The Disney Stories Debate

Part 1
Is it Better to Hear DisneyÕs Fairy Tales or
None at All?
by Heather Burtch

’ve often asked myself this question and so I decided to share some of my thoughts on the subject. I’m thinking of the fairy tales, which narrows my scope but, "Disney’s fairy tales" is also the general category that I often hear criticisms of and which I have criticized myself. I don’t mean Disney’s own creations like The Aristocats, or pseudo—fact like Pocahontas, or films based on literary works like The Hunchback of Notre Dame or even The Little Mermaid. Nor will I attempt to deal with Hercules because I don’t know enough about Hercules or Greek mythology.

One of the criticisms I have heard about Disney’s tales is that they are "sugar–coated." If that means "not showing the nitty–gritty" of the story, I’m not sure that’s true. It’s quite clear that Cinderella and Snow White are treated badly and are unloved by their wicked stepmothers. And it is quite clear that the stepmothers are wicked. They are jealous, petty, cruel, and in the case of the enchantress in Sleeping Beauty, downright evil. There are scary, insecure moments like when Snow White is lost in the forest or when Beauty is confronted by the Beast. I have to be honest, too—I do some of my own sugar–coating. I might say that Snow White’s stepmother died alone and forgotten, but I may not give the original ending where it describes how at the wedding she was given red-hot iron shoes in which she was forced to dance until she fell down dead. I think many of the tough messages in the stories are still there in Disney’s films.

Another criticism of these versions is that the story is changed. But haven’t these stories changed from the time they were first spoken or written down? Haven’t the stories changed as they were carried from one culture to another? Don’t present–day storytellers change stories according to their own interpretation and style? I imagine there are as many versions of Cinderella in this country (from videos to Golden Books) as there are versions in different cultures. My daughter was even given a version in which the illustrations are photos of those big, gray dogs—weimaraners— dressed in costume to portray the characters (my least favorite version, although the text retains some original details that many others do not). When I tell stories I may prefer not to change what I have found to be thc basic plot and details of a particular story but Disney is not the only one to have altered a traditional tale.

It may be that Disney has created American culture’s version of these fairy tales. The bigger concern may be what that says about our culture than about what Disney has done to the story. For instance, Disney’s writers seem to feel a need to add a pair of characters basically unrelated to the plot for us to laugh at, dislike, and watch as they reveal their stupidity. The strangest addition of such characters, I feel, was Gaston and his sidekick in Beauty and the Beast. This boor couldn’t understand why Beauty didn’t like him—every other girl did—and goes to great lengths to try to get her to marry him. It was a confusing addition, too. For a long time my daughter was rooting for Gaston and Belle to get together. Are we giving little girls the wrong message about men (not to mention little boys)? But I digress. This leads me to another comment about Disney films and that is that they are too "cutesy." I separated this from "sugar–coated" because I think cutesy refers to friendly talking mice, darling dwarfs, affectionate teapots and clocks, and helpful wildlife. This one is difficult to argue with. These cutesy characters allow for the studio to show off its considerable skill with animation. And it is generally a pleasure to watch. It seems to me that some of these details as well as some of the additions I alluded to above, are added to make the story longer and to create a more complex story line. Well, more complex in detail, though the changes sometimes take away from the emotional or moral complexity. Despite these distractions, I think the general story line can still come through.

Another criticism I take seriously is that Disney portrays weak female characters. Snow White’s unnaturally high–pitched voice adds weight to this perception! But Snow White does make it through the scary forest and is willing to work for the dwarfs in exchange for a place to stay. Many of the girls in these stories find the strength of character to retain their good dispositions despite rotten treatment. Beauty does show courage in her willingness to stay with the Beast in her father’s place, Even so, these may not be the women we want our daughters, nieces or granddaughters to emulate. I think that the fault lies more in the stories that were chosen than in the way those stories were portayed. Perhaps Disney did weaken these characters a bit, but in my opinion they are not particularly strong characters in the original tales. Choosing a story where a female character clearly rescues herself or others through her own courage, wisdom, cleverness or perseverence would reveal a stronger character right from the start. Such stories are certainly available but were not the ones chosen by Disney (though Disney is not alone in this practice).

My main criterion for answering the question in the title of this article is whether the core message of the story has remained the same. Beauty does still come to love the Beast and the Beast is transformed. Cinderella and Snow White are still rewarded for their goodness and the wicked characters are left out in the cold or destroyed. And the basic plot outlines have remained the same.

The sad thing is that many times the story as I have read it in a collection is really more interesting and has more depth than the story pulled out and "added to" by Disney. This is definitely true for Beauty and the Beast and Aladdin (if Aladdin qualifies as a fairy tale). I enjoy sharing several versions of a particular story with my children. But for those who don’t have the time or inclination to do that, I think the Disney version can serve a good purpose. Do you? I would definitely like to know what other storytellers and storylisteners think about this issue. If it’s been a long time since you watched one of Disney’s films, rent one or pick up the long picture book version at your library. Then, please write to Works in Progress with your comments!

on to
Part 2: More on Disney's Tales

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