Snow White And Cinderella Analysis

Superior Essays
Fairy tales are often critically evaluated as having complex socio-political commentaries. Two such tales that have strong socio-political commentaries are Snow White and Cinderella. Variants in different versions of fairy tales help shape a specific commentary. One striking example of this is seen by contrasting Disney’s 1937 Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs with 1979 film Cinderella by Soyuzmultfilm. These two specific pieces have polar socio-political commentaries. Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs is a criticism in many ways of the danger that communism can pose through using variants such as the jealousy of a mother towards someone who can overthrow her power due to her superior physical beauty. Likewise, Cinderella by Soyuzmultfilm …show more content…
However, Disney makes significant changes to the film in regards to both the presentation and presentation of various characters. These variant changes introduce an underlying political theme throughout the film. A political theme that is essentially a criticism of communism. Snow White, regardless of the version has the same basic premise. A stepmother has unbounded jealousy for her step-daughter “Snow White”. Snow White is a beautiful young girl who presents as a likeable and innocent young woman. Each version contains these basic elements or invariants, but differ in their presentation. The first notable change in the Disney version of the film is the introduction of the Prince. Disney introduces the Prince in the beginning of the story unlike most versions where his introduction typically takes place later on in the film. However, this pre-mature introduction of the prince plays a crucial role regarding the sociopolitical theme. The Prince is an attractive suitor who pursues Snow White. This event exemplifies the Step Mother’s insecurity and jealousy towards Snow White. This jealousy and insecurity is a comment on the severe policies of the Soviet Union regarding those who could pose a potential threat to the government, or potentially overthrow the government. Snow White throughout the film is loved by everyone she comes in contact with. In comparison, …show more content…
However, further insight into the criticisms that both films make by looking at the time and conditions of when they were released. Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs was released in 1937. This meant it was both released created during the Great Depression prior to World War II. The timing is significant in this case as during the Great Depression, America, one of the world’s most powerful nations was on its knees economically and was only slowly starting to recover. Therefore, the U.S. and its people needed to defend capitalistic ideals and display a sense of pride and patriotism in each and every piece of media that was created. Altering Snow White to criticize communism helped bring the fourth that while capitalism is not perfect it is still the superior system compared to its

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