Ever since I was in grade school, I've heard the "older" (supposedly wiser) cool kids made fun of Disney and discredited his work. They [the older cool kids] argued that Disney ruined fairy tales and sugar coated it in order to brainwash today's generation of youth. Now that I'm not in grade school any longer and I actually had some college-level literature courses, I could justify how wrong they were and why I disagree with them. I will briefly summarize the origin of Fairy tales and its structure while considering the socio-historical context which influenced Disney's early works (the beginning of his career and the Disney Empire).
***All this information is from a book called "Fairytales: The Magic Mirror of the Imagination" by this author (i forgot his name- this book could be found in th Reeves Library)
Fairy tales fall under the category of Folk tales. The beauty of fairy tales is that its roots come from oral tradition. This means that they were passed on to the next generation by word of mouth by talented story tellers. This can be looked upon as either a flaw or a unique characteristic. This is a flaw because the "true" original would be difficult to distinguish from a copy. On the other hand, this is unique because the interpretation can reflect the specific period it reflected. Also since fairy tales are passed down orally, it's hard to tell which is real or not. The good thing about this is that "there's no plagiarism in fairy tales" unless of course you took a work that's already "copyrighted" such as Disney's Snow White and claim it as your own.
Some would consider this insubstantial. But the essence of fairy tales could not be solely captured by words alone, its essense is universal and intrinsic to humanity. It's something that is found in all humans (not just the 98.9% DNA we all share). It's an idea, something abstract. Ideas cannot be copy righted (however you can copy right a product from the idea). Fairy tales are just one of the many ways it can be expressed (in a written form).
Fairy tales are for all ages. This statement is often overlooked when others "judge" fairy tales. The irony in fairy tales is that its simple form is really complex. It's convoluted and multi-layered. The audience determines the meaning of the fairy tales so each group will evaulate it differently. The book, which I read, came up with three categories of audience: pre-adolescent, adolescent/post-adolescent, young adult/adult. Of course there are nuance of these categories.
Themes of fairy tales usually deal with drama and anxiety (of course, conflict always make a good story), and have traits such as: relatable protagonist (usually someone common), adventure/journey to a magical realm (exotic place or the unknown mind), deals with the fantastics and Magic (something unbelievable to everyday mundane things), a complete resolution with happy endings.
The above inforamtion proved that Disney's work is authentic. Yes the "ignorant" claimed that he stole from Grimms' Fairy tales. They do so blindly because they grew up in the world of "copyrights." Since the Grimms' were probably the "first" to record fairy tales on paper (manuscript/hard copy style), they invented fairy tales (but fairy tales existed long before who knows when). Every time they say that Disney ruined fairy tales, they were referring to the different styles that Disney and Grimm employed to convey certain fairy tales.
But if one were to consider the socio-historic background which influenced the works of Grimms and Disney, one will see the uniqueness of each. From my art history class I took last semester, I learned (pardon the generalization) that norhtern Europeans had a tendency for realism that included cruelity and pain. This would explain the harsh treatment of the stepmother in Snow White (the cold and scathing and harsh German winter probably added to the mood). Also during th 1500s-1600s, the most literate group of human beings were "adult" aristocrats of the upper-upper echelon. Like women, children were considered property and commodities. They entertained the adults not the other way around.
During Disney's time, he experienced a time of war, and solidification of a nation (as a result of coming out of the depression), followed by a rise of a young nation to empire status. So Disney's "Dreams do come true" attitude was very fitting and true to his work: his art. His "naive", innocent and unjaded child-like aspect towards life was captured in his cartoons as engendered by Mickey Mouse. He portrayed the essence of optimism in youth which was nurtured by his environment (i'm not dismissing individual calling and vocation/ destiny). Children were the future thus they were the audience. They would have to continue the human saga so they might as well be educated.
Disney's work is authentic. In fairy tales, there's no such thing as plagairism because the source is from oral traditions. Thus they are free for interpretation. Grimms recorded fairy tales in books. Disney transfered these stories to the medium of film (motion picture). Disney was faithful to the essence of fairy tales and to his time. The enthusiasm he captured mirrored the vigor and spirit of a young nation and its people in the rise of 'empirehood.'
Posted by Michael Diezmos at May 30, 2005 2:18 AMMike, I'm planning to propose a course on Disney for the January 2006 J-term. It will include a week online doing research and prep, a week in Florida, and then another online week writing and completing a project. Sounds like you've already started the research that would make a great project.
