Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is an adaptation of the Brothers Grimm’s Sneewittchen, incorporating many of the same ideas, stories and characters. There are many aspects that are shared between the two, however the stories also differ in many ways. Breaking down fairy tale effect, elements of the stories that are kept and altered, as well as analyzing the characteristics of each story in depth in regards to traditional fairy tales will shed light on the newer adaptation, how it has changed and the roots of the ideas it portrays. There are many different structural theories that offer criteria to distinguish fairy tales from other types of stories, including Olricks Epic Laws (of Folk Narrative), Lüthi’s Elements, Propp’s Seven
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First of all, the characters are the same and play the same roles, staying consistent with their designated Propp’s Character type; The Queen as the Villain, Snow White as the Victim/Heroine, and The Magic Mirror as the Magical Helper. Furthermore, The Prince is the Hero as he brings Snow White back to life, The Huntsman as the Dispatcher as he sends Snow White away, and The Dwarfs as the Donor as they give her a place to live. Each role is the same in the original and adaptation, each character playing a role that is crucial to the story. The second similarity between the Brothers Grimm Sneewittchen and Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the plot. Small details are changed in the delivery aspects of the story; however, the plot line is driven by the needs and desires of the characters which stay consistent. The symbolism is similar between the stories as well, incorporating the red apple in both tales as the poison that Snow White takes. Another similarity includes techniques of conflict resolution. For example, in both tales the Huntsman lets Snow White go, either out of sympathy or with the assumption she will die anyways. Instead of going back to the Queen empty handed, the Huntsman slaughters a boar and brings the desired organs back, claiming them as proof that Snow White is dead. Both this choice and lie by the Huntsman are present in the …show more content…
First, in the original story Snow White’s mother wishes for a daughter with her characteristics, however in Disney’s adaptation there is no mention of Snow White’s mother or her death by childbirth. This is most likely an attempt to avoid the idea of death due to Disney’s younger audience. The way the Grimms mention Snow White’s mother also follows Olrick’s Law of Three, as they introduce her in a scene that involves her pricking her finger and wishing for a child. “And whilst she was sewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow.” (Grimm, p. 149). The Law of Three is also evident once more in the Grimm’s version when the Queen tries to kill Snow White three times; once with a lace, a comb and an apple, compared to only one attempt in the adaptation. The Prince’s role is another element that is altered, as in the Grimm’s version he comes after only one night to find Snow White, offers to buy her from the Dwarfs and only acquires her after getting their sympathy when he expressed he would “honor and revere her” (Grimm, p. 159). This scene is lost in the adaptation and altered to a scene where true love brings the two together, again most likely accommodating to childhood perspectives correlating with Disney’s audience. In the
First of all, the characters are the same and play the same roles, staying consistent with their designated Propp’s Character type; The Queen as the Villain, Snow White as the Victim/Heroine, and The Magic Mirror as the Magical Helper. Furthermore, The Prince is the Hero as he brings Snow White back to life, The Huntsman as the Dispatcher as he sends Snow White away, and The Dwarfs as the Donor as they give her a place to live. Each role is the same in the original and adaptation, each character playing a role that is crucial to the story. The second similarity between the Brothers Grimm Sneewittchen and Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is the plot. Small details are changed in the delivery aspects of the story; however, the plot line is driven by the needs and desires of the characters which stay consistent. The symbolism is similar between the stories as well, incorporating the red apple in both tales as the poison that Snow White takes. Another similarity includes techniques of conflict resolution. For example, in both tales the Huntsman lets Snow White go, either out of sympathy or with the assumption she will die anyways. Instead of going back to the Queen empty handed, the Huntsman slaughters a boar and brings the desired organs back, claiming them as proof that Snow White is dead. Both this choice and lie by the Huntsman are present in the …show more content…
First, in the original story Snow White’s mother wishes for a daughter with her characteristics, however in Disney’s adaptation there is no mention of Snow White’s mother or her death by childbirth. This is most likely an attempt to avoid the idea of death due to Disney’s younger audience. The way the Grimms mention Snow White’s mother also follows Olrick’s Law of Three, as they introduce her in a scene that involves her pricking her finger and wishing for a child. “And whilst she was sewing and looking out of the window at the snow, she pricked her finger with the needle, and three drops of blood fell upon the snow.” (Grimm, p. 149). The Law of Three is also evident once more in the Grimm’s version when the Queen tries to kill Snow White three times; once with a lace, a comb and an apple, compared to only one attempt in the adaptation. The Prince’s role is another element that is altered, as in the Grimm’s version he comes after only one night to find Snow White, offers to buy her from the Dwarfs and only acquires her after getting their sympathy when he expressed he would “honor and revere her” (Grimm, p. 159). This scene is lost in the adaptation and altered to a scene where true love brings the two together, again most likely accommodating to childhood perspectives correlating with Disney’s audience. In the