Not so happy originally

The tragic ending of Cinderella's stepsisters that Disney changed

Disney movies have adapted several beloved fairy tales and stories, which means that, for those who experienced these stories as movies for the first time, coming across the original tales can be shocking, as they are quite different, and sometimes even scary and gory.

Most of Disney's movies are intended for children, so these stories had to be adapted and often softened for the audience. Let’s see how Disney changed famous stories when making them into movies.

This 1837 story by Hans Christian Andersen is, at first sight, similar to its movie adaptation. Yes, in the original, the Little Mermaid feels sharp pains each time she walks, but other elements remain. However, the main difference is in the ending: before the prince’s wedding, the sea witch tasks the Little Mermaid with killing the prince in order to live, but she prefers to die herself and turn into sea foam.

The 1950 version of Cinderella also follows most of the original story. Most of the differences with the Brothers Grimm’s version come from elements added by Disney, such as the Fairy Godmother and the singing mice. But there is one gory element that needed to be changed before making a children’s movie: in the tale, Cinderella’s stepsisters, trying to fit into the crystal slipper, resort to cutting parts of their feet.

The first full-length Disney animated movie, Snow White and the Seven Dwarves was a resounding success. However, the story has some differences when compared to the original story by the Brothers Grimm. When the Queen gives Snow white the poisoned apple, it is not a true love’s kiss that wakes her. The prince sees her lying in her crystal coffin and wants to take her with him. When he moves the coffin, the piece of apple that’s still in her throat moves, and she wakes up. As punishment, the Queen is made to dance in shoes made from hot iron until she falls dead.

When watching this lovely musical, it is difficult to imagine that it comes from a lengthy novel filled with tales of vengeance, obsession, social disparities, and a tragic ending. In Notre-Dame de Paris by Victor Hugo, Quasimodo is deaf and nearly mute, and he is isolated from the world. Frollo, an archdeacon inamoured by the young Esmeralda, accuses her of witchcraft and ultimately succeeds in killing her, while Frollo, instead of the chivalrous young man portrayed by Disney, takes advantage of Esmeralda but abandons her in her time of need.

A reimagination of the 19th-century Rapunzel by the Brothers Grimm, the Disney version adds many elements to the story, such as the magical properties of the hair or Rapunzel being a stolen princess. In the original, Rapunzel’s parents give her away as payment for a stolen lettuce. When a prince comes across her tower, they fall in love, but they are tricked by the witch, with the prince falling into a thorny bush and hurting his eyes. Luckily, there is a happy ending where they are reunited, and Rapunzel’s tears restore the prince’s sight.

This 2009 version, set in New Orleans, is only loosely based on several classic tales featuring a prince-turned-frog. While in the Disney version, the kiss turns Tiana into a frog, in the classic fairy tale, the princess, disgusted by the idea of kissing the frog prince, throws him violently against the wall. Luckily for him, it works just as well as a kiss, and he returns to his original form.

The main fairytale behind this Disney classic is of French origin. In it, the reason for Belle’s arrival at the castle is quite different: her father steals a rose from the Beast’s garden and is imprisoned. Belle’s sisters blame her for their father’s misfortunes and demand that she stay in his place. She goes to the castle, filled with invisible servants, where the Beast tries to make her fall in love with him. After being allowed to visit her family, she returns to find the Beast dying. After professing her love, the Beast turns into a prince, and they live happily ever after.

Loosely based on Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, Disney’s Frozen turns a dark story featuring a villainous Queen into a tale of sisterly love. In the original story, Gerda (the inspiration behind the character of Anna) goes on a quest to rescue her friend Kai from the clutches of the evil Snow Queen. Ultimately, her tears are able to melt the ice shards in Kai’s heart and save him.

Inspired by the 1883 Italian novel The Adventures of Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi, the Disney movie gives us a much more tame version of the story. In the original, Pinocchio is rude and cruel. Often chastised by Jiminy Cricket, he ends up killing him and is punished in consequence. A moral tale about disobedience and laziness, the original Pinocchio is only able to turn into a human boy after working hard and learning to care for others.

