Disney has a reputation for giving their stories happy endings, which often means that they differ in many ways from their source materials. Many Disney movies have been adapted from famous fairy tales and folk stories by authors such as the Brothers Grimm and Hans Christian Andersen. While the studio does its best to remain faithful to its sources, sometimes changes have to be made to ensure the movies end happily ever after.
Walt Disney Studios is very aware that many of their works are catered towards a young audience. They have to ensure that their movies are enjoyable, entertaining, and not overly frightening for children. Mainly due to the worry of scaring their younger audience, Disney had to omit and change several aspects of many famous stories to create their critically acclaimed movies.
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1 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937)
The Evil Queen Faced a More Gruesome Demise in the Fairytale
The 1937 film Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs marked the true beginning of Walt Disney’s success. It was the first fairy tale ever adapted into an animated movie by the company and is regarded as one of the greatest movies ever made. It was adapted from the German fairy tale of the same name written by the Brothers Grimm, but Disney had to ensure that the story wasn’t too frightening for children.
The main change made from the original fairytale was the demise of the Evil Queen. In Grimm’s fairytale, she receives a far harsher punishment for her crimes; after gate-crashing Snow White’s wedding, the Queen is ordered to wear red-hot slippers and dance in them until she drops dead. The Queen’s demise in the movie, where she falls from a cliff, is relatively kinder in comparison to her death in Grimm’s version.
2 Pinocchio (1940)
The Puppet Murdered His Conscience in the Original Tale
Disney’s second animated film, Pinocchio, was released in 1940 to critical acclaim and is often listed as one of the best animated movies in history. However, the movie does have its dark moments; the Pleasure Island segment where Pinocchio and the other boys turn into donkeys is often regarded as one of the most frightening transformations in movie history.
Another aspect of Carlo Collodi’s story that had to be changed was the character of Jiminy Cricket, Pinocchio’s conscience. In Collodi’s tale, when the cricket tries to give the puppet advice, Pinocchio loses his patience and accidentally kills him with a hammer. Thankfully, Disney changed this aspect of the original story and transformed Jiminy Cricket into Pinocchio’s loyal conscience and closest friend.
3 Cinderella (1950)
The Stepsisters Received a Harsh Punishment from the Brothers Grimm
Cinderella is known as Walt Disney’s favorite fairy tale, and he released his animated movie in 1950. The movie received 3 Academy Award nominations and helped reverse Disney Studio’s fortunes, having been on the verge of bankruptcy at the time of its release. While the movie was adapted from Charles Perrault’s fairytale, the Brothers Grimm gave Cinderella’s stepsisters a harsh punishment for their cruelty in their version.
In the Brothers Grimm story, Cinderella’s stepsisters went to extreme lengths to be chosen by the prince. Under orders from the stepmother, they cut off their toes and heels to make the glass slipper fit, to no success; later, the stepsisters are severely punished for their cruelty when birds fly down and gouge their eyes out, rendering them to a life of blindness. Disney was thankfully kinder to Cinderella’s stepsisters and their stories were later continued in Cinderella’s sequel movies.
4 Sleeping Beauty (1951)
Basile’s Version Depicts Horrific Violence and Assault
The 1959 Sleeping Beauty film sees Princess Aurora cursed to prick her finger and sleep for 100 years until she is kissed by Prince Phillip. A movie that took nearly a decade to complete, Sleeping Beauty has since been regarded as one of the best Disney animated classics, with the main villain, Maleficent, becoming its most iconic character and one of the best Disney villains ever created. While several writers have released their own versions of the story, one version stands out for all the wrong reasons.
An adaptation called Sun, Moon, and Talia, written by Giambattista Basile, sees the protagonist, Talia, fall into a deep sleep after a splinter of flax is embedded into her finger. After she is abandoned in a house, a king discovers her sleeping body. In an alarming twist, the king rapes Talia while she sleeps and promptly forgets about her; she awakens to discover she gave birth to two children from the assault. Thankfully, Disney omitted all of this from his film, where Sleeping Beauty is simply woken with a kiss from her Prince Charming.
5 The Little Mermaid (1989)
Hans Christian Andersen’s Story Ended Tragically for the Mermaid
Disney’s 1989 film The Little Mermaid marked the beginning of the Disney Renaissance between 1989 and 1999. The movie received critical acclaim and received awards for its story, animation, and music. But the original story had far darker elements regarding the mermaid’s journey to becoming a human.
Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid is often regarded as one of the darkest fairy tales in existence and Disney had to change many aspects of the story to fit its adaptation. Rather than her voice, the witch cuts out the mermaid’s tongue in exchange for human legs. Later, the little mermaid is forced to watch the prince marry another woman before jumping into the sea and turning into sea foam. Disney’s ending proved more popular with viewers when Ariel marries Prince Eric and lives happily ever after.
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6 Aladdin (1992)
The Street Rat Proved More Vicious Than Friendly in the Original Folk Tale
Based on the folk tale from One Thousand and One Nights, Aladdin is regarded as one of Disney’s best-animated movies ever made. It received high praise for its musical score, its casting, and Robin Williams’ iconic portrayal of the Genie. The movie also gave an amazing villain in the evil sorcerer Jafar, who received a more gruesome demise in the original story.
In the folk tale, Aladdin succeeds in marrying the sultan’s daughter, but his happiness is threatened when the wicked sorcerer returns. The sorcerer disguises himself as a woman and tries to break into the palace but is caught by Aladdin, who viciously murders the sorcerer. As evil as Jafar is, his original demise would never work for a Disney movie; instead, after becoming a genie himself, Jafar finds himself sucked into his own lamp as a result of his arrogance.
7 The Hunchback of Notre Dame (1996)
The Iconic Story Had a Tragic End for Quasimodo and Esmeralda
Disney’s adaptation of The Hunchback of Notre Dame received mixed reviews upon its initial release due to its darker themes and its faithfulness to the source material but has since become one of the company’s underrated classics. The movie shows the deformed Quasimodo confined to the Notre Dame cathedral, who longs to go out into the world. He receives his chance after meeting and falling in love with Esmeralda, a Gypsy woman, but he must deal with the threat of his foster father, Judge Claude Frollo.
The movie is based on the 1831 novel by Victor Hugo which ended far more tragically than the animated movie. In Hugo’s novel, Frollo has Esmeralda executed for witchcraft after she rejects him. After slaying his carer, Quasimodo finds her body in the graveyard and starves himself to death, holding her body. This tragic ending would never have worked for Disney’s adaptation, which ends more happily with Quasimodo leaving the cathedral and being accepted into society.
8 Hercules (1997)
The Hero Turned Into a Mad Man in the Euripides Play
Delving into mythology, Hercules tells the story of the titular Roman god who must learn what it takes to be a true god and earn his place on Mount Olympus. Along the way, he has help from his friends Phil, Pegasus, and the mysterious Megara, but Hercules must deal with the evil god Hades, threatening him along the way.
There have been several adaptations of the legend of Hercules, with some dating as far back as 416 BC. In the play Herakles, written by Euripides, Hercules is driven mad by his mother, Hera, and kills his wife and children; when he recovers, he is condemned by the gods and must live with his guilt forever, something that would never work for a children’s movie. Thankfully, Disney ends the legend on a happier note, with Hercules finding love and happiness with Meg.
9 Mulan (1998)
The Warrior Faces Tragedy In Renhuo’s Adaptation
Mulan is often regarded as one of animation’s greatest female characters. In the 1998 Disney movie, she takes her ailing father’s place in the army, disguising herself as a man to do so. Soon, she rises to become a fierce warrior and brings honor to her family by saving the Emporer. Based on the legend of Hua Mulan, the warrior faced a more tragic ending in more than one adaptation.
In the story Romance of Sui and Tang by Chu Renhuo, Mulan spends many years serving the army before returning to her homeland. She discovers her beloved father has died, her mother has remarried, and she must now serve the Khan as a concubine; Mulan chooses to commit suicide, rather than accept this fate. Given the dark ending of Renhuo’s story, it’s understandable why Disney wanted to give the fierce warrior a happier ending with Shang.
10 Tangled (2010)
The Brothers Grimm Forced the Prince to Suffer
The 2010 movie Tangled, transformed the German fairy tale Rapunzel with its take on the classic story. Tangled sees Rapunzel, a lost princess in a tower who decides to leave the protection of Mother Gothel with Flynn Rider, and venture into the real world for the first time. Along the way, she discovers secrets and uncovers her true identity. The movie was considered an impressive modern depiction of the Brothers Grimm’s fairytale, which had sufficiently darker themes.
In the original story, when the witch discovers Rapunzel’s secret relationship with the prince, she cuts off her long hair and banishes her to the woods. Meanwhile, when the prince climbs up the hair, he is tricked by the witch and falls into a thorn bush which blinds him. Though the prince ultimately reunited with Rapunzel in the fairytale, this aspect of the story would not have worked for Tangled, hence the happier ending created by Disney for this movie.