Posted by: Dennis G. Jerz at May 30, 2005 9:40 AMThis is an interesting post, Mike. I have to agree with you in some ways, that Disney's fairy tales are unique, and also wholesome in many ways. I guess you could say that they help preserve children's innocence with their (as you say) "unjaded" perspectives. I'm sure that you know that the REAL fairy tales were much less optimistic. I remember reading "Little Red Riding Hood" in French class, and it was quite dark. "The Little Mermaid" also was very sad, and didn't have quite a happy ending (the opera "Rusalka" is much, much more depressing than Hans Christian Anderson's story).
However, I do have to disagree with you, and say that the older kids are right, in a way. Growing up on Disney films, I always believed in happy endings, romantic love, etc. It's so easy to become an idealistic dreamer when you're surrounded with images like that. I felt tremendous happiness when I watched the romance in these movies, but at some point, you wake up and find out that this "happily ever after" thing is really just a sham. As Jane Eyre said, we're not meant for that sort of happiness here on Earth; It's a happiness that we can only obtain from God and that we hope to obtain in heaven. I think this sort of a subject of fairy tales treds on really dangerous terrain, because on the one hand, you don't want children to lose their innocence so quickly (as Holden in "Catcher in the Rye"), but you don't want them to end up building castles in the air that one day time will obliviate with devastating destruction. When I look back on the real "Little Red Riding Hood," there was a moral there, warning people that "wolves" can come in the disguise of good, and to guard (especially women) against them (i.e. men who prey upon women). There is sound advice in a moral like that. The story may be chilling, but it's reality, and it's what we're up against. When I think of "The Little Mermaid," I realize how powerful love is, as well as how destructive. Although she ended up killing herself because she could not bear to kill her love (even though it would have saved her), she ended up throwing her life away. She bet it all on her love for the prince, and she lost. She, like Ti Moune in the musical "Once on This Island" proved that love was stronger than death, but at a terrible price. Even though they may be a little brutal, I think some of these real stories are more realistic, and prepare children for that harsh reality of life. This "preparation" can help soften the blow as children begin to grow and realize that evil exists in the world. This way they are not totally caught off guard or naive when a dangerous situation presents itself.
Like I said, it's a treacherous topic. However, I think it might be more beneficial to children if we (very slowly and gently) help show them what the world is really like, rather than keep them locked in a bubble, trying to shield them from all the bad things of the world that will eventually find them. They can become so over-protected that they do not know how to behave in the real world. This leaves them very vulnerable to "predators," and parents' good intentions have ended up doing more harm than good.
However, Disney provides hope in its fairy tales. Even though it may be sugar-coated and too idealistic, I think it is a counterweight to the real but grim, fairy tales. Although we shouldn't be overly idealistic, we shouldn't be realistic to the point that we want to simply give up because life's unfair, there are a lot of jerks out there, etc. Both sets of fairy tales together provide a kind of balance.
Happy Memorial Day!
Posted by: Emily Kasky at May 30, 2005 1:56 PM
Hey Emily,
I agree with you. I wasn't trying to say that parents should use disney's fairy tales to keep their children in the bubble (causing overprotection or ignoring the fact that there's evil in the world).
I'm just saying and agree with you that each version of the fairy tale (whether Grimm's or Disney's) is valid. They are true because the versions retained the essence. In the little mermaid (disney's version) Ariel losing her voice for her "love" was analogous to Ti Moune dying for her love. Both protagonist lost something about themselves for love. The voice gave Ariel freedom of speech and a say against her father. Ti Moune's life was inconsequential in comparison to the bigger force of Love in her life. The essence of sacrifice is present in both.
I have to emphasize once again the historical context and the audience...the primary audience of Disney are children and there will come a point when these kids would reject Disney because of its sugar-coated quality and that's fine because once they start rejecting Disney, that shows the children growing up. This shows how they are making up their minds and taking reponsibility about desicion-making.
You're right about the balance. Some people who just can't grow up continue to blindly believe in happy endings without pain, suffering or other difficulty. A famous sage once said that "we can never really know happiness until we experience sadness..." because our experiences allows us to compare and to know the difference.
Posted by: Mike at June 2, 2005 4:49 PM