As with most mythological stories, the original tale of Hercules is quite tragic, and not the happy ending story presented by Disney. A product of the affair of Zeus with a mortal woman, Hercules is hated by Hera, Zeus’ wife, who drives him mad. While out of his mind, he murders his wife, Megara, and their children. To atone for this crime, he performs 12 seemingly impossible labours. In the end, Hercules dies after being poisoned, but he is eventually turned into a god by Zeus.

IDIOM ADVENTURES

8 Idioms And Expressions That Will Leave You Speechless

Image: Pieter Brueghel the Elder, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

While some idioms are as familiar as old friends, others lurk in the linguistic shadows, waiting for their moment in the spotlight. These idioms might be rare guests in our everyday repertoire. Still, their colorful histories and unique imagery serve as potent reminders that the challenges people encounter today often echo those faced centuries ago. In this exploration, we unveil eight rare gems that may raise eyebrows, tickle your fancy, and perhaps even inspire you enough to include them in your next conversation.

Image: Jon Toney

Meaning: To make something difficult.

This idiom takes us back to the days when wagon wheels had wooden spokes. Inserting a spoke would jam the wheel, causing chaos for the unsuspecting traveler. Unfortunately, you can still experience the same thing with a bicycle (don’t try it!).

Today, using this phrase signifies throwing a wrench into someone's plans, causing an unexpected obstacle.

Image: James Lee

Meaning: To do whatever it takes to achieve something.

Hailing from Scotland, this idiom refers to the ancient practice of fashioning spoons out of cattle or sheep horns. It means that you are so determined to accomplish your objectives that unwittingly ruining something in the process—or even failing completely—is part of the cost you are willing to pay. You might want to question, though, if you really need that spoon so badly.

Image: Aziz Acharki

Meaning: To be two-faced or deceiving.

This expression is actually one of the many represented in the famous painting Netherlandish Proverbs by Pieter Bruegel the Elder (pictured at the beginning of this article). Among the many curious characters that inhabit the oil painting, a keen eye can spot a lady carrying a bucket of water in one hand and a hot ember on the end of a metal tong in the other.

Image: Michal Bar Haim

Meaning: To be born out of wedlock.

In the olden days, a child born out of wedlock was deemed quite scandalous, as bearing children outside the institution of marriage was considered illegitimate. Many parents would have terrible headaches just thinking about the possibility of their children engaging in this kind of behavior. As a curiosity, the word wedlock is a thirteenth-century way to say "marriage," from the Old English root word wedlac or "marriage vow."

Image: Seriously Low Carb

Meaning: To know how to better benefit yourself.

This idiom has roots tracing back to the mid-1500s. Its essence lies in the wisdom of discerning one's best interests—recognizing where to channel efforts for personal gain, understanding advantageous choices, and identifying those who can be of help. The metaphor refers to the notion that the buttered side of the bread is undoubtedly the best part of it (even in an allegorical bread, apparently), and that identifying the most advantageous aspects of a situation is much like savoring the richness of the buttered side in the realm of life's choices.

Image: Mario Heller

Meaning: To submit passively to a reprimand or punishment.

An old English proverb, this one refers to the act of yielding without resistance, tamely surrendering to someone else, or a difficult situation, as if you were bowing your head to be washed. It sometimes appears in literature as "to put one’s beard to the washing," but the meaning is unchanged.

Image: Cody Wingfield

Meaning: To force yourself to do something unpleasant.

Biting the bullet is a metaphor used to depict a situation where an unavoidable impending hardship is acknowledged, and a decision is made to staunchly endure the associated pain. This metaphor draws its inspiration from the practice of providing soldiers with an object to clench in their teeth before a painful surgical procedure on the battlefield. This phrase was first recorded by Rudyard Kipling as "bite on the bullet," in his 1891 novel The Light that Failed.

Image: Markus Spiske

Meaning: To make peace.

To bury the hatchet means to end all hostilities. The expression originated in the symbolic—and sometimes literal—practice of burying or caching weapons in times of peace among Native Americans. The custom is notably associated with the formation of the Iroquois Confederacy and was prevalent in Iroquois traditions.