story with a darker and (to me) more interesting content.
ReplyDeleteI think that Maleficent is going to be a darker movie, and I can't wait!
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with Iris. Children are amoral demons waiting in the shadows to consume the masses. Which is why I think Disney is still such a huge part of life. It's hours and hours of animated characters indoctrinating children into believing in morality, good versus evil and fictional happy endings before they can even form logical arguments. Disney is a wonderful tool for parents and for society. Do I agree with everything Disney imparts to children? Fuck no. But I can definitely respect a playa' who made a lot of money for what basically comes down to brainwashing.
ReplyDeleteI am rewatching The Little Mermaid right now, for the first time after reading the Hans Christian Andersen story. I'm only a few minutes in, but I'm already seeing so many things, and it's just really cool.
ReplyDeleteI think that I will continue to read and then rewatch the Disney adaptations this summer. I know I said something similar already in my post, but I mean it. I think this is absolutely fascinating.