Snow White - Disney

I found the Disney film “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs” a lot more entertaining than the Grimm Brothers’ original version. First off, it was a film with a lot more content compared to the written story, so that immediately made it easier to consume and a more upbeat experience (w/ all the colors and what not).

I think the main reason I liked it better, and one of the biggest differences between it and the Grimm version, is that the dwarfs play a much bigger and more significant role. They all have individual names and personalities, which makes them much more likeable and enjoyable compared to the Grimm version, in which they represent non-individualistic things. I think this was done in the Disney version because it makes the story more entertaining, and it also provides examples of men being hardworking, which could be used to influence young male viewers.

Another difference I liked was the introduction of the animals as characters. They represented “good,” and there weren’t really any negative aspects to them. They tried to warn and help Snow White. I’m curious to as to if there’s something they can represent.

Throughout the film there were meaningful “Disneyfications,” in which changes were made from the book. One of the first examples is that Snow White meets the prince before she even goes into the forest. Instead of him being there when she wakes up, she already knows who he is and is “in love” with him. I like this change a lot. It makes it a lot less creepy that he is the one who helps her wake up and then marries her. He doesn’t just buy her body like he does in the text. Also, Snow White is wishing for the Prince to come and for her to be with the Prince throughout her time in the cottage. This makes is a little more okay that he ends up kissing her when she’s asleep. I can see how some people would argue that the movie teaches wrong ideas about consent, mainly because there isn’t any when he kisses her, but I don’t think it is as big of a deal as some people make it. According to the film they were already in love and it was “true love’s kiss.”

I think another notable change is the fact that the house was a mess when Snow White got there. It was neat in the text, but in the film the house being messy, along with the dwarfs, is a big plot point. She ends up cleaning it because she wants to, not because she makes a deal with the dwarfs to maintain the house. In a sense, I think this is more of a negative message. It’s saying women should want to clean the house, as opposed to cleaning being viewed as work that she’s getting compensation for, i.e. staying in the dwarfs’ house in the text. Both portray sexist gender roles, but I’d argue that the Grimm version does less so in regard to domestic housework.

 The last difference I’d like to comment on is the way the Queen dies. She’s running from the dwarfs, when a bolt of lightning destroys the ledge she’s standing on and she falls to her death. I strongly believe this is a message about justice through God. I think Disney was trying to comment that justice gets served in the end due to a higher power, and so people shouldn’t do things that are wrong and unjust. It’s a similar message to the text, but the reason for justice is God and not other people.